ArtistInfo

The Plastic People Of The Universe

Band,
Rock

Czech alternative rock group. Formed in 1968 in Prague by Milan Hlavsa. Disbanded in 1988, reformed in the 1990s, regularly performing since 1997 until present. Band members 2016: Jiří Kabeš (leader, vocals, viola, theremin), Joe Karafiát (guitar), Vojtěch Starý (keyboards, vocals), Tomáš Skřivánek (2) (bass guitar), Jan Ježek (3) (drums). 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. Bass player Milan Hlavsa formed the band in 1968, which was heavily influenced by Frank Zappa (“Plastic People” is a song by the Mothers of Invention) and the Velvet Underground. Czech art historian and cultural critic Ivan Martin Jirous (aka “Magor”, which means: “loony” or “blockhead”) became their manager/artistic director in the following year, fulfilling a similar role the one Andy Warhol had with the The Velvet Underground. Because 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 PPU lead singer 1970–1972. In 1974, thousands of students traveled from Prague to the town of České Budějovice to visit a PPU performance. Stopped by police, they were sent back to Prague in cattle cars, 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. In 1976 the PPU were arrested and put on trial 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. 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 (“Midnight”). At former Czech president Václav Havel’s suggestion, they reunited in 1997 in honor of the 20th anniversary of Charter 77, and have performed regularly since then. Founder and leader Milan Hlavsa died in January 2001.

Members

	Ivan Bierhanzl cb *1958 CZ
	Vratislav Brabenec voc, sax *1943
	Jan Brabec dr CZ
	Milan Hlavsa voc, eb 1951-2001 CZ
	Ladislav Leština vn, bvoc CZ
	Jiří Kabeš vl, voc CZ
	Josef Janíček voc, key *1947 CZ
	Josef Rössler cl, bvoc CZ
	Jarda Kvasnička dr, perc CZ
	Jan Schneider perc, voc DE
	Antonín Korb dr CZ
	Zdeněk Fišer g CZ
	Jiří Števich bvoc, g CZ
	Ivan Martin Jirous voc 1944-2011 CZ
	Pavel Zeman dr *1948 CZ
	Václav Stádník fl, bcl CZ
	Petr Placák cl, bcl CZ
	Milan Schelinger g *1952 CZ
	Vladimír Dědek tb CZ
	Tomáš Schilla vc CZ
	Jan Macháček g, eg CZ
	Joe Karafiát g *1957 CZ
	Eva Turnová voc, eb, b *1966 CZ
	Ludvík Kandl dr, voc
	Paul Wilson voc, tam, h CA
	Otakar Michl g *1949 CZ
	David Macháček g, voc, tb, bj CZ
	Jan Ježek perc, dr
	Tomáš Skřivánek eb