Wszystko zaczęło się wraz z falą rockową, która zalała Amerykę i Europę w drugiej połowie lat 60. Różnymi prywatnymi drogami ściągano z Zachodu płyty takich grup jak: The Beatles, the Doors, Velvet Underground czy Franka Zappy. Na tych wzorcach, podobnie zresztą jak w Polsce, uczono się grać. Dla Hlavsy, który jako trzynastolatek założył swoją pierwszą kapelę, najważniejszy był Lou Reed. Dzięki niemu miał zrozumieć, że w rocku najważniejsza jest nie wirtuozeria, a serce. W 1969 roku członkowie zespołu zyskali status muzyków profesjonalnych. Grupa przyjęła nazwę zaczerpniętą z tytułu piosenki Franka Zappy, inspirując się dodatkowo twórczością Andy Warhola. Kiedy w 1971 roku odmówili zmiany repertuaru i image'u grupy, zaczęli mieć kłopoty z władzami: nie mogli występować na oficjalnych koncertach, a ich muzyka była nieobecna w mediach. Zaczęli wieść żywot "podziemny", gromadziło się wokół nich środowisko przyjaciół, artystów i wielbicieli grupy. Organizowali pierwsze w Czechosłowacji koncerty muzyki psychodelicznej, utrzymane w stylistyce ówczesnego buntu kontrkulturowego. Managerem i ideologiem całego środowiska był wtedy poeta Martin Jiros. Sytuacja zespołu była jednak coraz trudniejsza. Zdarzały się nawet pacyfikacje ich koncertów urządzane przez milicję.
W tym czasie Milan poznał katolickiego filozofa i zaczął rozczytywać się w tekstach tradycji chrześcijańskiej. W 1975 roku przyjął chrzest. W lutym 1976 roku, po jednym z nielegalnych, prywatnych występów, kilku muzyków z grupy zostało zatrzymanych i skazanych na karę więzienia. Milicja przygotowała pokazowy proces "długowłosych chuliganów". Okazało się to przełomowym wydarzeniem w dziejach czechosłowackiej opozycji. Bowiem na znak solidarności z uwięzionymi muzykami, w grudniu 1976 r. zaczęto zbierać podpisy pod deklaracją znaną jako Karta 77. Był to ważny impuls dla czeskich dysydentów, którzy od czasu praskiej wiosny w 1968 r. działali w rozproszeniu. Kartę podpisało jeszcze tego samego roku 240 osób, a przez kolejne lata władzy komunistycznej liczba sygnotariuszy wzrosła do 1400. Byli wśród nich intelektualiści i naukowcy, ludzie kultury, dawni politycy, prawnicy i wszyscy, którzy pragnęli przeciwstawić się poczynaniom władzy, co też wielu przypłaciło szykanami, więzieniami, czy przymusową emigracją. Warto przytoczyć fragment tego historycznego dokumentu: Karta 77 jest wolnym, nieformalnym i otwartym stowarzyszeniem ludzi o różnych przekonaniach, różnej wierze i różnych zawodach, których łączy pragnienie indywidualnej i wspólnej obrony respektowania praw obywatelskich i ludzkich w naszym kraju oraz w świecie (...) . Karta 77 wyrasta na gruncie solidarności i przyjaźni ludzi, którzy troszczą się o los ideałów, z którymi złączyli oraz łączą swe życie i pracę. Gdy w wyniku presji społecznej złagodzono wyroki (Milan został wypuszczony jeszcze przed procesem).
Nadal jednak obowiązywał zakaz koncertowania i emisji muzyki Plastic People, mimo, że udało im się wydać dwie płyty na Zachodzie. W latach 80. Muzyków nieustannie szykanowano, niektórzy z nich wyemigrowali. Hlavsa wielokrotnie przesłuchiwany i bity, raz nawet nieświadomie podpisał zeznania obciążające jego przyjaciela. To wszystko doprowadziło do rozpadu grupy. Sytuacja zmieniła się dopiero wraz z upadkiem władzy komunistycznej.
Kapela poza kontrowersyjnym jak na owe czasy wyglądem i tekstami cechowała również nietypowa aranżacja sceny na czas występów. W czasie jednego z koncertów wywiesili na sznurkach dziesiątki wędzonych śledzi. Często zaczynali występy utworem” Podwieczorek”, który składał się na zwykły posiłek na scenie, przerywany krótkim motywem instrumentalnym.
Zespół nagrał w sumie 8 płyt, instrumentację do noweli „Jak będzie po śmierci” Ladislava Klimy i udźwiękowili „Pasje wielkanocne”.
W ramach represji domy w których występował zespół, były niszczone, dom nieopodal Czeskiej Lipy spalono trzy tygodnie po ich występie, a dom w Rychnowie po przejęciu przez państwo, jeszcze przed całkowitą wyprowadzką mieszkańców został wysadzony w powietrze. Zarówno Milana Hlavsa jak i innych członków zespołu, wielokrotnie przesłuchiwano i bito. Do wyjazdu z Czechosłowacji zmuszono jednego z muzyków- Vratislava Brabenca Na skutek represji zespół ostatecznie zaprzestał działalności w 1986 r.
