My life, my music

Carney gewinnnt in Kanada // Becciu darf nicht an Konklave teilnehmen

There are occasions when I realise how well off I am and how I can be inspired by others who may be less so. Her Excellency, Ambassador Harrison is a remarkable person and has achieved what many people would consider impossible. She has become part of the United Kingdom's diplomatic service and is currently serving as Britain's Ambassador to Slovenia. Why am I so impressed? Because she is totally blind. I have been fortunate enough to spend some time with her and she kindly agreed to record this conversation. It is clear from the start that she is totally dedicated to the task, has considerable experience and is straight-talking and very confident. She is also good at languages, yes she speaks fluent Slovene.

There are occasions when I realise how well off I am and how I can be inspired by others who may be less so. Her Excellency, Ambassador Harrison is a remarkable person and has achieved what many people would consider impossible. She has become part of the United Kingdom's diplomatic service and is currently serving as Britain's Ambassador to Slovenia. Why am I so impressed? Because she is totally blind. I have been fortunate enough to spend some time with her and she kindly agreed to record this conversation. It is clear from the start that she is totally dedicated to the task, has considerable experience and is straight-talking and very confident. She is also good at languages, yes she speaks fluent Slovene.

Producing this show has been an amazing experience. The opportunity to talk to almost anyone in Slovenia and for a reasonable duration allowing a real opportunity to discover some fascinating background to each guest. Over 400 shows means approximately 380 different guests as there have been a few who have appeared twice and some shows were annual reviews of the highlights of the previous year. There have been many people from RTV to who have also been vital to the ensuring the shows reach the make-up for transmission and at the beginning the edits were done in-house at RTV Maribor. Thanks to you for all your work and advice. For the last 10 years it's been a one-man effort, I am a sound engineer after all! Contacting the guests, agreeing the record time, booking studios, although many were recorded by me on-location and then edited for transmission. To you my wonderful guests, from presidents, company bosses, teachers, musicians, surgeons, artists and other amazingly talented folk a very big thank you for your time and trust. Finally the audience who say they enjoyed the shows and thus made it all worthwhile. *****. THANK YOU *****

Jure Godler is a writer, television presenter, comic and so much more. So easy to talk to and clearly a lover of British humour this conversation was the most enjoyable I've experienced in a long while. He may be only 40 but his understanding of the world of comedy and satire from the Goon Show (1950's) via That Was the Week That Was (1960's to 1980's) to the whole Monte Python (1960's) thing is very engaging. And currently he is the host of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. As a writer his spy novels featuring

Jure Godler is a writer, television presenter, comic and so much more. So easy to talk to and clearly a lover of British humour this conversation was the most enjoyable I've experienced in a long while. He may be only 40 but his understanding of the world of comedy and satire from the Goon Show (1950's) via That Was the Week That Was (1960's to 1980's) to the whole Monte Python (1960's) thing is very engaging. And currently he is the host of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. As a writer his spy novels featuring

One of the most interesting places in Maribor is the Botanical Gardens at Pivola, which is a key part of the University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Meta Šepic and her husband both work there and have a deep understanding of the environment, the plants the soil and the scientific aspects of this teaching facility. In this conversation you will find a host of information, not just of the horticulture but even the distant archaeological aspects of this fascinating region.

One of the most interesting places in Maribor is the Botanical Gardens at Pivola, which is a key part of the University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Meta Šepic and her husband both work there and have a deep understanding of the environment, the plants the soil and the scientific aspects of this teaching facility. In this conversation you will find a host of information, not just of the horticulture but even the distant archaeological aspects of this fascinating region.

Mladen Delin is a musician in many senses. Taught originally to play accordian by his grandfather he loved music from a very early age, indeed he was too small to hold the instrument. In later life he tried guitar but at the age of 21 decided to take the opportunity to learn classical piano. He has never looked back. He lives in Ptui and from there his travels around the world made him wish to bring a whole world of music to his home. Festival Arsana, as his project is called, now takes 50 people to arrange and draws audiences from all around the region and beyond, not simply Slovenia.

Mladen Delin is a musician in many senses. Taught originally to play accordian by his grandfather he loved music from a very early age, indeed he was too small to hold the instrument. In later life he tried guitar but at the age of 21 decided to take the opportunity to learn classical piano. He has never looked back. He lives in Ptui and from there his travels around the world made him wish to bring a whole world of music to his home. Festival Arsana, as his project is called, now takes 50 people to arrange and draws audiences from all around the region and beyond, not simply Slovenia.

Robert Kereži is a runner, not just marathons but ULTRA Marathons and Ultra Trail runs. It means he is very fit and focused on keeping that way. He is an ambassador for the English organisation Ultra X and this means he has travelled much of the world running and promoting! He somehow finds time to have a family and together with his wife will soon be publishing a book entitled “From Hell to Paradise”.

