Ivica ÃÂuljak (4 June 1960 â 27 January 1992), better known as Satan Panonski, was a Croatian punk musician, poet, artist and freak performer.
ÃÂuljak was born on 4 June 1960 in CeriÃÂ, near Vinkovci. In 1977, he first appeared in the Vinkovci punk scene as KeÃÂer II. In 1978, ÃÂuljak moved to Hamburg, where he claimed to have had his "punk communion". By then, ÃÂuljak already had problems with the law; he spent three months in a correctional facility as punishment for avoiding mandatory military service. In 1980, ÃÂuljak became a singer for the alternative punk band , enjoying minor success with the song "Trpi, kurvo" ("Suffer, Whore").
While performing, ÃÂuljak would engage in gruesome acts of self-harm (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, to liberate the audience from "barricades put on by education and other brainwashing tortures". His acts of self-harm were also described as partially influenced by the body art of Marina AbramoviÃÂ. On 29 November 1981 (Yugoslavia's Republic Day), following a violent altercation at a Meri CetiniÃÂ concert, ÃÂuljak stabbed a man 15 times, arguing that the man had previously molested his brother. ÃÂuljak defended himself on the count of self-defence. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and was expected to serve his sentence at the notorious Goli Otok, but ended up in PopovaÃÂa prison hospital. He would spend nine years in PopovaÃÂa, where he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. The murder would leave a lasting effect on ÃÂuljak.
Following his release in 1989, ÃÂuljak released two albums Ljuljajmo ljubljeni ljubiÃÂasti 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 Satan Panonski ("Satan of Pannonia"), an alias allegedly based on a comment from a passer-by. ÃÂuljak's bizarre performances continued. During his concert at KSET, he cut himself heavily while giving a tirade against "punkers with nationalities".
In 1991, ÃÂuljak joined the Croatian Army in the Croatian War of Independence. During an interview with Globus in November 1991, which took place during the war, he admitted to killing prisoners of war. ÃÂuljak subsequently revoked the statements and argued that he was "supporting Croatians in the process of liberation". His musical direction changed â ÃÂuljak's last album, Kako je panker branio Hrvatsku ("How a Punk Was Defending Croatia") openly discusses killing Serbs and promotes the use of violence, an attitude which ÃÂuljak had previously opposed. Some fans criticized the change of ÃÂuljak's musical direction, attributing it to his alcohol or drug addiction.
ÃÂuljak 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 ÃÂuljak, ÃÂuljak's brother.
ÃÂuljak had an influence on Goran Bare, who called him a "Satan, but a deeply unhappy man". Zdenko FranjiÃÂ, the owner of the record label Sluà ¡aj najglasnije!, on which most of ÃÂuljak's work has been released, referred to ÃÂuljak as a "renaissance artist".
ÃÂuljak was the subject of a 33-minute documentary film, the graduate thesis of Serbian director Milorad MilinkoviÃÂ. Named Satan Panonski and filmed in 1990, it is the only film about ÃÂuljak made during his lifetime. It portrays his performance in Belgrade, at the Studentski kulturni centar and on air with Fleka on Radio B92. Ivan Glià ¡iàwrote about ÃÂuljak's life in his book ÃÂizme slobode.