Photos: Urban Bolta
Location: Rock Cafe / Postojna / Slovenia
Interview date: 24.04.2010
At one of the last big events at Rock Cafe in Postojna, which its new owners are currently racing to renovate, we sat down with Divlje jagode founding member and guitar maestro Sead “Zele” Lipovaća. The hard rock phenomenon that properly shook up Yugoslavia in the mid-eighties and almost went on a world tour with Judas priest hardly needs an introduction. But what actually happened to Jagode after the peak they hit in the golden age of rock and metal? After a killer show (Rockline report HERE), Zele filled us in on their English adventure, talked about his guitar collection and the new album, and explained why he decided against joining David Coverdale’s band.
Rockline: Let’s start with the offer that came from Whitesnake two and a half decades ago. Can you tell us more about it?
Zele: I don’t know why everyone finds it so strange. Yes, the offer came, but I didn’t take it, because I was tied to contracts that were better than that one. I’d committed to an English record label for seven years, and on top of that I didn’t want to leave my guys in Divlje jagode high and dry. So when Coverdale’s offer came, I didn’t think about it much and had no trouble deciding to stick to my deal with the label and the guys in my band.
Rockline: What actually went down in England around the release of Wild strawberries?
Zele: That’s a long story, and in the end it’s not that important. What matters is that Divlje jagode are still the only band from the former Yugoslavia that managed to sign a deal that big. That means that in the eighties we were way above every other musician of our kind, both in the Balkans and across the wider Eastern Bloc. What’s more, our label was convinced we were better than 95% of the American bands at the time. Of course things got complicated later, but I could talk about that for three days. To sum it up, it felt like I’d hit the lottery and then lost the ticket that would’ve made me rich.
Rockline: You’ve got an enviable guitar collection. Some of them go for astronomical prices.
Zele: Years ago the collection was huge, and it’s shrunk a bit since then. But it’s still a solid collection. In terms of money, the most valuable one is the ’59 Gibson Les Paul, which is worth somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000 right now. There aren’t many guitars like that left in the world, and their value goes up by the day.
Rockline: Is that your favorite guitar?
Zele: Actually, I don’t play it much. Sometimes in the studio, and now and then at a gig. Most of the time I play my ’67 Stratocaster. It’s not an original guitar, because only the wooden body is from that year. I swapped out everything else and set it up the way I like it. I replaced the old bridge pickup with a DiMarzio Super distortion, added a Floyd rose tremolo, and “rebuilt” it in every way to suit my needs. Because of the modifications it doesn’t have a high price tag, but to me it’s priceless anyway. If you want a guitar (and this goes mostly for Gibson and Fender) to hold its value, all the parts have to be original. I heard that a well-preserved mid-fifties Les Paul recently sold in Los Angeles for $400,000.
Rockline: Does guitar music have a future?
Zele: Talented musicians always have a future, no matter which instrument they play. It’s all about the energy and love they pass on to listeners through their instrument. As for the guitar, I don’t think it’s said its last word yet. Somebody will surely come along and invent something new, both in sound and in technique. As long as there are enough talented guitarists, we don’t have to worry about the instrument. That said, nothing has happened in this field for a long time, and it feels like everybody’s waiting for the next Satriani or Malmsteen. But when that person shows up, they’ll chart new horizons and drag a whole new generation of guitarists along with them. Technique is overrated, and there are tons of people with great technique who all sound the same. Those aren’t guitarists. I could count on one hand the musicians whose sound is so recognizable you can tell them apart from the rest without any trouble. Those are the real virtuosos.
Rockline: Can we expect a new record from Divlje jagode in the near future?
Zele: My biggest problem is that I’m very demanding. Sadly, I can’t make peace with the standards that currently rule in the area of our former country. On top of that, the record industry worldwide is falling apart relentlessly because of what the internet makes possible. That’s exactly why I haven’t recorded a single album in the last five years. But of course I’ve got a huge amount of material ready, and when the moment is right, the new Divlje jagode album will see the light of day. Maybe even this fall.
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