Values exist and whoever wants to find them will find them
Stáhnout obrázek
Vladimír Václavek was born on 16 December 1959 in Rýmařov to Vladimír Václavek and Miloslava Václavková. In his childhood he spent a lot of time with his grandfather, who instilled in him human values that have accompanied him throughout his life. At the beginning of 1968, he perceived a loosening of the atmosphere in society and the opportunity to breathe freely. He joined Junák, where he was led to love nature. However, this beautiful time was interrupted by August 1968, when Warsaw Pact troops occupied Czechoslovakia. He saw the crying and despair of the people, the signs on chimneys and walls of houses and the sudden „changing of coats“. Propaganda appeared everywhere - in schools, on the streets, in newspapers and on television. A year later, he escaped from a scout camp where he was confronted with displays of power. After primary school, he apprenticed as an electrician in Ostrava. Growing up was a difficult time for him. At the beginning of the 1970s he started to devote himself to music. Although he could not read music, he created his own tablature and began to compose his first songs. At the age of 16, he received a clear impulse that set him on the path to becoming a musician. In Rýmařov he founded his first band called Modrá invence. In 1978, he started his basic military service in Prešov and after half a year became a radio operator. He stayed in Prešov for two years, played in a band and met Martin Havelka. After returning from the army, they formed the band Maňana together in Brno. At the Theatre Na provázku he met Iva Bittová and Pavel Fajt, with whom he later founded the musical group Dunaj. He was the founder of the alternative scene in Czechoslovakia and they often played concerts in secret. During the Velvet Revolution he participated in demonstrations in Prague and felt hope for a better future in society. In the 1990s, he also performed with Dunaj in Vienna, at the legendary Nachtasyl club, owned by Charter 77 spokesman Jiří Chmel. At the time of recording in 2025, he was living in Germany.
