The Plastic People of the Universe
Encyclopedia
The Plastic People of the Universe (PPU) is a rock band from Prague
, Czech Republic
. It was the foremost representative of Prague's underground culture
(1968–1989). This avant-garde group went against the grain of the Communist regime and due to its non-conformism often suffered serious problems such as arrests. The group continues to perform even after the death of the founder, main composer and bass player, Milan "Mejla" Hlavsa
.
leader Alexander Dubček
, Czechoslovakians experienced the Prague Spring
. In August, Soviet and other Warsaw Pact
troops invaded Czechoslovakia. This led to the overthrow of Dubček and to what came to be known as the normalization process
. Less than a month after the invasion, Plastic People of the Universe was formed.
Bassist Milan Hlavsa
formed the band which was heavily influenced by Frank Zappa
(Plastic People being a song by Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
) and the Velvet Underground in 1968. Czech art historian and cultural critic Ivan Jirous
became their manager/artistic director in the following year, fulfilling a role similar to the one Andy Warhol
had with the Velvet Underground. Jirous introduced Hlavsa to guitarist Josef Janíček, and viola player Jiří Kabeš. The consolidated Czech communist government revoked the band's musicians license in 1970.
Because Ivan Jirous believed that English was the lingua franca
of rock music, he employed Paul Wilson, a Canadian
who had been teaching in Prague, to teach the band the lyrics of the American songs they covered and to translate their original Czech lyrics into English. Wilson served as lead singer for the Plastics from 1970 to 1972, and during this time, the band's repertoire drew heavily on songs by the Velvet Underground and the Fugs. The only two songs sung in Czech in this period were "Na sosnové větvi" and "Růže a mrtví", lyrics of both being written by Czech poet Jiří Kolář. Wilson encouraged them to sing in Czech. After he left, saxophonist Vratislav Brabenec joined the band and they began to draw upon Egon Bondy
whose work had been banned by the government. In the following 3 years, Bondy's lyrics nearly completely dominated the PPU music. In December 1974, the band recorded their first "studio" album, Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned (the title being a play on The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
), which was released in France in 1978.
In 1974, thousands of people traveled from Prague to the town of České Budějovice
to visit "the Plastics's" performance. Stopped by police, they were sent back to Prague, and several students were arrested. The band was forced underground until the Velvet Revolution
in 1989. Unable to perform openly, an entire underground cultural movement formed around the band during the 1970s. The symphatizers of the movement were often called máničky
, mainly due to their long hair.
In 1976, the Plastics and other people from underground were arrested and put on trial (after performing at the Third festival of the second culture) by the Communist government to make an example. They were convicted of "organized disturbance of the peace" and sentenced to terms in prison ranging from 8 to 18 months. Paul Wilson was deported even though he had left the band in 1972. It was in protest of these arrests and prosecution that led playwright Václav Havel
and others to write the Charter 77
.
In 1978, the PPU recorded Pašijové hry velikonoční (released in Canada as "The Passion Play" at Paul Wilson's company Boží mlýn). The lyrics were written earlier by Vratislav Brabenec. In 1979, followed Jak bude po smrti, being influenced by a Czech philosopher and writer from the first half of the 20th century, Ladislav Klíma
. In 1980, they rehearsed and performed a new record, recorded one year later, Co znamená vésti koně (released in Canada as "Leading Horses"). In 1982, Vratislav Brabenec was forced by the police
to leave and emigrate to Canada
. After he left, the band released its next record Hovězí porážka (1983) and Půlnoční myš (1986, Midnight Mouse). Czech record label GLOBUS INTERNATIONAL has collected the original work of the Plastic People as 10 CDs, and released them in various forms several times between 1992 and 2004, with various liner notes and photos, and also as a limited edition box set. They have also released other PPU live and solo albums, and related work such as DG 307.
Despite their clashes with the government, the musicians never considered themselves activists and always claimed that they wanted only to play their music. The band broke up in 1988, with some members forming the group Půlnoc (meaning "midnight" in Czech), which recorded briefly for Arista Records
. At President Havel's suggestion, they reunited in 1997 in honor of the 20th anniversary of Charter 77, and have performed regularly since then.
Milan Hlavsa
died in 2001 of lung cancer. He was replaced by a new member Eva Turnová from the group Půlnoc.
Paul Wilson later went on to become one of the major translators into English of Václav Havel's work. Currently he is working on a new translation of The Memorandum for the Havel Festival, which also features two other of his translations.
