Prominent rock band that became a symbol of the Czech underground culture and a leading representative of communist opposition in Czechoslovakia. It was often subjected to various persecutions by the communist regime and its members were often imprisoned.
The band was originally founded by bassist Milan Hlavsa and his primary influences were Frank Zappa and The Velvet Underground. Later, however, the central theme of the band's lyrics became the work of the philosopher Egon Bondy. The band’s manager became the well-known and controversial poet Martin Jirous, nicknamed Magor
(crazy). During the normalization period the band was officially banned, and after the events and persecution surrounding their concert in České Budějovice in 1974, they were forced to retract into the underground. In their own way they became a banner around which the entire underground movement was organized. In 1976 the band’s members were arrested and temporarily imprisoned. In reaction to this imprisonment, the Charter 77 was published, needless to say that the members of the band all signed it. The band still exists today, although in a much different composition.
