GENESIS
My name is Nebojša Simonović, and I was born in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. At the age of three, I moved to Germany with my family. I was constantly told to stop playing and fantasising. Later, I found encouragement in Hermann Hesse’s The Glass Bead Game, particularly in the character of Magister Ludi, as well as in Johan Huizinga’s theory of Homo Ludens*. Consequently, I chose "Ludens" as my artistic name in 1991.
Initially, I simply called myself Ludens, derived from the Latin word ludens—meaning "the playful one" or "the player." I changed my name again in 1995, when Luxembourg was the European Capital of Culture, and I was living there at the time. The inspiration for my decision to change my name was this: that summer, I organised a multidisciplinary open-air festival "Rock the Virgin Island," at Lake Echternach in Luxembourg, featuring over two hundred artists and thousands of happy attendees. It turned into a scandal after numerous acts of sabotage by cowardly local politicians and their henchmen, including non-compliance with technical and legal agreements, sabotage of traffic and parking regulations, and illegal cutting of the main power supply. These acts reflected a discrepancy between the audio-visual performance art and the volume levels, which exceeded the tolerance threshold of the local cultural virgins. The festival project, "Rock the Virgin Island," was detailed in 105 pages, including all artistic and technical specifications, such as 150,000 watts of sound and an equivalent amount of lighting.
After several threats from the same cowards—who sent their daughters ahead instead of confronting me personally—I faced a choice: give up and cancel the festival or risk social and financial ruin. I chose the latter. I continued the event, announcing bands and performances with spiced statements. On the second day of the festival, I cut off my long hair and hung it like a wig in the spotlight at the top of the stage. In a speech to the audience, I addressed the local saboteurs, saying, "Here’s my scalp—come and take it if you have any courage."
A few days after the festival, an English journalist wrote something to the effect of the hair wig hanging on the stage: "Loud-wig van Ludens organised the loudest event since the Nazi bombing of the city." I (my ego) appreciated the association with Ludwig van Beethoven, whom I admire, and who composed his greatest works despite his deafness. I liked the intention behind it. It helps to understand the quote: “I am that, I am.”
So I added “Loud-wig-van” to my name, Ludens, as a tribute to Ludwig van Beethoven and the journalist. Looking back on this episode, I am grateful to all those who tried to prevent me from being myself. Challenges reveal a person’s true character—circumstances are poor excuses.
That is the story of my name from the past. Today, most people call me Lou, Ludens, Nesh, Neša, Nele, or whatever; it makes no difference to me—names are merely labels and assumptions. I live in the present, and that is what matters: the here and now—the only reality that counts, in the sense of Alan Watts, the Stoics and all the others who have realised, in their own way, what this divine gift of life is about...
* Homo Ludens, or “The Man Who Plays” (alternatively: “The Playing Man”), is a book published in 1938 by Dutch historian, cultural theorist, and professor Johan Huizinga. It discusses the significance of play for culture and society. In the book, Huizinga uses game theory to define the conceptual space in which play occurs. He argues that play is primary and a necessary (though not sufficient) condition for the emergence of culture.
** The festival features various genres—from rock to jazz, industrial to experimental, live painting, and performance art. It has been held annually at the same location on Lake Echternach since 1995—known as the “E-Lake Festival,” organised by locals.