Robert Kereži is a runner, not just marathons but ULTRA Marathons and Ultra Trail runs. It means he is very fit and focused on keeping that way. He is an ambassador for the English organisation Ultra X and this means he has travelled much of the world running and promoting! He somehow finds time to have a family and together with his wife will soon be publishing a book entitled “From Hell to Paradise”.

In the centre of Maribor there is a museum dedicated to some of the important social events of over 100 years. It's major purpose to show how mankind's lack of ability to understand the need to have empathy for others and negotiate instead of fight. From 2 world wars to the foundation of the sport of skateboarding the Museum of Liberation presents examples of both terror and understanding through a common goal. Uroš Dokl is a curator there and his commitment to a huge number of visiting school children as well as his history of skateboarding is inspirational.

Having met the Japanese delegation at the laying of the foundation for the Yaskawa factory extension and realising that Japan had a specila day event in Ljubljana coming I it was obviously a good time to invite Her Excellency to be a guest on the show. Her experiences in America as well as in the UK and now serving as Ambassador to Slovenia combine with some insights into Japanese cultures and music make an interesting programme.

Having met the Japanese delegation at the laying of the foundation for the Yaskawa factory extension and realising that Japan had a specila day event in Ljubljana coming I it was obviously a good time to invite Her Excellency to be a guest on the show. Her experiences in America as well as in the UK and now serving as Ambassador to Slovenia combine with some insights into Japanese cultures and music make an interesting programme.

Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh is an engineer who has followed many roles, with a telecoms company, managing innovation networks, and is also an Associate Professor at the University of Ljubljana. Currently she is the Slovenian Minister for Digital Transformation and takes this role very seriously seeing the move to a digital world will be key to efficiency in the years to come.

Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh is an engineer who has followed many roles, with a telecoms company, managing innovation networks, and is also an Associate Professor at the University of Ljubljana. Currently she is the Slovenian Minister for Digital Transformation and takes this role very seriously seeing the move to a digital world will be key to efficiency in the years to come.

When I attended a church service some weeks ago in Grosuplje I was really surprised by both the warmth of the service and the numbers in the congregation. Of course, after the service I asked the Reverend Martin Golob to be a guest on My Life, My Music and quickly discovered what was behind his popularity. Coming from a farming background he is very in touch with the land and its inhabitants. He does everything with a smile, everyone is his friend, as a result he is highly respected and in very involved with his local communities as he serves three parishes.

When I attended a church service some weeks ago in Grosuplje I was really surprised by both the warmth of the service and the numbers in the congregation. Of course, after the service I asked the Reverend Martin Golob to be a guest on My Life, My Music and quickly discovered what was behind his popularity. Coming from a farming background he is very in touch with the land and its inhabitants. He does everything with a smile, everyone is his friend, as a result he is highly respected and in very involved with his local communities as he serves three parishes.

When I asked the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, to be a guest on My Life, My Music I didn't consider it would result in an invitation to the Presidential Palace. Of course I was delighted with the positive response. The conversation was a wonderful, a relaxed experience filled with clear positive answers which brought me to realise what an inspired and knowledgeful President Slovenia has. Here's just one quote from The President: “If you're not passionate about work, the work will not be of good enough quality.”

My guest on this show is a multi-talented musician having mastered the harp at music school, then studying vocal performance and now she is mastering some important roles in the Slovene National Opera. All this as well as writing, recording and releasing some amazing solo vocal tracks as well as duets with other artists. This year she has been chosen to represent Slovenia in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. I wish her well.

My guest on this show is a multi-talented musician having mastered the harp at music school, then studying vocal performance and now she is mastering some important roles in the Slovene National Opera. All this as well as writing, recording and releasing some amazing solo vocal tracks as well as duets with other artists. This year she has been chosen to represent Slovenia in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. I wish her well.

Just after Christmas I was in the audience of a Šank Rock concert, a band I had heard but never seen. This was great music with compositions from 40 years ago and material right up to date. Such great showmanship as well as musicianship made me determined to hear the whole story. This conversation is with the vocalist Matjaž Jelen and was recorded in the bar where they first used to practice!

Just after Christmas I was in the audience of a Šank Rock concert, a band I had heard but never seen. This was great music with compositions from 40 years ago and material right up to date. Such great showmanship as well as musicianship made me determined to hear the whole story. This conversation is with the vocalist Matjaž Jelen and was recorded in the bar where they first used to practice!

Urška Klakočar Zupančič is an inspiring and fascinating person to have a conversation with. Her life has taken her to many places around the world and her journey from lawyer to politician and now to the presidency of the Slovene National Assembly, clearly she has a broad view of the workings of democracy. There are many other skills to mention from horses to novelist and being a lover of rock music in its many forms.

