Долазак рокенрола на Радио-телевизију Београд 1967–1969: Концерт за луди, млади свет
Arrival of rock’n’roll to RTV Belgrade 1967–1969: Concert for crazy, young world

Summary/Abstract: In the course of the opening towards the Western cultural influences in Yugoslavia, rock’n’roll appeared in the late fifties and soon became a uniting factor that created a specific youth subculture in major Yugoslav cities. Rock’n’roll was welcomed by the authorities and public displays of the rock’n’roll scene were allowed, thus creating the image of a progresive society, open to new trends that came from the West. However, the authorities, aware of the subversive nature of rock’n’roll, closely monitored the development of this phenomenon. During the sixties, rock’n’roll made its way into the Yugoslav popular culture through radio shows and magazines. The final stage of this process was its arrival to television, the most powerful of all the mass media, through the RTV Belgrade’s show Concert for the crazy young world. The show gained large popularity and drew the attention of the public, enabling young rock’n’roll bands to become famous overnight. The main goal of the show was to give insight into the rock’n’roll culture to the Yugoslav TV audience and to clear all the fear and prejudice that a socialist (and yet still a patriarchal) society felt towards rock’n’roll as a Western cultural phenomenon. So it’s safe to say that the Concert for crazy, young world had an essential role in establishing rock’n’roll as a legitimate way of expression for Yugoslav socialist youth.

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