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Music and Politics

Music and Politics. Big Beat. Radio Luxemburg American Forces Network Music as a diversion weapon Jiří Bohuslav arrested for organizing a rock & roll event in 1957. Big beat – nick name for rock & roll Hells Devils – http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/specialy/bigbit/kapely/4386-hells-devils/.

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Music and Politics

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  1. Music and Politics

  2. Big Beat • Radio Luxemburg • American Forces Network • Music as a diversion weapon • Jiří Bohuslav arrested for organizing a rock&roll event in 1957 • Big beat – nick name for rock&roll • Hells Devils –http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/specialy/bigbit/kapely/4386-hells-devils/

  3. 1st CS Beat Fest • 1967 –Hippies • „popular artistic creativity“ • 12000 pax • Olympic – Beatles Cover Band • Synkopy 61 – Beach Boys Style • Blue Effect

  4. The Begginigs of Czech Undeground • The Primitives Group, 1966-69 • Psychedelic performances • Hendrix, Doors, Fugs, Mothers of Invention • Magor – art student • 1968 Fish Fest • 1969 Bird Fest

  5. The Plastic People of the Universe • https://youtu.be/SVEqxSlaQ64 • Psychedelic • Velvet Undeground, Mothers of Invention • Magor • Remarkably original music – electronic experiments + free jazz • Connecting intellectual world and spontaneous rock outcasts • Did not care about politics

  6. Krejcarová and Bondy • Honza Krejcarová • Milena Jesenská (Ravensbrück) and Jaroslav Krejcar (Devětsil) • Femme fatale, bohemian lifestyle • Hrabal: „swan with a broken wing“ • Without quest for meaning there is no ethics • Egon Bondy • Spiritual father of the Czech underground • 1949, surrealist Jewish Names with Honza Krejcarová • 1970´s friends with Magor, PPU sing his poems and texts • Against real socialism, against consumer society • https://youtu.be/e9kayRKJw1Y

  7. Bondy • „To follow one’s bliss is depressing: we can strive for pleasure in small things as biological needs, which though, does not provide satisfaction of the meaning of existence. Nothing we do for ourselves solves the basic need for meaning, because egoism is pointless.“

  8. Ivan Martin Jirous 1945‒2011 http://www.radio.cz/en/section/books/mike-baugh-and-magor-translating-the-untranslatable • Poet laureate, Swan songs • Studied art history, influenced by Fluxus, happening, Andy Warhol • Mastermind of “Third Czech Musical Revival”, manager of the PPU • Magor (Loony)

  9. PPU • Mejla Hlavsa, • bass guitar

  10. Allen Ginzberg King of May 1965 • https://youtu.be/y73rEuQVr6s

  11. 1968 • Soviet Invasion, August 21 • Jan Palach, 1969 – burrial anticommunist demonstration • http://www.janpalach.cz/cs/default/archiv/video

  12. Karel Kryl • Protest Song, 1968-1969 • Brother, Close the Door https://alternativecultures.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/karel-kryl-1968/

  13. Post 68 • Gustáv Husák : general secretary in 1969 • Requalifications exams: music theory, political test • Concerts had to be officialy allowed: list of songs before performance  state control • No English names or lyrics • Long hair not allowed on the TV screen – police haircuts of Czech hippies strategies: • Mainstream – Korn, Petr Novak, Spaleny • Instrumental: Blue Effekt, Jazz Q, Collegium Musicum • Emmigration: Ivan Kral • Resignation – Marta Kubišová • Underground – PPU – lost requalification certificate and technology, hand made amplifier, DG 307, etc.

