Marko Perković is a Croatian musician who has been the lead singer of the band Thompson since 1991. Perković was born in the village of Čavoglave, SR Croatia, within SFR Yugoslavia, today a part of Croatia. He participated in the Croatian War of Independence, during which he started his career with the patriotic song "Bojna Čavoglave". In 2002, he started his first major tour after the release of the E, moj narode album. Since 2005, he has been organizing an unofficial celebration of the Victory Day in his birthplace of Čavoglave. During his career, Perković has attracted controversy in the media over his performances and songs, some of which are alleged to glorify or promote the World War Two-era Croatian fascist Ustaše regime.
Early life
Perković was born in 1966 in Čavoglave to Marija and Ante. He rarely saw his father, who worked as a Gastarbeiter in Germany and rarely came home. He finished high school in Split. In 1991, Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, prompting the Croatian War of Independence. He joined the Croatian National Guard where he was given the American Thompson gun, which became the nickname given to him by his battlefield comrades. It was while he was defending his home village that Perković became inspired to write one of the most popular songs during the war; "Bojna Čavoglave", which launched his music career. In 1992 Perković held concerts throughout Croatia, and released his first album the same year. He continued to write songs to raise morale during the war. In 1995 he returned to the Croatian Army and the 142nd Drniš Brigade, and became one of the first soldiers to enter the captured cities of Drniš and Knin during Operation Storm.
Career
On 15 September 2002, he had his largest concert to date at the Poljud Stadium in Split with about 40,000 visitors. In 2007 he surpassed the 2002 concert at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb on 17 June 2007, with 60,000 people attending. His concert at the stadium was aired live on the state owned HRT Plus pay-per-view channel, and several days later on the main national channel as well. Perković during his career has cited Mate Bulić, Nightwish, Iron Maiden, AC/DC and Dream Theater as main influences. In 2009, a concert in the Swiss city ofLucerne was canceled after the Social Democratic Party called for an urgent statement on the issue of Thompson's concert, calling Perković a fascist. He was then banned from performing in Switzerland, after the Swiss Service for Analysis and Prevention stated that his texts are glorifying the Nazi-affiliated Ustaše of the Independent State of Croatia. The ban was subsequently lifted and he continued having concerts in Switzerland. sign at a Thompson concert The lyrics of his songs often feature patriotic sentiments and relate to religion, family, the Croatian War of Independence, politics and media, but also contain notorious references to war crimes. Accused of neo-Nazism, in 2004, the band was prohibited from performing in Amsterdam by the local authorities, although he held a concert in Rotterdam. As Switzerland is a member of the Schengen Agreement, Thompson was prohibited from entering into all Schengen countries for a period of three years, confirmed by Michele Cercone, spokesman for the Vice President of the European Commission. Perković created controversy by allegedly performing "Jasenovac i Gradiška Stara", a song that openly glorifies the Ustaše regime, its crimes against humanity during World War II and the Genocide of Serbs. The Simon Wiesenthal Centre filed complaints to Croatia's state television channel regarding its broadcast of a singer accused of expressing nostalgia for the Ustaše, although Perković denied any connection with that time period. The complaints were ignored. Perković denied writing or even performing the song, stating he is "a musician, not a politician". Some of his fans are known for their ultranationalism, demonstrated by Ustaše uniforms, symbols, and banners. At the beginning of the song "Bojna Čavoglave", Perković invokes Za dom - spremni!. Perković and his band's inclusion in Croatia's celebration of the national team's second place finish in the 2018 FIFA World Cup also garnered controversy and criticism. Perković's alleged glorification for the Ustaše have led to him being accused in some publications, including the Simon Weisenthal Center, of being a "fascist singer".
Personal life
Perković's nickname, "Thompson", is actually a nom de guerre deriving from his time as a soldier in the Croatian War of Independence, during which he carried a Thompson submachine gun. In the mid-1990s he was in a relationship with Croatian singer Danijela Martinović. Although never legally married, they had a Catholic marriage ceremony. After their separation, he sought a Church annulment, which was granted by the Ecclesiastical Court in Split in 2005. Thus, he was able to have a church marriage with his wife Sandra, a Croatian-Canadian he met during a concert in Canada. Together they have five children. He owns a 20% share of the radio stationNarodni radio, a privately owned Croatian radio station notable for airing exclusively Croatian songs. Pope Benedict XVI received Perković in an audience in December 2009.
