Milan Hlavsa
Encyclopedia
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
.
's communist regime
, access to Western music was limited, to say the least. While stores were not able to retail albums by Western bands, native Czechs maintained a link to the Western music world by obtaining these albums from friends and family that lived abroad. It is from listening to these banned albums that a young Milan developed an affinity for American rock and roll. In the 1960s, long-haired Hlavsa became a sympathizer of the movement called máničky
.
, the Underground would prove to be a large influence upon the music of the PPU. In 1968, Hlavsa abandoned the Primitives Group and joined with Michal Jernek, Jiří Števich and Josef Brabec to form the Plastic People. http://www.richieunterberger.com/hlavsa.html
Paul Wilson) was deported. Hlavsa, the founding member, was the only one who escaped without a sentence.
It was the arrest and trial of the PPU that would convince Václav Havel
, along with others, to take action against the communist government. Their efforts would culminate in the organization Charter 77
, which aimed to persuade the government to follow the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Helsinki Accords
, both of which the government had signed. This organization would be one of the most prominent dissident societies to arise in Czechoslovakia in opposition to the communist government.
Following their release from prison, the PPU would continue to perform discretely until the government permitted them to play publicly in 1988.
In 1997, after 9 years of separation, at Havel's suggestion, Hlavsa reunited with the other Plastic People and performed a series of concerts to mark the 20 anniversary of Charter 77, the Czech Human rights document,they began to perform again. In 1999, along with Lou Reed
, the Plastic People of the Universe performed at the White House
.
and died. The Plastic People of the Universe continue to play with Eva Turnová who sang and played bass with PPU sister band DG 307 and in Silenstvi, a short-lived band Hlavsa put together to record his first solo album, also called Silenstvi, playing bass. Silenstvi, which means madness in Czech, was released by Globus Music in 1999.
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...
band Plastic People of the Universe, which was part of the inspiration for the anti-establishment movement 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...
.
Early life and musical exposure
Milan Hlavsa was born on March 6, 1951 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. While his father was employed as a bank clerk, Milan himself labored as a butcher's apprentice before he founded the Plastic People of the Universe (PPU) in 1968. Due to oppression by CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
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...
's communist regime
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, access to Western music was limited, to say the least. While stores were not able to retail albums by Western bands, native Czechs maintained a link to the Western music world by obtaining these albums from friends and family that lived abroad. It is from listening to these banned albums that a young Milan developed an affinity for American rock and roll. In the 1960s, long-haired Hlavsa became a sympathizer of the movement called máničky
Mánička
Mánička is a Czech term used for young people with long hair, usually males, in Czechoslovakia through the 1960s and 1970s...
.
The formation of the Plastic People
In 1967, a friend of Hlavsa's introduced him to the music of the Velvet Underground. At the time, Milan was in a band known as the Primitives Group. Along with the music of Frank ZappaFrank 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...
, the Underground would prove to be a large influence upon the music of the PPU. In 1968, Hlavsa abandoned the Primitives Group and joined with Michal Jernek, Jiří Števich and Josef Brabec to form the Plastic People. http://www.richieunterberger.com/hlavsa.html
Social impact
In 1970, two short years after the Plastic People of the Universe were formed, the government stripped them of their professional license. Without this, they were unable to play legally. To circumvent the system, the members of the PPU took jobs working in the forest, and played unofficially with minor police intervention until 1976. That year, the PPU were members of a festival that promoted "druhá kultura", or second culture. The communist regime, finding this opposed to their ideals, arrested and tried the members of the PPU. Three members were jailed, and a former member (CanadianCanada
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...
Paul Wilson) was deported. Hlavsa, the founding member, was the only one who escaped without a sentence.
It was the arrest and trial of the PPU that would convince 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...
, along with others, to take action against the communist government. Their efforts would culminate in the organization 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...
, which aimed to persuade the government to follow the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Helsinki Accords
Helsinki Accords
thumb|300px|[[Erich Honecker]] and [[Helmut Schmidt]] in Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe held in Helsinki 1975....
, both of which the government had signed. This organization would be one of the most prominent dissident societies to arise in Czechoslovakia in opposition to the communist government.
Following their release from prison, the PPU would continue to perform discretely until the government permitted them to play publicly in 1988.
Hiatus, Půlnoc, and reuniting the Plastic People
In 1988, the Czechoslovakian government allowed the PPU to perform publicly, after 18 years of being banned, but soon a disagreement arose between band members. The band split up. Hlavsa formed a new group called Půlnoc (which is the Czech word for "Midnight"). The band included PPU keyboardist Josef Janicek and violist Jiri Kabes. Půlnoc released City of Hysteria in the United States on Arista Records in 1991.In 1997, after 9 years of separation, at Havel's suggestion, Hlavsa reunited with the other Plastic People and performed a series of concerts to mark the 20 anniversary of Charter 77, the Czech Human rights document,they began to perform again. In 1999, along with Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
, the Plastic People of the Universe performed at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
Death
On January 5, 2001, Hlavsa succumbed to lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
and died. The Plastic People of the Universe continue to play with Eva Turnová who sang and played bass with PPU sister band DG 307 and in Silenstvi, a short-lived band Hlavsa put together to record his first solo album, also called Silenstvi, playing bass. Silenstvi, which means madness in Czech, was released by Globus Music in 1999.