Situation, Persecution and Censorship of Rock Music in Moravian Wallachia in the Communist Era: Memories of Two Witnesses

The article deals with the situation of big beat in Moravian Wallachia in Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 1980s, focusing on the topic of censorship and repression. Within the oral history method, interviews with two musicians who were active in the regional big beat scene in the 1970s and 1980s were conducted for the purpose of the text. The first is a member of the now defunct bands Paranoid and Lunochod from Ronov pod Radhotm. The second one is Petr Fiala, the frontman of Mga a orp (formerly Slep stevo) from Valask Mezi, who is still an active musician today. Both interviews provide insights into the way the local bands functioned and the limits they faced, including censorship and, in the case of Mga a orp, repression by the communist apparatus. Some of the specifics of the Moravian Wallachian region in relation to big beat, which had to shape its position also in relation to the strong position of traditional folklore, as described by the first of the interview participants, are also discussed.