Interest in the band was rekindled in 2006 thanks to a new play, Rock 'n' Roll
by Tom Stoppard
, in which two of their recordings are featured. They are also playing a few songs live in Czech performances in the Czech National Theatre. The play's characters also discuss at length the music of the Plastics and its effects on Czech society. The Plastics performed in London for the first time in January 2007 with Turnová on bass.
Additional lyricists
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. It was the foremost representative of Prague's underground culture
Prague underground (culture)
Prague underground was an underground culture developed in Prague, Czechoslovakia in the late 1960s and 1970s during the Czechoslovak normalization. The movement was characterized by resistance against conformity, conventions, and consumerism. Because of its non-conformity, it had serious problems...
(1968–1989). This avant-garde group went against the grain of the Communist regime and due to its non-conformism often suffered serious problems such as arrests. The group continues to perform even after the death of the founder, main composer and bass player, Milan "Mejla" Hlavsa
Milan Hlavsa
Milan "Mejla" Hlavsa was the founder, chief songwriter, and original bassist of the Czech band Plastic People of the Universe, which was part of the inspiration for the anti-establishment movement Charter 77....
.
History
From January into August 1968, under the rule of Communist PartyCommunist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
leader Alexander Dubček
Alexander Dubcek
Alexander Dubček , also known as Dikita, was a Slovak politician and briefly leader of Czechoslovakia , famous for his attempt to reform the communist regime during the Prague Spring...
, Czechoslovakians experienced the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
. In August, Soviet and other Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
troops invaded Czechoslovakia. This led to the overthrow of Dubček and to what came to be known as the normalization process
Normalization (Czechoslovakia)
In the history of Czechoslovakia, normalization is a name commonly given to the period 1969 to about 1987. It was characterized by initial restoration of the conditions prevailing before the reform period led by Alexander Dubček , first of all, the firm rule of the Communist Party of...
. Less than a month after the invasion, Plastic People of the Universe was formed.
Bassist Milan Hlavsa
Milan Hlavsa
Milan "Mejla" Hlavsa was the founder, chief songwriter, and original bassist of the Czech band Plastic People of the Universe, which was part of the inspiration for the anti-establishment movement Charter 77....
formed the band which was heavily influenced by Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
(Plastic People being a song by Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention were an American band active from 1964 to 1969, and again from 1970 to 1975.They mainly performed works by, and were the original recording group of, US composer and guitarist Frank Zappa , although other members have had the occasional writing credit...
) and the Velvet Underground in 1968. Czech art historian and cultural critic Ivan Jirous
Ivan Martin Jirous
Ivan Martin Jirous was a Czech poet, best known for being the artistic director of the Czech psychedelic rock group The Plastic People of the Universe and later one of the organizers of the Czech underground during the communist regime...
became their manager/artistic director in the following year, fulfilling a role similar to the one Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
had with the Velvet Underground. Jirous introduced Hlavsa to guitarist Josef Janíček, and viola player Jiří Kabeš. The consolidated Czech communist government revoked the band's musicians license in 1970.
Because Ivan Jirous believed that English was the lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
of rock music, he employed Paul Wilson, a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
who had been teaching in Prague, to teach the band the lyrics of the American songs they covered and to translate their original Czech lyrics into English. Wilson served as lead singer for the Plastics from 1970 to 1972, and during this time, the band's repertoire drew heavily on songs by the Velvet Underground and the Fugs. The only two songs sung in Czech in this period were "Na sosnové větvi" and "Růže a mrtví", lyrics of both being written by Czech poet Jiří Kolář. Wilson encouraged them to sing in Czech. After he left, saxophonist Vratislav Brabenec joined the band and they began to draw upon Egon Bondy
Egon Bondy
Egon Bondy, born Zbyněk Fišer, was a Czech philosopher, writer, and poet, one of the main personalities of the Prague underground.In the late 1940s, Bondy was active in a surrealistic group...
whose work had been banned by the government. In the following 3 years, Bondy's lyrics nearly completely dominated the PPU music. In December 1974, the band recorded their first "studio" album, Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned (the title being a play on The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
), which was released in France in 1978.
In 1974, thousands of people traveled from Prague to the town of České Budějovice
Ceské Budejovice
České Budějovice is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region and is the political and commercial capital of the region and centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and of the University of South Bohemia and the Academy of Sciences...
to visit "the Plastics's" performance. Stopped by police, they were sent back to Prague, and several students were arrested. The band was forced underground until the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
in 1989. Unable to perform openly, an entire underground cultural movement formed around the band during the 1970s. The symphatizers of the movement were often called máničky
Mánička
Mánička is a Czech term used for young people with long hair, usually males, in Czechoslovakia through the 1960s and 1970s...