Członkowie zespołu, wtedy jako grupa Pulnoc, mogli spełnić swoje marzenie i zagrać wspólnie z Lou Reedem, i to trzykrotnie, m.in. w Białym Domu przed prezydentami Czech i USA. W 1997 roku nastąpiła na krótko reaktywacja PPU, jednak muzycy nie mogli się zgodzić co do nowego repertuaru - Hlavsa pragnął iść w stronę techno. W listopadzie 1999 roku zespół gościł również w Polsce. Rok później Hlavsa nagle zachorował. Zmarł 5 stycznia 2001 roku. (Jakub Żmidziński, Ruah)
Kapela poza kontrowersyjnym jak na owe czasy wyglądem i tekstami cechowała również nietypowa aranżacja sceny na czas występów. W czasie jednego z koncertów wywiesili na sznurkach dziesiątki wędzonych śledzi. Często zaczynali występy utworem” Podwieczorek”, który składał się na zwykły posiłek na scenie, przerywany krótkim motywem instrumentalnym.
Zespół nagrał w sumie 8 płyt, instrumentację do noweli „Jak będzie po śmierci” Ladislava Klimy i udźwiękowili „Pasje wielkanocne”.
W ramach represji domy w których występował zespół, były niszczone, dom nieopodal Czeskiej Lipy spalono trzy tygodnie po ich występie, a dom w Rychnowie po przejęciu przez państwo, jeszcze przed całkowitą wyprowadzką mieszkańców został wysadzony w powietrze. Zarówno Milana Hlavsa jak i innych członków zespołu, wielokrotnie przesłuchiwano i bito. Do wyjazdu z Czechosłowacji zmuszono jednego z muzyków- Vratislava Brabenca Na skutek represji zespół ostatecznie zaprzestał działalności w 1986 r.
Członkowie zespołu, wtedy jako grupa Pulnoc, mogli spełnić swoje marzenie i zagrać wspólnie z Lou Reedem, i to trzykrotnie, m.in. w Białym Domu przed prezydentami Czech i USA. W 1997 roku nastąpiła na krótko reaktywacja PPU, jednak muzycy nie mogli się zgodzić co do nowego repertuaru - Hlavsa pragnął iść w stronę techno. W listopadzie 1999 roku zespół gościł również w Polsce. Rok później Hlavsa nagle zachorował. Zmarł 5 stycznia 2001 roku. (Jakub Żmidziński, Ruah)
Wywiad z Milanem Hlavsą
Plastic People Of The Universe powstało w 1968 r. To było przed czy po inwazji wojsk Układu Warszawskiego na Czechosłowację?
Milan Hlavsa: Najważniejsze, że jedno z drugim nie miało nic wspólnego. Nie mogę powiedzieć, żeby założenie Plastików było aktem oporu. Po prostu byliśmy grupą młodych chłopaków, którzy chcieli grać. 21 sierpnia 1968 obudził mnie brat i wołał, że emigrujemy do Austrii, bo Ruscy weszli. Po południu nam przeszło. Mieliśmy po 17 lat. Interesowała nas muzyka. W drugiej połowie lat 60. powstawała w Pradze cała masa kapel rockowych. Nazwę wymyśliliśmy wspólnie. Andy Warhol powiedział kiedyś: "Kocham wszystko, co plastikowe, chciałbym być z plastiku". Słuchaliśmy też Franka Zappy, który nagrał kawałek "Plastic People". Jeden z nas był mistykiem i wymyślił dodatek "Of The Universe".
Jakich wykonawców z tamtego okresu pamięta Pan najlepiej?
- W 1965 r. była eksplozja Beatlesów i tego się słuchało, ale prawdę mówiąc, aż tak bardzo mi się to nie podobało. Wolałem ostrzejsze rzeczy, np. Jerry Lee Lewisa. Potem ktoś pożyczył mi płytę Stonesów. A w '67 byłem u kolegi, który miał kuzyna w Stanach. Na półce u niego zobaczyłem płytę w białej okładce z nalepionym bananem, pierwszą płytę Velvet Underground. To był przełom. Zrozumiałem, że w tej muzyce najważniejsza nie jest wirtuozeria, ale rockandrollowe serce. Zawsze jak wspominam te czasy, przypomina mi się studium, które wiele lat później czytałem w jakimś kanadyjskim piśmie. Udowadniano tam, że rock and rolla wymyśliło KGB i polska tajna policja, żeby zdemoralizować zachodnie społeczeństwa i zatruć tamtejszą młodzież dekadencją.
Jak na Was wpłynęła inwazja?
- Wcale jej nie zauważyliśmy. W 1969 r. zyskaliśmy status profesjonalistów. To oznaczało, że mamy klub, w którym wolno nam grać, stałe stawki za koncerty. Mnie to cieszyło, bo nie miałem szczęścia do szkół. Wylali mnie z kolegą z technikum masarskiego i potem, żeby zarobić, łapałem dorywcze prace w jakichś rzeźniach.
W tym czasie odsunięto Dubczeka. Nie zauważył Pan tego?
- Nie. Graliśmy, koncertowaliśmy, polityka nas nie interesowała. Wydawało się, że wszystko jest w porządku. Dopiero w 1971 r. dowiedzieliśmy się o jakichś weryfikacjach. Była komisja, która słuchała każdego zespołu o profesjonalnym statusie. Zalecali, żeby do repertuaru włączyć pieśni radzieckie, odrzucali anglojęzyczne nazwy, kazali ostrzyc włosy. To było poniżające. Odmówiliśmy.
