The first time I saw Will Butler was at an Arcade Fire gig at Win and Brendan's apartment. They had stuck branches all around the ceiling, with apples hanging from twine. Win had the picture of an apple taped onto his guitar and Regine was handing out apples in the crowd. Lots of apples. And Win's brother was there, the famous brother, the kid from Chicago who had a spark in his eye and was playing his heart out on clarinet. Then he was yelling his heart out through a pylon, using it like a megaphone. There was something daring in him, this was certain. And although we hadn't yet exchanged even a word, I felt like I knew the guy. Like I knew the song "William Pierce Butler". Later I said hi, I said good show. Something like that. And he shook my hand.
Eighteen months ago, I asked Said the Gramophone readers for suggestions of Scandinavian and Eastern European music. Will said I should look out for Psi Vojaci and Iva Bittova. I did. I also followed his later suggestions: I ate sweet dumplings from the children's menu at Prague's Imperial Cafe. I visited the ossuary in Kutna Hora. And then months later, I think on the streets of Amsterdam, I made a suggestion to Will: please, please write something for us.
And now he has.
Will: all my thanks. The rest of you: enjoy! -- Sean
Rock and roll has been bizarrely important in Czech history. Heres a little bullet pointed list to sum things up:
- 1964: Beatlemania hits the world. Even the Communist world. Kids start playing in rock and roll bands. Its exactly like the rest of the world. As the 60s progress, its also exactly like the rest of the world. Kids start wearing bell bottoms and mouthing off to their parents. They smoke pot and listen to the Doors.
- 1968: The Prague Spring. President Dubcek tries to lighten things up in the Ole Czechoslovakia: some reforms here and there, and the Soviets send in tanks to make the regime more oppressive again. The hippies and the kids into psychedelic music get really bummed. From this point on, crazy hippie music and the like becomes illegal. Well, sort of. Heres a brief explanation of Communist legality:
Some things are legal. Some things are illegal. And everything else is merely not legal a.k.a. We didnt say you couldnt do it, but we didnt say you could do it. So you know, go ahead and do it if you want. Because its not illegal. Heaven forbid. Wed be a bunch of crazy bastards to make something like weird rock and roll music illegal. But we will arrest you for playing it. Maybe. I mean, maybe we wont. Because it isnt technically illegal, mind you. But well look at you funny. I mean, sure its fine if you own like three or four Velvet Underground records. Be our guest. But your neighbors will rat on you. And then... well, we probably wont arrest you. But if you do anything else... we might arrest you. And then again, we might not. Because its not technically illegal... mind you...
Just after the tanks roll in, this group called The Plastic People of the Universe form. They start as a Velvet Underground cover band. They also play Frank Zappa songs and put on weird psychedelic art shows.
- 1976: The Plastic People of the Universe are arrested for "Organized Disturbance of the Peace". This is how it happened: as their brand of music was not legal', they couldnt get licenses to perform (you need a license for everything in damn Communist Czechoslovakia). So they would pull tricks like, Oh, this is our friends wedding, and were just a bunch of friends playing music - were not putting on a show'. Or This is just a simple firemans ball not open to the public. Its not a rock and roll show. Just a private party. Everything seems to be in order, right? And this weird little method worked pretty well, until 1976.
- 1977: Friend of the Plastic People, future first President of Czechoslovakia (and later the Czech Republic), and then absurdist playwright Vaclav Havel raises a ruckus about the arrest. He organizes various intellectuals and artists around Charter 77 - basically a document calling for human rights.
- And now everything else: The Charter 77 group goes on to form the core of the intellectual resistance to the Communist government, which is ultimately toppled by student demonstrations snowballing into everyone demonstrations in 1989. They call the revolution "The Velvet Revolution" because its non-violent and everything goes so smoothly. And also because the leaders of the opposition were really into the Velvet Underground. Im not kidding. Absurdist playwright Vaclav Havel becomes president and in his first month invites Frank Zappa to the presidential castle as a guest of state (US Ambassador to Czechoslovakia Shirley Temple Black (yes, that Shirley Temple) meets him at the airport and asks him how his daughter Moon Unit is doing). Later on in the year he has Lou Reed come as an official state visitor and play songs with the Plastic People of the Universe, who are totally stoked about it.
