Passion Play: Underground Rock Music in Czechoslovakia, 1968- 1989 Anna (Naninka) Vanicek A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts Graduate Programme in Ethnomusicology York University North York, Ontario September 1997 National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1+1 .canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, nie Wellington WwaON K1AON4 Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Canada Canada Your db votre nifdm Our dlt, None lBlBlma9 The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé me licence non exclusive licence allowhg the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfonn7 vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de rnicrofichelfih, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fkom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be p~tedor othenivise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Passion Play: Underground Rock Music in Czechoslovakia 1968- 1989 by Anna Naninka Vanicek a thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASERS OF ARTS 1997 Permission has been granted to the LIBRARY OF YORK UNI- VERSITY to lend or seil copies of this thesis. to the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA to microfilm this thesis and to lend or seIl copies of the film. and to UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS to publish an abstract of this thesis. The author reserves other publication rights. and neither the thesis nor extensive extracts frorn it may be printed or other- wise reproduced without the author's written permission. This thesis examines the musical underground as a social history of a male rock cui~reand provides an anaiysis of multiple levels of pt-68 Czechoslovak politics as they apply to the underground. The most important goal of this research was to provide a better understanding of the dynamic and the dimensions of the Czechoslovak musical underground, through interviews wi th sevenl individuais affiliated wi th the underground. Underground musicians were not defined in a singular rnanner in that country, and hence the views of vanous underground musicians, people affiliated with the underground, and Czech and Western thinkers are presented, to give readers an idea of the multiple dimensions of the term. A discussion of the requalification exams as a social mechanism for suppressing independent music-making provides a starting point for delineating who was or was not an underground musician. It is argued that the underground can be consti tuted as a manifestation of civil society, and as such, helped speed up the collapse of the Czechoslovak authori tarian communist regime. The domestic and international distribution of samizdat on music and magnizdat is discussed as an integral part of underground musical activity, and details about these distribution networks and the people mosi involved in them are provided. Lastl y, to emphasize the lifestyle differences of official and unofficial musicians, and to put into perspective the difficulties of making rock music independently in the former Czechoslovakia, the relationship between underground musicians and the StB (Czech Secret Police) is discussed. Acknowledgements 1 would like to extend my deep gratitude to al1 my consultants, who not on1y made this thesis possible, but added a very special dimension to my life during my period of research: ZdenEk BartoGek, MikolaS Chadima, Chris Cutler, Pave1 Fajt, Radim Hladik, Mejla Hlavsa, Martin Machovec, Milo3 Muller, Pavla SlaM, Helena Wilson, and Paul Wilson. Without their narratives, this thesis would have been a far less interesting document. I accept full responsibility for any misinterpretations of their thoughts or inaccumcies of üanslation that may be present in this thesis. For their helpful comments, unwavering support and encouragement. friendship, and fu~ystories about the graduate student experience, I would like to thank Anna Hoefnagels, Stewart Mclsaac, Andrea Onoff and PmWhi tty. For obtaining clarity and direction in my work, 1 relied greatly on my discussions with Rob Bowman, Beverley Diarnond, Barbara Fdk, and my e-mail cornpondence with Michael Kilbum. 1 would like to voice my appreciaûon to Gordon Skilling for his encouragement, for the many meetings of the Czech Seminar (both in Toronto-and Rague) and for providing wonderful oppominities to meet with graduate students of Slavic snidies from various countries. Lastly I would like to thank my parents. Even though they did not understand my fascination with the Czechoslovak musid underground, their never failed to support me in my endeavors. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction .................................... 1 Methodology .................................... 4 Interviews ................................. 8 Field Work Issues ........................... 16 The Double-Edged Sword ...................... 21 Approach and Order of Study .................... 23 Chapter 2: Introduction & E-iistory ............................. 28 Role of Music Agencies ............................. 38 Roleof theGuarantor .............................. 41 Agencies' Categories for Musicians ..................... 43 Exam Procedure .................................. 46 The Audition ............................... 47 The Oral Test in Politics ........................ 48 The Theory Test ............................ 49 Evolution of the Exam .............................. 50 The Exmination Commission ......................... 53 The Infiuence of the Exam on Musical Development .......... 54 Compromises: Politics of the Rock Musician ............... 61 Conclusions .................................... 65 Chapter 3: Introduction ..................................... 69 Case Study A .. The Underground and the PPU ............ 72 Jacques Rupnik ............................. 72 VBclav Havel ............................... 73 Vaclav Benda .............................. 73 Petr Uhl .................................. 76 MichaeI Bnke............................... 76 Ivan HarteI ................................ 76 Ivan Jirous ................................ 79 Mejla Hlavsa .............................. 85 Petr Cibulka ................................ 86 Pavla Slab6 ................................. 88 Mikola Chadima ............................ 89 Martin Machovec ............................ 89 Egon Bondy ............................... 91 Case Study B - The Grey Zone and the Jazz Section .......... 100 Civil Society .................................... 105 Chapter 4: Introduction ..................................... 110 Distribution of Unofficial Music Inside Czechoslovakia ........ 113 Acquiring Unofficial and Foreign Music ............. 113 Organized Magnizdat Distri bution Networks .......... 116 Controversy over Distri bution Practices .................. 131 Distribution of Unofficiai Music Outside Czechoslovakia ....... 140 Samizdat Music MagazinesMusic on Video ................ 146 Conclusion ..................................... Chapter 5: The Underground and StB Collaboration ................. Interrogation Sessions ........................ Conclusions ............................... Chapter 6: Other Issues and Final Remarks ....................... Gender .................................. Musicd Styles ............................. Music-Making Pre- and Post-Revolution ........... Final Remarks ............................. Bibliography ............................................. InterviewslConversations with the Author ..................... Appendices .............................................. No.1: Listing of Samizdat Music Magazines ............... No.2: Diagnm of Classes of Rock Musicians .............. No3: Petr Cibulka's Mannizdat Advertisements ............. vii CHAPTER 1 Introduction & Background My research in Czech underground rock music began in Toronto with a paper for a a research and methodology course in the music programme at York University . At that time, I examined Vaclav Havel's influence on the underground rock scene in Czechoslovakia during the time period from 1%8 to 1989. Repression against rock n' roll cm be traced back to 1957 in Czechoslovakia, although the 1960s brought a gradua1 loosening of the cultural and political rigidity of the regime and the development of the mass media in Czechoslovakia began to make the iron curtain more transparent.1 1968 marked the dramatic conclusion of the Prague Spring with the August invasion of Warsaw Pact troops.2 The subsequent pendof norindization resulted in a clampdown on many of the newly found freedoms gained in the preceding years by the Reform Communists headed by Alexander DuWek. After the invasion, the newly installeci govemment, under the direction of Gustav Husak, began the process of "nomalization" in the country, which translated to repression in al1 areas of culture. This repression continued, to a greater or lesser extent, until the Velvet Revolution in 1989. Sorne musicians went underground, some stayed on the border be~eenofficial and