Pill 25 part I.qxd - Prague TV

Prague’s Alternative Medicine 

Issue #25, February 7 th –20 th , 2003 

FREE 

Every Other Friday 

A Tale of Two Cities 

Car Busters leads the charge for an auto-free future. p8 

Havel’s Last Shot p6 ● Sushi p20 ● Plus City Guide, Film, Clubs, Books & More!

Free soft drink with any order over 70 Kč 

(expires March 31, 2003) 

Revoluční 4 

Tel. 222 322 022 

Open 10am-midnight

the prague pill February 6—20, 2003 3 

active ingredients 

p8 

p10 

p20 

LeTTer From THe PuBLisHer 

Hey friends. We 

have a new lineup 

here at the Pill. 

It’s not as though 

we haven’t had to 

face changes 

around here since 

Day One. It’s just 

that this time we’re 

really mixing it up. 

The long and 

short of it is this: Jeff Koyen (a.k.a. The 

Ringer) drifted by our office last Spring, 

stuck around to take our training wheels 

off, and boosted the paper in a big, big 

way. He’d planned on leaving later this 

Spring – but then he suddenly landed a 

dream job as editor-in-chief of New York 

Press, a free city paper like ours but with 

100 more pages in it, and so left last week. 

Thanks for helping us out, Jeff. No hard 

feelings, really. Now, about taking Alex with 

you . . . 

Alexander Zaitchik is going to New York 

too, to be Jeff’s associate editor. Alex is a 

Auto Destruct 8 

Meet the people who want to kill your wheels. 

Northern Lights 10 

Meet the people who made Manchester. 

Raw Deal 20 

Meet the people who serve up sushi. 

Letters 4 

Red Meat 4 

City Beat 5 

City Shot 5 

Analysis 6 

Syndicate This 7 

Film 10 

City Guide 12 

Get on the Guestlist 14 

Books 15 

Music 16 

Prague Log 17 

Art 18 

Savage Love 19 

This Modern World 19 

Dish 20 

Classifieds 22 

Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles 22 

Pill co-founder who, together with Micah 

Jayne, put this paper on the map. We 

salute you, bro. And wish you the best in 

New York, New York. May your scribbles 

move more (and bigger) mountains. 

But enough gushing. We have work to 

do. It’s time to make the doughnuts. 

Starting next issue (#26) Andy Markowitz 

is our editor. He’s an old-school (but not 

that old) city-paper veteran from Baltimore. 

He’s got chops, believe it. He takes over 

the editorial desk along with our two young 

shotguns (but not that young), Joshua 

Cohen and Travis Jeppesen. It’s gonna be 

great, this new Pill of ours. You’ll see. Enjoy 

it with us. 

Yours, 

John Caulkins 

Publisher 

sTreeT 

ISSUE TWENTY-FOUR, FEBRUARY 7 TH —20 TH , 2003 

Publisher: John Caulkins 

Editors: Micah Jayne, Alexander Zaitchik 

Editor at Large: Jeff Koyen 

Uncle: Andy Markowitz 

Production Director: Filip Bezděk 

Listings Editor: Markéta Hofmeisterová 

Senior Staff Writers: Joshua Cohen, Travis Jeppesen 

Contributing Writers: Arie Farnam, Scott MacMillan, Tony Ozuna, Marek Tomin 

Copy Editor: Jennifer Sokolowsky 

Translation: Kathleen Hayes 

Financial Director: Barbara Źebrowska 

Advertising Director: Eva Hádrová (e-mail: advertising@pill.cz) 

Advertising Representatives: Menef Khalife 

Distribution: www.conspiracy.cz 

A complete list of current distribution points can be found at www.pill.cz. 

Printed by Ringier Print, a. s. 

The Prague Pill is published by alt.media praha s.r.o.,* Karmelitská 18, 110 00, Praha 1, Phone: 257 534 015, 

phone/fax: 257 534 016, e-mail: info@pill.cz, www.pill.cz 

ISSN 1213-7391. 

* Also licensed in the New York City 

The above bags were purchased for 5 Kč each at a potraviny in 

the Prague 1 neighborhood of Malá Strana. The full range of the 

Czech Republic’s plastic-bag supply can be appreciated only 

over a lifetime of shopping. A historical approach to the 

phenomenon of colorful Czech plastic bags still awaits proper 

treatment by one of this country’s finer galleries.

4 February 6—20, 2003 the prague pill 

LETTERS@piLL.cz 

ìDo you go along with anything until it becomes obviously 

wrong even to the corrupt establishment that you are 

supposed to be an alternative toî 

—Elisabeth Hangar and Stefan Landers 

Our Letters Page: 

Better Than Phone Sex 

This issue: Havel’s messy friends, Prague versus Berlin, a coda on Dean Reed . . . and the ongoing prostitution debate. 

Republic of Diapers 

Dear Pill boys, 

Jan Pavelka’s recollection of the 1978 

meeting of dissident intellectuals and 

the Czech underground at Havel’s 

cottage [“King’s Exit,” Pill #24] raises 

many important issues, all revolving 

around the question: Why did Egon 

Bondy shit himself in Havel’s bed As 

an idealist Marxist, was he unable to 

contain himself, sensing a “withering 

away of the state” in that surreal 

atmosphere of freedom Or was the 

infantile act a moment of “living in 

truth” which the others failed to notice 

(perhaps due to their hardened 

digestive systems) 

In “The Power of the Powerless” 

Havel defines living in truth as a 

“bacteriological weapon” that ferments 

and grows in the semidarkness, 

hidden from the gaze of power, until it 

“finally surfaces into the light of day as 

an assortment of shocking surprises 

to the system, usually too late to cover 

them up in the usual fashion.” That is 

to say, was it something Havel put in 

his special Ružyn gulaš The answer 

to this disturbing question is unknown 

and Bondy remains secluded in the 

countryside, in dignified silence. What 

we do know is that Havel has often 

stated that entry into politics is akin to 

a Faustian wager and the price of this 

pact (or 1978 meetings) is rarely 

known until after the fact. 

Looking back at the “good ol’ 

days,” when issues were black and 

white, to the disappointing realism of 

the present, clearly indicates historical 

events did not turn out as the Czech 

underground hoped for. (Note Andrej 

Krob’s evasive response to the 

question: “Was [Havel’s] presidency a 

success”) Indeed, if the other 

members of the Czech underground 

had known back then what they know 

now, the question arises whether or 

not they too would have followed 

Bondy’s prophetic act. Their refusal to 

comment on this matter, coupled with 

eulogizing Havel as some inimitable 

father figure, indicate an insidious 

conspiracy to keep all good Czechs in 

a perpetual state of diapers. 

Yolanda Yesterday 

yolanda_yesterday@hotmail.com 

I saw you . . . laugh at the film page 

Editor, 

Thanks for supplying all the free mags 

around town. I think your paper is a 

real step up from the old Think 

magazine. You still got that irreverent 

vibe going with just the right tongue-incheek 

attitude. Sure, your movie 

reviewers are alienating themselves 

with almost everyone (including a gent 

who works with me and defended 

Bend it Like Beckham) but they seem 

to be entertaining the rest of us. At 

least for two or three paragraphs. 

I want to know if you could put this 

in the “I saw you” section, and it’s not 

meant to be a means of embarrassing 

the guy I’m talking about. I just want to 

say something: To the Eagles fan with 

blond hair, McNabb jersey and a cast 

on his left arm, thanks for doing the 

runner on the 500 Kč bet we made at 

the Eagles – Bucs game. Real noble 

of you. Philly fan epitomized 

Cheers, 

Leslie Ryan 

LRyan@caledonianschool.com 

About flats and food 

Hi, 

There are two things that started the 

chain of emotions that led me to send 

this letter to the Pill, even though 

these are just small irritating facts of 

life. Sometimes I just think those 

insignificant facts should be out there 

for everybody to ponder. So, I write. 

What else can a poor woman do 

these days to get some fuckin’ 

attention, except for walking topless 

into an Irish pub, since that is not an 

option 

Fact #1: The Mona Lisa is not only 

a painting, it is also a restaurant not 

far from Vaclavske Namesti. This 

place I remember “dearly.” However, 

visiting this place could cost you a 

fortune, especially if you happen to 

be a polite Swedish person who is 

trying not to disturb any kind of 

peace. The thing about this restaurant 

is that they charge for everything, 

even things that you have not ordered 

or eaten, like ketchup, soya or bread, 

maybe salt or pepper too. I guess I 

was supposed to have felt some kind 

of gratitude that I went into their 

restaurant. I had sort of forgotten 

about that place because it was over 

three months ago, but then yesterday 

a similar thing happened. 

Close to the Andel tram station 

there is a place called The Penguin on 

Zborovská street. At first I loved it: nice 

staff, nice food, not too expensive. 

Then – boom – the bill came. 100 Kc 

for service, more money than my 

companion paid for his dinner. We 

asked about it, since he did not have 

to pay anything like this last time he 

ate there. No answer, only some 

words that they did not understand 

what we were talking about. What can 

I say! I hate being treated like that, 

makes me want to say that Czech 

people are all about wanting your 

money even if you are quite close to 

being what some people might refer 

to as poor. 

Fact # 2: I’ll be brief. I Just want to 

tell you about the drilling, the constant 

repairs or whatever it is. Is it so that 

the Czech handymen always use a 

hammer to fix the pipes in the wall or 

use the drill for every purpose 

Because ever since I got here about 

four months ago, they have been 

drilling. Every morning at eight o’clock 

they start without any kind of mercy 

for the tired people who worked until 

late the night before. Tough luck to 

have moved into this place just as 

they started the secret experiment of 

driving the tenants insane. I will live, I 

guess, but be aware of the handymen, 

because I am sure they will pay you a 

noisy visit when you least expect it. 

