The Obelisk Questionnaire: Filip “Fitz” Hajdarovic of Drone Hunter
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Filip “Fitz” Hajdarovic of Drone Hunter
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
What we do is we play instrumental riff worship rock ‘n’ roll music. To the layman this must be an abstract term, but for people into this kinda shit it’s pretty much self explanatory. We came to do it in a pretty classic fashion – I responded to Rus’ (the drummer’s) ad saying he was looking for someone to start a band with and once we got together and exchanged ideas that’s when we invited Klen (bass) to join us and pretty soon we realized that this power trio formation works best without a vocalist involved. And so it’s been that way going on 11 years now.
Describe your first musical memory.
Well when you think about it it’s kind of silly. My parents and I went to some musical event here in northern Croatia when I was about five or six. I can’t remember any of the performers but it was in a sports hall and featured a ton of the biggest pop stars in mid-’90s postwar Croatia. The music must have been terrible, but I remember watching the big stage and the lights and the crew and thinking ‘this must be a very cool thing to do with your life’. Then I had absolutely no interest in music until I was about fourteen. You know, the classics – GNR, Zeppelin, Black Sabbath etc. And then I thought ‘might as well give this a go since I’m no good at sports’ and started saving money to buy a guitar.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
There are so many but I’ll describe a couple. About a decade ago I became friends through social media with Edgar Livengood of Jucifer. So when they were touring here in Europe he was like ‘’Wanna spend a couple days on tour with us?’’ At that point I was still in college and had all the time and freedom you can imagine so naturally, I went. It was real awesome to share a van with these people from halfway across the world and realizing that you’re into the same kind of stuff just because when you were a teenager you heard a guitar riff and have been obsessed with it since.
Another musical memory I am very fond of happened in July 2016. I was doing a roadtrip in the US all by my lonesome and visited my friend Jeff of the band Duel in Austin. We went to see legendary country music performer Dale Watson at the world famous Continental Club and then out of nowhere a tall drunk guy is being escorted into the crowd by personal security. The guy asks Dale if he could play a few songs, Dale says ‘’sure’’ and who climbs the stage? – None other than Jeff Bridges a little bit inebriated but still able to play some of his solo stuff and the stuff he sang in the movie Crazy Heart. This was huge for me as I am a fan of his and having seen him perform in such an intimate environment with Dale Watson’s band was simply out of this world. I am a classic country and bluegrass buff and can’t help it.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
This happens virtually daily. That is, if you don’t let your ego get the best of you. I read a quote a long time ago that went something like ‘’A man who never changes his mind loves himself more than he loves the truth.’’ And I couldn’t agree more. So shit happens every day when you find yourself thinking ‘’Oh well, guess I was wrong about this or that.’’ I think it’s a pretty healthy approach to life since none of us are gonna be here forever.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Well, in Drone Hunter we’ve never had the habit of calling ourselves artists. We are a rock n’ roll band. But I can see why someone else might call it art. I don’t really know what art is, but I look at it as a trade. If you were a blacksmith, your first horseshoe is probably not gonna be as good as your hundredth or millionth. So in my humble opinion it leads to a better understanding of what you’re doing. If you’re doing it with other people like us bands do, it leads to a better understanding of your fellow bandmates and rediscovering the common thread between members that actually kept the whole thing alive for an entire decade in our case. This is from a technical aspect of artistry. There is also the emotional one which is individual. I can’t feel the same feelings as you or anybody else. And that is perfectly fine. When you read a book and paint a scene in your head, chances are it’s not gonna be the same as mine. This is probably the most thought I’ve ever given towards art in my life. Thanks for the question, JJ.
How do you define success?
To me this is pretty simple – dying with a smile on your face and a clear conscience. Being cool with who you are, recognizing your flaws and working on them constantly. Just living a life worth living. If you’re into getting as rich as possible, fine. If you wanna run a marathon, fine. If you wanna travel the world, fine. If you wanna play music, fine. Just try not to hurt people along the way and don’t be an asshole.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Witnessing a parent going through a multi year battle with cancer which they ultimately lost is something no one should experience, especially during their formative years.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
Our tours are mostly weekend gigs and when we do a full tour it’s maybe 11 or 12 gigs at a time tops because of our work obligations. It would be nice to be able to take at least a month off work and just play gigs every night for 30 straight days. At the moment this is all just wishful thinking, but who knows what the future brings. Also, having our records on vinyl would be awesome. That’s as far as the band goes. In my personal life, I’d like to eventually buy a small cabin in our town’s surrounding hills and live there with my cat, chickens and goats. I would also like to own a live music venue just so I can decline every single cover band booking request hahaha.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
I think its main function is to make you forget about the real world for a short while. Whether it’s a song, a painting, a movie, a play, whatever.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Yes! I am looking forward to this summer’s vacation. First we’re doing a little weekend getaway with the boys. After that a combination of mountains and beach with my lady friend. Our coastline is pretty cool in a sense that you can go for a hike in the morning and go for a swim in the afternoon. Meeting our friends and family in different spots, camping in the woods and just not giving a rat’s ass about what’s going on in the world. Basically my summers are really outdoorsy. Gotta get that vitamin D.
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