Urška Klakočar Zupančič is an inspiring and fascinating person to have a conversation with. Her life has taken her to many places around the world and her journey from lawyer to politician and now to the presidency of the Slovene National Assembly, clearly she has a broad view of the workings of democracy. There are many other skills to mention from horses to novelist and being a lover of rock music in its many forms.

Andrej Pompe was the founder of Panda with initial tracks being laid by himself using just his keyboard. Instruments were occasionally added and of course, vocals. It was only when more folk became involved and then a wish to do some live performances that a full band appeared. As of 2023 they have been active for more than three decades and this year have produced a new CD, Legenda. Their original compositions contain elements of rock, pop and jazz, with a pinch of hip-hop and rap, lyrics are lyrical and mainly about love. Andrej explains it all in detail in this conversation, as well as adding 6 favourite tracks of his from other artists..

Andrej Pompe was the founder of Panda with initial tracks being laid by himself using just his keyboard. Instruments were occasionally added and of course, vocals. It was only when more folk became involved and then a wish to do some live performances that a full band appeared. As of 2023 they have been active for more than three decades and this year have produced a new CD, Legenda. Their original compositions contain elements of rock, pop and jazz, with a pinch of hip-hop and rap, lyrics are lyrical and mainly about love. Andrej explains it all in detail in this conversation, as well as adding 6 favourite tracks of his from other artists..

Her Excellency Ambassador Simona Leskovar is coming to the end of her 4 years serving in the UK at the Slovene Embassy in London. She has also served in Japan, Korea, the United Nations in New York and held many other posts in her career as a diplomat. The Slovene Embassy in London is almost exactly in the middle of a line between Buckingham Palace and Westminster so I felt it a great opportunity to travel to London and record her experiences in the Embassy there. The Slovene Embassy in London is almost exactly in the middle of a line between Buckingham Palace and Westminster so I felt it a great opportunity to travel to London and record her experiences in the Embassy there.

TABU has been a part of the Slovenian music scene for a long time and have had successes both on the stage and with many hits. From May this year Katarina Samobor joined them as their lead singer. I asked her to join me in the studio to talk about this new role, and also about her career as a music teacher

Anton Mežan was born and brought up in Bled. He had a few choices as to what he wanted to be, follow in his father footsteps driving a tourist carriage perhaps, but his initial choice was rather unusual. Loving the area that he knows so well his journey to council member and on to being The Mayor is less of a surprise.

Mel Hitchcocks has only been in her role as Principal of the British International School of Ljubljana for a few months but has already settled in and understands what she can bring to a school that already has a great reputation. Her previous experiences have taken her from the UK to Egypt, Mongolia and most recently Russia so she has a very broad view of the world of teaching. Some very interesting and important areas of education are expressed in this conversation.

His Excellency, Ambassador Verboom has been here in Slovenia for 2 years and I was pleased when he accepted my invitation to join me in making this programme. He has served in various capacities from Argentina to Indonesia and of course in Europe. The conversation covers many areas but for me the most interesting was not simply his knowledge and experiences but the music he brought for us to enjoy. Some we all know well but others are of his homeland and are both inspiring and emotional.

Her Excellency Jamie Lindler Harpootlian was officially sworn in as United States Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia at the very end of 2021. Originally from California she moved to South Carolina and later worked as an attorney in both private practice and public service in the Eastern District of Louisiana. As you will discover her journey to Slovenia as a diplomat very quickly gave her respect not only for this beautiful and diverse land but also for Slovene citizens particularly because of their respect for the land on which they live and depend. A broad range of mostly American music accompanies a fascinating conversation.

This show was recorded in Tivoli Park in Ljubljana where I met up with Klemen Slakonja. Klemen has some big viewing figures on YouTube and it's not surprising because he is really talented both as an actor and as a musician, in fact he's a genuine all-round entertainer with a series of caricature videos featuring many Slovene and international characters that have become really popular. As a singer he's made performances with the RTV big band and he has also formed his own “small” band which is gradually growing in number. Watch out for a show near you, not to be missed!

Žan Serčič may have many years of musical performances but in the last 12 months he has become one of the most popular names on the Slovenian music scene. Performing his own compositions as well as songs by many other artists, his audiences are large and totally committed to having a great time. This conversation reveals just how he has become comfortable on the stage and how much he respects the love he feels from the audience.

When members of Apokalipsa and Bouržuazija got together in 2016 Bojan, Kris, Jure, Jan and Martin became Joker Out and over the last few years have swept their way across Slovenia with some serious audience numbers. Two albums appeared in just one year with the second album showing amazing maturity and some big viewing numbers on the social networks. Bojan and Kris join me in the studio for a very interesting conversation.