  14. underground • Manifesto by Magor-Loony „The Third Czech Music Revival“ • DG 307 Pavel Z + Mejla Hlavsa • code for a mental disease („blue card“) • Umela hmota (Plastic) • The Plastic People of the Universe (Egon Bondy’s Lonely Hearts Club Banned) • 1971 Homage to Andy Warhol (Velvet Underground) • Illegal screening of his movies Mud, Sleep and Meal • PPU gradually forbidden to perform in public, harassed by the police

  15. PPU • Black concerts (marriages) • 1974 1st Festival of the 2nd Culture • Offensive against communists • Commission for protection of public order • Police attack, Gestapo practices, traumatizing • 1976, Bojanovice, PPU jailed • Media hunt „monkeys“, „poison for the society“

  16. Underground and Dissent • supported by Václav Havel  Charter 77 • Havel Oragnised two concerts of PPU at Hrádeček • 2 studio recordings • Rock  democratic opposition • Brown Book of Underground • samizdat • Attacking the idea of „normality“ • Isolated • Jan Patočka, Olga Havlová, Sváťa Karásek

  17. Chramostová and Milota Vlasta Chramostová - actress Stanislav Milota - cameraman The Cremator, 1968 Home theater : Seifert, All the Beauty of the World, 1976, banned in the 1980´s „On Burrying in the Czech Country“, 1979 Actualised after the burrial of Patočka who died after StB interrogations London, Austria Burrials of Seifert and Patočka – StB 1st director of the office of Václav Havel after 1989 – demonstratively quit • „Action Norbert“ – in the case of the danger for the republic they were supposed to be physically liquidated within 24 hours • Jailed for collecting signatures for a petition to release Havel from a prison

  18. Conformism • Karel Gott • „If you help us, we will help you“ • 1970 https://youtu.be/3R7EqITxLc8 • https://youtu.be/f3QpzNc-Q6Q • 1986 https://youtu.be/QMwexxJsP9I

  19. Alternative • Extempore • Attempts to squeeze them, esp. 1980´s • Played with Rock in Opposition (Cutler, Henry Cow) • Black market for recordings • Official and only music publishing company released Beatles 24 years later • Closer to everyday society

  20. Jazz Section • Valdštejnská 14, Prague 1 • negotiated by Karel Srpwith authorities in 1971 with a limit 3000 members – reached 8000 in 1986 • Publishing • edition Jazz Petit • bulletins on contemporary culture and philosophy (Štyrský, Seifert, Hrabal) • Visual Art journal Situation • rock encyclopedia • 1984 Nobel Prize acceptance speech by Jaroslav Seifert. • festivals“Jazz” Days • Lectures on philosophy and on action art • Banned in 1984 – continued inspite • 1985 home searches, interroagtions • Members jailed 1986-1987 (Karel Srp) for illegal business – selling books • Trial = first huge open resistance to the communist regime, participation of the „Chartists“

  21. StB Actions • Jiří Gans • Jewish, parents perished in concentration camps • Almost blind • Accused for spying in České Budějovice • Listened to jazzrock music – friends with the American diplomat since 1965 • Surrounded by young people that wanted to listen to the music • Sentenced to death in 1976 for moral distorsion of youth, tortured

  22. Pavel Wonka • Member of the Jazz Section • Died 1988, aged 35 • Political prisoner • Deputee candidate • Called for reconstruction • Magor iniciated a petition for release of political prisoners • Tortured • His own family had hard times to recognize his body • Burrial – speech of Vlasta Chramostová and priest Václav Malý (catholic priest without a state consent) • So far no one has been punished for his death

  23. Punk • Originaly L wing • Plexis – oldest punk group • Petr Hošek „Sid“ jumped out of a window in the 1980´s after police interrogations • Sex Pistols inspiration

  24. Foreign Bands in CZ • Depeche Mode • Rock in Opposition • Nico

  25. Electronic Experiments Electronic Dance Music • San Francisco • Detroit, Chicago • Gradually commercialized • raves

  26. Rave • 1994 – UK: criminal justice act against repetitive music • Free Techno Movement in CZ • 2000 Czech Tech • 15000 pax • No advertisement • 5 days • 2005 • 30000 pax • Police intervention – tanks • 2006 • State offered an army space for the party • B day party • No organizers • Last one

  27. Rave • 2013 – Free Techno Community • Demonstrations in front of a Russian Embassy to Free Pussy Riot – techno party • DIY Carneval • http://video.idnes.cz/?idvideo=V130928_180500_domaci_cet

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