CROATIAN MUSIC, Toma Bebić

Toma Bebić (1939 – February 1990), an aphorist, a dishevelled poet, a conversationalist, a stubborn promoter of just any alternative who even authored picture books and twisted aphorism books became a legend during his lifetime. Indeed, only a small discography opus remains after his premature demise, but the influence of his key music items was much, much wider. It is no wonder, considering that Toma and his most famous songs like Kaleta, Nevera, Oya Noya, Smoči svoj..., Ča smo na ovome svitu, Leute moj, Marčelina and other songs became sort of anthems of both the traditionalists and the supporters of the alternative trends at the Split Festival. Unfortunately, partly due to his own nonchalance and partly as a toll to the “provincial mindset”, Toma’s musical opus is comparably weaker than the value of the songs and the extraordinary concert performances. His songs mostly belong to “Dalmatian chansons” with distinctive dedication to his region, but they mostly refer to everyday situations and “little people” from the margins, with whom he – as a bohemian and anarchist – got along the best. Sang in his raspy and suggestive voice, his songs shined on the 1980 album Oya Noya with songwriting hits Nevera, Leute moj, Marčelina, Tu-tu auto, vrag ti piz odnija, Za moj raj pitajte mene, confirming Bebic’s role as the artistic enfant terrible fully distanced from the mainstream of the then pop songs of Split Festival. Permanently interesting as the “dishevelled phenomenon” of Split-themed art and a peculiar chanson singer, Toma once was and remained a cult figure not only of Split, but of Croatian music scene as well.