The Plastic People of the Universe (PPU) is a Czech rock band from Prague. They are considered the foremost representatives of Prague’s underground culture (1968–1989), which defied the Communist regime. Members of the band often suffered serious repercussions, including arrests and prosecution, because of their non-conformist ideals. The original group is composed of bandleader Josef Janíček, Vratislav Brabenec, Jaroslav Kvasnička, Johnny Judl Jr, and David Babka.
From January to August 1968, under the rule of Communist Party leader Alexander Dubcek, Czechoslovakians experienced the Prague Spring. In August, Soviet and other Warsaw Pact troops invaded the country, leading to the overthrow of Dubček’s government and the period that came to be known as Normalization. Less than a month after the invasion, bassist Milan Hlavsa, who was seventeen years old at the time, formed the Plastic People of the Universe. The group was heavily influenced by Frank Zappa and the Velvet Underground (Zappa’s band, the Mothers of Invention, featured the song “Plastic People” on their 1967 album Absolutely Free and inspired the Czech group’s name).
Because Jirous believed that English was the lingua franca of rock music, he invited Paul Wilson, a Canadian translator and writer who had been working in Prague, to teach the band the lyrics of the American songs they covered and translate their original Czech material into English. Wilson was the band’s lead vocalist from 1970 to 1972. During this time, the group’s repertoire drew heavily on songs by the Velvet Underground and the Fugs. The only two songs sung in Czech in this period were “Na sosnové větvi” and “Růže a mrtví”, both of whose lyrics were written by Czech poet Jifi Kolar. Because the band was not permitted to record their music, fans circulated bootleg copies of concert material, remastered versions of which were released many years later, under the titles Muž bez uší (2002), Vožralej jak slíva (1997), Do lesíčka na čekanou (2006), Trouble every day (2002), and Ach to státu hanobení (2000).
In 1974, thousands of people traveled from Prague to Ceske Budejovice to see the Plastics perform. Stopped by police, they were sent back to Prague, and several students were arrested. The band was forced underground until the Velvet Revolution, in 1989. Unable to perform openly, an entire underground cultural movement formed around them during the 1970s. Sympathizers of the movement were often called manicky, a term referring to men with long hair during that era.
In 1976, the Plastics and other people from the underground scene were arrested and put on trial (after performing at the Druhý festival druhé kultury event) by the Communist government, in order to set an example. They were convicted of “organized disturbance of the peace” and sentenced to prison terms ranging from eight to eighteen months. Paul Wilson was deported, despite having left the band in 1972. Other artists also suffered arrest and persecution following this event included. After being released from prison, the Plastics continued to make music. In response to their persecution, they recorded a number of compositions, which were compiled on the album Kolejnice dúni, released in 2000. The trial of the Plastics became a milestone for opposition against the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia.
After the Velvet Revolution, in 1989, the only concert PPU held was in 1992, with the old lineup of Hlavsa, Janíček, Števich, Jernek, and Zeman. This was recorded, and released as Bez ohňů je underground in 1993. In 1997, Hlavsa, in collaboration with Jan Vozáry, released the live album Magické noci 1997, which included older Plastic People songs in a modern electronic arrangement. The album wasn’t released until 2021. Also in 1997, upon President Havel’s suggestion, PPU reunited in honor of the twentieth anniversary of Charter 77. Their lineup consisted of Hlavsa, Brabenec, Janíček, Kabeš, Brabec, as well as Joe Karafiat. They released the live album The Plastic People of the Universe the same year and continued to tour. In 1999, along with Lou Reed, PPU performed at the White House during Václav Havel’s state visit.