So heres some Czech rock and roll. Perhaps youd like to hear the Plastic People of the Universe. Well, I dont know them that well, and what I do know, I dont like that much. I mean its fine and interesting and all, but just isnt my cup of tea. So you can find that on your own, if youd like.
Heres the underground Czech rock and roll I like best: Psi Vojaci (Psee Voh-yahtzee).
Psi Vojaci (Dog Soldiers, in translation) formed in 1979, and opened for the Plastic People of the Universe (out of prison by that point) at various illegal shows. They werent allowed a license to perform until 1986 - at which point really angry punk rock and roll was getting popular. The government figured itd better cut its losses and allow weird music that wasnt expressly anti-governmentanything to distract the kids.
That reminds me The Plastic People and Psi Vojaci and most of these bands didnt really give a crap about politics. I mean, they werent singing diatribes against communism or against the government or anything. They just played dark, weird music. And thats all they wanted to do. But the government only really approved of bland pop music or upbeat adult contemporary music. Not that the other music was illegal, mind you.
But heres the music:
Psi Vojaci - "Psi Vojaci"
This is from Psi Vojacis first illegal album from 1980- Psi a vojaci. It was distributed by cassette tape - people making copies for their friends, etc. The lead singer and piano player Filip Topol is 14 in this recording. He sounds like he means what hes saying, whatever it is that hes saying.
Psi Vojaci - "Ziletky"
This is from their album Narod Psych Vojaku (Nation of Dog Soldiers). This recording is from the 1990s - Psi Vojaci went into a proper studio and recorded songs they hadnt been able to record under the Communist regime and also re-recorded songs that they hadnt really done justice to before (if you listed to the first song "Psi Vojaci," you can understand that theyd like to up the sound quality). "Ziletky" is pronounced "Zhiletky" and means "razors". "Zhiletky" comes from the word, wait for it - Gillette. The best a man can get. Truly the world's languages are a marvelous thing.
Filip Topol and Agon Orchestra - "Ziletky"
In 2000 the lead singer of Psi Vojaci worked with the Agon Orchestra (a fairly well respected Czech avant-garde orchestra) on orchestral versions of Psi Vojaci songs. This is a beautiful album. You can hear the clarinetist breathing. And you can hear his playing get ragged towards the end. These Czechs mean what they mean when they play music. This song "Ziletky" is the best stuff of Czech rock and roll. Its really catchy, but not in a dancey way. The clarinet part isnt that far off from "Take On Me" - but its melancholy and orchestral and Eastern European. And Filip Topol still sounds like he really means what hes singing. Whatever it is that hes singing.
Ex Orchest - "Kokend Asfalt"
And heres a bonus piece of music: Since were dealing with avant-garde orchestral versions of European rock and roll songs featuring lead singers yelling their vocals and sounding like they mean it, heres the Ex Orchest with "Kokend Asfalt" (A version of The Exs song "State of Shock" performed by The Ex along with a bunch of loud instrument people).
Have a safe and happy new year.
[more info on Psi Vojaci, and store links]
[Will Butler plays guitar, glockenspiel, synthesiser, clarinet, loudhailer, crash helmet, broken cymbal, and many other things with the band Arcade Fire. While studying at Northwestern, Will was program director at WNUR, which Spin in 2003 declared the best college station in the USA. He hosted a rock'n'roll show as well as The Lit Show, because he likes books. Arcade Fire released their debut LP, Funeral, in 2004. They are currently working on their follow-up with the help of a man from Seattle.]
(Previous guest-blogs, in and out of the Said the Guests series: Al Kratina, Eugene Mirman, artist Dave Bailey, Agent Simple, artist Keith Andrew Shore, Owen Ashworth (Casiotone for the Painfully Alone), artist Kit Malo with Alden Penner (The Unicorns) 1 2, artist Rachell Sumpter, artist Katy Horan 1 2, David Barclay (The Diskettes), artist Drew Heffron, Carl Wilson, artist Tim Moore, Michael Nau (Page France), Devin Davis, Will Sheff (Okkervil River), Edward Droste (Grizzly Bear), Hello Saferide, Damon Krukowski (Damon & Naomi), Brian Michael Roff, Howard Bilerman (producer: Silver Mt. Zion, Arcade Fire, etc.). There are many more to come.)
