IN MEMORIAM MLADEN ŠKALEC (1948. – 2020.) R.I.P.
(Moj veliki prijatelj, legendarni hrvatski glazbeni producent i ton majstor)
Napisao: Marino Frost
Duboko sam ožalošćen što nas je 22. veljače 2020. napustio moj dragi prijatelj Mladen Škalec. Od tada je već prošlo pola godine…
Kroz naše živote ljudi dolaze i odlaze…no rijetki, kada udare trajan pečat vremenu, zauvijek i ostanu. Mladen je bio jedan od njih. Kad bih morao imenovati sinonim za vrhunsku osobu i prijatelja, a uz to i genija svog posla, on bi bio jedan od prvih koji bi mi pao na pamet. Jednostavno, on je imao sve sastojke za to.
Bio je legendarni glazbeni producent i ton majstor, koji je imao talent, kvalifikacije, znanja, iskustva te je napravio i postigao u svom poslu više od bilo koga ikada na prostorima gdje je živio. Ono što je Michael Jordan bio za košarku, Jimi Hendix za gitaru, Steven Spielberg za film, to je Mladen Škalec bio za svoj posao. Na prostorima ex-YU je radio sa svim najvećim zvijezdama pop i rock produkcije od dolaska te glazbe na te prostore, pa do danas. Radio je na nebrojenim studijskim i albumima uživo koji su obilježili naše živote (Josipa Lisac, Bijelo Dugme, Parni Valjak, Azra, Film, Atomsko Sklonište, Leb i Sol, Bajaga, Buldožer, Arsen Dedić, Aerodrom, Soulfingers, Prljavo Kazlište, Merlin, R. M. Točak, itd, itd…) Uz to, radio je i na brojnim snimkama raznih drugih vrsta glazbe, od klasike, do barokne glazbe… od snimanja zvuka i glazbe za TV emisije, pa do uživo prijenosa i snimanja glazbenih koncerata (mnogi LIVE albumi koj je radio postali su legendarni, a pogotovo oni snimani u “Kulušiću” u Zagrebu).
Rođen je u Bjelovaru. Još dok je bio teenager (u 60-ima) preselio se u Zagreb, gdje je živio do kraja života. Završio je srednju glazbenu školu, tako da je i sam bio glazbenik. Svirao je gitaru, saksofon i violinu. Imao je veliki glazbeni talent i odličan sluh. To mu je puno koristilo u njegovom producentskom radu, a i u poslu tonskog majstora. Uz to, diplomirao je na Elektrotehničkom fakultetu u Zagrebu. Od 1973. Godine radio je na RZ-u, snimio glazbu za desetak cjelovečernjih filmova, a tonski obradio još pet. Realizirao razna snimanja i izravne prijenose brojnih vrhunskih glazbenih priredbi (Eurosong u Zagrebu, Porin, Dora, nastupi Placida Dominga u Splitu i Jose Carerasa u Veroni, opera Aida u Pekingu), itd. Bio je suprojektant radijskoga pogona u Domu HRT-a na Prisavlju.
Od 1993. vodio je vlastitu tvrtku za tonsko snimanje i akustiku. Dobitnik je šest Porina za najbolju tonsku snimku. Bio je veliki stručnjak za akustiku te je sam dizajnirao i proizvodio razne akustične naprave za apsorpcija zvuka. Svoj privatni studio za snimanje nazvao je Atea, što znači božanstvo koje je nosioc svjetla. A, sada je i on u tom svjetlu…
Imao je veliko poštovanje svih oko sebe, a najviše kolega iz njegovog posla. Svi su ga oslovljavali sa “gospodin Škalec” i divili mu se. Bio je ljudina i prijatelj neograničenih dimenzija. Istinsku veličinu čovjeka najbolje odaje skromnost. Mladen je bio nevjerojatno skroman za svoja dostignuća. Nikad nije ni pričao o svojim zapanjujućim glazbenim dostignućima. Navesti ću samo nekoliko situacija koje sam imao s njim.
