About the recent Bulgarian scandal with EUR 1 million granted to Bulgarian Chalga TV Planeta

“Ясно, че пари при пари отиват, ама защо някой не даде не 1 милион, а 100,000 за българската алтернативна сцена и кино? или дори и 50,000…. Срамота. Срам ме е. И то много.

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It’s pretty clear that money go to more money, but why don’tsomeone give not a million euros, 100,000 or even 50,000 to the Bulgarian alternative music or cinema, or art? I’m very ashamed. Very. More and more cause the world recognizes us with these images, which get popularized everywhere. What’s coming next? Azis for External Affairs Minister? What happened with artists likeNasekomix , COOH / BALKANSKY / IVAN SHOPOV, Voyvoda,Milenita, O.H., Babyface Clan – don’t we deserve to have them representing us on BBC and having shows in NYC or get played in “the Bulgarian clubs” over the world… Wouldn’t it be nice? Think about it…”

“Painer Media” LTD, owner of Planeta TV, won  European Union financing project totalling 3,197, 324 leva (about 1.63 million Euro) through operational programme “Competitveness”, while 1.917.233 (about 1 million Euro) of them were a granted aid “to increase competitiveness in the domestic market through modernization of equipment”. Planeta TV is the first HD TV in Bulgaria and broadcasts Bulgarian chalga videos & shows.

Presentation of Planeta TV following:

 

“It’s pretty clear that money go to more money…” – that’s how I started my first commentary, when I reposted on Facebook today’s BBC article “Bulgaria grant to Payner pop channel prompts EU concern” . That’s something they teach us as little kids in Bulgaria… money go to more money… that’s the way it works. May be when you grow up, little girl, you’ll find a man who’s gonna take care of you, take you out of this absurd country, where the retired old people live with 100 Euro a month, while the bread costs almost 1 Euro. May be he’s gonna grand to you a VISA to a far away country, where people live decently, have credit cards, where you can have a Louis Vuitton bag, just like your childhood heroine Galena? Immigrate. Get out. Nothing is gonna get fixed, never, it’s a rotten system. Run away!

How many parents teach this their kids in Bulgaria? Positively, a lot.

But we’re talking about culture here, right? I’m not one of these prudes, that are gonna say that “chalga is not music”. Even though horribly corny and with no art values, it’s music and the genre developed a lot since its creation in the birth of Democracy. But it developed just because they were a lot of money in it. Because of these show-off BG “Gangsters” paying 100 Euro for a package of napkins to throw in the air in the Chalga club, and next day posting on Facebook bills totalling almost 100,000 leva (about 50,000 Euro). And again… little boys wanted to become like them when they grow up.

Yes, I agree with Capital – Bulgaria’s largest and most respected financial weekly newspaper – that these money were given for business, not culture reasons. That Planeta TV might need new technique (or new boobs for the singers), but doesn’t Planeta TV already has pretty much the best broadcasting HD quality? Didn’t the Bulgarian music TV MM – promoting most of the alternative/pop culture in the 90s and the 00’s – went out of business in 2010 and got replaced by a sports channel? Why no one gave money to this TV back then, cause I remember growing up this was the only place I can request and see Static-X, Placebo or Babyface Clan song? It taught me good taste and my mother, even though very liberal, never allowed me to watch Planeta TV. Even when I was sneaking to take a quick look by curiosity, I was ashamed that she would see me and I changed it quickly…

1,918,333 leva, about 1 million Euros for the biggest, best quality and lowest taste music TV in Bulgaria. Fair enough. In the meantime the members of Bulgarian alternative bands keep working low-paid jobs, so they can support their hobby and produce their albums. In the mean time, what hurts so much is not that there are money in the Chalga music – it’s that the only reason we get the attention of the Big International Media is when someone is stealing money, dealing drugs or playing chalga. Chalga is the most popular image of Bulgarian music in the world, with no doubt. I used to work in Bulgarian “Gypsy” Chalga club in New York. I had to give free shots to everyone wasted enough to show their private parts and a free bottle if you’re willing to get fucked in front of everyone. There is still a “No Farting” sign hanging on the bar.  I’m sad that all people in New York City know about my country is Azis, but no one ever heard about Nasekomix. Money are GOD, women are CUNTS, just pour some booze and don’t talk, get your money and spend them all for a Burberry bag, cause this you’ve always dreamed about it. You came here to the States to make money, right? What’s the way to make them it doesn’t matter. Just be careful to don’t call or express yourself too much, cause people get easily threatened… you know… fragile egos and stuff… Still, this is quite sad. Much better things we could show to the world..

 

 

I’m dreaming of the moment when this will change,even though I do realize it probably never will. That’s why I left. Cause my soul never belonged to this and I want to save my soul after all. While EU grants 1 million to Monopolistic TV like Planeta, some Bulgarian old people live like dogs… Have you ever seen an old Bulgarian man, may be 70 years old, poorly dressed, left by his kids that emigrated a long ago, waiting on the line of a discount food store like T Market. The only ones that sell cheese sizes of 50 grams, so he can still afford to taste them. Not that there is any milk inside, for this price you get palm oil instead, but we can pretend , right? He lived through monarchy, communism, now democracy… what if we’re part of the EU now, what does this changes for him? Or an old lady selling flowers in the street, cause with her 200 leva (a little more than 100 euro) pension she can’t cover the medicines for her sick heart? These are the images I want to see shown on BBC…

But wait, instead of that why don’t we keep the party popping with some Azis? And yeah, cunt, pour some more booze and roll around so I can see your ass. Good girl. You can have your money afterwards.