What a difference a day makes ...
In just 24 hours it seems that what was meant to be prestigious and highly publicised appearance at inauguration of the new Croatian president seriously backfired at the my all-time favourite Croatian music artist Josipa Lisac who otherwise had a very successful, respected and long career. She had just celebrated her 70th birthday with sold out concert in Sava Centre, Belgrade and fresh from that triumph arrived at this inauguration at the invitation of president Milanović himself - I was very surprised that she accepted this invitation not only because usually she kept away from politicians but also because I truly believe that it is not wise to mingle with such crowd, they have tendency to slide down and pull everyone with them. But she is our über diva and either genuinely supported new president or could not excuse herself from this occasion, who knows - in any case, for the very first time in her career it actually turned into a debacle.
Josipa was always a very unusual, highly polarising artist: as long as I remember her, there was something about her that divided people. They would either fanatically love her or adamantly be hostile towards her - unusual and unrepentant as she always was, with decades she grew into living legend and her eccentricities eventually came to be accepted - at least this is what I thought, since media was usually celebrating her unique status as a survivor in a fickle business that chews its stars. Without a doubt she was her own woman with unique voice and although visual cellophane often eclipsed everything else, it all came as package and this is what people expected from her. One thing that always bothered me, was the understanding that she broke the ice as our very first female Rock artist but in all these years there was nobody else seriously following her path - all those other girls would enjoy a moment in the spotlight, just to disappear and no one had this genuinely eccentric, adventurous spirit like Lisac who grew into a "crazy aunt".
She was invited on inauguration by president himself and arrived there with some young pianist in a tow, all ready to go and perform the national anthem as its apparently now already a tradition in a world, big diva singing for a president. It was a serious misstep. This was a moment when the whole nation watched inauguration on TV and apparently Croatians were not familiar with the way Aretha, Whitney or Chaka Khan perform the anthem in their own, recognisable manner - being traditional as they are, Croatians were shocked, appalled and infuriated when Lisac did her usual shtick and twisted the national anthem around, the way she improvise and twist everything she sings for decades already. Personally I didn't find it different from what she is doing otherwise - this is what she was celebrated for all these years - after all, she is known as a mother of vocal mannerism and by now everybody is familiar with her style. It would perhaps have been better to have some other, more mainstream artist who would perform the darn thing like in a schoolbook, note for note - what happened now is that the whole country is in uproar, people are seriously infuriated and the backlash is so huge that there is even a court case against her (for somebody complained that she mocked the national anthem). Just as I was afraid, her eccentricity finally broke the straw and there is a very public, virulent outcry against her - haters who never liked her are now united - everything that previously she was applauded for is now turned against her and this is a very public lynch against "crazy aunt" who actually never harmed anyone but dared to be different. And its very interesting that all these years she was celebrated for her own eccentricity and originality but deep inside Croatians are traditionalists who actually dislike this qualities, now the moment came when she is publicly mocked for being who she always was.
And it all happened in only 24 hours! One long, successful and impressive career publicly crashed down with a thunder in a day. As expected, the roar of haters is far louder than gentle support of her fans - this is always the case - the insults are piling up and I can't even imagine what the lady feels right now, being in a eye of the storm. Knowing the way she usually lives in her own reality and the way she is, she is not making things better by admitting that "it was difficult for her to perform so early because she usually never wakes up before 11 a.m" - a typical comment from her but taken very badly by frustrated public who finally had enough of her. Than also there is a matter of being pop artist of certain age who is still hanging around and overstaying the welcome - damned if you do and damn if you don't - the tabloids have field day with this and seems that people are seriously divided on the issue, I am naturally very upset with this mob attack on an sweet, elderly eccentric lady who has always been harmless and sophisticated pearl amongst rural pack. She has been nr.1 singer for me my whole life so I can't just change my mind now suddenly and even if its true that she should have retired long time ago, rude and vulgar attack on her are deeply distressing. Because it sounds like cautionary tale: if one giant and living legend like Lisac can be publicly mocked, tarred and feathered, than what is the point of putting people on pedestals.
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