Kada bih dolazio iz New Yorka u Hrvatsku, on bi me čekao na aerodromu, vozio okolo kao da je moj osobni vozač (i to je jako ozbiljno uzeo kao funkciju), posuđivao mi jedan od svojih automobila, premda sam mu govorio da ja mogu iznajmiti i rent-a-car. No, on bi na tome inzistirao. Rekao mi je: “Otkad si prodao onu svoju sedmicu koju si držao u Hrvatskoj osam godina, ne moraš iznajmjljivati auto! Ili ću te ja voziti gdje trebaš ili ću ti ja posuditi svoj auto!” Kada sam ostajao u Bjelovaru, dao mi je svoju roditeljsku kuću na korištenje, a dok sam bio u Zagrebu, onda mi je pak ponudio da boravim u njegovoj kući u Zagrebu (čak mi ponudio i cijeli kat te kuće samo za mene). Godine 2001. pozvao me je da zajedno miksamo moje vlastite pjesme. Za tu priliku je osigurao studio Lisinski. On je Lisinskom odradio neke poslove, pa umjesto da od njih bude plaćen za to, radije je uzeo studijske sati kao kompenzaciju za to, da bi to meni poklonio kad dođem. Premda imam i svoj vlastiti studio u New Yorku te mi ništa od toga nije trebalo, mene je uvijek veselilo da radim s njim. On je taj posao znao strahovito dobro, ali uz to bili smo i odlični prijatelji. Uživali smo se zajedno družiti i veseliti. Sve u svemu, Mladen je radije uzeo studijske sate od Lisinskog umjesto novaca. A uz to mi je još i besplatno asistirao. Zbog mojih raznih obazveza ja sam odgađao put za Hrvatsku, a onda je Mladen trebao miksati album grupe Aerodrom koji je upravo završio snimati u svom studiju. Tada je potrošio te sate koje je imao kao kompenzaciju u Lisinskom. Kad sam ja došao u Hrvatsku, Mladen je taj studio platio iz svog džepa, bez da mi je to rekao. Tek nekoliko tjedana kasnije dok smo bili u studiju, Hrvoje Hegedušić Heg mi je slučajno odao tu tajnu. Naime, Mladen mu je rekao da meni ni slučajno ne smije reći da je on platio studio iz svog džepa za mene, pošto je one prijašnje sate potrošio na rad sa grupom Aerodrom). Ja sam to naravno, odmah rekao Mladenu i tražio da ja onda platim taj račun pošto je to tada bila drugačija shema. No, Mladen se zacrvenio od muke što sam ja to saznao i odbio o tome ikada više i razgovarati, a kamoli mi dati, odnosno odati sve troškove. Pa gdje takvo što postoji, a pogotovo kod takve veličine majstora kao što je bio on?
Uz to mi je dao i ključeve od svog studija u Dubravi. Njegov vlastiti studio bio je originalno Jugotonov, a nalazio se u kompleksu Jadran Filma. Pošto sam tada bio u Hrvatskoj na odmoru dva mjeseca, to vrijeme sam iskoristio za radni odmor. Zato sam u Mladenovom studiju radio demo snimke za svoje pjesme, dok smo u Lisinskom zajedno miksali snimke mojih pjesama koje sam prije snimio u svom studiju u New Yorku.
A onda se dogodila tragedija pada Blizanaca u New Yorku. Taj dan me Mladen čekao da dođem na snimanje u Jadran Film, a ja sam kasnio nekih sat vremena. I onda me najedom Mladen zove, očigledno jako uzrujan. Ja sam ispočetka mislio da ja on uzrujan što ja kasnim, no on mi je rekao: “Tebe nema, a počinje treći svjetski rat!“ Ja sam mu potom odgovorio da ga malo smirim i okrenem za šalu: “Ako ja kasnim sat vremena, neće valjda samo zbog toga početi treći svjetski rat!“ Kasnije sam došao do Jadran Filma, a Nova TV je imala svoju glavnu režiju odmah do Mladenovog studija “Atea”. Bio sam si dobar sa tim dečkima, te sam otišao vidjeti na TV-u šta se to stvarno događa u vezi Mladenovog “trećeg svjetskog rata“. I točno tada se dogodio sam pad Blizanaca. Dečki sa Nove TV imali su u režiji puno upaljenih TV monitora (možda 20-ak) sa prijenosom američkih TV mreža, koje su sve prenosile tu tragediju. Nova TV je pak u tom momentu emitirala neku meksičku sapunicu. Čim sam ušao u režiju i u šoku video šta se događa u New Yorku, počeo sam dečkima u režiji govoriti sa kojeg monitora da stave sliku na središnji (glavni) TV ekran. I dok su slijedili moje upute, oni su se pak toliko šokirali i zbunili od svega toga da su umjesto svoje meksičke sapunice pustili u eter ono što smo mi gledali u prenosu iz New Yorka o padu tih zgrada. Nakon Nove TV sam otišao u susjednu zgradu do Mladena koji je još uvijek bio uzrujan i u šoku od svega toga. Onda mi je rekao: “Nema smisla da danas snimamo dok počinje treći svjetski rat“. Crni humor! Nakon toga sam produžio svoj boravak u Hrvatskoj za još dva mjeseca, imajući u vidu tu ružnu situaciju i energiju u New Yorku. Cijelo to vrijeme družio sam se sa Mladenom i sebi radio demo snimke za svoje pjesme u njegovom studio, naravno potpuno besplatno.
