Milan Hlavsa facts for kids

Metal box at the entrance to the house in Ječná street in Prague, where Hlavsa lived for most of his life and where all the important people of the "underground" culture had been meeting. If you insert a 10 crown coin into the slot, the biggest hit song of Milan Hlavsa, , will start playing.

Milan "Mejla" Hlavsa (born in Prague, 6 March 1951 – died 5 January 2001) was a very important musician from the Czech Republic. He started the famous Czech band the Plastic People of the Universe. He wrote many of their songs and played bass guitar. This band helped inspire a big movement for human rights called Charter 77.

Milan Hlavsa's Life Story

Early Life and Music

Milan Hlavsa was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on March 6, 1951. His dad worked in a bank. Before starting his band, Milan worked as a butcher's helper. During this time, the government in Czechoslovakia was communist. This meant it was hard to get Western music. But Milan and his friends found ways to get albums from people living abroad. This is how he fell in love with American rock and roll. He was also part of a group called máničky, which were young people who loved rock music and had long hair, which was seen as rebellious by the government.

Starting The Plastic People of the Universe

In 1967, a friend showed Milan the music of The Velvet Underground. This band, along with Frank Zappa, greatly influenced Milan. At that time, Milan was in a band called The Primitives. In 1968, he left The Primitives. He then teamed up with Michal Jernek, Jiří Števich, and Josef Brabec to create the band The Plastic People of the Universe.

The Band's Impact on Society

In 1970, the government took away the band's official license. This meant they could not play music legally. To get around this, the band members took jobs working in the forest. They still played music secretly, even though the police sometimes bothered them.

That year, the band was part of a festival that promoted "druhá kultura," which means "second culture." This was a way for artists to express themselves outside of what the government allowed. The communist government did not like this festival. They arrested the members of The Plastic People of the Universe. Three members were sent to jail, and a former member, Paul Wilson from Canada, was sent out of the country. Milan Hlavsa was the only founding member who was not jailed.

The arrest and trial of the band made people like Václav Havel decide to act against the communist government. Their efforts led to the creation of Charter 77. This group wanted the government to follow human rights agreements it had signed. Charter 77 became one of the most important groups speaking out against the communist government in Czechoslovakia. After being released from prison, The Plastic People of the Universe kept playing quietly. The government finally allowed them to play publicly again in 1988.

New Bands and Reunions

In 1988, the Czech government finally stopped trying to control The Plastic People of the Universe. They were allowed to play concerts openly. But soon after, the band broke up. Milan Hlavsa then started a new band called Půlnoc, which means "midnight." Other members of Půlnoc included Josef Janíček and Jiří Kabeš from the original band. Půlnoc released an album called City of Hysteria in the United States in 1991.

In 1997, Václav Havel suggested that Milan Hlavsa get The Plastic People of the Universe back together. They played several concerts to celebrate 20 years of Charter 77. In 1999, the band even performed at the White House with the famous musician Lou Reed.

Milan's Death

Milan Hlavsa passed away on January 2, 2001, from lung cancer. He was 49 years old.

Milan Hlavsa's Music

Milan Hlavsa made music with several different bands. Here are some of the main groups he was a part of:

The Plastic People of the Universe

Milan was the founder and main songwriter for this band. They released many important albums, including Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned and Pašijové hry velikonoční/ Passion Play.

DG 307

Milan also played with DG 307, another important band from the Czech underground music scene.

Garáž

He was also involved with the band Garáž, releasing several albums with them.

Půlnoc

After The Plastic People of the Universe split up for a while, Milan formed Půlnoc. They released albums like City of Hysteria.

Fiction

Milan also created music under the name Fiction, releasing albums such as Fiction and Noc a den.

Solo Work

Milan released some music on his own, including Magická noc and Šílenství.

Memorable Concerts

Lou Reed and Půlnoc in Prague (1990)

On April 19, 1990, the famous American musician Lou Reed visited Prague. He was there to meet with Czech president Václav Havel. Later that night, Lou Reed went to a club where Milan Hlavsa's new band, Půlnoc, was playing. Lou Reed joined them on stage and they performed for Václav Havel and about 300 friends.

Lou Reed later said, "I suddenly realized the music sounded familiar. They were playing Velvet Underground songs – beautiful, heartfelt, impeccable versions of my songs. To say I was moved would be an understatement."

Ivo Pospisil, another Czech musician who was there, said that for them, Lou Reed was like a "god" of underground music. He said it was a big moment to see their hero playing with them.