Czy to oznaczało np. ryzyko uwięzienia?
- Nie, skądże! To oznaczało, że nie nikt nam nie będzie organizować koncertów i płacić tantiem. Zdecydowaliśmy, że gramy dalej. Pierwszym naszym krokiem był wyjazd na Wyżynę Czesko-Morawską. Pracowaliśmy jako drwale, żeby zarobić na sprzęt. Koncertowaliśmy w najdziwniejszych miejscach. Zdarzało się, że dawaliśmy koncert pod patronatem związku działkowicza. Już wtedy byliśmy na swój sposób sławni. Wytworzyło się wokół nas środowisko, które nasz menedżer Ivan Jirous nazwał potem "wesołym gettem". To byli malarze, poeci, plastycy. Spotykaliśmy się w gospodach, popijaliśmy, staraliśmy się dobrze bawić.
Robiliście to, co przed rokiem 1968?
- Tak. Zachowywaliśmy w naszym kręgu ducha wolności. Ale nie nazywałbym tego rewoltą czy buntem. "Wesołe getto" to właściwa nazwa.
Na początku lat 70. skazano grupę młodych na drakońskie kary więzienia. To Was nie interesowało?
- Nie. Uważaliśmy wtedy, że nas to nie dotyczy. Tych młodych ludzi pozamykano m.in. dlatego, że zachęcali do bojkotu wyborów. A przecież ja i tak nie chodziłem głosować, nie widziałem powodu, dla którego miałbym to robić. Nasza postawa nie wynikała z oporu, ale z braku zainteresowania.
To kiedy Pan zaczął się interesować polityką?
- Wtedy, kiedy polityka zaczęła się interesować mną. W 1974 r. już było jasne, że służba bezpieczeństwa zaczyna się koło nas kręcić. Na koncercie w Czeskich Budziejowicach doszło do pierwszej akcji wymierzonej w publiczność. Nagle przyjechały autobusy pełne milicji. Wyskoczyli i zaczęli tłuc do krwi. Wielu naszych fanów zatrzymano, pobito w celach, powyrzucano ze szkół. W lutym 1976 r. graliśmy na ślubie Ivana Jirousa. Kilka dni po koncercie zatrzymano paru z nas. Trochę nas potrzymali, a w końcu skazali czterech.
Victoriaville, Canada 2005
Słynny proces, w trakcie którego powstała Karta 77, też był przecież w 1976 r.!
- Przecież właśnie o tym procesie mówiłem!
Czy wtedy zaczął się Pan interesować polityką?
- Dotarło wtedy do mnie, że zamknięto mnie z przyczyn politycznych. Nasz proces miał być pokazowy. W dokumentach prokurator napisał: "Uwaga! Nie strzyc! Nie golić!". Oni bardzo chcieli pokazać w telewizji długowłosych, brodatych chuliganów. Mecenas powiedział mi, że w Pradze jest petycja o nasze uwolnienie i że podpisało ją już ponad 200 osób. Jak to usłyszałem, skrzydła mi urosły! Było mi wszystko jedno, ile dostanę, wiedziałem, że dzieje się coś bardzo ważnego. Uważa się, że zamknięcie Plastików było początkiem Karty 77. Jestem z tego dumny.
Co Pan robił po wyjściu z więzienia?
- Ech, to były piękne czasy. Jesienią 1977 r. zrobiliśmy koncert na Hradeczku, w wiejskim domku Vaclava Havla, którego oczywiście poznałem. To on był jednym z inicjatorów petycji w naszej obronie, a potem Karty 77, musiałem mu podziękować. Służba bezpieczeństwa się wściekała, ale nic nie mogła zrobić, bo Vaclav był znaną osobistością i jakikolwiek atak na niego kończył się potężnymi protestami zachodniej opinii publicznej.
Od 1978 roku już nie graliście ani razu publicznie?
- Jeszcze w 1981 r. grupa naszych fanów z Czeskiej Lipy zaproponowała nam koncert u nich w domu. Ostrzegaliśmy ich, że to się źle skończy. Odpowiedzieli, że u siebie mogą robić, co chcą. Parę dni później dom, w którym graliśmy, spłonął podpalony przez nieznanych sprawców. Wtedy zrozumiałem, że to, co robimy, zagraża nie tylko nam, ale i naszemu otoczeniu. Poprzestaliśmy na próbach w mieszkaniach, prywatnie udało się nam też nagrać i wydać na Zachodzie dwie płyty.
Co się wtedy działo?
- Najważniejsze, że przetrwałem.
Czasem udziela Pan wywiadów, w których podkreśla swój katolicyzm. To nie jest zbyt typowe ani jak na Czecha, ani jak na muzyka rockowego.
- Jeszcze w czasach dysydenckich zbliżyłem się do kręgu naszych katolickich filozofów. Zrozumiałem, że ci ludzie mają rację, że Kościół to coś więcej, niż tylko obiegowe opinie o nim, formułowane przez młodych buntowników. Trwam w tej decyzji do dziś. Nowa, bezwzględna rzeczywistość i kult pieniądza, jaki zapanował w Czechach po "aksamitnej rewolucji", sprawiły, że zacząłem mieć polityczne poglądy.
