Mejla Hlavsa: Nové album & odkaz Plastic People of the Universe

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The recording, released in 1997, is a collaboration between The Plastic People of the Universe co-founder and musician Jan Vozáry. At the time, both were members of the band Fiction. Vozáry arranged and programmed the remakes of Plastic People songs, while Hlavsa added vocals and guitar in the studio.

“I’m very happy that I was able to get Mejla involved in this project back then,” Vozáry said. “We were able to bring the music of the legendary band The Plastic People of the Universe closer to younger listeners. I believe the album will locate an audience even today.”

The album launch will take place next Saturday, March 14, at Prague’s MeetFactory during a festival commemorating 50 years since the trial of the Czech underground music scene. The Magická noc project will be presented in a concert format by Vozáry and vocalist Luboš Vodák.

The festival will commemorate the events of March 1976, when 22 participants of the so-called II. Festival of the Second Culture in Bojanovice were detained. The State Security’s action against the underground movement in former Czechoslovakia culminated in September 1976 with the sentencing of four key figures: Vratislav Brabence, Ivan Martin Jirous, Svatopluk Karásek, and Pavel Zajicek.

In the mid-90s, Mejla Hlavsa told the underground magazine Mašurkovské podzemné that he didn’t know what to compare the Magická noc recording to. “But in any case, it’s a huge force, a dense, rich sound. Drums, bass, vocals, and hard sounds on top of it. I really like it. I think it’s so powerful that even die-hard fans won’t be able to get into it. There’s a heavy drum beat, bass, and sometimes I add a quacker, otherwise it’s just rhythm. A heavy digital underground sound,” he described it.

Milan Hlavsa, known as Mejla, was a musician, composer, singer, and co-founder of The Plastic People of the Universe. Despite increased attention from the State Security and several years of being banned from public performances, he significantly influenced the local alternative scene as both a composer and performer.

His perform was closely linked to the poetry of Egon Bondy and the ideological background of dissent, from which Charter 77 emerged. He consistently pushed boundaries and experimented, even with electronic music.

Born in March 1951 in Prague’s Břevnov district to a bank official’s family, Hlavsa formed his first band at age fourteen. He left home, school, and a job at a slaughterhouse due to his long hair. He initially tried to play guitar, but was relegated to bass when founding his first group because he was reportedly the worst guitarist. In the 60s, he performed with bands like Blue Monsters, The Vagabunds, and The Undertakers.

The story of The Plastic People of the Universe began in Břevnov. The band was originally going to be named Hlavsa’s Fiery Factory, but the name changed to Latest Electric Potatoes after the bandleader was late to the first rehearsal, eventually settling on its final name, inspired by a quote from Andy Warhol: “I love everything plastic, I want to be plastic.”

The Plastic People of the Universe made their musical debut at the Na Ořechovce pub in February 1969 and quickly gained attention at the Beat Salon amateur rock band showcase in April. Their music drew inspiration from bands like Velvet Underground, The Fugs, The Rolling Stones, and The Doors, and they later began composing their own repertoire.

Hlavsa was the primary composer, and in 1973, he co-founded the experimental group DG 307 with poet and prose writer Pavel Zajíček. Over time, Hlavsa focused solely on the Plastics, who began to face increasing confrontation with the strengthening normalization regime in the 70s. This culminated in 1976 with the trial of the Czech underground, where several musicians received unconditional prison sentences.

Hlavsa avoided conviction, but the trial led to increased scrutiny from the StB, police harassment, and a performance ban. The musician was also fired from his job as a surveyor and earned a living by sealing plastic bags. During this time, he became closely involved with leading figures in the dissent movement around Václav Havel.

At the end of the 80s, the Plastics practically disbanded, and Hlavsa played in bands like Garáž and Echt! He also founded Půlnoc, which included the core of the original Plastic People, and after its dissolution, Fiction.

Following November 1989, when Pavel Zajíček returned from exile, Hlavsa rejoined the reformed DG 307 and, from 1997, the Plastics as well. At a meeting between Presidents Václav Havel and Bill Clinton at the White House, he performed alongside Lou Reed of Velvet Underground.