Godine 2004. sam opet došao na radni odmor i ponovno se družio sa Mladenom. Sebi sam radio demo snimke za svoje pjesme, ponovno kod njega u studiju. Od tada nadalje, u narednim godinama dolazio sam u Hrvatsku te se sa Mladenom konstantno družio. U studenom 2014. moja majka je bila na umoru. Mladen me dočekao na aerodromu i odvezao u Bjelovar u dom gdje je majka bila smještena. No, bez obzira što je bila u užasnom zdravstvenom stanju, Mladena je odmah prepoznala. Sjetila se i Mladenove majke i cijele njegove obitelji. Nevjerojatno! Dva mjeseca kasnije, 2015. moja je majka preminula. Jurio sam iz New Yorka kako bih na vrijeme stigao na sprovod u Bjelovar. Za tu priliku sam uzeo avion Lufthansa da bih bio siguran, pošto Nijemci “ne kasne”. No, u Munchen-u sam presjedao za let za Zagreb i tada me je zapao Croatia Airlines. Gotovo uvijek sam s njima imao problema oko njihovog kašnjenja i ostalih peripetija. Ovog puta sam se htio osigurati da idem sa Lufthansom do kraja, pošto mi opcija kašnjenja nije bila moguća. No, pred samo poletanje Croatia Airlinesa iz Munchena za Zagreb, kapetan zrakoplova je rekao kako se vrata na avionu ne daju zatvoriti. Morali smo čekati majstora da popravi vrata, pošto su nam objasnili da ne mogu letjeti sa otvoranim vratima. Alan Ford scena! Pitao sam u očaju stjuardesu kada ćemo poletjeti te stići u Zagreb. Rekao sam joj da idem na majčin sprovod u Bjelovar i da ne smijem kasniti. Ona mi je na to drsko odgovorila da zašto onda nisam krenuo ranije te neka drugi put krenem puno ranije. Kao, ako idem idući put na majčin sprovod, onda neka krenem ranije, a ne kao sad. Zaista, nikada se ne zna da li će se vrata aviona Croatia Airlinesa moći zatvoriti ili ne. Bravo za Croatiu Airlines i njihovu stjuardesu! Ja platio Lufthansu “za svaki slučaj”, a opet me zapao Croatia Airlines. Kada su konačno popravili vrata nakon 45 minuta i dok smo sletjeli u Zagreb, već je bilo 12:35 sati. Sprovod je u Bjelovaru bio u 14 sati. Sa aerodrome sam doslovno izletio, Mladen me već čekao i rekao da moramo stići na vrijeme. Jurio je autom nekim puteljcima oko Zagreba. U Bjelovar smo ispred njegove kuće bili u 13:35, gdje su nas čekala još dva moja prijatelja. Njih dvojica i Mladen su me spremali za sprovod. Jedan mi je oblačio kaput, drugi ciple, treći vezao kravatu. Da nije bilo tragično, bilo bi komično, baš kao i sa Mladenovim “trećim svjetskim ratom” i Bliznacima. Potom smo jurili do groblja i tamo sam uletio doslovce u 13:59. Točno na vrijeme, baš kao što mi je prijatelj Mladen i obećao na aerodromu u Zagrebu.
Obožavao me kao osobu i prijatelja, a nadasve moje glazbeni vrijednosti, rad i dostignuća u New Yorku. Imao je strahovito puno respketa za mene. Puno puta mi je govorio: “Kad bi se ti vratio za stalno iz Amerike u Hrvatsku, za dvije godine bi zauvijek promijenio hrvatsku glazbenu produkciju. Poslije toga ljudi više ne bi slušali šund koji slušaju sada”. To je ultra veliki compliment, ako se zna vrijednost, znanje i dostignuća “gospodina Škaleca”.
Izuzetno mu je bilo drago kada sam svirao gitaru i pjevao četiri godine u reunion bandu Jimi Hendrixa sa originalnim članovima tog banda, a na Jimijevom mjestu. Bio je to Jimijev band iz New Yorka koji se raspao početkom 1966. kada se Jimi odselio u London. Od tada oni nisu svirali zajedno pune 43 godine, sve do 2009. kad su me pozvali da sviram i pjevam na Jimijevom mjestu. To je trajalo sve do 2013. kada je umro bubnjar benda. Imao je 81 godinu i Mladen je bio fasciniran time, jer su ti muzičari bili prisutni svuda i svirali sa velikim zvjezdama od postanka popularne muzike nadalje. Hendrix je za Mladena tijekom šezdesetih godina bio šok i muzička prekretnica. Kao vrstan i talentiran gitarista, Mladen mi je pričao kako se osjećao dok je prvi put čuo Jimijevu glazbu. Bio je fasciniran i Jimi mu je srušio sve šablone, norme i sisteme. Hendrixova glazba se doimala kao da dolazi iz neke druge dimenzije. Eh, a onda je vježbao tu gitaru da i on može to isto odsvirati. A eto, sad ja sviram sa Hendrixovim originalnim bendom! Ajooj…? To je za njega bila jako velika stvar I zbog toga je bio jako ponosan na mene.