Jedna moja sąsiadka była emerytką. Nie miała na czynsz, na opłaty za prąd i ktoś jej poradził, żeby przestała się z tym męczyć i poszła do domu starców. Na drugi dzień znaleźli ją powieszoną. Właśnie takie wydarzenia sprawiają, że mogę o sobie powiedzieć, iż jestem lewicowym katolikiem.
Jedna moja sąsiadka była emerytką. Nie miała na czynsz, na opłaty za prąd i ktoś jej poradził, żeby przestała się z tym męczyć i poszła do domu starców. Na drugi dzień znaleźli ją powieszoną. Właśnie takie wydarzenia sprawiają, że mogę o sobie powiedzieć, iż jestem lewicowym katolikiem.
Rozmawiał Tomasz Maćkowiak (Gazeta Wyborcza 13.11.1999r.)
Prezentowane nagrania to składanka nagrań koncertowych. Najstarsze jest z 29.6.1972 r, najmłodsze z 7 lutego 1976.
The Plastic People of the Universe was the name of perhaps the greatest obscure rock band of all time and their incredible story ranks as one of the truest examples of artistic perseverance and art imitating life in the entire history of Rock and Roll. Formed in 1968 following the Soviet invasion of their beloved Czechoslovakia, the Plastic People of the Universe suffered immeasurably for their simple desire to make their own music.
The story begins, of course, with the Beatles and 1964. It is imperative to understand that Beatlemania was not an isolated event limited to America and the United Kingdom. Young people throughout Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union had their lives changed by John Lennon and the Beatles. Since the beginning of the Cold War, kids from the eastern side of the Iron Curtain had hungered for all things American as an escape from their cultural isolation. American jazz had served this purpose in the late 1940's through the fifties. The gates were then kicked open by Elvis and Bill Haley, but it was the Beatles who brought down the wall.
The early to mid-sixties were undoubtedly an exciting time in Czechoslovakia. Jazz, both American and Czechoslovak, was enjoying a comeback after years underground. The Nazi party had abolished jazz upon its occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938. Since 1945, however, the new Communist party had been more tolerant of jazz, specifically the classic Czechoslovak jazz. And now, boring, predictable socialist life under Communist rule was suddenly injected with a jolt of democracy in its purest form: rock and roll! Thousands of "garage" bands were born in Czechoslovakia in the mid-sixties; hundreds in Prague alone. The kids went nuts in response to the Beatles, and the Big Beat, or "bigbit" as the Czechs called it, era began (...)
The story begins, of course, with the Beatles and 1964. It is imperative to understand that Beatlemania was not an isolated event limited to America and the United Kingdom. Young people throughout Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union had their lives changed by John Lennon and the Beatles. Since the beginning of the Cold War, kids from the eastern side of the Iron Curtain had hungered for all things American as an escape from their cultural isolation. American jazz had served this purpose in the late 1940's through the fifties. The gates were then kicked open by Elvis and Bill Haley, but it was the Beatles who brought down the wall.
The early to mid-sixties were undoubtedly an exciting time in Czechoslovakia. Jazz, both American and Czechoslovak, was enjoying a comeback after years underground. The Nazi party had abolished jazz upon its occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938. Since 1945, however, the new Communist party had been more tolerant of jazz, specifically the classic Czechoslovak jazz. And now, boring, predictable socialist life under Communist rule was suddenly injected with a jolt of democracy in its purest form: rock and roll! Thousands of "garage" bands were born in Czechoslovakia in the mid-sixties; hundreds in Prague alone. The kids went nuts in response to the Beatles, and the Big Beat, or "bigbit" as the Czechs called it, era began (...)
Karta 77 (Charter 77)
Among the best of the early Czech rock bands were Olympic, Czechoslovakia's premier Beatles band and the Primitives, Prague's first psychedelic band. The proliferation of rock and roll music into the culture increased as Czech radio stations switched to western pop programming, rock magazines sprung up, and Czech schools began teaching western rock and roll in the classrooms.
Novotny reacted to this influx of Western culture with a vengeance. He rid his cabinet of any party member with the slightest ideas of reform, and increased censorship laws. Prague officials felt Novotny had overreacted and replaced him with an experienced party leader who they believed would lead Czechoslovakia through necessary reforms without upsetting the Kremlin. On January 5, 1968, Alexander Dubcek replaced Novotny as the leader of the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia. It was the beginning of the Prague Spring.
Dubcek soon initiated a string of reforms that brought Czechoslovakia closer to Western style ideals than at any time before. By April 1968, Dubcek had purged government positions of all hard-line Communists and announced a program of "socialist democracy" for the country. He also lifted all censorship in the radio, press and television and cleared all prisons of artists and other political prisoners of the former regime. Prague Spring resembled nothing less than San Francisco 1967. Hippies and drugs were everywhere, and rock music flourished in the clubs and the streets. It was a special time while it lasted, but the Kremlin felt Dubcek had gone too far.
Early in the morning of August 21, 1968, Soviet tanks and 175,000 Warsaw Pact troops began a massive invasion of Czechoslovakia in order to crush the Prague Spring. Passive resistance, for the most part, was practiced by the Czech defenders but some blood was shed. Many street signs were mixed up by the hippies to confound the oncoming tanks. Three days later, it was all over. The tanks and the troops remained and the citizens resumed their lives. Protests did continue; the most sensational being the suicide of Jan Palach, a philosophy student in Prague, who doused himself in kerosene and set himself on fire in the center of Wencelas Square.
