Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: CUK / Kino Šiška
Interview date: October 22, 2016
Lačni Franz are a cult Slovenian rock band, founded in Maribor in 1979 by Zoran Predin and Oto Rimele. They’ve left behind a history of 15 records, and the latest, titled Ladja norcev, came out this year with a largely rejuvenated lineup. The band called it quits in 1997, then key member Zoran Predin brought it back to life in 2014 and gathered young musicians around him: Anej Kočevar on bass, Boštjan Artiček on keys, Luka Čadež on drums and Tine Čas on guitar. We caught them for a short interview before their show at the Urbani kulturni center Kino Šiška, where Magnifico and Melanija Larisa Fabčič were also on the bill.
Rockline: First off, thanks for the whole band taking the time for an interview before a demanding show. Tell us, how did it come to reviving this cult Slovenian band after so many years? Where did the urge, the hunger for it come from?
Zoran: I think I’ve explained this quite a few times already: times simply repeat themselves. Sadly, history repeats itself in such a way that the lyrics I wrote in the early eighties are just as relevant today as they were back then. The other thing is that new music needs messages again. And the Lačni Franz brand is the one that allows free speech and a completely unlimited musical form.
Rockline: We noticed there’s no loosening of style on the new record. You’ve stayed more or less true to the elements of your earlier records from the eighties and nineties. We’re curious how you see the fact that most Slovenian bands somehow don’t manage that, and often struggle with changes of style and so don’t stay with their original sound?
Zoran: I have to admit I really need to steer way clear of commenting on our colleagues. I already get on three quarters of Slovenia’s nerves as it is. I don’t know why they don’t manage it, but I wish them nothing but the best and I hope they pull it off.
Rockline: A question for the younger half of the lineup. How did you welcome a Slovenian music legend into your midst?
Anej: I can tell you first-hand, for example, that when I joined the band I had no idea what to expect. Only later, when we got together and got the playlist of what we should rehearse, because you have to start somewhere, I did a bit of a double take at first. I told myself these were some “crazy” old guys. There were progressive arrangements, the kind I would never write and don’t write. And I think that’s exactly where we find each other: we young ones bring something to the experienced and older guys. Back then music was made differently, and now an interesting mix comes out of it, a kind of symbiosis we found while working.
Rockline: And a similar question for Zoran. How does he find his place among the younger members of the band?
Zoran: I have to admit I was really nervous. Imagine having to ride in the same van as your old man to a party. You can’t exactly sit there drinking beer and cursing in front of your dad. It just doesn’t work. It’s awkward. But that sorted itself out pretty quickly. We got to know each other better and figured out that we get along well and learn from each other. In these two years we’ve become completely equal members of the band and we do things together. The vibe we have in the band is a rare treat. That doesn’t happen in every band. I’m learning from them like crazy. And when nostalgia hits me and I tell them the same joke for, say, the fifth time, they let it slide and say, “Ah, let him be.”
Rockline: Band reunions have been all the rage lately. Do you think there’s any chance that the holy trinity (Predin, Kreslin, Lovšin) with their bands Lačni Franz, Martin Krpan and Pankrti might ever join forces for a shared show, or maybe even a tour?
Zoran: Why not? Of course we leave that possibility open.
Anej: Zoran has this old black Gestapo-style phone with a rotary dial. Together we figured out that this phone is meant for Zoran to be able to call Vlado or Pero. No signal so far, sadly, but when that phone starts working, all three will surely get together.
Rockline: To finish, we can’t really get around a clichéd question. What can we expect from Lačni Franz in the future? Some live recording? Maybe a new record already in the works?
Zoran: I think before a new record we’ll see at least one engagement, one wedding and a few attempts at fatherhood. Right now we first need to get this record under our belt. In the spring we’ll be guests on Jure Longyka’s Izštekani. We’ll prepare some new stuff for that appearance, and otherwise this whole territory of the former Yugoslavia needs to be worked over live, so we’ve got quite a bit of work ahead of us next year. We also still have to throw a good barbecue at my place. Anej is an excellent grill master. When he goes to the butcher, the cuts of meat practically scream after him, because they’d love to be grilled with his skills. We’re also joking about maybe learning French together, and Anej in particular is totally psyched. It’s an inside joke, of course.
Rockline: Thank you very much for your time, and we wish you a successful run presenting the record on stages.
text: Klemen Udovč
