Filip Topol (12 June 1965 – 19 June 2013) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

singer, songwriter, pianist and writer. He was best known as leader of the

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band

Psí vojáci Psí vojáci (lit. Dog Soldiers) was a Czech rock music, rock band from Prague, fronted by singer, pianist and songwriter Filip Topol, son of playwright Josef Topol and brother of writer Jáchym Topol. Topol formed the band in 1979 with drummer D ...

(''Dog Soldiers''), but he also performed as a solo artist. Topol was the younger brother of the writer

Jáchym Topol Jáchym Topol (born 4 August 1962) is a Czech Republic, Czech poet, novelist, musician and journalist who became a laureate of the Czech State Award for Literature in October 2017 for his novel ''A Sensitive Person'' and his life work to date. ...

, son of the playwright and

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 2 ...

Josef Topol and grandchild of the writer

Karel Schulz Karel Schulz (6 May 1899 – 27 February 1943) was a Czech novelist, theatre critic, poet and short story writer, whose best known work is the historical novel ''Stone and Pain'' (1942; ).Prokop, Vladimír. ''Přehled české literatury 20. stol ...

Biography

Topol was born in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. He started playing piano as a child and was introduced to the Czech intellectual and artistic underground movement while he was still very young. He has co-founded Psí vojáci in 1979, along with the drummer David Skála and bassist Jan Hazuka. The band was named after the warriors from Thomas Berger's novel '' Little Big Man''. He made his solo public début at the age of 13, as an

opening act An opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, supporting act or opener, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform ...

before the first performance of the

Plastic People of the Universe The Plastic People of the Universe (PPU) is a Czech Rock music, rock band from Prague. They are considered the foremost representatives of Prague underground (culture), Prague's underground culture (1968–1989), which defied Czechoslovak Soci ...

's ''Passion Play''. The concert was held at Hrádeček, the private farm of

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...

. Topol played claviphone. When he was 14 years old, he played with Psí vojáci at another concert held in Hrádeček. The band and other Topol's activities, as well as his family background and ties with the illegal

Charter 77 Charter 77 (''Charta 77'' in Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak) was an informal civic initiative in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members ...

, attracted the attention of

StB State Security (, ), or StB / ŠtB, was the secret police force in communist Czechoslovakia from 1945 to its dissolution in 1990. Serving as an intelligence and counter-intelligence agency, it dealt with any activity that was considered oppositio ...

, the Czechoslovak secret police. He was first interrogated when he was 14 years old, along with his mother. His band was banned by state authorities and was allowed to perform only in 1986. Before that, they performed illegally and released

samizdat Samizdat (, , ) was a form of dissident activity across the Eastern Bloc in which individuals reproduced censored and underground makeshift publications, often by hand, and passed the documents from reader to reader. The practice of manual rep ...

recordings. After the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

in 1989, Psí vojáci became a professional band. In the mid-1990s, Topol suffered serious health problems, partly due to

alcohol abuse Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of alcohol-related substance abuse. This spectrum can range from being mild, moderate, or severe. This can look like consumption of more than 2 drinks per day on average for men, or more than 1 drink per ...

. He underwent several surgeries and a part of his

pancreas The pancreas (plural pancreases, or pancreata) is an Organ (anatomy), organ of the Digestion, digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdominal cavity, abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a ...

had to be removed. His piano playing style was very expressive and wild during that period; sometimes he broke his knuckles during concerts and left his instrument dipped in blood. ''"Sometimes I feel that I tame the piano like a wild horse"'', he said.

Death

He died after a long illness on 19 June 2013, in his native Prague, aged 48. He played the last concert with Psí vojáci in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

on 25 May 2013.

Legacy

His song, "Žiletky (Razorblades)" inspired a 1994 Czech film of the same name. He appeared in the leading role.

Discography

Solo

* ''Filip Topol & Agon Orchestra'' (Indies Records, 2001) * ''Střepy'' (Indies Records, 1999) * ''Sakramiláčku'' (Indies Records, 1995)

With Psí vojáci

* ''Těžko říct'' (Indies Records, 2003; "Hard to Say") * ''Slečna Kristýna'' (Indies Records, 2002; "Miss Christine") * ''U sousedů vyje pes'' (Indies Records, 2001; "The Neighbors' Dog is Howling") * ''Psi a vojáci/Baroko v Čechách/Studio 1983-85'' (Black Point, 2001; "Dogs and Soldiers/Baroque in Bohemia/Studio 1983-85") * ''Myši v poli a jiné příběhy'' (Indies Records, 1999; "Fieldmice and Other Stories") * ''Mučivé vzpomínky'' (Black Point, 1997; "Torturous Memories") * ''Hořící holubi'' (Indies Records, 1997; "Flaming Pigeons") * ''Národ psích vojáků'' (Indies Records, 1996; "Nation of Dog Soldiers") (compilation) * ''Brutální lyrika'' (Indies Records, 1995; "Brutal Lyricism") * ''Jáchym Topol & Psí vojáci: Sestra'' (Indies Records, 1995) * ''Nechoď sama do tmy'' (Black Point, 1995; "Don't Go Out Alone After Dark") * ''Live I and II'' (Gang Records, 1993) * ''Baroko v Čechách'' (Black Point, 1993; "Baroque in Bohemia") * ''Nalej čistého vína, pokrytče'' (Globus International, 1991; "Come Clean, You Hypocrite") * ''Leitmotiv'' (Globus International, 1991)

Bibliography

* ''Národ Psích vojáků''. Prague: Maťa, 2004. * ''Tři novely'' (2004; "Three novels") ((''Mně 13'' (1995; "Me Thirteen"), ''Karla Klenotníka cesta na Korsiku'' (1999; "Karel Klenotník's journey to

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

, 1999; named best prose work of 1999 by the Nadace Český literární fond), and the novella ''Zápisky milencovy'' (2001; "Notes of a Lover")) * ''Střepy'' (1999; Slivers) * ''Filip Topol: Psí vojáci'' (1993; "Filip Topol: Dog soldiers") * ''Filip Topol (Psí vojáci): Texty 1985–1991'' (1991; "Filip Topol (Dog Soldiers): Lyrics 1985-1991")

Filmography

* ''Žiletky'' (1994; "Razorblades") * ''Praha mizerná'' (2000; "Lousy Prague") * ''Chvála bláznivosti'' (2001; "In praise of insanity") * ''A.B.C.D.T.O.P.O.L.'' (2002; a documentary about

)

References

External links

Filip Topol Filip Topol (12 June 1965 – 19 June 2013) was a Czech people, Czech singer, songwriter, pianist and writer. He was best known as leader of the alternative rock band Psí vojáci (''Dog Soldiers''), but he also performed as a solo artist. Topol w ...

profile at Allmusic.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Topol, Filip 1965 births 2013 deaths Czech male writers Musicians from Prague