The Plastic People of the Universe were formed by bassist Milan Hlavsa less than a month after the invasion. Initially inspired by the Velvet Underground, the group also covered songs from other American groups such as the Fugs, the Doors, Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. The name of the band was taken from Zappa's song entitled "Plastic People". Their artistic director/manager was a brilliant art historian and cultural theoretician named Ivan Jirous. Jirous was previously the artistic director of the Primitives, and when he joined the Plastics in 1969, he brought with him the lead guitarist of the Primitives, Josef Janicek. The addition of viola player Jiri Kabes further likened their sound to the Velvet Underground. Their concert performances were more like "happenings" featuring set pieces, outlandish makeup and costumes, and psychedelic light shows.
Novotny reacted to this influx of Western culture with a vengeance. He rid his cabinet of any party member with the slightest ideas of reform, and increased censorship laws. Prague officials felt Novotny had overreacted and replaced him with an experienced party leader who they believed would lead Czechoslovakia through necessary reforms without upsetting the Kremlin. On January 5, 1968, Alexander Dubcek replaced Novotny as the leader of the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia. It was the beginning of the Prague Spring.
Dubcek soon initiated a string of reforms that brought Czechoslovakia closer to Western style ideals than at any time before. By April 1968, Dubcek had purged government positions of all hard-line Communists and announced a program of "socialist democracy" for the country. He also lifted all censorship in the radio, press and television and cleared all prisons of artists and other political prisoners of the former regime. Prague Spring resembled nothing less than San Francisco 1967. Hippies and drugs were everywhere, and rock music flourished in the clubs and the streets. It was a special time while it lasted, but the Kremlin felt Dubcek had gone too far.
Early in the morning of August 21, 1968, Soviet tanks and 175,000 Warsaw Pact troops began a massive invasion of Czechoslovakia in order to crush the Prague Spring. Passive resistance, for the most part, was practiced by the Czech defenders but some blood was shed. Many street signs were mixed up by the hippies to confound the oncoming tanks. Three days later, it was all over. The tanks and the troops remained and the citizens resumed their lives. Protests did continue; the most sensational being the suicide of Jan Palach, a philosophy student in Prague, who doused himself in kerosene and set himself on fire in the center of Wencelas Square.
The Plastic People of the Universe were formed by bassist Milan Hlavsa less than a month after the invasion. Initially inspired by the Velvet Underground, the group also covered songs from other American groups such as the Fugs, the Doors, Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. The name of the band was taken from Zappa's song entitled "Plastic People". Their artistic director/manager was a brilliant art historian and cultural theoretician named Ivan Jirous. Jirous was previously the artistic director of the Primitives, and when he joined the Plastics in 1969, he brought with him the lead guitarist of the Primitives, Josef Janicek. The addition of viola player Jiri Kabes further likened their sound to the Velvet Underground. Their concert performances were more like "happenings" featuring set pieces, outlandish makeup and costumes, and psychedelic light shows.
Taiwan 2007
Following the 1968 invasion, the Kremlin initiated a "normalization" program to reestablish moral and social behavior befitting a Communist country. The government began closing down many of Prague's leading rock clubs and censoring the news and film industries, yet still the rock scene continued to flourish amidst the political turmoil. The Beach Boys played an historic concert at Lucerna Hall in Prague in May of 1969 and dedicated their song "Breaking Away" to recently replaced Prague Spring reformer Dubcek who sat in the audience.
As the "normalization" continued, some bands, like Olympic, changed their sound and look and survived the transition. The Plastic People, however, refused to change. The Plastics remained Prague's leading psychedelic band until January 1970 when their nonconformity led to the government revoking their professional license. In addition to no longer being allowed to receive money for their performances, the demotion to amateur status also meant the loss of state-owned instruments and access to rehearsal space (...)
In June of 1972, a concert in downtown Prague featuring the Plastic People was cancelled after drunken militia began scuffling with fans. The Plastics were banned from playing in Prague and retreated into the countryside. Paul Wilson left the band after singing with them during 1970 through 1972, during which time he estimates they played about 15 times in public (...)
Through the rest of the decade, the band found it increasingly difficult to perform their music without retribution. Whenever their friends had marriages, a wedding party provided an occasion to rent a hall and put on a private concert. Usually, however, putting together a concert was more akin to a cloak and dagger movie. A remote site in the woods near an isolated Bohemian village was picked, word of the location was then passed among friends, whispered from ear to ear. The exact location of the site was never revealed more than one day in advance and sometimes not revealed until that night. Fans would get off at the nearest rail station, then walk miles through the forest and across farms, sometimes for hours in rain or snow, searching for a remote farmhouse or barn. Often, the police would show up all the same and stop the show (...)
The Plastics held a Second Music Festival of the Second Culture, also known as "Magor's Wedding", in the small town of Bojanovice on February 21, 1976. In response to this festival, on March 17, 1976, the Secret Police arrested 27 musicians and their friends including all the Plastic People. In addition, over 100 fans were interrogated. The band's homemade equipment was seized, their homes were searched and tapes, films and notebooks were confiscated. Paul Wilson was expelled from the country soon after and returned to Canada.
