Ljubinko Zivkovic
Bio
A former, well, a lot of things: journalist, diplomat, translator and then journalist and writer again...
Stories (19/0)
The Carousels—The Boat To West Coast
Let’s start with a simple introduction this time around. The Carousels are a band from Scotland and Sail Me Home St. Clair is their second album. Looking at the album cover, you’d expect a ton of whiskey flowing around and a bunch of sea shanties. The whiskey might have been flowing around in jugs but sea shanties are nowhere to be found. You see, The Carousels sound like one of the better 70s style country rock bands from the West Coast with all these gentle strumming guitars, pedal steels, and ever-expanding harmonies. Scottish weather is not exactly known for too many sunny, balmy days but you wouldn’t guess it by listening to this album.
By Ljubinko Zivkovic7 years ago in Beat
Where Have All the CDs Gone?
Enter any record store (yes, they are still called that) these days and you’ll have the impression that the CD stalls are dwindling, hit by reserving vinyl on one, and DVDs on the other. Or, try taking a stack of CDs that are collecting dust on your home shelves to a secondhand store. Chances are that when the owner sees that you are bringing CDs, he won’t even let you through the door, let alone give you anything that will even resemble a decent price for them. Who would have thought that as we were entering the 21st century CDs were practically everywhere, still hailed as the best ever advancement in sound reproduction? These days, mirroring the dooming fate of vinyl LPs in mid-80s, it seems people are just leaving entire CD collections by the dumpster, hoping that somebody will be merciful and at least save the music recorded in those laser tracks. The official data is no less damning. According to LA Weekly, in the period from 2001 to 2014, only in the US the sales of CDs dropped by 80% and LP sales are up a staggering 800% since 2004. What did the hell happen?
By Ljubinko Zivkovic7 years ago in Beat
Beat Up Diabetes Before It Beats You Up
It was one of those standard New Year’s resolutions that always pops up in your mind, but you never really get to it - get a full medical check-up and keep it a regular thing. After all, it was practically ten years since I got one, and I did it anyway because my then-new employer requested I get one. So, for that 17th ‘anniversary’ I finally decided to do one. And all I wanted was just a regular checkup.
By Ljubinko Zivkovic7 years ago in Longevity
Famous Albums That Never Saw The Light of The Day
Remember that great soul hit “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” done right by both Marvin Gay and Gladys Night? Well, that is how throughout the history of rock music, but particularly from the time that albums became the norm, the news of new albums started to roll out and tickle the imagination of the fans and the general public. Usually, this was done to create a buzz and benefit the musicians, with singles and musical snippets coming to the surface to even further strengthen the interest. Sometimes, though, the artists tried to keep everything in secret, not sure themselves what they are going to do with the music they made, but the news got out anyway.
By Ljubinko Zivkovic7 years ago in Beat
H.R. McMaster Has Researched The Balkans - How Will He Use His Knowledge?
H.R. McMaster, Donald Trump’s new National Security Adviser, not only has military field experience in Iraq but has done thorough research on quite a number of global regions. His study on the war in Vietnam, "Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, The Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam"was his Ph.D. thesis at UNC, but from today’s viewpoint has more of a historical value.
By Ljubinko Zivkovic7 years ago in The Swamp
The Beach Boys' Smiley Smile
“Smiley Smile” is The Beach Boys album that nobody wanted, particularly not The Beach Boys' fans and critics. In 1967, when it came out, everybody was expecting and eagerly waiting for The Beach Boys and their mastermind Brian Wilson to come up with “Smile,” one of the greatest rock albums never to be. After all, “Good Vibrations” and its flipside “Heroes and Villains” that came out ahead of supposed issue of “Smile” were to be included in some version or other on that album. And that was definitely one of the best rock singles ever. If not the best.
By Ljubinko Zivkovic7 years ago in Beat
Trials and Tribulations of Starting Out as A Freelance (Copy)Writer
So, you are starting out as a freelance writer. The first thing you have to realize is that the ascent is on: "starting out". It really doesn’t matter whether you have the natural talent for writing, or if you have done some writing beforehand. You could have even been a journalist under a full-time contract or a PR person, or you could have done a lot of writing in your civil service job. Still, it was your dream that one day you could start out as a freelance writer. Fiction, non-fiction, ghostwriting, within a time frame and from a place of your choosing. To be a writer and your own boss at the same time, what more could you want?
By Ljubinko Zivkovic7 years ago in Journal