Jednom dok mi je htio posuditi svoj auto u Zagrebu ispred njegove kuće, tražio me da mu prvo pomognem iz bunkera izvaditi gramafonske ploče, tako da mi za moje stvari oslobodi prostor u svom autu. Dok sam s njim vadio te kutije sa pločama iz auta, kojih je bilo na desetine, pitao sam ga kakve su to ploče. Onda je rekao da su to ploče koje je on radio. Tek tada te udari činjenica kad vidiš sve te silne ploče, koliko je toga taj čovjek napravio. Sjećam se da sam iz te gomile izvukao najširu ploču i pitao ga šta je pak to, a onda sam vidio da je to Azrina ploče “Ravno do dna” (inače trostruki album), koju je on snimio. Kasnije sam saznao da mnogi do danas smatraju tu ploču kao najbolji album uživo ikad snimljen na prostorima bivše države. No, Mladen kao Mladen, bio je skroman do bola. On se nikada nije hvalio, a niti je komentirao nijednu od tih ploča (od kojih su većina bila remek-djela u tom dijelu svijeta). Njega je više zanimalo da to iznesemo, tako da mi što prije može dati svoj auto i da naharni svog psa kojeg je iznimno volio.
Od svih stvari koje radim sa glazbom, posao ton majstora mi je uvijek bio najnezgodniji i najneprijatini. Najgore je raditi uživo kao ton majstor jer je to veliki pritisak sa svih strana. Ako sve bude super, u najbolju ruku možeš dobiti tapšanje po ramenu, no ako stvari krenu krivo, onda nastaje velka nervoza i pakao u kome svi krive ton majstora, bez obzira da li taj problem ima veze sa njim ili ne. Od ton majstora se uvijek očekuje da spas od problema i poteškoća. Najgore je ipak raditi velike koncerte i nastupe, pošto tek tada problemi nisu poželjni. Prošao sam kroz to puno puta na živim nastupima i puno puta bih volio da sam imao opciju da mogu nekome platiti samo da nisam bio tamo dok muka krene.
Nakon što je grupa Riva pobjedila na Eurosongu, naredne godine se natjecanje održavalo u Zagrebu. Svaka država se tada želi pokazati pred ostalima u najboljem svjetlu te se za tu priliku selektiraju najbolji majstori koje država ima. Zato su za tu priliku izabrali Mladena, te mu dali šest mjeseci vremena da sve pripremi u najboljem svjetlu za taj show te da si sam izabere svoje asistente. On mi je ispričao cijelu tu priču. Mladen je miksao zvuk iz studija Lisinski, istog onog gdje smo kasnije zajedno miksali moje pjesme. Sve je bilo ultra dobro pripremljeno, no dva Mladenova asistenta koja su radila u sali na monitorskom miksu zvuka, još jednom su probali zvuk na slušalice prije samog otvaranja. Isključili su jedan mali kabel i time prekinuli dovod zvuka u glavni sistem. Uzbuđeni samim događajem i činjenicom da ih uživo gleda cijela Europa, ta dva asistenta zaboravili su ponovo uključiti kabel natrag. Prva pjesma je krenula sa nastupom Irske, no zvuka nije bilo! Mladen je iz režije zvao svoje asistente da ih pita u čemu je problem. Njih dvojica su tada vidjeli da je problem sa tim malim kablom kojeg su zaboravili ponovo uključiti. Nakon što su riješili problem, Eurosong je krenuo ispočetka. Bila je to jako duga minuta, puna teške muke. Kasnije je sve do kraja proteklo u najboljem redu, no to na početku je bila velika trauma za njihov cijeli tehnički tim. Premda Mladen nije bio direktno kriv za tu grešku, on je ipak bio šef cijelog tima koji je bio odgovoran za sve. Pitao sam ga kako se tada osjećao, pošto je to bila velika odgovornost i veliki šok. Mladen mi je na to odgovorio u svom stilu: “Pa šta misliš, od čega sam ja posjedio?” Tada mi je pokazao svoje fotke prije Eurosonga i poslije. Prije je ima crnu, a nedugo nakon Eurosonga sijedu kosu. Eto, nitko tko nije probao ne zna koliko je to stresan posao.
Između ostalih nebrojenih raznih koncerta, showova, TV emsija i sl., bio je tu i jedan više nego unikatan, senzacionalni koncert kojeg je moj prijatelj odradio. Mladen je bio glavni ton majstor za spektakl opere Aida na stadionu u Pekingu, prije same Olimpijade koja se tamo održavala nakon toga. Bili su to koncerti koji su se održavali dvije večeri i to pred 110 000 ljudi. Ta izvedba jedne od najpopularnijih opera svih vremena ušla je u Guinnessovu knjigu rekorda kao najveća operna produkcija na svijetu. Kinezi su za tu priliku pokušali stvoriti modernu operu, ali su dodali kineski stil, kinesku modu, svoje kung fu borce, akrobate … U tom egzotičnom spektaklu sudjelovalo je više od 4 000 izvođača. U trijumfalnoj sceni na ogromni stadion umarširalo je i 1 650 vojnika kineske armije. Slonovi, lavovi, pantere, tigrovi, konji i zmije bili su vrhunac parade. Raditi kao ton majstor na jednom takvom spektaklu je doslovce noćna mora od obaveze. No, nedugo nakon toga, Mladen je meni u telefonskom razgovoru to sve jedva i spomenuo. Pričao je o tome kao da pojeo hamburger, a ne kao da je odradio jedan takav neviđeni, unikatan spektakl s druge strane svijeta.
