The Books of Knjige is the Montenegrin comedy troupe and alternative rock band from

Cetinje Cetinje (, ) is a town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital (''prijestonica'' / приjестоница) of Montenegro and is the location of several national institutions, including the official residence of the president of Montenegro ...

, also known as ''TBOK, Booksovci'' or ''Buksovci''. It consists of four members: Popaj (Aleksandar Radunović), Goran (Goran Vujović), Gajo (Veselin Gajović) and Zonjo (Zoran Marković). They have made numerous TV comedy shows, an alternative rock album and host a weekly radio show on

Radio Antena M Antena M is an independent radio station and website in Montenegro. Founded in the early 1990s by university professor and businessman Miodrag Perović, the station was organizationally under the umbrella of his Montenegropublic company. In Septe ...

. Their name, "The Books of Knjige" is an absurd for itself, since ''knjige'' means ''books'' in Montenegrin. They are also registered as an

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

Early life

Members of this troupe grew up as close friends in

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

. They have been known in the city for their frequent practical jokes and amateur comedy shows, which started their popularity. They have also hosted series of humorous shows on local Radio Cetinje.

Film

In 2016, The Books of Knjige recorded their first feature

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

film titled "Cases of Justice" (''Slučajevi pravde''), which was aired in August 2017. The project was initially conceived as a TV series, but the change of plans took place after

Prva TV Prva (; sr-Cyrl, Прва) or Prva Srpska Televizija ( sr-Cyrl, Прва српска телевизија, lit=First Serbian Television), is a Serbian commercial television network with national coverage. Launched on 31 December 2006 at 7&nbs ...

withdrew the funding after the pilot episode aired in 2012.

Music

The Books of Knjige have published only one official album, "Moja Domovina" ("My Homeland") in 2000. It was released by "Balkan Productions". Its first single, "Moja Domovina", was temporarily blocked on

RTCG Radio and Television of Montenegro ( cnr, Радио и Телевизија Црне Горе, Radio i Televizija Crne Gore; abbr. /RTCG) is the public service broadcaster of Montenegro. A state-owned company with its headquarters in Podgorica, i ...

for its allegedly controversial content. Their genre is

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

, with predominantly humorous lyrics. Also, in 2006 they have recorded a single "Bjež'te drogaši" ("Go Away, You Druggies") as a part of the Montenegrin Government's anti-drug campaign. They also recorded a duet with

Edo Maajka Edin Osmić (born 22 December 1978), better known by his stage name Edo Maajka, is a Bosnian rapper, record producer and songwriter. His popularity brought his group Disciplinska Komisija to the mainstream. He lives in Zagreb, Croatia, with his w ...

in 2007, titled "Ja suludan neću biti" ("I Won't Be Crazy").

''Moja Domovina'' (2000)

#"Intro (skit)" #"Đaoli me znali" #"Kao da cvijeće umije da pleše" #"Moja domovina" #"Smoki" #"Da je šćelo bit da bude moglo je bit" #"Džuli" #"Neka si pošla" #"Sanjam da te znam" #"Smoki II" #"Gumena pjesma" #"Džeko" #"Still Got the Blues (Kako mi je...)" * Before each song there is a short comical skit as its intro, recorded as a separate track.

Radio

The Books of Knige have hosted a radio show for a while on local ''Radio Cetinje'', mostly consisting of previously prepared skits on current topics. In 1998, they have signed a contract with

, and are doing a weekly Friday night show on that radio station. The show is simply called "The Books of Knjige" and is on air live every Friday night, at midnight. It lasts for two hours. Popaj, Gajo and Goran are the show hosts, while fourth member, Zonjo, is a producer and DJ. The show is usually composed from three parts. The first one is a humorous talk about current events, with a satirical retrospect to last week's current events. The second part usually consists of talking with two guests, and making fun of them mercilessly. The guests are either popular singers, film directors and other famous people from

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

or people with very bizarre occupations, hobbies or sexual preferences. The third, last part of the show is usually a series of skits, or simply a free talk about topics the hosts feel like talking about.

Television

The Books of Knjige have recorded multiple TV comedy shows, broadcast on Montenegrin TV channels,

and

IN TV IN Televizija or IN TV was a local commercial cable television channel based in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The program is mainly produced in the Bosnian language Bosnian (; / , ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian ...

. Their shows are a mix of

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

and

paradox A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictory or a logically u ...

, often compared to the works of

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...

and

Top Lista Nadrealista ''Top lista nadrealista'' ("The Top List of the Surrealists", sometimes "The Surrealists' Chart Toppers")—also known as ''TLN'' or ''Nadrealisti'' ("Surrealists")—is a Yugoslav sketch comedy and variety television show. Produced by TV Sar ...

. List of TV shows: *TBOK Top Volley (parody on a popular TV lottery) *Agrosaznanje 1 (parody on an

agriculture show, part 1) *Agrosaznanje 2 (parody on an

agriculture show, part 2) *"O Porijeklu Crnogoraca" (''"About the

Montenegrins Montenegrins ( cnr, Црногорци, Crnogorci, or ; lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common Montenegrin culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Genetics Accordin ...

' Ancestry"'') *" Emisija Koja Ide na Televiziju Poneđeljkom oko 9 uveče" (''"Show That Goes on Television on Mondays Around 9 p.m."'') *Novogodišnji Kalendar (''"New Year Calendar"'') *Novogodisnji Program (parody on several TV shows)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:The Books Of Knjige Comedy musical groups Montenegrin musical groups