Turbofolk sensation Magnifico through some twist of fate hails from the same saturnine city that brought you popular musical groups “Laibach” and “Slavoj Zizek”. Ljubljana, which means “Mountain-scowl” in Slovenian is known for its world class sausage links, soccer, and frenetic turbofolk, thanks to one man. Famous for his provocative music videos and balls to the wall behaviour, Magnifico practices a more relaxed approach to life than he preaches, quoted saying he is “made for relaxation and for spreading the light”. I sat down with him one morning at 5am my-time to pick the Casanova’s mind. He revealed himself to be the most lucid, decent man I have ever met from the region. Here’s what he had to say:
Hello
Magnifico, yeah?
Hi Magnifico. How would you describe your music for someone who hasn’t heard it before?
It is.. I think it is a mix of everything I’ve ever heard in my life. I think it is mix between, you know, Beatles, Balkan Folk music, mmmm… anything and everything I like, and I think my music sounds like that. I think my music sounds like if you put chibavchini, and Mexican salsa with American hamburger or something.
Where do you find the girls in your videos?
The girls? I didn’t find them, the director of the videoclips find them, because I`m married, and I dont really have connection with pretty young girls, so it is something I didn’t do.
Do you have any funny tour stories
Oof, I think so, but it was many of them, but I don’t know now. Actually, I forgot many things all the time, we are fun all the time, we have fun all the time, I cannot remember one special thing now.
For Eurovision you were hospitalized from a fight with Patrik Greblo, what happened?
Ya, ya, this is my bad temper you know? Sometimes I can hear the devil inside me go ‘”hit him, hit him” and then I hit and then after one or two days I apologized to him, but he also know he said some stupid words, and I’m not truly proud of that kind of me, but what can I do.
You see a lot of men in the Balkans act very macho, and what you do is joke about that, like your song, “Magnifico je peder” (Magnifico is Gay). What was the reaction to that song?
You know, they always ask me, did you fuck this girl, did you fuck that girl, you know, you’re famous you should do it, but I’m married and then I said to the girls “don’t look at me in that way, I’m homosexual” it is my, how do Isay, my defense for the girls, if they want me I say “I’m sorry, I’m homosexual”, and they go “oh, oh yeah?” and they went away then
Has anyone reacted badly?
Uh, no they are just, “Oh I didn’t know, sorry” and I say “Oh”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzoFSNQ2WM4&hl=en&fs=1]
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a dream!