Nikad nitko na tim prostorima za takav posao nije imao toliko uklopljenih kvaliteta i komponenti. Talent za glazbu i poznavanje glazbe, vrhunsko uho, završenu srednju glazbenu školu, diplomu inženjera elektrotehnike, što znači da je svoje mašine dolovce poznavao iznutra i izvana, znanje, iskustvo, glazbenu svestranost. Svirao je u mnogim bandovima, bio veliki stručnjak za akustiku, imao je svoja reportažna kola (pokretni studio za snimanje) s kojim je snimio jako puno albuma uživo, kao i mnogobrojene showove i TV emsije uživo. Oduvijek je bio na pravom mjestu u pravo vrijeme, od postanka popularne glazbe u Hrvatskoj u šezdesetim kada je svirao u prvim hrvatskim rock baendovima, pa sve do danas.Vrhunski je odradio nebrojene nastupe, od kojih su neki bili unikatni i zapanjujći. Pa tko je ikad na tim prostorima dostigao taj nivo, takvav renome, takvu kvalitetu, znanje i iskustvo? Nitko se sa njim nije mogao ni uspoređivati, niti će to biti moguće u budućnosti.
Žao mi je što je pisanje ovog mog teksta uzelo toliko vremena, no nakon Mladenovog odlaska počela je svjetska invazija virusa Corone, koja je poremetila cijelom svijetu sve planove, pa tako i meni. Baš krajem veljače se sve promijenilo te je u New Yorku u kojem živim postalo opsadno stanje po svim linijama, nešto što ovaj grad nikad nije vidio. No, i u toj situaciji, koja je od mene iziskivala puno popratnih obaveza, ipak sam našao vremena i prostora da napišem ovaj tekst za mog prijatelja koji je to itekako zaslužio. A sad je točno šest mjeseci otkako nas je Mladen zauvijek napustio.
Naš gubitak je nebeski dobitak. I dok je nebo dobilo novog anđela, naš svijet je izgubio još jedno veliko svjetlo. No, u svakoj negativi ima i positive. Od sada nadalje imat ću pored sebe svog stalnog savjetnika i asistenta u mom glabenom radu, a za to nema boljeg od Mladena. Bit će on u mojem studiju uvijek na usluzi, pazeći preko mog ramena da sve bude u redu i da signal ne ode u crveno. Najvažnije od svega je kad ljudi za nekog koga više nema kažu da je bio dobar čovjek. Da, Mladen je bio jako dobar čovjek. Blažen je onaj tko je zauvijek zakopan u srcima, jer se najtopliji grob nalazi u srcima ljudi koji ga vole. Mladene, sve si nas zadužio svojim fenomenalnim radom i postojanjem. Nemoj ni sada stati sa svojom produkcijom gore iznad oblaka. Sve dok se opet ne sretnemo, pa nastavimo miksati gdje smo zadnji put stali. Show must go on …
IN MEMORIAM MLADEN ŠKALEC (1948 – 2020) R.I.P.
(My great friend, and legendary Croatian music producer and sound engineer)
Written by: Marino Frost
I am deeply saddened that my dear friend Mladen Škalec left us on February 22, 2020. Half a year has passed since then…
In our lives people come and go… the rare stay forever when they permanently stamp their time. Mladen was one of them. If I would have to name a synonym for a great person and friend, I wouldn’t have to look any further than him. He simply had all the ingredients for that title.
He was a legendary music producer and sound engineer, who had talent, qualifications, knowledge, experience, and made and achieved in his work more than anyone ever in the part of the world where he lived. What Michael Jordan was for basketball, Jimi Hendrix for guitar, Steven Spielberg for film, Mladen Škalec was for his job. In former Yugoslavia, he worked with all the biggest stars of pop and rock production since the arrival of that music in that area, until today. He has worked on countless studio and live albums that have marked our lives (Josipa Lisac, Bijelo Dugme, Parni Valjak, Azra, Film, Atomsko Sklonište, Leb i Sol, Bajaga, Buldožer, Arsen Dedić, Aerodrom, Soulfingers, Prljavo Kazlište, Merlin, RM Točak, etc.). In addition, he has worked on recordings of various other types of music, from classical to baroque music… from recording sound and music for TV shows, to live streaming and recording of music concerts (many LIVE albums he did became legendary, especially those filmed in “Kulušić” in Zagreb…).
