Nov 27, 2023
It can often happen that the most significant figures with direct influence on the development of events are not those who are the most visible. Motivation, after all, does not always have to be just a desire for attention and fame. Such a person, for me, is Ivo Pospíšil - a lover of rock'n'roll, concert organizer, manager of the legendary Czechoslovak band The Plastic People Of The Universe from the period of communism and normalization, founder of the bands DG 307, Garáž, and Půlnoc, as well as a collaborator with personalities like Tony Ducháček, Mejla Hlavsa, and in later years Ivan Král.
On the Czechoslovakian underground scene, Ivo might have seemed like a behind-the-scenes figure, but that does not mean he was on the sidelines of the main events. Therefore, when he decided in 2015, along with Vladimír Jurásek, to write his memoirs, it was clear they would be filled with interesting stories and period memories. It's no wonder they were almost immediately sold out and reissued in 2022.
I enjoyed how the book gradually maps the period of Pospíšil's adolescence, his first encounter with Western music, and the emergence of the Czechoslovakian underground and avant-garde scene. I also appreciate that it did not shy away from any topic and is thus permeated with conflicting relationships, first loves, and the narrative of a person who tirelessly pursued his dream despite circumstances. The book also contains many period photographs that illustrate the atmosphere of the whole story. Personally, I was most captivated by the passage about the founding of the cult electronic music club Radost FX in the 90s, or owning the first independent music store in the Czech Republic. It's just a pity that these aspects weren't given more space.
Currently, he performs under the name Tea Jay Ivo and also has his regular program on Prague's Radio 1.
The book was published only in Czech by BiggBoss.
MG