Yours truly, 

Anna Bergström 

ynot_anna@hotmail.com 

Dean Reed: remembered! 

Dear Editor, 

Thanks for John Caulkins’ article on 

Dean Reed [“Red Elvis,” Pill #23]. As 

a connoisseur of late-Soviet-era 

kitsch, I was long aware of this Cold 

War bit-part player, but finding any 

sort of reliable information on him 

was difficult. I caught tantalizing 

glimpses of Reed while studying in 

the USSR in the late 1980s. In 

particular, I remember seeing a 

picture of “Din Rid” (wearing a 

Russian fur hat) pinned to the bulletin 

board of a Kiev elementary school, 

together with other Soviet icons. 

Caulkins, however, leaves 

unanswered the question of Reed’s 

quality (or lack thereof) as a 

performer. In the USSR, his popularity 

was mostly confined to kids, and was 

mainly “top-down” anyway: The 

authorities were so glad to have 

anyone defect to their side that Reed 

could count on guaranteed support 

from them. But really, guys, this made 

Reed the Kim Philby of pop music. 

The Soviets were also pleased that he 

had the same last name as the 

American revolutionary buried in the 

Kremlin wall, John Reed. 

Regards, 

Scott Spires 

Chicago, Ill., USA 

scowspi@hotmail.com 

Prague über alles 

Ahoj Pill, 

I can feel the good intentions in 

Micah Jayne’s recent article “Deaf in 

One Ear” [Pill #24], but I disagree on 

a couple of points. The statement 

“Prague is stuck in a dope smoking 

youth culture” sounds too general 

and a little arrogant – almost a 

provocation. Especially as it is taken 

out of context and printed as a pullquote. 

Of course, there’s a lot of that 

type of youth culture, but I’d like to 

remind you of the teahouse culture, 

where young people also gather. 

There are usually no cigarettes and 

no alcohol and people listen to 

mostly alternative music. I also think 

it is unfair to even raise the 

expectation that Prague, as a capital 

of a little and poor country, could 

have the same variety of live music 

as Berlin. Being a musician myself, 

and having made a conscious 

choice of Prague over Berlin, I still 

think that Prague is quite a good 

place for live music. 

Tomaš Slansky 

Prague 

Via post 

Whores (Reprise) 

Pill, 

Your problematic response about the 

prostitution question must be 

addressed [ “Letters,” Pill #24]. You 

had an article about whorehouses, 

and instead of even approaching the 

issue of legalised prostitution, you 

wrote about it like a Prague beer tour 

or fast-food guide. (When the very 

adult men at your paper try to see 

what it is like to have no choice in life 

but to be fucked by 10 smelly fat men 

per day, then they will have opinions 

worth listening to.) Then when 

someone questions you about your 

prostitution advertisements, you just 

say that if they are “busted,” you will 

stop running them. What kind of 

answer is this Do you go along with 

anything until it becomes obviously 

wrong even to the corrupt 

establishment that you are supposed 

to be an alternative to 

About advertisements, right on the 

other side of the page, you have a 

large advert for a “Walk for Peace,” and 

above it you have “paid advertising.” 

Why are you distancing yourself from a 

peace demonstration and not from the 

whorehouses Why don’t you put this 

qualifier above the other adverts Or 

are the ones for the whorehouses not 

really advertisements, but some kind of 

trade 

Finally, in your condemnation of the 

movie The Guru, you ironically criticise 

that it doesn’t “deal with the plight of 

sex workers” sufficiently, but then call 

the director and screenwriter “sorority 

girls.” We feel sorry for anyone so 

confused between ideas of political 

correctness and hostility towards 

“girls” that you cannot relax and enjoy 

such a simply delightful film. 

We try to feel sorry for the 100 

percent “boy” management of the 

paper, but really, you should be 

ashamed. 

Elisabeth Hangar 

Stefan Landers 

ehangar@operamail.com 

Dear Elisabeth and Stefan, 

Thanks for the spirited little attack. 

The answer to your first point is 

simply: No, we don’t think legally 

operating brothels represent a 

“corrupt establishment.” Consensual 

commercial sex between adults is not 

the same as human slavery. Moreover, 

the editorial side of this paper has 

nothing, nada, nic to do with the ad 

side. 

The “paid advertising” above the 

peace march was there to distinguish 

it from editorial content. Clearly the 

brothel ads are paid for, but 

sometimes the writing in our ad wells 

(such as the paid-for poetry in Pill 

#23) could be mistaken for editorial 

content, so we tag it to clear up 

ambiguity. More than anything, this is 

simply to help the reader understand 

what they are looking at. It’s standard 

practice. 

As for the review of The Guru: If the 

movie were written by men, the writer 

would no doubt have called them “frat 

boys” instead of “sorority girls.” And 

anyway, we reserve the right to have 

more sympathy for sex workers than 

sorority girls. The only “confusion” 

here is your own need for robotic PC 

“consistency,” not something to be 

found inside our pages or in this 

messy world of idiocy, resentments, 

suffering, contradictions and, yes, 

LOTS OF HARD-WORKING WHORES. 

As for The Guru being a “simply 

delightful” film, you’re the ones who 

should be ashamed, if not deported 

immediately. 

Scots catfight! 

Dear Pill, 

How nice to be reminded that the right 

to free speech sometimes means 

listening to the inane drivel of the 

paranoid delusional. I refer to the 

puerile offering on hooligan tourists 

from Liam Francis in Pill #24 

[“Letters”] where 20-year-old national 

stereotypes were trotted out in the 

belief that abusive xenophobia is 

good for a laugh. 

It’s appropriate that a selfconfessed 

Scot should claim the 

stereotype for his nation of being 

willing to “show their arses to anyone 

who cares to look.” Scotland must be 

proud of you Mr Francis. I certainly 

haven’t seen as big an arse since 

Helmut Kohl wore jodhpurs. 

And Prague is now apparently in 

Eastern Europe. Check your atlas, Mr. 

Francis. Perhaps you’d like our loutish 

visitors to decamp to other “Eastern 

European towns” like Vienna 

Curious that Mr. Francis has such a 

hatred for the English given that they 

may be the one nation on earth who 

would appreciate his schoolboy 

humour. We do not need your 

patronising drooling, sir. Grow up, get 

a life, or get laid (according to a 

fellow correspondent in Pill #24 there 

are now sufficient brothels in Prague 

so that even someone with your 

dubious grasp of geography should 

be able to find one). 

Billy Wallace 

Scottish Writers Group 

scottishwriters@hotmail.com 

Havel, dope, Spielberg, etc. 

Dear Pill, 

Picked up issue #24, and 

congratulations to the artist, Marketa 

Hofmeisterova, for herportrait of Havel. 

Congratulations on the letters as well. 

They continue to be an interesting 

part of the paper. 

The Havel interviews with the aging 

dissidents and the translation of the 

Respekt interview provide credibility to 

The Pill’s analysis of Havel as he 

leaves the presidency of the Czech 

Republic. 

The most disappointing article was 

Alexander Zaitchik’s column. Mr. 

Zaitchik is an accomplished writer, 

but his reflexive anti-Americanism is 

shallow and juvenile. It’s as if he 

learned everything he knows about 

history and political science from 

Steven Spielberg. Mr. Zaitchik’s 

recounting of how he got high at the 

Castle smacks of such youthful 

solipsism. Rose Merrill, the Berlin 

music critic quoted in “Deaf in One 

Ear,” says of Prague, “It’s very much 

stuck in the dope-smoking youth 

culture.” Mr. Zaitchik’s article certainly 

seems so. 

Name withheld on request 

In case you didn’t notice the 

e–mail address at the top of the 

page, here it is: letters@pill.cz.


cITY BeaT 

ìEvery voice against the war is a great 

thing. Eeven if they are Communists.î 

—Anti-war protest organizer Arie Farnam, on the participation of 

Communists in next week’s demonstration. 

Bad Taste 

The University of Hradec Kr·lovÈ 

needed cafeteria staff. Marcela Zupkov· 

needed a job. But the 30-year-old 

mother of three claims that when she 

applied, she was told she lacked a key 

qualification: the right ethnicity. 

Zupkova says she was shown the 

door by Eva Panochov·, head of 

Akyma, the company that runs the 

cafeteria. The reason ìRomsk˝ 

p˘vod,î Panochov· wrote in a certificate 

filed with the Hradec Kr·lovÈ 

employment office, which had 

referred Zupkov· to the university ñ 

ìRomany origin.î 

ìMs. Panochov· told me that she 

didnít want gypsies in her workplace, 

and that she has experiences with 

them,î Zupkov· told MF Dnes. ìI confronted 

her, I told her that she doesnít 

know me and that she should give 

me at least a chance in order to show 

that I am not like the rest. She wasnít 

convinced.î 

Panochova defended her decision 

to a Hradec Kr·lovÈ newspaper: ìI 

donít have anything against Romanies, 

but how does it look to customers 

if a Romany serves them 

foodî 

This caught the attention of 

Respektís Tom·ö NÏmeËek, who asked 

rhetorically in a column on the matter 

whether university rector Jaroslava 

Mikuleck· or any professors and 

students would care to explain how a 

Roma would ruin the taste of food. 

NÏmeËek also had some advice for 

the director of the Hradec Kr·lovÈ 

employment office, who said on television 

that ìwe have to first document 

everything efficientlyî to proceed 

with Zupkov·ís complaint. 

ìWhat is it that he has still to documentî 

Nemecek wrote. ìRacist 

motivation stands black and white 

on that office document.î 

Zupkovaís case is far from unique ñ 

ìjust the tip of iceberg,î Jan Jarab, the 

top federal official for human-rights 

issues, told Dnes. While employment 

discrimination is illegal in the Czech 

Republic, Jarab said, securing a criminal 

conviction is difficult, requiring 

proof of specific intent to deprive 

someone of their rights. Often, he 

said, an employer will agree to meet 

an applicant, ìthen when they get 

through the door, the employer says 

the position has suddenly become 

occupied. . . . It is very difficult to 

demonstrate this kind of discriminationî 

in court, he said. 