Six months later, the trial of the Plastic People and the other arrested artists began. The majority of the Plastic People were released due to international protests. However, four musicians including Vratislav Brabenec and Ivan Jirous from the Plastics, as well as Pavel Zajicek from the Plastics' sister band DG 307, and singer Svatopluk Karasek, were held for disturbing the peace.
On that day, September 21, 1976, as the four defendants sat handcuffed in the dock, rock and roll went on trial. It was the hippies versus the Communist state. The prosecutors cited vulgar lyrics in some songs and described their music as an "anti-social phenomenon" that was corrupting the Czech youth. The defendants responded with dignity, defending their right to write and sing the songs they wanted. Two days later, all four were found guilty of "organized disturbance of the peace". Jirous was sentenced to 18 months, Zajicek to 12 months, and both Karasek and Brabenec to 8 months in Prague's Ruzne Prison.
As the "normalization" continued, some bands, like Olympic, changed their sound and look and survived the transition. The Plastic People, however, refused to change. The Plastics remained Prague's leading psychedelic band until January 1970 when their nonconformity led to the government revoking their professional license. In addition to no longer being allowed to receive money for their performances, the demotion to amateur status also meant the loss of state-owned instruments and access to rehearsal space (...)
In June of 1972, a concert in downtown Prague featuring the Plastic People was cancelled after drunken militia began scuffling with fans. The Plastics were banned from playing in Prague and retreated into the countryside. Paul Wilson left the band after singing with them during 1970 through 1972, during which time he estimates they played about 15 times in public (...)
Through the rest of the decade, the band found it increasingly difficult to perform their music without retribution. Whenever their friends had marriages, a wedding party provided an occasion to rent a hall and put on a private concert. Usually, however, putting together a concert was more akin to a cloak and dagger movie. A remote site in the woods near an isolated Bohemian village was picked, word of the location was then passed among friends, whispered from ear to ear. The exact location of the site was never revealed more than one day in advance and sometimes not revealed until that night. Fans would get off at the nearest rail station, then walk miles through the forest and across farms, sometimes for hours in rain or snow, searching for a remote farmhouse or barn. Often, the police would show up all the same and stop the show (...)
The Plastics held a Second Music Festival of the Second Culture, also known as "Magor's Wedding", in the small town of Bojanovice on February 21, 1976. In response to this festival, on March 17, 1976, the Secret Police arrested 27 musicians and their friends including all the Plastic People. In addition, over 100 fans were interrogated. The band's homemade equipment was seized, their homes were searched and tapes, films and notebooks were confiscated. Paul Wilson was expelled from the country soon after and returned to Canada.
Six months later, the trial of the Plastic People and the other arrested artists began. The majority of the Plastic People were released due to international protests. However, four musicians including Vratislav Brabenec and Ivan Jirous from the Plastics, as well as Pavel Zajicek from the Plastics' sister band DG 307, and singer Svatopluk Karasek, were held for disturbing the peace.
On that day, September 21, 1976, as the four defendants sat handcuffed in the dock, rock and roll went on trial. It was the hippies versus the Communist state. The prosecutors cited vulgar lyrics in some songs and described their music as an "anti-social phenomenon" that was corrupting the Czech youth. The defendants responded with dignity, defending their right to write and sing the songs they wanted. Two days later, all four were found guilty of "organized disturbance of the peace". Jirous was sentenced to 18 months, Zajicek to 12 months, and both Karasek and Brabenec to 8 months in Prague's Ruzne Prison.
"Kanarek" Concert in Havirov (2007)
A diverse group of supporters, including playwrights, writers, professors and other Czech intellectuals, had attended the trial and gathered outside in the hallway. Among the supporters was avant-garde playwright Vaclav Havel who had met Jirous a week earlier and had been impressed with the man and his philosophy. Havel left the trial feeling disgusted with the world and resolved to make a difference.
In the months that followed, these sympathizers gathered in solidarity with the hippies and rallied around the Plastic People. They dared to establish a human rights organization and released a statement of principles on January 1, 1977, naming their organization after the charter, Charter 77. Havel said that the Plastics were defending "life's intrinsic desire to express itself freely, in its own authentic and sovereign way", which is as close to a perfect definition of both democracy and rock and roll as has ever been stated. Charter 77 evolved into a world-famous human rights petition that eventually landed Havel in jail, and was a precursor to the national revolution that occurred 12 years later.
Since the late 1970's, the Plastics had begun recording their music on tapes and circulating them among friends and fans. A number of these tapes, smuggled out of the country, were eventually released as records in the west. Their first and best album was "Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned", recorded in a Bohemian castle in 1973-74, and smuggled to the west and released as an album in 1978 without the band's knowledge. It is one of the most original albums of all time with its fusion of psychedelic jazz rock, classical European melodic structures and the comedic lyrics of Czech poet Egon Bondy.
The band continued recording and releasing music clandestinely throughout the '70s into the '80s with the help of Paul Wilson in Toronto and others. Following Brabenec's release, Havel allowed the Plastic People the use of his country home in Hradecek for the Third Music Festival of the Second Culture on October 1, 1977. The police did not break up the concert but circled the property and remained an imposing presence as the Plastics performed in the barn. A tape of this concert was released in the west in 1979 as "Hundred Points". The band recorded their next album "Passion Play", about the crucifixion of Christ, also at Havel's farm in 1980 while the police again staked out the surrounding woods (...)