, mainly due to their long hair.
In 1976, the Plastics and other people from underground were arrested and put on trial (after performing at the Third festival of the second culture) by the Communist government to make an example. They were convicted of "organized disturbance of the peace" and sentenced to terms in prison ranging from 8 to 18 months. Paul Wilson was deported even though he had left the band in 1972. It was in protest of these arrests and prosecution that led playwright Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
and others to write the Charter 77
Charter 77
Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in communist Czechoslovakia from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, and Pavel Kohout. Spreading the text of the document was...
.
In 1978, the PPU recorded Pašijové hry velikonoční (released in Canada as "The Passion Play" at Paul Wilson's company Boží mlýn). The lyrics were written earlier by Vratislav Brabenec. In 1979, followed Jak bude po smrti, being influenced by a Czech philosopher and writer from the first half of the 20th century, Ladislav Klíma
Ladislav Klíma
Ladislav Klíma , was a Czech philosopher and novelist influenced by George Berkeley, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. His philosophy is referred to varyingly as existentialism and subjective idealism.-Life:...
. In 1980, they rehearsed and performed a new record, recorded one year later, Co znamená vésti koně (released in Canada as "Leading Horses"). In 1982, Vratislav Brabenec was forced by the police
STB
STB is an acronym that can mean:* Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus – Bachelor of Sacred Theology* Set-top box – a television device that converts signals to viewable images* Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP -- a law firm...
to leave and emigrate to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. After he left, the band released its next record Hovězí porážka (1983) and Půlnoční myš (1986, Midnight Mouse). Czech record label GLOBUS INTERNATIONAL has collected the original work of the Plastic People as 10 CDs, and released them in various forms several times between 1992 and 2004, with various liner notes and photos, and also as a limited edition box set. They have also released other PPU live and solo albums, and related work such as DG 307.
Despite their clashes with the government, the musicians never considered themselves activists and always claimed that they wanted only to play their music. The band broke up in 1988, with some members forming the group Půlnoc (meaning "midnight" in Czech), which recorded briefly for Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
. At President Havel's suggestion, they reunited in 1997 in honor of the 20th anniversary of Charter 77, and have performed regularly since then.
Milan Hlavsa
Milan Hlavsa
Milan "Mejla" Hlavsa was the founder, chief songwriter, and original bassist of the Czech band Plastic People of the Universe, which was part of the inspiration for the anti-establishment movement Charter 77....
died in 2001 of lung cancer. He was replaced by a new member Eva Turnová from the group Půlnoc.
Paul Wilson later went on to become one of the major translators into English of Václav Havel's work. Currently he is working on a new translation of The Memorandum for the Havel Festival, which also features two other of his translations.
Interest in the band was rekindled in 2006 thanks to a new play, Rock 'n' Roll
Rock 'n' Roll (play)
Rock 'n' Roll is a play by British playwright Tom Stoppard that premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2006.-Plot summary:The play is concerned with the significance of rock and roll in the emergence of the socialist movement in Eastern Bloc Czechoslovakia between the Prague Spring of...
by Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
, in which two of their recordings are featured. They are also playing a few songs live in Czech performances in the Czech National Theatre. The play's characters also discuss at length the music of the Plastics and its effects on Czech society. The Plastics performed in London for the first time in January 2007 with Turnová on bass.
Personnel
Current members
- Josef Janíček – keyboards, vocals (1969–1988, 1997–present)
- Jiří Kabeš – electric violin, theremin, vocals (1970–1988, 1997–present)
- Vratislav BrabenecVratislav BrabenecVratislav Brabenec is a Czech musician and author, and a member of The Plastic People of the Universe.-Life:Vratislav Brabenec was born in Prague into the family of a postal worker. He studied gardening at the Agricultural Secondary School in Mělník, and he practised gardening for several years...
– saxophone, clarinet, vocals, composition, lyrics (1972–1982, 1997–present) - Joe Karafiát – guitar, vocals, composition (1997–present)
- Eva Turnová – bass, vocals, composition (2001–present)
- Jaroslav Kvasnička – drums (2009–present)
Former members
- Milan "Mejla" HlavsaMilan HlavsaMilan "Mejla" Hlavsa was the founder, chief songwriter, and original bassist of the Czech band Plastic People of the Universe, which was part of the inspiration for the anti-establishment movement Charter 77....
