CPG
Encyclopedia
CPg is a controversial underground
punk rock
group formed by guitarist Zoltán Benkő and drummer Zoltán Nagy in Szeged
, Hungary
in 1979. Vocalist Béla Haska and bassist Zoltán Varga joined in 1981. The group continues to perform today.
songs and lyrics openly condemning the socialist state authority of then Soviet-occupied Hungary. By 1982 many establishments closed their doors to the act and the band was forced to relocate to Budapest
. CPg gained considerable underground popularity among fans, however, by then the music industry and authorities were also on the lookout.
The final show was performed on March 5, 1983. Singer, Béla Haska presented a chicken
on stage, and fans quickly ripped it to pieces. Members of CPg were arrested on charges of political agitation. An investigation concluded that the band did not represent fascist ideologies, but in fact were anti-communists
. The subsequent trial lasted for six months, involving numerous witnesses and additional evidence to support the charge.
All four band members were convicted. Benkő, Haska and Nagy each received two year jail sentences. Varga was placed on four year probation as a juvenile offender. Shortly after his release, Benkő fled to America in an act to avoid draft for compulsory military service. Having spent seven years in the States he finally returned to Hungary in 1993.
The late 1990s saw the reunion of Cpg with all four original band members.
During the communist era, the only documented source of CPg music was poor quality DAT
bootleg recordings, however, in 1993 an official live CD was published by Trottel Records titled: Mindent Megeszünk.
In 1999, producer Róbert Kövessy made a 63 minute documentary on the early days of Cpg, entitled Pol Pot Megye Punkjai (The Punks of Pol Pot
County)
In 2003 Auróra Records released CPg's first studio recording called "Embör vigyázz!" containing mostly songs that were written and performed 20 years prior.
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
group formed by guitarist Zoltán Benkő and drummer Zoltán Nagy in Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in 1979. Vocalist Béla Haska and bassist Zoltán Varga joined in 1981. The group continues to perform today.
History
CPg were a Hungarian punk rock act known for controversial stage antics, anti-establishmentAnti-establishment
An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958, by the British magazine New Statesman to refer to its political and social agenda...
songs and lyrics openly condemning the socialist state authority of then Soviet-occupied Hungary. By 1982 many establishments closed their doors to the act and the band was forced to relocate to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. CPg gained considerable underground popularity among fans, however, by then the music industry and authorities were also on the lookout.
The final show was performed on March 5, 1983. Singer, Béla Haska presented a chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
on stage, and fans quickly ripped it to pieces. Members of CPg were arrested on charges of political agitation. An investigation concluded that the band did not represent fascist ideologies, but in fact were anti-communists
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
. The subsequent trial lasted for six months, involving numerous witnesses and additional evidence to support the charge.
All four band members were convicted. Benkő, Haska and Nagy each received two year jail sentences. Varga was placed on four year probation as a juvenile offender. Shortly after his release, Benkő fled to America in an act to avoid draft for compulsory military service. Having spent seven years in the States he finally returned to Hungary in 1993.
The late 1990s saw the reunion of Cpg with all four original band members.
During the communist era, the only documented source of CPg music was poor quality DAT
Digital Audio Tape
Digital Audio Tape is a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987. In appearance it is similar to a compact audio cassette, using 4 mm magnetic tape enclosed in a protective shell, but is roughly half the size at 73 mm × 54 mm × 10.5 mm. As...
bootleg recordings, however, in 1993 an official live CD was published by Trottel Records titled: Mindent Megeszünk.
In 1999, producer Róbert Kövessy made a 63 minute documentary on the early days of Cpg, entitled Pol Pot Megye Punkjai (The Punks of Pol Pot
Pol Pot
Saloth Sar , better known as Pol Pot, , was a Cambodian Maoist revolutionary who led the Khmer Rouge from 1963 until his death in 1998. From 1976 to 1979, he served as the Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea....
County)
In 2003 Auróra Records released CPg's first studio recording called "Embör vigyázz!" containing mostly songs that were written and performed 20 years prior.