Rambo Amadeus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rambo Amadeus
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Rambo Amadeus in 2011
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Рамбо Амадеус
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| Birth name | Antonije Pušić |
| Born | 14 June 1963 Kotor, SR Montenegro, Yugoslavia (now Montenegro) |
| Origin | Herceg Novi, Montenegro |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
Antonije Pušić (Cyrillic: Антоније Пушић; born 14 June 1963), known as Rambo Amadeus (Cyrillic: Рамбо Амадеус), is a famous artist from Montenegro. He is known as a "musician, poet, and media manipulator." Many people across the countries of former Yugoslavia know his work.
His songs are special because they mix funny, satirical lyrics with different music styles. He uses jazz, rock, hip-hop, and even drum and bass. His lyrics often make fun of human behavior and local politics. His stage name, "Rambo Amadeus," comes from the action hero John Rambo and the classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He even changed his nickname to "Rambo Amadeus the World Kilo Tzar" to show he believes in being modest and caring for the environment.
When Rambo Amadeus performs live, his concerts are not just like his recorded songs. He often makes up music on the spot and uses funny, satirical humor. Some fans say his style is similar to artists like Frank Zappa.
Rambo Amadeus also represented Montenegro in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. He performed his song "Euro Neuro" in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Contents
Early Life and Talents
Growing Up in Montenegro
Antonije Pušić was born in Kotor, which is now in Montenegro. He grew up in a nearby town called Herceg Novi. His mother, Bosiljka Pušić, was a writer and painter. His father was Ilija Pušić.
Antonije finished his basic and high school education in Herceg Novi. Later, he studied tourism at the University of Belgrade. He also took piano lessons for six years but decided to stop.
From Sailor to Musician
Before becoming a musician, Antonije was a very good competitive sailor. From 1972 to 1984, he sailed for Yugoslavia in many international races. He won several championships in Montenegro and the South-Adriatic region. He was also a national junior champion.
He still enjoys sailing sometimes in the Gulf of Kotor.
Rambo Amadeus started singing and writing music in high school. He played with different bands in Herceg Novi and Podgorica. One of his first performances was playing the mandolin at a hotel. In 1985, he moved to Belgrade for college. There, he continued to play with amateur bands.
Musical Journey
Starting Out in the 1970s and 1980s
In 1979, Rambo Amadeus was part of a band called "Radioaktivni otpad." He was also in "The Blues Band" during his high school years. He played in towns like Herceg Novi and Nikšić.
In 1988, he released his first album, O tugo jesenja. His music was a mix of folk sounds, opera, funny lyrics, and guitar. He even joked that his style was "turbo folk," a term that later became known for a different kind of music.
His second album, Hoćemo gusle, came out in 1989. This album showed his interest in political satire. One song, "Amerika i Engleska (biće zemlja proleterska)," was originally called "Cataclysm of Communism." However, the local authorities did not allow that name. The album title itself made fun of a strange event during protests in Montenegro.
Other popular songs from this time include "Glupi hit" and "Balkan boy." Rambo also mixed different music styles in his songs. For example, in "Samit u buregdžinici Laibach," he combined the sound of Laibach with poetry and folk songs.
The 1990s: A Time of Change
By the early 1990s, Rambo Amadeus was a well-known performer. His third album, Psihološko propagandni komplet M-91, was released in 1991. This was when Yugoslavia was breaking apart. Many songs on the album had serious lyrics and a strong, almost military feel. This album was one of the first major music releases in the region to use strong language. Songs like "Smrt popa Mila Jovovića" and "Jemo voli jem" became very popular.
Rambo became even more famous and started playing in bigger venues. He was often invited to appear on TV and radio shows. In 1992, during a festival, he famously stopped a concert. He told the audience that bombs were falling on cities and that they would not entertain politicians anymore. He then left the stage.
He was one of the first artists from the region to tour in Macedonia and Slovenia after they became independent.
After a live album called KPGS (1993), he released Mikroorganizmi in 1996. This album had a more experimental and different sound. At the same time, he released Muzika za decu, which was his musical take on Ljubivoje Ršumović's poetry.
In late 1996, he returned to his earlier style with the album Titanik. This album featured popular songs like "Šakom u glavu" and "Otiš'o je svak ko valja." He then went on a big tour, including shows in Slovenia and Bosnia. His visit to Bosnia in 1997 was the first time a Montenegrin artist had performed there after the war.