He was born in Bjelovar. While still a teenager (in the ’60s) he moved to Zagreb, where he lived for the rest of his life. He graduated from music high school, so he was a musician himself. He played guitar, saxophone and violin. He had great musical talent and excellent ears. This was useful to him in his production work, and also in his work as a sound engineer. In addition, he graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Zagreb. From 1973 he worked at Radio Zagreb. He recorded music for about 10 feature films, and mixed sound for five more. He worked on various recordings and live broadcasts of numerous top music events (Eurosong in Zagreb, Porin, Dora, performances by P. Domingo in Split and J. Careras in Verona, opera Aida in Beijing), etc. He was a co-designer of the radio station in the HRT on Prisavlje. Since 1993, he had run his own company for sound recording and acoustics. Winner of six Porins for best sound recordings. He was a great expert for acoustics, and he designed and manufactured various acoustic devices for sound absorption. His private recording studio was named Atea (meaning a deity who is the bearer of light). Now he is in that light, too…
He had great respect from everyone around him, and most of all from his colleagues. Everyone called him “Mr. Škalec” and admired him. He was a man and a friend of unlimited dimensions. The true greatness of man is revealed in the best way by modesty. Mladen was incredibly modest for his achievements. He never even talked about his astonishing musical achievements. I will only list a few of the situations I had with him…
When I would come to Croatia from New York, he would wait for me at the airport, drive me around as if he were my personal driver (and he took that very seriously as a duty), he lent me one of his cars (although I told him that I can rent a car), but he would insist on that… He told me: “Since you sold your BMW that you held in Croatia for 8 years, you don’t have to rent a car! I’ll either drive you where you need to go, or I’ll lend you my car! When I stayed in Bjelovar, he gave me his house to use, and while I was in Zagreb, he offered for me to stay in his house in Zagreb (he even offered me a whole floor of that house for only me)… In 2001, he invited me to mix my own songs together. For that occasion, he provided the Lisinski studio. He did some work for Lisinski, but instead of being paid for it, he preferred to take studio hours as his compensation for that work, in order to give it to me for when I arrive. Although I have my own studio in New York, I didn’t need any of that, but I was happy to work with him. He knew that job great, but we were also great friends. We enjoyed hanging out and having fun. To sum up, Mladen preferred to take studio hours at Lisinski instead of money. He also assisted me for free. However, due to my various obligations, I postponed my trip to Croatia, and then Mladen had to mix the album for the group Aerodrom, which he had just finished recording in his studio.
He used those hours that he took as compensation in Lisinski. When I finally arrived in Croatia, Mladen PAID the studio out of his own pocket for my use, without telling me. Only a few weeks later, while we were in the studio, Heg (Hrvoje Hegedušić) accidentally revealed this secret to me in a conversation. Namely, Mladen told him that he shouldn’t tell me by any chance that he paid for the studio out of his own pocket for me (since he spent those previous hours working with the band Aerodrom). I, of course, immediately told Mladen that, and said that I want to pay that bill because it was a different situation under these circumstances. However, Mladen blushed that I found out, and he refused to even talk about it at all, let alone allow me to pay for those expenses. So, where does such a thing exist, and especially with such a great master as he was?
He also gave me the keys to his studio in Dubrava. His own studio was originally Jugoton’s studio, and was located in the Jadran Film complex. Since I was in Croatia on vacation for 2 months at the time, I used that time also as my working vacation. That’s why I did demo recordings for my songs in Mladen’s studio, while in Lisinski we mixed recordings of my songs together, which I recorded earlier in my studio in New York.
Then the tragedy of the fall of the Twin Towers in New York happened. That day, Mladen was waiting for me to come to the recording in his studio in Jadran Film, and I was running an hour late. Then suddenly Mladen called me, obviously very upset. At first, I thought he was upset because I was late when he told me, “You’re late, and The World War III is starting!” To calm him down, I told him as a joke that if I am running one hour late, I don’t think that is the reason for the third world war would start! Later I came to Jadran Film, and Nova TV had its main control production center right next to Mladen’s studio “Atea.” I was good with these guys, so I went there to see on TV what was really going on about Mladen’s “third world war.” Then the fall of The Twin Towers happened. The guys from Nova TV there had many TV monitors turned on (maybe about 20) with the live broadcasting of the American TV networks, which all transmitted that tragedy. At that moment, Nova TV was broadcasting some Mexican soap opera. As soon as I got into the control production center, I saw in shock what was going on in New York. I told the guys in the control production center from which monitor to put the picture on the central (main) TV screen. As they followed my instructions, they were so shocked and confused by all of this that instead of their Mexican soap opera, they aired what WE were watching from the New York broadcast about the fall of those buildings. After Nova TV I went to the next building to Mladen, who was still upset and in shock from it all. Then he told me: “There is no point to record today as World War III begins.” Black humor! After that, I extended my stay in Croatia for another two months, having in mind that ugly situation and energy in New York. During all that time, I hung out with Mladen, and did demo recordings for my songs in his studio, and of course, for free!
