Ivica Čuljak (4 June 1960 – 27 January 1992), better known as Satan Panonski, was a Croatian

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

musician, poet, artist and freak performer.

Early life and career

Čuljak was born on 4 June 1960 in Cerić, near

Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city's registered population was 28,247 in the 2021 census, the total population of the city was 31,057, making it the largest town of the county. Surrounde ...

. In 1977, he first appeared in the Vinkovci punk scene as Kečer II. In 1978, Čuljak moved to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

where he claimed to have had his "punk communion". By then, Čuljak already had problems with the law; he spent three months in a

correctional facility In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies, and involving the punishment, treatment, and su ...

as punishment for avoiding mandatory military service. In 1980, Čuljak became a singer for the alternative punk band , enjoying minor success with the song "Trpi, kurvo" ("Suffer, bitch"). While performing, Čuljak would engage in gruesome acts of

self-harm Self-harm is intentional behavior that is considered harmful to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues usually without a suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-injury and self-mutilatio ...

(which he labeled as "autodestruction") by cutting, smashing bottles on his head, and stabbing himself with safety pins. He justified his acts as a form of

catharsis Catharsis (from Greek , , meaning "purification" or "cleansing" or "clarification") is the purification and purgation of emotions through dramatic art, or it may be any extreme emotional state that results in renewal and restoration. In its lite ...

, to liberate the audience from "barricades put on by education and other brainwashing tortures". On 29 November 1981 (Yugoslavia's

Republic Day Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics. List January 1 January in Slovak Republic The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially cal ...

), following a violent altercation at a

Meri Cetinić Meri Cetinić (born 15 June 1953) is a Croatian pop singer and soprano vocalist. Cetinić was born in Split and graduated at the Teachers Academy of the University of Split The University of Split ( hr, Sveučilište u Splitu) is a universit ...

concert, Čuljak stabbed a man 15 times, arguing that the man had previously molested his brother. Čuljak defended himself on the count of self-defence. He was sentenced to 12 years of prison and was expected to serve his sentence at the notorious Goli Otok, but ended up in

Popovača Popovača is a town in Croatia in the Moslavina geographical region. Administratively it is part of the Sisak-Moslavina County. The town has a population of 11,905 (2011 census), 96% of which are ethnic Croats. History In the late 19th and early ...

prison hospital. He would spend nine years in Popovača, where he was diagnosed with

borderline personality disorder Borderline personality disorder (BPD), also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), is a personality disorder characterized by a long-term pattern of unstable interpersonal relationships, distorted sense of self, and strong ...

. The murder would leave a lasting effect on Čuljak. Following his release in 1989, Čuljak released two albums ''Ljuljajmo ljubljeni ljubičasti ljulj'' ("Let's Swing the Beloved Purple Ryegrass") and ''Nuklearne olimpijske igre'' ("Nuclear Olympic Games") and a book ''Mentalni ranjenik'' ("The Mentally Wounded Man"). He then adopted the

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...

Satan Panonski ("

Pannonian Pannonia may refer to: In geography: * Basin of Pannonia, a geomorphological region (plain) in Central Europe * Sea of Pannonia, an ancient (former) sea in Central Europe * Steppe of Pannonia, a grassland ecosystem in the Pannonian Plain In h ...

Satan"), an alias based on the comment of a passer-by. Čuljak's bizarre performances continued. During his concert at KSET, he cut himself heavily while giving a tirade against "punkers with nationalities". In 1991, Čuljak joined the

Croatian army The Croatian Army ( hr, Hrvatska kopnena vojska or HKoV) is the largest and most significant component of the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF). Role and deployment The fundamental role and purpose of the Croatian Army is to protect vital national i ...

in the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...

. During an interview with ''Globus'' in November 1991, which took place during the war, he admitted to killing

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

. Čuljak subsequently revoked the statements and argued that he was "supporting Croatians in the process of liberation". His musical direction changed – Čuljak's last album, ''Kako je panker branio Hrvatsku'' ("How A Punk Defended Croatia") openly discusses killing Serbs and promoted the use of violence, an attitude which Čuljak had previously opposed. Some fans criticized the change of Čuljak's musical direction, attributing it to his alcohol or drug addiction. Čuljak died in 1992 while still a Croatian soldier during the War of Independence. The cause of his death is unknown. It was rumored that he died after slipping and accidentally discharging the gun he was carrying. This was confirmed by Vlado Čuljak, Čuljak's brother.

Legacy

Čuljak was the subject of a 33-minute documentary film, the graduate thesis of Serbian director Milorad Milinković. Named ''Satan Panonski'' and filmed in 1990, it is the only film about Čuljak made during his lifetime. It portrays his performance in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, at the Studentski kulturni centar and on air with Fleka on

Radio B92 RTV B92, or simply B92 (stylized as b92, formerly BΞ92 and B 92), is a Serbian news station and broadcaster with national coverage headquartered in Belgrade. Founded in 1989 as radio station, it was a rare outlet for Western news and informati ...

. Čuljak had an influence on

Goran Bare Majke ("mothers") are a cult Croatia, Croatian rock band. Founded in 1984 in Vinkovci, Majke were one of the many bands to appear in a town that had a particularly vibrant rock and alternative scene. The band started playing under the influence ...

, who called him a "Satan, but a deeply unhappy man". Zdenko Franjić, the owner of a record label ''Slušaj najglasnije'' on which most of Čuljak's work has been released, referred to Čuljak as a "renaissance artist".

Discography

* ''Ljuljajmo ljubljeni ljubičasti ljulj'' (1989) * ''Nuklearne olimpijske igre'' (1990) * ''Kako je panker branio Hrvatsku'' (1992)

References

Notes

Citations