ìThis case,î he said of Zupkovaís 

complaint, ìis uncommon. The 

refusal was completely open and is 

even written on paper.î 

Fighting the War 

Theyíll be marching in Mexico City 

and Chicago, marching in Amsterdam 

and San Diego, and theyíll be 

marching in Prague on February 15 

as part of the International Action 

Day to protest the seemingly imminent 

war in Iraq. 

Organized by the Czech group 

Initiative Against War in conjunction 

with several other native and 

expat activists, the Prague event is 

scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. in 

N·mÏstÌ Jana Palacha. After an hour 

of music and speeches, including an 

address by Czech author and 

philosopher Erazim Koh·k, protesters 

will march to the Czech government 

offices at the Vl·Ôa, then to 

the U.S. Embassy and back across 

the river to StaromÏstskÈ n·mÏstÌ. 

Arie Farnam, an American activist 

(and Pill contributor) who is working 

with Initiative Against War on the 

February 15 protest, says the route 

was chosen to highlight planned 

ìCzech participation in any attack in 

Iraq.î Parliament and Prime Minister 

VladimÌr äpidlaís administration 

have approved deploying a Czech 

anti-chemical weapons unit to Iraq in 

a United Nations-backed war. 

Also joining the international 

action is the Communist Party of 

Bohemia and Morava (KS»M), 

which will hold a rally at Vaclavske 

Namesti from 3 to 4 p.m. Party Vice 

Chairman Vlastimil BalÌk said the 

event is not specific to Iraq but will be 

a general anti-war protest. There are 

also plans for the KS»M crowd to 

march to the U.S. Embassy. 

Farnam says she isnít concerned 

about competing rallies dividing 

protest ranks. ìEvery voice against 

the war is a great thing,î she said, 

ìeven if they are Communists.î 

The Right to Arm Bears 

Glenn Spicker is a lucky man, by 

most accounts. His Museum of 

Communism, which has just celebrated 

its first year of chronicling 

the great workersí experiment, 

quickly attracted the attention of 

Pragueís fledgling but respected 

advertising community. Directors 

saw it as a chance to spread their creative 

wings a bit and win coveted 

international advertising prizes. 

Basil Mina of the firm Leo 

Burnett helped direct the creation 

of a series of spec (read: free) advertisements 

for the museum, many of 

which have graced these pages. 

After Leo Burnett took home a prize 

at last summerís European ad festival, 

EuroRSCG jumped in with 

posters starring a Russian nesting 

doll sporting fangs and the adorable 

bear mascot of the 1980 Moscow 

Olympics toting a Kalashnikov. 

ìResults were immediate. People 

really responded well to these ads,î 

Spicker said of the poster campaign 

launched last month, primarily on the 

walls of Metro stations. But the images 

didnít sit well with Pragueís sizable 

Russian population ñ or the folks back 

in the mother country, once they 

found out. A Moscow television 

reporter arranged to do an interview 

with the American cowboy capitalist, 

and it quickly turned messy, as Spicker 

fielded questions from the enraged 

artist who had created the Olympic 

bear. Turns out, according to Spicker, 

that EuroRSCG had not obtained permission 

to doctor the image. Perhaps 

more to the point, the artist continued, 

the berifled bear is ìoffensive to 

the peaceful Russian nation.î 

Spicker said his contract with 

EuroRSCG protects him from liability 

should the copyright issue end 

up in court. ìWeíve had a very open, 

positive relationship, and the agency 

assured me [the rights] wouldnít be 

a problem,î he said. EuroRSCG officials 

did not return calls for comment. 

Compiled by William Hollister and staff 

City Shot 

“Peace Square” by Marek Tomin 

PRAGUE CENTER 

DLOUHÁ 33•TEL.:+420 224 826 662-3 

DORMS • ROOMS • APARTMENTS 

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6 November 29—December 12, , 2002 the prague pill 

anaLYsIs 

This Bird Has Flown 

A farewell to hearts and doves. 

By Marek Tomin 

bat if the US strike has the backing of 

the UN Security Council; otherwise it 

will play a supporting role, carrying 

out humanitarian and emergency-aid 

missions. The unit played an important 

role during the first Gulf War, 

though it also provided evidence that 

US troops had been exposed to dangerous 

chemicals that may have been 

partly responsible for the Gulf War 

Syndrome. 

Earlier in January, as tens of thousands 

of US and British troops headed 

for the Gulf, TvrdÌk visited the Czech 

contingent in Kuwait and offered the 

troops the chance to return home prematurely 

ìif they donít feel up to the 

mission.î In typical ävejk fashion, 27 

soldiers decided to take up his offer. ìI 

have enormous respect for my soldiers,î 

TvrdÌk said. ìIf some of them 

temporarily lost the ability to perform 

the function of military professionals 

in combat, then itís right for me to 

withdraw them. They can have time to 

rest and solve any problems they 

might have and in time theyíll be 

capable of fulfilling their task.î 

All we are saying . . . 

As UN inspectors continue to 

scour Iraq for weapons of mass 

destruction and the nations of 

the world brace themselves for an 

increasingly likely Gulf War II, the 

Czech Republic prepares to play its 

part without a president. 

Amidst the sound of the drums of 

war, V·clav Havel came up with a 

grand theatrical finale to his presidency. 

Four days prior to the end of 

his term in office, he signed an open 

letter published in the London Times 

in support of the US position on Iraq. 

Though largely symbolic and rhetorical, 

the letter, instigated by the prime 

ministers of Britain and Spain, is not 

without meaning: It is a dose of pro- 

US propaganda designed to boost 

transatlantic relations and head off 

the reticence of two of Europeís 

biggest players, France and Germany. 

French officials commented that the 

letter was no surprise and that ìit contains 

many things that France could 

sign.î 

Still, Havel could have easily 

spared himself the gesture. 

The outgoing Czech president 

wasnít even part of the letterís conception. 

The Times asked Britainís 

Tony Blair and Spainís JosÈ MarÌa 

Aznar to write a commentary on the 

Iraq crisis. The Spanish premier 

came up with the idea of an open letter, 

suggesting it be put before the 

prime ministers of other like-minded 

European countries. It was sent to 

Italy, Portugal, Holland, Denmark, 

Poland, Hungary and the Czech 

Republic ñ but deliberately not to 

France or Germany. Eight countries 

eventually signed. 

According to the Czech Foreign 

Minister Cyril Svoboda, two versions 

of the letter were written. Svoboda felt 

the first was too hard-line to merit 

Czech backing and said so to VladimÌr 

äpidla, the prime minister. Apparently 

there wasnít sufficient time to discuss 

and consult on the softer second 

draft. The Czechs, unlike the 

Hungarians made no effort amend 

the letter. äpidla maintains that when 

the letter landed on his table, he 

refused to sign simply because foreign 

policy is made through official decisions 

ñ such as the Czech Parliamentís 

statement on the Iraq crisis ñ and not 

newspaper articles. 

After äpidla passed the buck, the 

hot potato landed in Havelís lap when 

he was in Bratislava. After consulting 

Prague, Havel decided to sign. ìThe 

president signed on his own authority. 

Itís his decision,î Svoboda said. 

Despite opinion polls showing 

that two-thirds of Czechs are against 

a war in Iraq, the Czech cabinet and 

Parliament are united in supporting 

involvement in the conflict. Though 

a Social Democrat, Czech Defense 

Minister Jaroslav TvrdÌk is decidedly 

hawkish in his approach to dealing 

with Saddam Hussein. ìThere are 

decisions that donít need to have the 

support of society at large. For me 

itís important that they have the 

backing of those that have access to 

information,î he told LidovÈ Noviny. 

ìSeeing that within NATO the 

Czech Republic specializes in protection 

against weapons of mass destruction, 

it would be considered a gesture 

of extreme selfishness for us to 

refuse to take part,î TvrdÌk said. 

ìThe trigger mechanism for us is 

Parliament has approved 

a resolution authorising 

the deployment of 

additional troops to 

strengthen the Czech 

anti-chemical unit 

currently stationed in 

Kuwait. 

. . . you know the rest. 

whether Saddam does or does not 

stick to the final [UN] resolution. 

Thatís a position somewhere 

between the US, on one side, and 

France and Germany on the other.î 

Both chambers of Parliament have 

approved a government resolution 

authorizing the deployment of additional 

Czech troops to strengthen the 

anti-chemical unit currently stationed 

in Kuwait. The 400-strong elite unit 

will only be directly involved in com- 

On the last day of January it was 

time to turn off the neon heart 

thatís been adorning the Castle 

since November 17th of last year. 

About an hour and a half before the 

official lights-out ceremony and party, 

Czech Greenpeace activists climbed 

the scaffolding and unfurled a banner 

with the word ìWARî in the middle 

of the heart. 

The banner, the last of a series of 

impromptu embellishments to Ji¯Ì 

Davidís provocative work, was directly 

inspired by the Times letter. 

Greenpeace stated that it wanted to 

ìinform the president that it finds his 

support for the letter in strong contradiction 

with his principlesî and 

called on him ìnot to switch off his 

own heart.î 

ìV·clav Havel has always been supportive 

of us and we feel sorry that he 

ended his excellent career with such a 

move,î said Ji¯Ì Tutter, head of Czech 

Greenpeace. In another touch of the 

absurd, Castle officials unplugged the 

heart about half an hour into the 

protest, only to turn it on once again 

an hour later so that it could then be 

switched off officially. 