The '80's had brought a new sound to Czechoslovakia: punk rock. The appearance of this new music on the scene almost made the Communists wish the kids were listening to the Beatles again. Leather-clad teenagers with spiky, tri-colored hair and bad attitudes gave the Communist officials new problems to worry about and mainstream rock began to seem like the lesser of two Devils. Punks were especially subject to unprovoked beatings by the police at this time.
In June 1986, Czechoslovakia hosted its first national rock festival, Rockfest 86. Many previously banned groups were allowed to perform and it appeared that the rock scene was beginning to show signs of liberalization. Late in 1987, hints were being dropped by Czech officials that if the group changed their name from the Plastic People, they would be granted a license. In April 1988, the Plastic People of the Universe broke up over disagreements on the issue of changing the name. Jan Brabec, the drummer, maintained that he would play as the Plastic People or not at all, and quit.
Hlavsa then formed a new band, Pulnoc, meaning "midnight". Hlavsa chose Pulnoc as the name for the band because it reflected not an end but a transformation of the Plastic People. "Midnight is a very special time", Hlavsa explained. "It is when one day dies and another is born. And yet there is continuity. That is how it is with this band." Along with the core of the Plastic People (Hlavsa, Kabes, Janicek), the new band featured a younger generation of musicians, including Hlavsa's sister-in-law, Michaela Nemcova, an operatically-trained singer and music teacher, Karel Jancak, a 23-year-old guitarist who had played in a Prague punk band, cellist Tomas Schilla, and drummer Petr Kuzamandas. Pulnoc was allowed to play abroad only because they travelled as 'tourists.' Pulnoc made its first official appearance at the Junior Klub in Prague in the spring of 1988 (...)
Communism was falling all around as revolutions and massive protests overwhelmed the Stalinist governments. In November 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. On Nov. 17, 1989, Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution began as more and more students showed up every day in Wencelas Square to protest police brutality. They were soon joined by playwrights, actors, musicians including the entire Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and other Czech citizens, until they were 300,000 strong. The revolution ended successfully 24 days later.
Magor was released from prison on December 2, 1989 and immediately got involved with the new young punk scene. On December 14, 1989, the Czech Philharmonic gave a concert at Smetana Hall in Prague, which became the most famous concert in the history of that country. Everyone there was delirious with happiness, knowing the overthrow of communism was almost completed. Vaclav Havel was not yet President but as the leader of the pro-democracy Civic Forum, everyone knew he ought to be. Conductor Vaclav Neumann wore a large Civic Forum pin on his lapel. When Havel came on stage, the entire concert hall erupted into applause.
Three days before the end of the decade, on December 29, 1989, Vaclav Havel became President of Czechoslovakia and began replacing the Communist officials in his office with his friends including other Czech dissidents and rock musicians. In January of 1990, just as the new democracy had begun, Frank Zappa flew to Prague at the invitation of Havel, one of his greatest fans. 5000 rock fans were waiting at the airport to witness the historic arrival of the famous American. A Prague film crew captured Zappa's arrival at the airport just as Shirley Temple Black, the former "good ship lollipop" girl, then the acting ambassador to Czech , was leaving. Mrs. Black was asked about her views on the distinguished Frank Zappa's visit. Czech citizens did not understand her horrified reaction to this question. Zappa met Havel at Prague Castle and presented the new president with several ideas on how to help Czechoslovakia move into the democratic age, such as cellular phones and tourism. Zappa was emotionally overcome upon meeting older fans of his who had endured beatings by the Secret Police for the sake of his music.
Another historic meeting was that between Havel and Velvet Underground founder Lou Reed, who had traveled to Prague in 1990 to interview Havel. In Prague Castle, Reed presented Havel with a copy of his latest album as Havel unfolded the incredible story of the Plastic People to an awed Lou Reed, explaining how influential the Velvet Underground and rock music had been in the Velvet Revolution (....)
The amazing history of the Plastic People is so crucially intertwined with the history of Czechoslovakia that one can not fully understand the history of that country without knowing the history of the band, and vice versa. No other rock band has had to put up with the abuse and the obstacles that the Plastics did during their lifetime. Yet they did not plan to risk their lives for their music. As Hlavsa said, they were "dissidents against their will." Eventually, however, they came to the realization that what they were doing was historically important and their very existence through the hard times their country was experiencing was a powerful symbol of freedom to the younger generation of Czechs (...) --- Joseph Yanosik
The recordings (Eliasuv Ohen -part of CD Box) were made in various places between 1972 and 1976)
In the months that followed, these sympathizers gathered in solidarity with the hippies and rallied around the Plastic People. They dared to establish a human rights organization and released a statement of principles on January 1, 1977, naming their organization after the charter, Charter 77. Havel said that the Plastics were defending "life's intrinsic desire to express itself freely, in its own authentic and sovereign way", which is as close to a perfect definition of both democracy and rock and roll as has ever been stated. Charter 77 evolved into a world-famous human rights petition that eventually landed Havel in jail, and was a precursor to the national revolution that occurred 12 years later.