(deceased) – bass, vocals, composition, lyrics (1968–1988, 1997–2001) - Michal Jernek – saxophone, clarinet, vocals (1968–1970)
- Jiří Števich – guitar, vocals (1968–1970, 1972)
- Josef Brabec – drums (1968–1969)
- Pavel Zeman – drums (1969–1973, 1977)
- Paul Wilson – guitar, vocals (1970–1972)
- Jan Jílek – trumpet (1972)
- Jiří Šula – drums (1973–1974)
- Jaroslav Vožniak – drums (1974–1977)
- Otakar Michl – guitar (1977)
- Jan Brabec – drums (1977–1988, 1997–1999)
- Pavel Zajíček – vocals (1978)
- Jaroslav Unger – vocals (1978)
- Ladislav Leština – electric violin, theremin (1978, 1980–1986)
- Ivan Bierhanzl – contrabass (1978–1979, 2001–2009)
- Jan Schneider – percussion (1978)
- Josef Rössler – clarinet (1980)
- Petr Placák – clarinet (1983)
- Václav Stádník – clarinet (1983)
- Jan Macháček – guitar (1984)
- Vladimír Dědek – trombone (1984–1986)
- Milan Schelinger – guitar (1986–1987)
- Michaela Pohanková – vocals (1986–1988)
- Tomáš Schilla – cello (1986–1988)
- Ludvík Kandl – drums (1999–2009)
Non-performing collaborators
Managers- Ivan Martin JirousIvan Martin JirousIvan Martin Jirous was a Czech poet, best known for being the artistic director of the Czech psychedelic rock group The Plastic People of the Universe and later one of the organizers of the Czech underground during the communist regime...
(alias Magor, deceased) - Pavel Kratochvíl (1969–1970)
Additional lyricists
- Michal Jernek
- Egon BondyEgon BondyEgon Bondy, born Zbyněk Fišer, was a Czech philosopher, writer, and poet, one of the main personalities of the Prague underground.In the late 1940s, Bondy was active in a surrealistic group...
(poet) - Ladislav KlímaLadislav KlímaLadislav Klíma , was a Czech philosopher and novelist influenced by George Berkeley, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. His philosophy is referred to varyingly as existentialism and subjective idealism.-Life:...
(writer, philosopher) - William BlakeWilliam BlakeWilliam Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
(poet) - Jiří KolářJirí KolárJiří Kolář was a Czech poet, writer, painter and translator. His work was divided between literary and visual art.- Life :Kolář came from a poor family of a baker and a seamstress...
(poet) - Ivan WernischIvan WernischIvan Wernisch is a Czech poet, editor and a collage artist. He studied Ceramics Secondary school in Carlsbad and has since done many jobs, mostly manual. In 1961, after publishing his debut poetry book, he quickly established himself as one of the best and most loved writers of his generation...
(poet) - Karel Hynek MáchaKarel Hynek MáchaKarel Hynek Mácha was a Czech romantic poet.- Biography :Mácha grew up in Prague, the son of a foreman at a mill. He learned Latin and German in school...
(poet) - Christian MorgensternChristian MorgensternChristian Otto Josef Wolfgang Morgenstern was a German author and poet from Munich. Morgenstern married Margareta Gosebruch von Liechtenstern on March 7, 1910...
(poet) - Milan Nápravník (poet)
Discography
- Muž bez uší (live recordings 1969-72)
- Vožralej jak slíva (live recordings 1973-75)
- Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned (1974)
- Ach to státu hanobení (live recordings 1976-77)
- Pašijové hry velikonoční (1978)
- Jak bude po smrti (1979)
- Co znamená vésti koně (1981)
- Kolejnice duní (1977–82)
- Hovězí porážka (1983–84)
- Půlnoční myš (1985–86)
- Bez ohňů je underground (1992–93)
- The Plastic People of the Universe (1997)
- For Kosovo (1997)
- 10 let Globusu aneb underground v kostce (2000)
- Milan Hlavsa - Než je dnes člověku 50 - poslední dekáda (2001)
- Líně s tebou spím - Lazy Love/ In Memoriam Mejla Hlavsa (2001)
- Pašijové hry/ Passion Play (with Agon Orchestra) (2004)
- Do lesíčka na čekanou (2007)
- Magor's Shem (40 Year Anniversary Tour PPU 1968-2008) (2008)
- Maska za maskou (2010)