The previous day, Dagmar Havlov· 

had prepared a huge farewell party 

for her husband in N·rodnÌ divadlo. 

The monumental three-hour programme, 

which included communist 

pop icons such as Karel Gott and 

Helena Vondr·Ëkov·, was a far cry 

from the farewell the underground 

gave the president late last year. 

Though invited by the first lady, 

underground folk singers Vlastimil 

T¯eöÚ·k and Jaroslav Hutka refused 

to perform at yet another velvet reconciliation 

bash. D·öa surprised Vaöek 

with pre-recorded video messages by, 

to name a few, George Bush I and II, 

Sean Connery, Madeleine Albright 

and Kofi Annan. There were no messages 

from Mick Jagger or Lou Reed. 

Amidst emotional scenes at 

Ruûyne Airport on the January 31st, 

as 70 elite troops boarded a Tu-154 

military aircraft, Defense 

Minister TvrdÌk 

noted that ìit was a military 

farewell. In many 

ways I would feel better 

if I was going with 

them.î 

Given the fact that no 

presidential candidate 

has yet been found to 

suit all the political factions 

in Parliament, and 

MPs are quite likely to 

pass an act introducing 

direct elections, the 

Czech Republic may be 

without a president for 

some time. Until then, Prime 

Minister äpidla will be the temporary 

supreme leader of the armed forces 

of the Czech Republic. Only time will 

tell whether the Czech Republic, 

headed by äpidla in tandem with the 

gung-ho TvrdÌk, will play the role of 

hawk or dove in the current crisis. 

Marek Tomin is at letters@pill.cz


sYnDIcaTe THIs 

How to Lose Friends 

and Kill People 

Can an oil war be moral 

By Alexander Zaitchik 

Iím lucky. Iíve never experienced a 

bomb blast. The closest Iíve come 

was one of those vivid dreams 

where you think youíre about to die 

and youíre terrified. Then you wake 

up to a racing heart and a purple 

pre-dawn calm. 

The terror of real bombs is easy 

enough to imagine, and in this season 

of war, itís our duty to do so. Ceilings 

collapse, everyone screams, the 

ground shakes. The chemical winds 

burn. Blindness cracked by fire flashes 

and ear-splitting booms. Every second 

an eternity. The bombs finally 

stop ñ but for how long People are 

missing. Bloody torsos lay silent. The 

wailing that rises up with the dust and 

the smoke is the original soundtrack 

to hell on earth. 

Also imaginable is the distant postbomb 

chatter in Washington and 

London, Warsaw and Prague. In these 

civilized cities, men who slept the previous 

night under crisp sheets will discuss 

regrettable losses and unfortunate 

necessities. As the second wave of 

cruise missiles rains down on mothers 

clutching children in Baghdad basements, 

the spokespeople will calmly 

assure angry publics that all precautions 

are being taken to spare innocent 

lives. Many thousands will perish, 

of course, but the bombs are smart, 

the bombers kind. In any case, they 

will say, Saddam Hussein is the one 

who bears ultimate responsibility. 

How exactly Saddam caused the 

bombs to fall on his own country ñ 

this we all know. ìDespite extensive 

cooperation with UN arms inspectors, 

Saddam Hussein is hiding stores 

of illegal deadly weapons, and therefore 

must be toppled, even if it 

means shooting thousands of missiles 

around the dwellings of his poor 

and battered subjects, who will welcome 

foreign troops as liberators.î 

All together now . . . 

Put any song on repeat for long 

enough and people will eventually 

start humming. Although this popular 

tune denies logic (inspections are 

working, Iraq is totally hamstrung) 

and the facts (no weapons have been 

found) the official lies have swayed 

public opinion in more than one 

country. But the cover has frayed 

badly, and even most hawks now admit 

the obvious: this is a straight-up 

resource war, for oil. 

Pessimists who warned that the 21st 

century would be a century of 

resource wars ñ for energy, for water, 

for fertile land ñ look scarily prescient 

as the US digs in around Iraqís mighty 

oil reserves. (Ironically, the US is now 

doing the same thing Iraq did in 1990, 

thus triggering the first Gulf War.) 

The Bush administration is chockfull 

of veteran oil industry heavyweights, 

all well-versed in global energy 

trends. They all know the world is 

about to enter the downside of global 

oil production. They know US dependence 

on foreign oil will rise to as 

much as 70 percent in coming years. 

They know Iraq sits on the worldís second-largest 

untapped oil fields. For 

them, this war is about staking out 

valuable turf prior to the chaos likely 

to accompany the looming era of ìpermanent 

oil shock.î 

This isnít a conspiracy theory or a 

science-fiction scenario. One of the 

first things the Bush team did in office 

was commission a report on energy 

security. Prepared by the Council on 

Foreign Relations and the James A. 

Baker III Institute for Public Policy, 

the resulting paper documented the 

decline of oil production and mentioned 

the need for military intervention 

to secure supplies. It referred to 

oil as a ìsecurity imperativeî and projected 

a period of exploding US energy 

prices, economic recession and 

social unrest unless answers are 

found. With a tone of urgency, it 

urged the Bush Administration to 

admit ìthese agonizing truths to the 

American people.î 

But admitting these truths to the 

American people would be problematic. 

People might start to question 

our dependence on such a limited, 

unstable energy source. Who knows, 

they might not think oil justified mass 

slaughter. They might even question 

our profligate energy use, as they did 

in the 1970s, under Jimmy Carterís 

brave and wise attempt to wean the 

country off foreign oil. 

Rather than starting a discussion 

on these key issues, and rather than 

emulate Carterís ìProject Independenceî 

(which sought to reduce US 

oil dependency through conservation 

and renewable sources of 

power), the Bush crew has gunned 

for a short-sighted, destructive and 

deeply immoral path. Instead of curtailing 

consumption and pumping 

money into research for alternative 

energy technology, theyíre plunging 

the world into war, with potentially 

dire consequences for both international 

order and the Iraqi people. 

The idea that Iraqis are going to 

throw a welcome party for US/UK 

troops is a sick joke and an obscene 

expression of criminal vanity. Before 

the Gulf War, Iraq had one of the best 

education systems in the Arab world, 

advanced health care and a per capita 

GNP of more than $3,000. After 10 

years of sanctions and low-intensity, 

this number is now $500, with high 

rates of children dying from curable 

diseases like typhus and diarrhea. 

Once a prosperous Middle Eastern 

state, Iraq is now one of the poorest 

countries in the world. 

There is precious little historical 

evidence that the United States is 

going to suddenly start caring about 

Iraq once it gains control over its 

oil. Crucially, even before the US 

has a chance to show its true intentions, 

it will have killed many innocent 

people. 

Pessimists who warned 

that the 21st century 

would be a century of 

resource wars look 

ominously prescient as 

the US digs in around 

Iraq’s mighty oil reserves. 

A report titled ìCollateral Damage,î 

issued last November by the International 

Physicians for the Prevention 

of Nuclear War, estimates the total 

possible deaths on all sides during the 

war and immediate aftermath to be 

between 48,000 and 260,000. The 

organization, which won the Nobel 

Peace Prize in 1985, says subsequent 

deaths from post-war epidemics and 

the collapse of already damaged infrastructure 

could reach 200,000. If 

nuclear weapons are used, the death 

toll could near 4 million. In all of 

these scenarios, the majority of casualties 

will be civilians. 

The next time a hawk tells you this 

war will be good for the Iraqi people, 

tell them youíll see them in hell. 

Soundtrack available at record stores 

throughout Baghdad. 

Čau for now 

A personal note. Iíve taken an editing 

post at an alternative newspaper 

in New York, and starting next issue, 

I will be on indefinite hiatus from 

The Prague Pill. I donít know when Iíll 

rejoin this paper, but I love this town, 

and Iíll probably be back. 

For now, some public thanks. 

Micah Jayne. This newspaper was 

Micahís idea. He alone wasnít scared 

by the multitudinous technical, 

financial and logistical difficulties 

involved in starting a paper from 

scratch. I was ready to scrap by as a 

Prague-based freelancer, but Micah 

insisted this was possible. He was 

right, but largely because of his creativity 

and hard work. In many ways, 

Micah has been the Hercules holding 

up this globe for more than a 

year. He manages a thousand aspects 

of this organization that no one else 

has the brains, patience or ability to 

handle. His byline hasnít appeared 

as many times as he or I would have 

liked ñ nor will it in the future ñ but 

his presence is behind every word. 

Much respect. 

Production Director Filip Bezdek 

has been with the Pill since issue #1, 

when we brought him in last-minute 

to perform an emergency design 

operation on Micahís kitchen table. 

Without his peculiar, vegetable-hating 

brilliance, the Pill might never have 

lifted off so fast, and it would certainly 

be a lot harder to look at. Filip is a 

jovial mad genius, and I recommend 

stopping by the office just to meet 

him, although please not on production 

days. 

John Caulkins is a great guy and 

simply the best publisher in the world. 

Without his vision, patience and faith, 

there would be no Prague Pill. 

Efka Hadrova has been with us 

since we moved into our first tiny 

office, and helped build the business 

side of the Pill. She parties almost as 

hard as she works, and god bless her. 

Barabora Zebrowska has carried 

out financial duties with admirable 

meticulousness, and is destined to be 

a great theater critic. She also helps 

keep Micah sane as he juggles 20 tennis 

balls. 

Barbor· Hor·Ëkov· is no longer 

with the paper, but if sheís reading 

this, I want her to know how deeply 

her early support and work are 

appreciated. With a fax in our Karlin 

studio, she single-handedly got the 

paperís listings off the ground. I wish 

her nothing but happiness. 

A warm shout-out to Vincent 

Farnsworth and Gwendolyn Albert, 

two ex-Pill staffers from the bad old 

days. I remember our copy-editing 

dinners fondly. 

