The world was first exposed to Tožibabe in the early 80′s. From Slovenia in Former Yugoslavia, their bleak, harsh sound and often unconventional song structures made them not only one of the most interesting bands to emerge from the early 1980′s punk scene, but also the first Slovenian all-female rock band to write their own songs and lyrics. Apart from a few tracks on compilation tapes and LPs, they only released one 7” called Dezuje. It’s a gloomy, unforgiving and nihilistic roller-coaster ride of confrontational, angry noise. iCrates was lucky enough to have former band-member Mojca answer a few questions about her time in the band and the Slovenian punk scene.
When did you start the band? And who were your formative influences?
Our band was formed in spring 1983 as an answer to all the bands that were forming at that time. Punk groups were old people (at that time in Slovenia) and hard-core was starting to kick in. As for influences, it would be difficult to point to any band in particular, it was more the influence of the spirit of the time and a desire to participate with our own voice.
I read somewhere that Tožibabe was the first all-female band from Slovenia to write their own songs and lyrics. How was it to be girls, doing what mostly guys had been doing before you?
As I remember we were the first female band in Former Yugoslavia with our own music. It was a bit strange due to a fact that we chose hard-core, but the community took us seriously and helped us in all sorts of ways. That is what we were also singing about in [the track] “Tožibabe”, where we say that we’re playing on instruments from U.B.R. and we are the voice of the scene. When we were invited to play at Novi Rock, we demanded that the rest of the hard-core community would play as well. They did.
Were you also the singer in Čao Pičke?
No Marsa was a singer at Čao Pičke.
Čao Pičke – “Sem Tvoj Kolega”
Could you describe the “spirit of the time” to us a little bit. What did the punk scene in Slovenia back in the 80′s look like and what kind of people were drawn to the scene?
Punk was slowly in decline (in the mid 80′s) and hard-core was what the young generation who weren’t interested in the mainstream were into. Most of us were still in high school; some of us were still working, but the older guys who were at university stayed mainly with punk – or left the scene altogether.
For what reasons do you think young people were drawn to punk rock to begin with?
Punk was first played in 1977 and I think the youth liked the directness of punk. Its get-to-the-point lyrics and its different clothes from the rest of the population…
Did it have a political stand?
Of course it did. We had a lot of problems with the police at the time, due to a fact that we were socially dangerous. Thinking differently to the rest of the population wasn’t welcome.
How did the public react to the punk movement? Could you get in trouble or was it accepted?
Back in 80′s the public was much more open than it is now. One punk song was even the song of the week on the national radio.
It was accepted by population, but the government didn’t like us. For example the police would enter a bar we were in, take all the data from everybody that looked like a punk and send us [minors] home. At that time I think that I was in procedure almost every day. One would not get arrested but one would be harassed and controlled constantly. But OK, we survived. Once three friends of mine were joking and imitating animals while walking, and the police stopped them and bit [sic] the guys for nothing. As for the concerts, it wasn’t very difficult to organize them. We had a few places where they could be, and some of them were orginazed by the authorities as well.
Borghesia produced and recorded your vinyl single, right? How did you meet them up and how was it working with them?
In the beginning of the 80′s there was very few places one could go to. Alternative music was in “Student”, that was in the basement of the student campus in Ljubljana. The guys from Borgesia were working there (probably studying as well), so one thing led to the other.
Tožibabe – “Dezuje”
There are some videos on the internet which feature you, but there is not that much information about them? Who made these?
Borgesia was behind the camera, but the idea was ours. We can only say that that was the idea to put on the film what was in our head.
Did Tožibabe release anything before the songs that is on the compilation tape Hardcore Ljubljana and when is the cassette from?
I must admit that I don’t remember the compilation, but it would be from 1984. We had our first concert for the New Year 1984. We found it in line with the song from the Dead Kennedys.
Tožibabe – “Tožibabe” From the compilation tape Hardcore Ljubljana.
When you look back on your years in Tožibabe, what are your overriding feelings?
It was crazy, we were young and there was repressive government to fight with. We don’t regret one single thing from that time. Perhaps we could have a concert or two more! And we wouldn’t be so strict on video recording. That’s the main reason why there are so little video records of Tožibabe.
Thank you so much for your time. Any last words?
We would encourage all your readers not to think what they could earn with their music, just go for it! If you re honest, people hear that.