In 2004, I came on a working vacation again and hung out with Mladen again, and did demo recordings for my songs in his studio. After that in the following years I came to Croatia and I always had a good time with Mladen. In November 2014, my mom was on her death bed. Mladen met me at the airport and drove me to Bjelovar to the nursing home where my mother stayed. But, despite the fact that she was in a terrible shape when it comes to her health, she immediately recognized Mladen. She also remembered Mladen’s mother and his entire family. Incredible! Two months later, in 2015, my mother died. I was rushing from New York to arrive on time for a funeral in Bjelovar. For that occasion, I took Lufthansa to be on time, since the Germans “are never late.” In Munich I took a flight to Zagreb. That’s where I got Croatia Airlines. I almost always had problems with them about their delays and other problems. This time I wanted to make sure I went with Lufthansa all the way to my destination, as any delay option was not possible for me. Yet, in my transfer I got Croatia Airlines. Just before they took off from Munich for Zagreb, the captain called to inform us passengers that the doors on the plane could not be closed. So we had to wait for the mechanic to fix the door, while they explained to us that they could not fly with the door open. Crazy scene! In desperation, I asked the flight attendant when we would take off and arrive in Zagreb. I told her that I was going to my mother’s funeral in Bjelovar, and that I cannot be late. She boldly replied by saying why I didn’t go earlier… and I should go earlier next time! That would mean as if I’m going to my mom’s funeral next time, then I should go earlier, not like now… Because you never know if the doors of Croatia Airlines will be able to close or not… Bravo Croatia Airlines and their flight attendants! I even paid Lufthansa “just in case,” and I got Croatia Airlines. When they finally repaired that door in 45 minutes and by the time we landed in Zagreb, it was already 12:35 PM. The funeral was in Bjelovar at 2 PM. I flew out of the airport. Mladen was waiting for me and said that we have to make it there on time! He was driving with some shortcuts around Zagreb, so we arrived in front of his house in Bjelovar at 1.35 PM. There were two friends of mine waiting for us, so the two of them and Mladen helped me to get dressed for the funeral. One put on my coat, the other my shoes, the third tied my tie… If it wasn’t such a sad event, it would be comical, just like with Mladen’s “Third World War” and the Twins. Then we rushed to the cemetery and I ran in there literally at 1.59 PM! On time… just as my friend Mladen promised me at the airport in Zagreb!
He adored me as a person and a friend, and above all when it comes to my musical values, work, and accomplishments in New York. He had a lot of respect for me. He told me many times: “If you returned permanently from America to Croatia, in two years you would change the Croatian music production forever. After that, people would no longer listen to the garbage as they are listening to now.” It is an ultra great compliment if you know the value, knowledge, and achievements of “Mr. Škalec.”
He was pleased when I played guitar and sang for 4 years in Jimi Hendrix’s reunion band with the original members of that band, and in Jimi’s place. It was Jimi’s band from New York that disbanded in early 1966 when Jimi moved to London. They hadn’t played together in 43 years, until 2009, when they invited me to play and sing in Jimi’s place. It lasted until 2013, when the band’s drummer died. He was 81 years old at that time. Mladen was fascinated by this, as these musicians played with big stars from the beginning of popular music onwards, and above all because of Hendrix, who was for Mladen in the ‘60s both, a shock and musical milestone… As a great and talented guitarist, Mladen told me what it was like for him when he heard Jimi’s music for the first time… how fascinated he was, and how Jimi broke all Mladen’s patterns, norms, and systems… how Hendrix’s music seemed to come from some other dimensions… Eh, and then he practiced the guitar, so he could play it too… and lo and behold, now I’m playing with Hendrix’ original band! It was a very big deal for him, and he was very proud of me for that.
Once, when he wanted to lend me his car in Zagreb in front of his house, he asked me to first help him take the gramophone records out of the trunk of that car, in order to free up space for my things. As I was taking those dozens of boxes with the 33’ out of the car with him, I asked him what those records were. Then he said that these were the records that HE made… Then you get struck by the fact when you see all those mighty records, how much that man did. I remember pulling the widest record out of that crowd and asking him what it was… and then I saw that it was Azra’s “Straight to the Bottom” (a triple album), which he recorded. I later learned that many still consider this record to be the best live album ever recorded in the former Yugoslavia. But Mladen, as Mladen, was modest to the point of pain… He did not brag about anything, nor did he comment on any of these records (most of which were masterpieces in that part of the world)… He was more interested in us bringing it upstairs, so that he could give me his car as soon as possible, and feed his dog, whom he loved very much.
