Ivan Mládek
Encyclopedia
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
.
Biography
Ivan Mládek was born in PraguePrague
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...
, where he spent most of his childhood. His father, a lawyer and painter, taught him to paint, but he preferred music and started his now-famous Banjo Band
Banjo Band
Banjo Band is a Czech band led by Ivan Mládek.-Members:*Ivan Mládek*Ivo Pešák *Jan Mrázek*Lenka Šindelářová*Lenka Plačková*Milan Pitkin*Libuše Roubychová...
.
The Banjo Band first performed in 1966. In 1968 Mládek emigrated to France to pursue his music career in Paris. He soon returned to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and became famous as a musician in the second half of the 1970s; he has written over 400 songs as of 2007. He became known as a comedian in the 1980s. Mladek's first humorous story was published in 1980 in the magazine Mladý Svět
Mladý Svet
Mladý Svět was a magazine published in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. It contained editorials, comics and other works...
. Many of the stories that followed may be found in the eight books that Mládek wrote. Mládek has a wife named Eva and son named Štěpán.
Guitariano
Mládek is credited with designing the Guitariano, a guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
-shaped synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
. In place of strings, keys are arranged on the fretboard of the instrument, their pitch corresponding to the pitch of a string depressed at the same fret, and there are controls for automatic accompaniment
Accompaniment
In music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with an instrumental or vocal soloist or ensemble, often known as the lead, in a supporting manner...
on the body of the instrument.
Comedian
Ivan Mládek has been a widely known comedian since the 1980s. His shows "The Country Estrada" and "ČundrCountryShow" were on Czech television for many years. Eventually "ČundrCountryShow" was cancelled. "Country Estrada" was on TV NOVA until 2005 when it was abruptly canceled. A new similar comedy show (called Evergreen Show) aired on NOVA but was short-lived. Mládek himself has since claimed that he has no plans for another show, and that no station will finance this type of show anymore Re-runs of Mládek's older show are still regularly aired on ČTCeská televize
Česká televize is the public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting four channels.- Czechoslovak Television :Television in Czechoslovakia started to take its first steps before World War II. However, before visible results could be achieved, all activities were interrupted by...
(Česká televize). His comedy routines include standup, skits, and wordless skits accompanied only by the humorous lyrics of one of his songs.
Actor
Ivan Mládek has had a limited acting career, his roles being mostly minor. He has played in the Czech films "Ještě větší blbec, než jsme doufali" and himself in "Na druhé koleji". His new projects are sitcoms Cyranův Ostrov (2009), Cyranův poloostrov (2010) and currently Noha 22 (will start in January 2011 on TV Barrandov)Composer and notable songs
Ivan Mládek has authored at least 233 songs. He writes the lyrics and music to most of his songs, which are primarily country-style songs with traces of dixielandDixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
and often contain humorous lines and puns. Many of his songs have become cultural icons in the 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....
. Some of them are:
- Zkratky — a song written almost solely with abbreviations.
- Jožin z bažinJožin z bažinJožin z bažin is a song by Czech musician and comedian Ivan Mládek, and is among his best known songs. He even called it the "National Anthem" of his TV show "Countryshow". In January 2008, the song became popular in Poland, winning several radio hitlists...
— possibly Mládek's best known song, which he even called the "National AnthemNational anthemA national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
" of his country show. In January 2008, the song became popular in PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and HungaryHungaryHungary , 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...
, winning several radio hitparades, and later on also in RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In 2011 this song was made popular in Catalonia, Spain thanks to a tv show called APM? (Alguna Pregunta Més?).The song is a surreal tale of a mysterious man-eating monster (Jožin z bažin - Joey from the Swamps) living in the swamps, who could be defeated only with use of a cropduster. - Prachovské skály
- Medvědi nevědí
- Pochod Praha-Prčice
Discography
LPLP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
Records:
- Dobrý den! Panton 1976
- Nashledanou! Panton 1977
- Ej, Mlhošu, Mlhošu! Panton 1979
- I. Mládek uvádí L. Sobotu Panton 1979
- Přeposlední leč Panton 1980
- Guten Tag! Panton 1981
- Úterý (Oral Stories) Panton 1981
- I. Mládek zase uvádí L. Sobotu Panton 1982
- Moje rodina (+ Oral Stories) Panton 1983
- Banjo z pytle ven! Panton 1985
- Potůčku, nebublej! Panton 1986
- Ta country česká Multisonic 1989
- Pepa z Kadaně (sung by Josef DvořákJosef DvorákJosef Dvořák is a Czech actor. He started his career in Kadaň from where Pavel Fiala took him to Kladivadlo in Ústí nad Labem. He was an external actor in theatre Semafor in 1972-1990. In 1990 he established his own theatre company Divadelní společnost Josefa Dvořáka...
) Punc 1990 - Škola zvířátek (Dagmar Patrasová) Tommu 1991
CD:
- Ta country česká Multisonic 1991
- The Best Of Banjo Band I. Panton 1992
- The Best Of banjo Band II. Panton 1993
- Vykopávky Multisonic 1993
- Řeky (with band Zelenáči) EMG 1993
- Pohádky a jiné povídačky (stories) Monitor 1994
- V hospodě u šesti trampů BaM Music 1994
- Písničky Čundrcountry show I BaM Music 1994
- Písničky Čundrcountry show II. BaM Music 1995
- Dobrý den! (+6x bonus) Bonton 1996
- Písničky na chatu Bonton 1998
- Nashledanou! (+6x bonus) Bonton 1999
- Sweet Sue (stories Lenka Plačková) Fonia 2000
- Anekdoty do 1. i 4. cenové skupiny
- Písně o lásce a pravdě BaM Music 2000
- Do hlavy ne! Radio servis 2001
- Děda Mládek Illegal Band BaM Music
- Děda Mládek Illegal Band II. BaM Music
- Proč mě ženy nemaj rády Warner Music 2002
- Milan Pitkin v Coutry estrádě 1 Noveta
- Milan Pitkin v Coutry estrádě 2 Noveta
- V Mexiku v taxiku (Dušan Barczi) Barci Music 2002
- Dáme si eště raz! (Dušan Barczi) Barci Music 2003
- ... a vo tom to je! D. J. World 2002
- 60 nej Sony Music 2003
Regular cast
Ivan Mládek has a regular cast for his shows, some members of the "Banjo Band" and some of them independent entertainers. Some of Mládek's regulars include; Ivo PešákIvo Pešák
Ivo Pešák was a Czech singer, dancer, and comic performer. He is perhaps best known for his work with Ivan Mládek, in the latter's Banjo Band, and particularly for his high-spirited performance in the viral video phenomenon, Jožin z Bažin.Pešák was born at Jaroměř, then in the Protectorate of...
, Lenka Plačková, Milan Pitkin, Jan Mrázek, Vítězslav Marek, Libuše Roubychová (Libuna), Lenka "Kalamity" Šindelářová, Pavel Skalník and others.