Since the late 1970's, the Plastics had begun recording their music on tapes and circulating them among friends and fans. A number of these tapes, smuggled out of the country, were eventually released as records in the west. Their first and best album was "Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned", recorded in a Bohemian castle in 1973-74, and smuggled to the west and released as an album in 1978 without the band's knowledge. It is one of the most original albums of all time with its fusion of psychedelic jazz rock, classical European melodic structures and the comedic lyrics of Czech poet Egon Bondy.
The band continued recording and releasing music clandestinely throughout the '70s into the '80s with the help of Paul Wilson in Toronto and others. Following Brabenec's release, Havel allowed the Plastic People the use of his country home in Hradecek for the Third Music Festival of the Second Culture on October 1, 1977. The police did not break up the concert but circled the property and remained an imposing presence as the Plastics performed in the barn. A tape of this concert was released in the west in 1979 as "Hundred Points". The band recorded their next album "Passion Play", about the crucifixion of Christ, also at Havel's farm in 1980 while the police again staked out the surrounding woods (...)
The '80's had brought a new sound to Czechoslovakia: punk rock. The appearance of this new music on the scene almost made the Communists wish the kids were listening to the Beatles again. Leather-clad teenagers with spiky, tri-colored hair and bad attitudes gave the Communist officials new problems to worry about and mainstream rock began to seem like the lesser of two Devils. Punks were especially subject to unprovoked beatings by the police at this time.
In June 1986, Czechoslovakia hosted its first national rock festival, Rockfest 86. Many previously banned groups were allowed to perform and it appeared that the rock scene was beginning to show signs of liberalization. Late in 1987, hints were being dropped by Czech officials that if the group changed their name from the Plastic People, they would be granted a license. In April 1988, the Plastic People of the Universe broke up over disagreements on the issue of changing the name. Jan Brabec, the drummer, maintained that he would play as the Plastic People or not at all, and quit.
Hlavsa then formed a new band, Pulnoc, meaning "midnight". Hlavsa chose Pulnoc as the name for the band because it reflected not an end but a transformation of the Plastic People. "Midnight is a very special time", Hlavsa explained. "It is when one day dies and another is born. And yet there is continuity. That is how it is with this band." Along with the core of the Plastic People (Hlavsa, Kabes, Janicek), the new band featured a younger generation of musicians, including Hlavsa's sister-in-law, Michaela Nemcova, an operatically-trained singer and music teacher, Karel Jancak, a 23-year-old guitarist who had played in a Prague punk band, cellist Tomas Schilla, and drummer Petr Kuzamandas. Pulnoc was allowed to play abroad only because they travelled as 'tourists.' Pulnoc made its first official appearance at the Junior Klub in Prague in the spring of 1988 (...)
Communism was falling all around as revolutions and massive protests overwhelmed the Stalinist governments. In November 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. On Nov. 17, 1989, Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution began as more and more students showed up every day in Wencelas Square to protest police brutality. They were soon joined by playwrights, actors, musicians including the entire Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and other Czech citizens, until they were 300,000 strong. The revolution ended successfully 24 days later.
Magor was released from prison on December 2, 1989 and immediately got involved with the new young punk scene. On December 14, 1989, the Czech Philharmonic gave a concert at Smetana Hall in Prague, which became the most famous concert in the history of that country. Everyone there was delirious with happiness, knowing the overthrow of communism was almost completed. Vaclav Havel was not yet President but as the leader of the pro-democracy Civic Forum, everyone knew he ought to be. Conductor Vaclav Neumann wore a large Civic Forum pin on his lapel. When Havel came on stage, the entire concert hall erupted into applause.
Three days before the end of the decade, on December 29, 1989, Vaclav Havel became President of Czechoslovakia and began replacing the Communist officials in his office with his friends including other Czech dissidents and rock musicians. In January of 1990, just as the new democracy had begun, Frank Zappa flew to Prague at the invitation of Havel, one of his greatest fans. 5000 rock fans were waiting at the airport to witness the historic arrival of the famous American. A Prague film crew captured Zappa's arrival at the airport just as Shirley Temple Black, the former "good ship lollipop" girl, then the acting ambassador to Czech , was leaving. Mrs. Black was asked about her views on the distinguished Frank Zappa's visit. Czech citizens did not understand her horrified reaction to this question. Zappa met Havel at Prague Castle and presented the new president with several ideas on how to help Czechoslovakia move into the democratic age, such as cellular phones and tourism. Zappa was emotionally overcome upon meeting older fans of his who had endured beatings by the Secret Police for the sake of his music.
Another historic meeting was that between Havel and Velvet Underground founder Lou Reed, who had traveled to Prague in 1990 to interview Havel. In Prague Castle, Reed presented Havel with a copy of his latest album as Havel unfolded the incredible story of the Plastic People to an awed Lou Reed, explaining how influential the Velvet Underground and rock music had been in the Velvet Revolution (....)
The amazing history of the Plastic People is so crucially intertwined with the history of Czechoslovakia that one can not fully understand the history of that country without knowing the history of the band, and vice versa. No other rock band has had to put up with the abuse and the obstacles that the Plastics did during their lifetime. Yet they did not plan to risk their lives for their music. As Hlavsa said, they were "dissidents against their will." Eventually, however, they came to the realization that what they were doing was historically important and their very existence through the hard times their country was experiencing was a powerful symbol of freedom to the younger generation of Czechs (...) --- Joseph Yanosik
The recordings (Eliasuv Ohen -part of CD Box) were made in various places between 1972 and 1976)
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