Leopold 1st has appeared to a wide Slovene music scene over the past 2 years. Whilst he has been playing for some years, Covid was one of the drivers that gave him the time to turn his many musical writings into top quality recordings. He gives great credit to his producer and there is no doubt there will be more great music in the future. As to when he won't be drawn to more detail, he does not like working to deadlines.

From an early age Krešimir Mišak has been writing, broadcasting on the Croatian Radio's educational programmes, and with a keen interest in science fiction he has fronted the program On the Edge of Science on Croatian Television for 20 years. He is also a guitarist and frontman of the rock band Hakuna Matata, so there's plenty to talk about!

Lidija Petkovič has been part of the Radio Si team for a long time which is reason enough to discover more about her life and likes. Over the past years she has also been to the Glastonbury festival in the UK and there have been many reports from her on Facebook. I thought it would be a great opportunity to discover her music likes and her experiences of this amazing event.

Lidija Petkovič has been part of the Radio Si team for a long time which is reason enough to discover more about her life and likes. Over the past years she has also been to the Glastonbury festival in the UK and there have been many reports from her on Facebook. I thought it would be a great opportunity to discover her music likes and her experiences of this amazing event.

Today's journalism rarely offers a chance to get behind the face of many people in our society. My Life, My Music offers conversations that allow time to understand how the guest has reached their goals and what is important to them. Along with 8 tracks of music chosen by the guest the programme takes a journey though many different personal philosophies with inspirational guests from all walks of life.

Visiting Slovenia to meet and engage with new business partners Jean-Philippe Schepens fascinated me with his very different approach to company structure even the title he gives to his partners, “Tribe” gives a very good indication of their equal value. He is inspiring on so many other levels, if you have concerns about artificial intelligence, self-determination and even the idea that we should always look to nature for our solutions you need to listen to this conversation. He introduces a wide range of inspirational music too!

Visiting Slovenia to meet and engage with new business partners Jean-Philippe Schepens fascinated me with his very different approach to company structure even the title he gives to his partners, “Tribe” gives a very good indication of their equal value. He is inspiring on so many other levels, if you have concerns about artificial intelligence, self-determination and even the idea that we should always look to nature for our solutions you need to listen to this conversation. He introduces a wide range of inspirational music too!

This month VAL 202 celebrates 50 years of broadcasting. This much loved and respected radio station has a very loyal following and that's not surprising as it offers music and conversation based around music and the artists that they feature. Music Producer Andrej Karoli invited me to their Ljubljana studios at RTV Ljubljana to talk about VAL202 as well as his own personal thoughts on music and more.

This week the show is with a musician who has recently made 3 recordings. Her own music is great with a voice that is deep and captivating as is her personality. So many experiences to discover from professional English translation to teaching in vocational colleges, a great love of animals and also being a radio host herself. As a result, this was a great fun conversation to have and I know Vesna's sense of fun and professionalism comes across. You can enjoy some very emotionally charged music including 3 tracks of her own and we end with Cognac!

When I discovered that Nubira, Ana Kalanja, The Wacky Blues Professors and The Help Tribute Band were planning a concert in aid of the people of Ukraine I felt it would be really interesting to bring them together in a single programme. This is that conversation and undoubtedly, I will be asking them to come again as interesting individuals who all produce some great music.

Recently my guest this week returned to Slovene television screens to act in the role of lawyer Borut Žalar. I thought it would be interesting to discuss the life of an actor, particularly one who is so well known. Rok Vihar started his acting when he was still at secondary school as one of a small group who started a school acting group in co-operation with the National Theatre in Maribor. More than 20 years later he seems very comfortable to say acting is his life along with home and family, it's all part of one big story!

What do you really know about fusion technology and how it really can solve the green issues by providing safe energy in quantities that means no dependency on fossil fuels? Whilst my guest is not a nuclear physicist she is directly involved in this technology as a material chemist developing the materials that we need to effectively collect the energy of a fusion reaction. Saša Novak has been involved in material research for a long time and most of her working life has been centred around the Josef Stefan Institute, an establishment that she is keen to explain and promote. Saša also has some interesting views on education and how young people should be helped to reach their goals.

Klemen Fajmut is an economist, is an experienced expert in real estate and in particular green spatial planning. But there is a very important part of his professional life as with Masters in anthropology he views Spatial planning and real estate from an anthropological perspective. He is also a traveller, and he likes to get close to the cultures of the places he visits and learn from their societies. There is also mountain-biking, windsurfing, basketball, running and diving, did I mention he plays guitar? So music too!

Statler Gilifen left America with the idea of spending 3 months exploring Europe. Somehow this became 3 years when he found himself in Slovenia and fell in love. Of course, this was just the start and many years later as their children grew older the family moved back to his home, America where he still lives. I met him several times whilst he was here and thought his stories would make a great programme, and so it did. The picture of Piran is his as that he where he eventually set up home.