Big kisses for Adrienne Claire 

Ammerman. For all the right reasons. 

Thanks to all the writers Iíve 

worked with over the past year, and all 

of the readers Iíve met in bars and on 

our letters page. 

The new editorial team here at Pill 

HQ is funny, talented and capable, 

and Prague is lucky to have them. 

OK. 

Alexander Zaitchik is now at letters@pill.cz

8 November 29—December 12, , 2002 the prague pill 

Infernal 

Combustion 

Feature 

Six local revolutionaries 

envision a world 

without cars. 

By Alexander Zaitchik 

Once upon a more innocent time, 

everybody loved cars. They were 

modern democratic marvels: 

compressors of space and time that 

meant freedom and status the way 

unfiltered Luckies meant flavor and 

health. Tram tracks were ripped up 

per orders of General Motors and car 

culture was institutionalized in the 

name of progress ñ street by street ñ 

from Pasadena to Paris. 

As long as the Model-T got within 

reach of the little guy, nobody cared. 

The few crotchety intellectuals ranting 

on the sidelines went unheard by 

a public that had the radio up and 

the windows down until well past 

mid-century. 

In the 1960s, the carís image finally 

started to sputter. The ranks of social 

critics targeting the automobile grew, 

and public debates sparked wherever 

the car had transformed life in its 

image. Smog blankets, traffic stress, 

industrial levels of violent death on 

the highways, the withering of downtown 

business districts and community 

life generally ñ all were attacked as 

the insidious shadow of King Car. 

Today, those early counterculture 

catcalls sound quaint. The most urgent 

and damning critique of the car is now 

made by evidence of encroaching climate 

change caused by the worldís 

massive, growing and continuously 

polluting fleet of vehicles. More than 

just a ìquality of lifeî issue, questioning 

car culture has become part of humanityís 

fight for survival. 

In 2003, criticizing cars is an article 

of faith across the green-left spectrum, 

from Greenpeace to Reclaim the 

Streets. But the group with the most 

laser-like focus on ìautomobilityî is 

the local one with the funny name: 

Car Busters, a busy little Prague-based 

outfit with a single-minded dedication 

The latest issue of Car Busters magazine argues that driving 

is bad for your health. 

to stopping the onward march of car 

culture around the world. In a 

cramped, flyer-filled office near the 

Straönicka metro station in Prague 10, 

their staff of six quietly burn through 

a slew of ongoing projects. They crank 

out a quarterly magazine and a 

monthly bulletin, help co-ordinate 

anti-car actions worldwide, and maintain 

a website (www.carbusters.org) 

featuring a multilingual resource center 

and a contact directory for activists 

and policy makers. 

The English-language magazine 

currently has a circulation of 3,000, 

with a Czech version in the works. The 

latest issue features articles on the 

physical health effects of drive-thru 

culture and a round-up of Car-Free 

City days on four continents, 

together with the usual cartoons 

and scalding gallows 

humor found in the justifiably 

worried world of environmental 

activism. 

In its six years of life, Car 

Busters has employed French, 

Romanian, Finnish, Canadian, 

German and Australian 

activists. The current staff 

includes two Brits, two Czechs 

and two Americans. 

Fittingly, the two Yanks are 

from California, in many ways 

car cultureís ground zero. It 

was in the American West that 

freeways, roadside diners and 

towns centered around intersections 

first bloomed. This is 

the world Randy Ghent grew 

up in, and heís already spent 

half his life trying to change 

it. 

The 30-year-old Ghent is a 

veteran activist and Car 

Bustersí last remaining 

founding member. He first 

entered green politics fighting 

to save the redwoods in 

Northern California in the ë80s and 

has since built a long war-record of 

international activism and journalism, 

including work with the Alliance 

for Paving Moratorium and regular 

contributions to Auto Free Times and 

Adbusters, for which he was European 

correspondent. In 1997 he attended 

Car Bustersí founding conference at 

Lyon and stayed on. In 2000, he 

helped the organization set up shop 

in Prague, where cheap rent and low 

printing costs facilitate its work with 

activists in Central and Eastern 

Europe. 

Ask the soft-spoken Ghent what he 

has against cars and heíll take a 

breath before warning that the subject 

is bigger than a sound bite. A lot 

bigger, in fact. 

ìCars are the largest source of pollution 

and environmental destruction 

in the world. Almost half of all petroleum 

is consumed by cars ñ a major 

impetus for the looming war in Iraq. 

Half of the toxic air pollution, a third 

of the smog and at least a third of all 

greenhouse gasses are [also] produced 

by cars.î 

Less discussed, Ghent says, is the 

automobileís role in deforming the 

urban environment, replacing ìhighquality 

pedestrian habitatî with cold 

and dangerous speed corridors. 

Illustrating this point, Ghent compares 

the charming maze of medieval 

streets, passages, marketplaces and 

public squares in Old Town to the relative 

emptiness of Legerova near I.P. 

Pavlova or Olöanska in éiûkov. 

ìTraditionally streets and public 

space in general were just as much for 

social interaction as movement, and 

space devoted purely to movement was 

considered wasted and kept to a minimum, 

like hallways in homes. There 

wasnít this singular obsession with getting 

elsewhere as fast as possible, which 

has been reinforced by planning 

They all have deep 

experience organizing 

events in conference 

centers and on the 

streets. All are dead 

serious about ending the 

Auto Age. 

departments bending over backward 

to accommodate the car. On Legerova 

you have to jump over a three-foot 

metal barricade just to cross the street. 

What kind of public life can grow in a 

place like that [And] when people are 

isolated in speeding metal boxes and 

living in dreary neighborhoods emptied 

of places worth visiting, they end 

up alienated, stressed and depressed, 

lacking a sense of community or a 

sense of place. Their social support 

network has failed them, because it 

canít co-exist with an environment 

built for and around automobiles.î 

Here in the Czech Republic, 

Ghent says, you can see the effects 

everywhere. 

ìAll of these little villages that used 

to be one-street villages now have this 

thoroughfare. If you look at a lot of 

old pictures of cities, you see how they 

were more about community life and 

less for movement. There was less 

alienation and loneliness. Just by 

going out of your front door you 

could have spontaneous exchanges 

with people.î 

Even the slickest auto-industry 

flacks would dread debating these 

guys. Every member of the Car 

Busters collective is battle-hardened 

and can attack car culture on multiple 

fronts with expertise. They all 

have deep experience organizing 

events in conference centers and on 

the streets. All are dead serious 

about ending the Auto Age. 

Thirty-four-year-old Jason Kirkpatrick 

is a former city councilman 

from the progressive city of Arcata, 

California, and a star organizer 

brought in to handle Car Bustersí 

third biannual ìToward Car-Free 

Citiesî conference, to be held in 

Prague next month. Seventy-five international 

activists representing transportation 

campaign groups in Europe 

plan to attend, with four events open 

to the public. 

Like Ghent, Kirkpatrick is a walking 

PR machine for the car-free cause. 

Stats and studies fly from his mouth 

like sparks off a Benz in a chop shop. 

Give him a minute and heíll explain 

why car-free cities are better for small 

businesses. Give him two and heíll tell 

you why theyíre better for everything 

from the common cold to the local 

water table. 

ìIf you have to walk down a street, 

youíre likely to go to two or three 

stores,î he says. ìBut get out of your 

car and youíll shop at just one. The 

amount of retail space a city loses to 

parking spaces is enormous, and jobs 

and revenue are lost. This is a gigantic 

economic impact. In wealthy 

Amsterdam, 29 percent of trips are by 

bicycle, the highest among big cities in 

Europe.î 

Ghent politely interrupts to mention 

a recent study of 30 German 

towns. It seems that those with the 

most pedestrian zones have lower 

unemployment and a bigger tax base. 

Car Busters is funded by its members, 

subscribers and a hodgepodge


Prague’s 

favorite 

English-language 

bookshop. 

Real books only. 

Týn 4, Prague 1 

Tel: 224 895 737 

fax: 224 895 738 

e-mail: anagram@terminal.cz 

www.anagram.cz 

Busting makes them feel good: Prague’s anti-auto crusaders show off some of their handiwork. 

of grants. The upcoming Prague conference 

is partially underwritten by 

the EU, the Council of Europe and a 

sprinkling of Rockefeller crumbs. 

Like any ragtag NGO, Car Bustersí 

cash situation is rarely stable for long. 

ìWe used to get money from the 

Foundation for Deep Ecology,î says 

Ghent. ìBut their priorities changed 

and now theyíre buying forests in 

Chile.î 

Finding money is complicated by 

the admittedly radical nature of the 

Car Busters platform, but Ghent says 

the frankness and range of the 

groupís voice is what makes it so 

important as a clearinghouse for 

ideas and exchange between activists. 

ìWe have the luxury of being radical 

and provocative since we arenít 

involved directly in politics,î he says. 

ìIn fact, thatís a large part of our 

appeal. People feel weíre like a breath 

of fresh air because we donít temper 

our language to please those in power. 

This is why our website has over 300 

hits a day while larger, institutionalized 

groups ñ which tend to bore people 

with meaningless buzzwords like 

ësustainable mobilityí ñ have a hard 

time building a grass-roots following.î 

In a political atmosphere where 

environmental activism is sometimes 

equated with terrorism, isnít the 

image of ìcar bustingî a little . . . violent 

ìWe expect ëCar Bustersí to be 

taken more figuratively than literally,î 

says Ghent. ìWe raise radical 

questions and advocate a full range 

of effective nonviolent tactics, but we 

donít actually go around telling people 

to smash cars aside from their 

own. And an old car can be converted 

into a nice big artsy flower 

planter, so thereís no need to let our 

aggressive sides take over.î 

In other words, they arenít tied to 

al-Qaeda. In fact, Car Busters publicly 

denied responsibility for the 

December sinking of 3,000 luxury 

BMWs, Volvos and Saabs in the 

English Channel. As a cheeky publicity 

stunt, they plan to repeat the 

proclamation whenever natural disasters 

end up destroying large numbers 

of automobiles. 