Of all the things I do with music, a sound engineering job has always been my most difficult and uncomfortable job. The worst thing is to work live as a sound engineer, because it is a lot of pressure from all sides. If all goes great, the best you can get is a pat on the shoulder. But if things go wrong, then there is great nervousness and hell, in which everyone blames a sound engineer (regardless of whether the problem was something he had to do with it or not), and expects him to solve the problem and save them all. The worst of all is to do big concerts and performances, since problems at that point are the last thing you need. I was going through these situations a lot of times in live performances… and many times I wished that I had an option to pay just not to be there…
After the band Riva won the Eurovision song contest, the following year the competition was held in Zagreb. Each country wants to show itself in front of others in the best light, so for that occasion they choose the best masters that the country has. That’s why they chose Mladen to be the chief sound engineer, to choose his own assistants, and gave him 6 months to prepare everything in the best way for the show. He told me the whole story… Mladen mixed the sound from the Lisinski studio (the same studio where we later mixed my songs together). Everything was ultra well prepared, but two of Mladen’s assistants who worked in front of the stage on the monitor sound mix, once again tried the sound on the headphones before the opening. They disconnected one small cable and thus cut off the sound supply to the main system. Excited by the event itself and the fact that the whole of Europe was watching them live, the two assistants forgot to plug in that cable back. The first song started with the performance of Ireland, but there was no sound! Mladen called his assistants from the control room to ask them what the problem was. Then, the two of them saw that there was a problem with that little cable that they forgot to plug back into the system. After they found the problem, and plugged in that cable, the Eurosong started all over again. It was a very long minute, full of hard torment. Later, everything went well until the end, but at the beginning that was a big trauma for their entire technical team. Although Mladen was not directly responsible for this mistake, he was still the head of the entire team who was in charge of everything. I asked him how he felt then, since it was a great responsibility and a great shock… (I went through the torments of sound engineering, and I know what it’s like)… Mladen answered me in his own style: “What do you think why do I have grey hair?” Then he showed me his photos before the Eurovision Song Contest and after… before he had black, and shortly after the Eurovision Song Contest gray hair… Well, no one who hasn’t tried that job doesn’t know how stressful sound engineering work is…
Among his countless other various concerts, shows, TV shows, etc… there was one, more than a unique, sensational concert that my friend did. Mladen was the chief sound engineer for the spectacle of the opera Aida at the stadium in Beijing, before the Olympics in China, that took place there after that. It was a two-night concert, in front of 110,000 people. This performance of the opera “Aida” (one of the most popular operas of all time) entered the Guinness Book of Records as the largest opera production in the world. The Chinese tried to create a modern opera for the occasion, but added Chinese style, Chinese fashion, their kung fu fighters, acrobats, etc. More than 4,000 performers took part in this exotic spectacle. In the triumphal scene, 1,650 soldiers of the Chinese army marched into the huge stadium. Elephants, lions, panthers, tigers, horses, and snakes were the highlight of the parade… Working as a sound engineer on such a spectacle is literally a nightmare. But, not long after that, Mladen barely mentioned it to me in a telephone conversation… he talked about it as if he had eaten a hamburger, and not that he had done such unbelievable, unique spectacle on the other side of the world.
Never before has anyone in that part of the world had so many blended qualities and components for such a job. Talent for music and knowledge of music, top ear, a degree from music school, a degree in electrical engineering (which means he knew his machines from the inside out), knowledge, experience, musical versatility, he played in many bands, was a great expert for acoustics… He had his own mobile recording studio with which he recorded a lot of live albums, as well as numerous shows and live TV shows… He has always been in the right place at the right time, since the beginning of popular music in Croatia in the ‘60s when he played with the first Croatian rock bands, until today… He has done countless performances (many of them were unique and stunning…). So, who has ever reached that level in all these areas, with such a reputation, such quality, knowledge and experience…? No one could ever be compared with him, nor will it be possible in the future…
I am sorry that my writing of this text took so much time, but after Mladen’s departure, began the world invasion of the Corona virus, which disrupted all the plans of the whole world, including mine. Just at the end of February, everything changed, and in New York, where I live, it became a state of siege on all fronts, something this city has never seen. But even in that situation, which required a lot of accompanying obligations from me, I still found the time and space now, to write this text for my friend who really deserved it. Now it is exactly 6 months since Mladen left us forever.
Our loss is heaven’s gain. As heaven got a new angel, the world lost another bright light. But there are positives in every negative! From now on, I will have my permanent advisor and assistant for my musical work by my side… and there is no one better than Mladen for that! He will be here in my studio always at my service, making sure by looking over my shoulder, that everything is in order and that the signal never goes to red. Most important of all is when people say of someone who is no longer with us that he was a good man.
YES, Mladen was a very good man! Blessed is the one who is forever buried in the hearts of the many, for the warmest grave is in the hearts of people who love him. Mladen, you have indebted us all with your life, phenomenal work, and existence. Don’t stop with your production above the clouds now… until we meet again, so we keep on mixing where we left off last time. Show must go on…
SWEET DREAMS, SWEET SOUL
FLY HIGH ABOVE THE SKY
SWEET DREAMS, SWEET SOUL
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
THERE WHERE LOVE ALWAYS SHINES
HEAVEN GIVES, HEAVEN TAKES AWAY
ALL WE CAN DO IS TO LIVE IN LOVE
NOW, SO LONG, EASY RIDER
KEEP DRIVING ON THE ETERNAL ROAD
