How the Velvet Underground Became the Unofficial Band of Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution

The Velvet Revolution occurred in 1989 in Czechoslovakia as the country transitioned from a one-party system under communism to a parliamentary government. The name Velvet Revolution came from the non-violent nature of the transition. However, it was also inspired by the band the Velvet Underground.

Videos by American Songwriter

Essentially, the Velvet Underground became the unofficial band of the Velvet Revolution. Czech Republic president Vaclav Havel was a fan of Lou Reed and the band when they started out. Before Havel came into power in 1989, he had snuck the Velvet Underground and Nico album into Czechoslovakia. Eventually he struck up a friendship with Lou Reed.

In a 1990 interview, Reed spoke about the band’s influence and reach in the Czech Republic before and during the transition.

“I always thought the Velvet Underground was first and foremost about freedom,” said Reed. “Freedom to write about what you want, freedom to play it the way you want, put it out any way you want. That was, I thought, the bottom line of the whole thing.”

The Velvet Underground Found an Unexpected Audience in the Czech Republic After Its Transition from Communism

“Lo and behold, [The Velvet Underground] found a reception in Czechoslovakia,” Reed continued. “I even had that demonstrated to me in the sense of meeting all these people who said, ‘I went to jail and only had this with me,’ and ‘these lyrics made me feel so and so.’”

Lou Reed went on to describe a bit of how music, specifically rock and roll, can change history. The Velvet Underground had an influence in Czechoslovakia that may have seemed wholly unexpected. However, music has the power to change minds and fuel revolutions.

“The kind of oppression they’re talking about here, kids being told they can’t play the guitar on the Charles Bridge because they’re worried that if kids get together they’ll talk, and they would,” said Reed. “And that’s why people were afraid of rock and roll records in the first place. And they were right to be afraid about that.”

For the Plastic People of the Universe, Being “More Artistic Than Political” Still Led to Imprisonment

However, the Velvet Underground wasn’t the only band that helped light the fuse of revolution. The Plastic People of the Universe formed in the late 60s. They were named after a Frank Zappa song and inspired by the Velvet Underground. Many of its members were imprisoned by the communist regime, and future president Havel was their biggest supporter.

The Plastic People were not a political band, but their artistry made them a target of the regime. The criminal charges made against the band were made in 1976 and not dropped until 2003.

“Our identity as a band was to do with poetry, not politics,” said band member Vratislav Brabenec to The Guardian in 2009. “We were more artistic than political. I am one of those whose cultural actions, not political actions, were sufficient to make me a subversive. The politicians made us political, by being offended by what we did and the music we played.”

Brabenec continued, “I don’t know how many musicians in modern times have been imprisoned because their music offended the authorities, but we are among them. And although it is rather more comfortable for us now, we are still a cultural and artistic dissent against the norm.”

Featured Image by BSR Agency/Gentle Look via Getty Images