I had never heard of the Czech rock group The Plastic People of the Universe until I read a chapter on them in Ritchie Unterberger’s “Unknown Legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll: Psychedelic Unknowns, Mad Geniuses, Punk Pioneers, Lo-Fi Mavericks & More” back in 1998. Then through the miracle of the internet I was able to sample their addictive music which has been compared to a synthesis of early Mothers of Invention, Captain Beefheart and The Velvet Underground with a very distinctive Central European sensibility of its own. So, it was quite frustrating when I learned, after the fact, that a rare documentary on them  (titled after the group bass player and founder) – “Milan Hlavsa a Plastic People of the Universe,” premiered at the Two Boots Theatre in New York in 2001. Although it was produced for Czech television, it is not available, to my knowledge, on any legal format. But after years of waiting to see it, something better has come along. The Plastic People of the Universe will be appearing in person at Atlanta’s Eyedrum on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. http://www.pd.org/~eyedrum/calendar/index.php?eventTypeId=2&id=1853&month=9&year=2007

My fear is that only 8 or 9 people will show up because who in Atlanta has ever heard of this group? And I wouldn’t know about them if I haven’t read Unterberger’s book. But there’s something irresistible and intriguing about going to see a group that you’ve only read about in an obscure book, not to mention hearing their music and loving it without understanding the lyrics or the political climate in which it was made.

The other unpredictable element is the group itself which is no longer a revolutionary political rock group from the sixties but a band of aging musicians in their late fifties/early sixties who lost their core member, Milan Hlavsa, in 2001 to cancer and could have a totally different sound now. More significant though is the fact that the Plastic People of the Universe are an important part of Czechoslovakian history and pop culture. Their music was banned and suppressed in their own country for decades and eventually (according to Unterberger in his book) spurred “the formation of Chapter 77, the human rights organization that was instrumental in formenting dissidence in the former Czechoslovakia. So the Eyedrum event on Wednesday should be quite an event.

In the meantime, I continue my search to find the documentary. Here are some sample reviews from those New Yorkers who were lucky enough to see it.

Carola Dibbell, The Village Voice: “Hooked around a reunion concert that marked Charter 77′s 20th anniversary, the film takes survivors of the band and the era to historical sites such as Havel’s barn (a Plastics haven), a burned-down safe house qua venue, a prison cell, even the old Electric Circus building on St. Marks Place, where Milan Hlavsa, in town for the band’s only New York appearance, honors its great stars, and his great influence—the Velvet Underground. The New York captured here could pass for Eastern Bloc: gray, drab, hopelessly dirty. By contrast, Czech locations—sunny kitchen, cozy café, rural roadside—seem gentle, comforting. The film has little formal pretense….Also interviewed are oft-imprisoned Plastics artistic director Ivan Jirous, the much older beat poet turned lyricist Egon Bondy, and Lou Reed, whose importance to this group ultimately brought him to—no way!—the White House, at Havel’s request. Such twists are so bizarre, and the story so worth documenting, that it’s easy to forget this film’s shortcomings.” 

Dave Kehr, The New York Times: “In short, here is a VH1 “Behind the Music” special that has something a little more special behind it: music that didn’t sell many records but helped change a nation.” 

Joshua Tanzer, Offoffoff.com: “The rock band that really changed history was not the Beatles or Bob Dylan or the Rolling Stones — it was the little-known Plastic People of the Universe, the subject of a new documentary that recounts the Czech group’s journey from primitive psychedelic band to jailed dissidents to national heroes…. You may have to fill yourself in on a little Czech history to fully understand this story, but the film is an excellent chance to learn more about one of rock and roll’s most significant bands and the struggle for freedom in the communist world.”

Rachel Gordon, filmcritic.com: “What looks like a silly title is actually a compelling story of musical passion against governmental odds. While The Plastic People of the Universe is mostly a talking-head video about the Czech rock and roll band formed in 1968, the description of various oppressive measures that the regime took to silence the band’s lyrical rebellion is certainly a journey worth hearing about… As far as watching bands go, it is always engaging to watch musicians play for the love of music, and to respect them for sticking with it unconscious of the possible rewards of popularity or fame. For this [director Jana] Chytlova is able to pay respectful homage through weaving together various pieces of footage.” 

For those of you who are curious or adventureous in your musical explorations, you can sample free music downloads of The Plastic People of the Universe at http://www.kandl.cz/plasticpeople/default.aspx (all from recent concert appearances). 

YouTube also features several videos of the group – all from the last decade – such as this one with a guest female vocalist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW3ZcIStAcg&mode=related&search=

& this one which begins with a music cue from “Never on Sunday” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aLMuCxR0kU&mode=related&search= 

Here is also a YouTube music clip from the late Milan Hlavsa http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QI1gi6L_9M 

The music that hooked me however is the early stuff and “Jo To Se Ti To Spi” from Egon Bondy’s Happy Hearts Club Banned    was the cut that drew me in. That album, even in its primitive recording state, is still considered the favorite album among fans.  You can find their earlier albums on Amazon and various international music sites.