Despite the caustic cartoons and 

attempt to stigmatize car owners by 

establishing Autoholics Anonymous 

chapters around the world (one of 

the groupís latest side projects), 

Pragueís Car Busters are hard-core 

realists, working for incremental 

change as they push radical ideas 

ahead of the inevitable policy lag. 

Pillorying fat people in the West who 

drive SUVs isnít going to save the 

world, and they know that. 

This week-long conference will bring 

together people from across Europe 

and beyond who are actively promoting 

alternatives to car dependence and 

car culture. Locals are invited on 

Tuesday, March 18th, to hear international 

speakers at Kino Aero, 

Prague 3. Featured presenters include 

J. H. Crawford (author of Carfree 

Cities, editor of Carfree.com), John 

Whitelegg (editor of World Transport 

Policy & Practice), and Lars Gemzoe 

They also know that the real challenge 

isnít even in the West. The 

number of cars in the developing 

world is exploding, and convincing 

planners in those countries that the 

Western model is costly and destructive 

is a Car Busters priority. Although 

most of their contacts and projects 

involve the West, all of their work is 

done with an eye toward influencing 

global developments. 

According to Kirkpatrick and 

Ghent, gleams of hope are breaking 

through the smog in poor countries, 

and both tell stories of working with 

transport officials around the developing 

world, especially in Asia, 

where mega-cities of tens of millions 

of people make the US model a suicidal 

impossibility. 

“In the Czech Republic, 

EU membership will 

mean reduced pollution 

[from some sources], 

but also highways 

everywhere at the 

expense of trains.” 

Richard Lane, a 24-year-old Car 

Buster from Sussex, England, stresses 

that news from poorer countries is 

more mixed than people think. 

ìMore Third World planners are coming 

over [to Europe] to watch and get 

involved in car-free days,î he says. 

ìWe always hear about the new 

highways and the KFC drive-thrus. 

There are the stories that in Jakarta 

theyíre seizing rickshaws and throwing 

them away, which is true, but itís 

also true that itís the past mayor of 

Bogot· [Colombia] that has given us 

the best model for the developing 

world by making Bogot·ís car-free the 

biggest in the world, coupled with an 

ambitious long-term [plan] to chase 

the car out of this city of 6 million. 

Heís currently in West Africa talking 

to local officials. Once you have one 

good model, it can really take off 

exponentially.î 

Car Busters doesnít put much 

hope in the cleaner cars now being 

introduced in the West, such as 

hyper-efficient ìsmartî cars and 

hybrid-fuel models. 

ìIf these [cleaner] cars were 

Car-Free Cities III March 17th – 22nd 

(co-author of New City Spaces and 

Public Spaces – Public Life). Food 

and presentations are from noon until 

5 p.m. Books (in Czech and English) 

will be available for signings. A 

Transport Activism Video Night will take 

place at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 

19th at Toulcuv Dvůr Ekologické 

Centrum, hosted by Car Busters and 

the Czech Indymedia Centre 

(http://prague.indymedia.org/). 

The regular monthly Cyclojízda 

replacing the cars that exist it would 

be one thing, but thatís not whatís 

happening,î says Ghent. ìAnd of 

course, clean cars do nothing to 

address the worsening quality of the 

urban environment or the continuing 

carnage on the roads ñ thatís 

over 1 million people killed and 10 

million injured every year. More than 

twice as many people have died since 

1900 in US car collisions as have 

been killed in all the wars in US history. 

In the global South, the figures 

are even more alarming.î 

Here in Europe, contradictory 

trends abound, with green shoots 

sprouting amidst galaxies of freshly 

laid asphalt. 

ì[Europe] is moving simultaneously 

in both directions,î says Ghent. 

ìThere will be more roads, more cars, 

a lot of [suburban] development. 

Here in the Czech Republic, EU 

membership will mean reduced pollution 

[from some sources], but also 

highways everywhere at the expense 

of trains, which seem destined for further 

cutbacks and perhaps privatization, 

which is now destroying whatís 

left of Britainís passenger rail system. 

ìTailpipe emissions per vehicle 

will improve, but even these gains 

may be cancelled out by rising car 

ownership.î 

In the face of this avalanche of 

exhaust, what does Car Busters have 

planned for the future 

ìWe want to decentralize the organization,î 

Ghent says. ìIn next 

monthís conference we want to get to 

the point where more people can do 

things independent of Car Busters. 

We work with a lot of international 

groups and individuals, from groups 

like Car-Free Russia and Road Alert 

UK to others like Institute for 

Transportation and Development 

Policy, based in New York City. People 

give us info and we pass it on through 

our magazine and bulletin, but we 

want to develop a stronger network of 

groups around the world.î 

For now, Pragueís Car Busters 

know that the worldís car population, 

already over 500 million, grows 

every day. They know the major car 

makers are building bigger and 

more wasteful cars and that millions 

of people still want to buy them. 

When asked if they have any hope 

against hope, Ghent volunteers the 

sober observation that things will get 

worse before they get better. 

ìOf course,î he says, ìthey are 

always doing both.î 

Alexander Zaitchik is at letters@pill.cz 

(Critical Mass bike ride) leaves from 

Jiřího z Poděbrad at 6 p.m. on 

Thursday, March 20th 

(http://jizdy.cyklopraha.cz). 

On Friday, March 21th at 7:30 

p.m. is the Car Busters Spring 

Equinox Benefit Concert/Closing 

Party, in Malá Strana below the 

Prague Castle at historic Baráčnická 

Rychta, featuring the lively Původní 

Bureš (CZ) and special guests. 

More information can be found at 

http://www.carbusters.org/conference, 

or by phoning 274-810-849. 

Virus Video 

Prague’s unofficial film school 

Virus Video, Templová 8 (next to Marquis de Sade). Tel.: 0607 508 933


FILm 

Manchester United 

The snorts, sounds and scum of Factory Records’ heydey. 

Review by Sam Beckwith 

One eight-ball, please: Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan) takes a break from breaking the Manchester scene. 

24-Hour Party People 

Directed by Michael Winterbottom 

Written by Frank Cottrell Boyce 

Starring Steve Coogan, Shirley 

Henderson, Paddy Considine 

Early in 24-Hour Party People, 

Factory Records boss Tony 

Wilson (Steve Coogan) finds his 

wife having sex with The Buzzcocksí 

Steve Shelley in a nightclub toilet. Itís 

not a shock; Wilson has already 

warned us, in an aside to the camera, 

that this is going to happen. 

What comes next is a surprise: 

Coogan-as-Wilson introduces the real 

Howard Devoto, bandmate of the 

real Shelley in the real Buzzcocks. 

Devoto interrupts this purported 

account of the real lives of real people 

to note that the scene weíve just 

seen did not take place. By way of 

I Suck 

Eddie Murphy and Owen 

Wilson go down together. 

Review by Andy Markowitz 

I Spy 

Directed by Betty Thomas 

Written by Marianne and Cormac 

Wibberley, Jay Scherick, David Ronn 

Starring Eddie Murphy, Owen Wilson 

Whatís drearier than two gifted, 

savvy performers marking time 

in a leaden buddy flick Two 

gifted, savvy performers marking 

time as cheery apologists for Mr. 

Bushís War. 

Nominally based on a 1960s U.S. TV 

show, I Spy offers up a few laughs, 

because even sleepwalking Eddie 

Murphy can loot that much from his 

store of aging tricks. But theyíre 

drowned, like Murphy and co-star 

Owen Wilson, in a backwash of sour 

cynicism. 

The original I Spy was 

notable for featuring a black 

co-protagonist (played by 

Bill Cosby) whose blackness 

was incidental. Here itís integral 

ñ itís straight-up salt and 

pepper as Murphyís swaggering 

boxer Kelly 

Robinson is improbably 

enlisted (by GWB himself) 

to team up with Wilsonís 

Alex Scott, an agent with 

the, uh, ìBureau of National 

Security.î The mission: Lay 

hands on an invisible 

response, Wilson quotes famed film 

director John Ford to the effect that 

given a choice between fact and legend, 

heíll always choose legend. 

This pomo playfulness is both typical 

of 24-Hour Party People and true to 

the spirit of its subject, the relentlessly 

self-mythologizing Manchester music 

scene of the 1980s. Creating legend 

out of fact was Manchester music-makersí 

way of circumventing the wealth 

and power of Londonís cultural dominance, 

and no one self-mythologized 

more energetically than Wilson. For all 

its winking warnings that much of what 

we are seeing is exaggerated or simply 

made-up, 24-Hour Party People captures 

the feel of the sceneís wildest years. 

Interestingly, the film chooses to 

retell the rise and fall of Wilsonís maverick 

indie label as a broad comedy. 

Itís an unusual approach given that 

the Factory story involves two deaths 

bomber (yep) before a Budapest-based 

villain (human skeleton Malcolm 

McDowell) can auction if off to 

whichever brown or yellow person 

wants baddest to blow the shit out of 

America. High-tech spook Scott brings 

the toys while Robinson brings the 

bling, whether taunting neanderthal 

whiteys in the ring or ñ get this ñ coaching 

his feckless paleface partner on getting 

it on with a leggy colleague. 

Thatís a good sign of the laziness on 

display here (although Murphy 

prompting Wilson through an earpiece 

to recite ìSexual Healingî to his crush 

is kinda funny), and the buddy-bonding 

and action sequences are staged 

with slack indifference. Murphy barely 

breaks a sweat, but Wilson strains visibly 

to invest the movie with a modicum of 

the smart/dumb cool he brought to 

Zoolander and The Royal Tenenbaums, as 

if trying to convince us (or himself) 

that something other than sheer 

opportunism lured the crafty 

writer/actor of Tenenbaums and Rushmore 

into this tower of crap. 