In 1998, Rambo announced he would retire and played a farewell concert in Belgrade. He then moved to the Netherlands for a few months, working different jobs. But he soon returned to Belgrade and to music. He continued to help bring people together. In December 1998, he played a show in Pula, Croatia, which was the first time a Croatian audience saw performers from Serbia and Montenegro since the war.
The 2000s: New Sounds and Collaborations
In the year 2000, Rambo released the album Don't Happy, Be Worry. This album used a lot of sampling (using parts of other songs) and references to local pop culture. It included songs like "Čoban je upravo napustio zgradu" and "Moj skutere."
In 2004, he released another live album, Bolje jedno vruće pivo nego četri ladna. This was followed by the studio album Oprem dobro in 2005.
He also worked with other artists. He made a song called "Dikh tu kava" with the band Kal. In 2007, he performed "Mixing of alternative rocks," where he "played" on 12 concrete mixers! In 2008, he performed with The RTS Big Band jazz orchestra for their 60th Anniversary.
His latest studio album, Hipishizik Metafizik, was released in July 2008.
The 2010s: Eurovision and Voice Acting
In 2012, Rambo Amadeus was chosen to represent Montenegro at the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. His song "Euro Neuro" was quite unusual and sparked some discussion because of its satirical message about Europe. He later joked that he was honored to have written the "worst song" at Eurovision.
In 2013, he released a new music video for his single O'Ruk on the Road Again. In 2015, he released the album "Vrh Dna."
Rambo Amadeus also started doing voice-work for animated movies. In 2016, he was the voice of Mighty Eagle in the Croatian and Serbian versions of The Angry Birds Movie. He also voiced Crush in the Serbian version of Finding Dory.
In 2018, he tried to represent Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with a song called "Nema Te." He performed it as a duet with jazz singer Beti Đorđević.
Other Creative Projects
Besides his music albums, Rambo Amadeus has worked on many other interesting projects:
- He wrote music for several theatre plays. For his work on Lažni car Šćepan Mali, he won an award in 1994.
- Rambo also wrote lyrics for popular folk singers like Lepa Brena. He wrote the entire music score for the 1994 film Slatko od snova.
- In 1994, he created a new musical score for the 1927 silent movie Metropolis. His music was played by the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra during a movie screening.
- He also arranged a special part (called a cadenza) for a piano concerto by W.A. Mozart in 1995.
- Since 2005, Rambo has written a column called Mega-Imperial Thoughts for the daily newspaper Blic.
- He has done a lot of voice acting for animated movies. He voiced characters in the The Lion King movies, Despicable Me, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, The Angry Birds Movie, and Finding Dory.
Discography
Studio Albums
- O tugo jesenja (1988)
- Hoćemo gusle (1989)
- Psihološko propagandni komplet M-91 (1991)
- Muzika za decu (1995)
- Mikroorganizmi (1996)
- Titanik (1997)
- Metropolis B (tour-de-force) (1998)
- Don't Happy, Be Worry (2000)
- Oprem Dobro (2005)
- Hipishizik Metafizik (2008)
- Vrh Dna (2015)
- Brod budala (2020)
EPs
- Yes No (2008)
Live Albums
- Kurac, Pička, Govno, Sisa (1993)
- Koncert u KUD France Prešeren (1997)
- Bolje jedno vruće pivo nego četri ladna (2004)
- Rambo Amadeus & Mutant Dance Sextet u Domu Sindikata (2011)
Compilations
- Izabrana dela (1994)
- Zbrana dela 1 (1998)
- Zbrana dela 2 (1998)
Band Members
Current Members
- Rambo Amadeus (World Kilo Tzar) – guitar, fretless guitar, vocals, arrangement
Live Members
- Miroslav Tovirac – bass (2012–)
- Igor Malešević – drums, percussion (2012)
Also Associated
- Aleksandra Kovač – vocals
- Kristina Kovač – vocals
- Nenad Knežević-Knez – vocals
- Goran Ljuboja "Trut" – drums
- Mihajlo Krstić – bass
- Vladimir Čukić – bass
- Vojno Dizdar – keyboards
- Digital Mandrak
- Goran Vejvoda
- Gojko Sisa
- Ilija Milutinović "Popara"
- Vitez Šablon Dimija
See also
In Spanish: Rambo Amadeus para niños