Similarly, the movie itself grasps for a 

playful, self-mocking tone ñ the super 

agents bicker! The super gizmos break! 

ñ but there isnít any genuine satire 

here, or even farce, just George Bushís 

picture in the paper at the end. Dopey 

as they can get, the Austin Powers 

movies recognize spy-flick 

tropes as inherently ridiculous 

and treat them accordingly. 

I Spy wants credit for 

snarkiness while enlisting 

without a trace of irony to 

fight the Axis of Evil. 

Hollywood toeing the 

Washington line is nothing 

new, but this flippant, fauxhip 

reactionary-lite is somehow 

scarier than a halfdozen 

Schwarzenegger 

blitzkriegs. And not nearly 

as entertaining. ■ 

and a heavy dose of heartbreak. That 

it works is mainly due to a well-judged 

performance by comedian Coogan, 

who plays Wilson as a posturing but 

likable buffoon. In Cooganís hands 

(with help from screenwriter Frank 

Cottrall Boyce), Wilsonís all-too 

human frailties constantly undercut 

his pretensions. Between quoting 

obscure philosophers and expounding 

on his grand schemes, he worries 

about the size of his hips. 

A Cambridge graduate schooled in 

situationist and postmodern theory, 

Wilson returns to Manchester in the 

mid-70s to work in local television but 

finds himself inspired by punkís DIY 

ethic. (The movieís thematic if not literal 

starting point is a famed pair of 

1976 Sex Pistols shows in Manchester 

attended by Wilson, Morrissey, and 

future members of Joy Division, The 

Buzzcocks, and Simply Red.) In his 

From the Vault: Classic Films Coming Soon 

Lolita (1962) 

Directed by Stanley Kubrick 

Written by Vladimir Nabokov 

Starring James Mason, Shelley 

Winters, Sue Lyon, Peter Sellers 

Early Kubrick with a script by the 

novelist, this Lolita is less tawdry 

and more textured than the original. 

Humbert Humbert is the 

quintessential European in 

America, aghast at all the 

philistines yet tempted by his landladyís 

teenage daughter. He spouts 

poetry and she sips malts; then the 

lights dim, and no, you never see 

little ëLo naked. The film has 

weaker moments (especially the 

interminable driving scenes) but is 

worth the price of admission if 

spare time Wilson starts Factory as a 

club night to showcase local bands 

then graduates to releasing records. 

Wilsonís unlikely double life ñ TV 

personality by day, rock impresario by 

night ñ is used to good comic effect. 

When heís not building his music 

empire, Wilson earns his living reporting 

on the likes of sheep-herding geese 

and geriatric canal workers. Eventually, 

of course, the two worlds collide and 

things get messy ñ and painfully funny, 

as when a coked-up Wilson tries to 

make pre-interview small talk with a 

stuffy government minister. 

The light tone is surprisingly effective 

when it comes to the filmís most 

saddening subplot, the tale of seminal 

Factory band Joy Division. Lead 

singer/writer Ian Curtis, whose songs 

For all its winking 

warnings that much of 

what we are seeing is 

exaggerated or simply 

made up, 24-Hour Party 

People captures the feel 

of the scene’s wildest 

years. 

of alienation and heartbreak helped 

define Brit postpunk, hung himself 

just before Joy Divisionís first U.S. 

tour. Boyce and director Michael 

Winterbottom resist the temptation 

to turn Curtis (Sean Harris, suitably 

frail and intense) into a tragic rock 

cliche. Taking its cue from Curtisí 

ambiguous suicide note (ìAt this very 

moment I just wish I were dead.î), the 

film offers no easy explanation why 

the 23-year-old killed himself, eschewing 

melodrama in favor of bittersweet 

comedy. Wilson is filming a typically 

lightweight news item about a town 

only for Peter Sellers. Here, in his 

first recorded German-English 

role, Sellers as Dr. Zempf sets out 

the persona he would later perfect 

in Dr. Strangelove. Itís brilliant. 

Vatch dis movie, vill you, 

liebchen 

■ February 20th at éelezn· at 5:30 

The Tin Drum (1979) 

Directed by Volker Schlöndorff 

Written by Jean-Claude Carričre and 

Günter Grass. Starring Mario Adorf, 

Anglea Winkler and David Bennent 

Based on one of the greatest novels 

of post-war Germany, The Tin 

Drum, or Die Blechtrommel, is ostensibly 

the story of young Oskar 

Matzerath of Danzig. Acutally, it is 

the story of the whole of Nazi 

Germany. Matzerath, a strange 

prodigy who refuses to grow up, 

soon rejects everything around 

him ó his middle-class values, his 

parents, his society and his intellect. 

His only response to the horror 

mounting around him is to 

drum on his eponymous drum, on 

the tinny hollowness of his 

nationís soul. 

■ Thursday February 13th at 

Unijazz at 7:00 

crier when he learns that his star has 

hung himself. Though shaken, he 

persuades the town crier to spread 

the news of Curtisís death, and incorporates 

this into his report. Itís a tasteless, 

even exploitative gesture, but an 

oddly moving one. 

Strangely, the reinvention of Joy 

Division as revolutionary electronic/dance 

band New Order following 

Curtisís death gets short shrift in 24- 

Hour Party People, despite being one 

of the most musically significant 

chapters of the Factory saga. 

Instead, Winterbottom fast-forwards 

to the Ecstasy-fuelled ìMadchesterî 

scene of the late 1980s, when 

Factoryís Hacienda club became a 

dance music Mecca and guitar 

bands such as Happy Mondays and 

The Stone Roses made it into the 

mainstream with a distinctive mix of 

indie rock and dance beats. The 40- 

something Wilson ultimately 

became an unlikely spokesman for 

the rave generation. 

As Factoryís ambitions grow, 

though, so do the losses, leaving the 

company increasingly dependent on 

Happy Mondays just as Happy 

Mondays become increasingly dependent 

on hard drugs. (The band 

spends the money that Wilson sends 

them on crack.) Ultimately, Factory 

falls apart, victimized by the same disregard 

for standard music-biz procedure 

that made the label unique: 

Bands were given complete creative 

control, half the revenues, and handshake 

agreements that allowed them 

to walk away at any time. 

When the money ran out, most of 

them did, and Factoryís attempt to 

challenge the British music sceneís 

status quo ended in failure. Despite 

the unhappy ending, 24-Hour Party 

People is an effective reminder of the 

ambition and idealism of a record 

label that lived fast, died young, and 

left a great soundtrack. 

Sam Beckwith can be reached at 

letters@pill.cz 

The Great Dictator (1940) 

Directed by Charles Chaplin. 

Written by Charles Chaplin. 

Starring Charles Chaplin, Paulette 

Goddard, Jack Oakie. 

It did not escape notice in the 

1930s that the worldís most 

despised dictator looked eerily like 

its most popular entertainer. 

Charlie Chaplin made the most of 

the resemblance, using the occasion 

of his first full-fledged talkie 

to abandon the beloved Little 

Tramp to actually play Hitler (as 

well as a persecuted Jewish barber). 

The result is a flawed but 

deeply felt satire that still astonishes 

with its balletic slapstick, 

inspired silliness (especially when 

Chaplinís ìAdenoid Hynkelî duels 

with Jack Oakieís Mussolinimanque), 

and a generous humanism 

that gave Red-baiters an 

excuse to hound Chaplin for years 

to come. Self-indulgent, sentimental, 

but still stirring. 

■ Friday February 14th at Kino 

MAT at 6 and 8:30


Pill Kino Listings 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 

Aero: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Naqoyqatsi (no dialogue, documentary) 

at 5:30, The Idiots (Dan) at 7:30, Amarcord (It) at 10 

Blaník: Kameňák (Cz) at 4:30, 7 and 9:30 

Budějovická: Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (Cz dub) at 3:15, 

Amelie (Fr) at 5:30, My Big Fat Greek Wedding at 8 and 10 

Dlabačov: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Amadeus at 6 and 8:45 

Eden: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 5:30 and 8 

Edison: My Big Fat Greek Wedding at 4:30 and 8:30, Láska shora 

(Cz) at 6:30 

Evald: The Man Without a Past (Fin) at 5, 7:15 and 9:30 

Evropa: He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not (Fr) at 5:30, Vidocq (Fr) 

at 7, Road to Perdition at 8 

Hvězda: Girlie (Cz, Slov) at 11 am, 4:30 and 7, Ten Minutes Older: 

The Trumpet at 2 and 9 

Illusion: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 5 and 8 

Jalta: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring at 4:30, 

Girlie (Cz, Slov) at 7:15, Die Another Day at 9 

KC Zahrada: short Jan Švankmajer´s animated movies - J.S. Bach: 

Fantasia G-moll, The Fall of the House of Usher, A Quiet 

Week in the House (Cz) at 5:30 and 8 

Kotva: Girlie (Cz, Slov) at 11 am and 7, Year of the Devil (Cz) at 2 

and 9:30, Shrek (animated) at 4:30, Big Lebowski at 11:30 

Lucerna: The Guru at 11 am, 4:30 and 7, Once Upon a Time in the 

Midlands at 2 and 9 

Mat: Monty Python´s Life of Brian at 6, The Brats (Cz, English 

subtitles) at 8:30 

Morava: Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (Cz dub) at 5:30, 

Minority Report at 8 

Oko: Black Cat, White Cat (Serbo-Croat) at 7, My Big Fat Greek 

Wedding at 9:30, Acid House at midnight 

Ořechovka: Talk to Her (Sp) at 5:30 and 8 

Perštýn: Fimfarum (Cz, animated) at 5, Naqoyqatsi (no dialogue, 

documentary) at 7:30 and 10 

Ponrepo: Milan Klikar´s films (Cz) at 5:30 

Praha: Bend It Like Beckham at 1:45 and 6:30, Talk to Her (Sp) 

at 2, 7 and 11:30, The Ignorant Fairies (It, Turk) at 4, He 

Loves Me... He Loves Me Not (Fr) at 4:30 and 9:30, 

Mulholland Drive at 9, Wings of Desire (Ger) at 11:15 

Rock Café-Kino 63: Harrison´s Flowers at 7:30 

Světozor: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 10:45 am, 2, 

5:15 and 8:30, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Cz 

dub) at 11 am, 3 and 6, Heaven at 9 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 

Aero: Treasure Planet (Cz dub, animated) at 3:30, Projekt 100/ 

2003 - Brazil at 5:30, The Idiots (Dan) at 8, Blow-Up at 10:30 

Blaník: Kameňák (Cz) at 2, 4:30, 7 and 9:30 

Budějovická: Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (Cz dub) at 1 and 3:15, 

Amelie (Fr) at 5:30, My Big Fat Greek Wedding at 8 and 10 

Dlabačov: Quo Vadis (Pol) at 5 and 8 



(Cz) at 6:30 


Evropa: Treasure Planet (Cz dub, animated) at 3, He Loves Me... He 

Loves Me Not (Fr) at 5:30, Vidocq (Fr) at 7, Road to Perdition at 8 



Illusion: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 2, 5 and 8 



Kotva: Stuart Little 2 (Cz dub, animated) at 11 am and 2, Shrek 

(animated) at 4:30, Girlie (Cz, Slov) at 7, Year of the Devil 

(Cz) at 9:30, Big Lebowski at 11:30 





Morava: Amadeus at 5 and 8 

Oko: Treasure Planet (Cz dub, animated) at 2:30, Kieslowski - 

Camera Buff (Pol) at 4:30, A Short Film About Love (Pol) at 

7, Three Colors: Red (Fr) at 9:30, Acid House at midnight 




Praha: Bend It Like Beckham at 1:45 and 6:30, Talk to Her (Sp) 

at 2, 7 and 11:30, The Ignorant Fairies (It, Turk) at 4, He 

Loves Me... He Loves Me Not (Fr) at 4:30 and 9:30, 

Mulholland Drive at 9, Wings of Desire (Ger) at 11:15 

Rock Café-Kino 63: The Piano Teacher (Fr) at 7:30 




SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9 

Aero: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Late Night Talks with Mother (Cz) at 6, 

Blow-Up at 8:30 

Blaník: Kameňák (Cz) at 2, 4:30, 7 and 9:30 

Budějovická: Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (Cz dub) at 1 and 

3:15, Amelie (Fr) at 5:30, My Big Fat Greek Wedding at 8 

Delta: Sex and Lucia (Sp) at 5:30 and 8 

Dlabačov: Quo Vadis (Pol) at 5 and 8 



(Cz) at 6:30 


Evropa: Treasure Planet (Cz dub, animated) at 3, He Loves Me... He 

Loves Me Not (Fr) at 5:30, Vidocq (Fr) at 7, Road to Perdition at 8 



Illusion: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 2, 5 and 8 



Kotva: Stuart Little 2 (Cz dub, animated) at 11 am, Cats and Dogs 

(Cz dub, animated) at 1:30, Shrek (animated) at 4:30, Girlie 

(Cz, Slov) at 7, Year of the Devil (Cz) at 9:30 





Morava: Spy Kids: Island of Lost Dreams (Cz dub) at 5:30, 24 

Hour Party People at 8 

Oko: Z devatera pohádek (Cz, animated) at 2:30, Kieslowski - 

Blind Chance (Pol) at 4:30, Three Colors: Blue (Fr) at 7, A 

Short Film About Killing (Pol) at 9:30 




Praha: Big Lebowski at 1:45 and 6:30, Talk to Her (Sp) at 2 and 

7, The Ignorant Fairies (It, Turk) at 4, He Loves Me... He 

Loves Me Not (Fr) at 4:30 and 9:30, Mulholland Drive at 9 




MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10 

Aero: Fimfarum (Cz, animated) at 6, Everything You Always 

Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask at 8:30 

Bio Roxy: Pointing - documentary on graffiti (Cz) at 8 



Amelie (Fr) at 5:30, My Big Fat Greek Wedding at 8 

Delta: Earth (Sp) at 5:30 and 8 

Dlabačov: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Naqoyqatsi (no dialogue, documentary) 

at 6 and 8 


Edison: Van Wilder at 5:30 and 8 

Evald: Italian for Beginners (Dan) at 5, 7:15 and 9:30 



The Hungarian Culture Institute: The Criminal and the Lady (Pol) at 5:30 







and 9:30, Kandahar at 4:30 



Mat: The Shawshank Redemption at 6, The Brats (Cz, English 


Morava: 24 Hour Party People at 7:30 and 8 

Oko: The Draughtsman´s Contract at 7, Monsoon Wedding at 9:30 

Ořechovka: The Man Without a Past (Fin) at 5:30 and 8 



Ponrepo: Cirkus bude (Cz) at 5:30, The Way Through the Bleak 

Woods (Cz) at 8 

Praha: Before Night Falls at 1:45 and 6:30, Talk to Her (Sp) at 2 

and 7, Chocolat at 4, He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not (Fr) 

at 4:30 and 9:30, Amores perros (Sp) at 9 

Rock Café-Kino 63: One World 2003 Festival (previews, call for program) 

at 7 




TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11 

Aero: Death in Venice (It) at 6, Stalker (Rus) at 8:30 




Delta: Intact (Sp) at 5:30 and 8 

Dlabačov: Projekt 100/ 2003 - The Idiots (Dan) at 6 and 8:15 






The French Institute: The Town Is Quiet (Fr) at 7:30 






Kotouč Film Club: Monster´s Ball at 8:30 







Morava: Amelie (Fr) at 5:30 and 8 

Oko: Last Tango in Paris (Fr) at 7, Sex and Lucia (Sp) at 9:30 




Ponrepo: The New Mission of Judex I. (Fr, silent) at 5:30, The New 

Mission of Judex II. (Fr, silent) at 8 

Praha: Baraka (no dialogue, documentary) at 1:45 and 6:30, Talk 

to Her (Sp) at 2 and 7, Chocolat at 4, He Loves Me... He 

Loves Me Not (Fr) at 4:30 and 9:30, Amores perros (Sp) at 9 

Rock Café-Kino 63: The Closet (Fr) at 7:30 




WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12 

Aero: Baraka (no dialogue, documentary) at 3:30 and 6, The 

Grande Bouffe (Fr) at 8:30 


British Council: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at 5 



Delta: Intact (Sp) at 5:30 and 8 

Dlabačov: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Late Night Talk with Mother (Cz) at 

6 and 8 




Evropa: He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not (Fr) at 5:30, The Waiting 

List (just in Spanish) at 6, Road to Perdition at 8 

The French Institute: The Town Is Quiet (Fr) at 7:30 




The Italian Culture Institute: Macaroni (It) at 6:30 



KC Kaštan: Courage for Every Day (Cz) at 8 







Morava: Amelie (Fr) at 3 

Oko: The Ignorant Fairies (It, Turk) at 7, The Piano Teacher (Fr) at 

9:30, Human Traffic at midnight 




Ponrepo: The New Mission of Judex III. (Fr, silent) at 5:30, Lesní 

chodci (Cz) at 8 

Praha: Baraka (no dialogue, documentary) at 1:45 and 6:30, Talk 

to Her (Sp) at 2 and 7, Chocolat at 4, He Loves Me... He 

Loves Me Not (Fr) at 4:30 and 9:30, Amores perros (Sp) at 9 

Rock Café-Kino 63: Prague Stories (Cz) at 7:30 




THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13 

Blaník: Catch Me If You Can at 4:30, 7 and 9:30 

Budějovická: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Cz dub) at 

2 and 5, Extreme Ops at 8 

Dlabačov: Monster´s Ball at 6 and 8 

Eden: Die Another Day at 5:30 and 8:30 

Edison: K-19: The Widowmaker at 5:30 and 8 

Evald: The Samsara (Tibetan) at 5 and 8 

The French Institute: Late August, Early September (Fr, English subtitles) 

at 7:30 

The Hungarian Culture Institute: The Real America (Hung) at 6 

Hvězda: Intact (Sp) at 11 am, 4:30 and 9, Girlie (Cz, Slo) at 2 and 7 

Illusion: We Children from Bahnhof Zoo (Ger) at 6 and 8:30 


Kameňák (Cz) at 5:15 and 6:55, Heaven at 9 

Kotouč Film Club: Blind Chance (Pol) at 8:30 

Kotva: He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not (Fr) at 11 am and 7, Spy Kids 

2: Island of Lost Dreams (Cz dub) at 2, 8 Women (Fr) at 4:30 

Lucerna: Once Upon a Time in the Midlands at 11 am and 9, Euro 

Pudding (Fr, Sp) at 2, 4:30 and 7 

Mat: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But 

Were Afraid to Ask at 6 and 8:30 

Morava: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Cz dub) at 3, 

40 Days and 40 Nights at 5:30 and 8 

Oko: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 6, Late Night 

Shopping at 9:30, Human Traffic at midnight 

Ořechovka: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Cz dub) at 5, 

Die Another Day at 8 

Perštýn: Cruel Joys (Cz, Slov) at 5, 7:30 and 10 

Praha: My Big Fat Greek Wedding at 1:45 and 9, Amelie (Fr) at 2, 

Baraka (no dialogue, documentary) at 4 and 6:30, Year of 

the Devil (Cz) at 4:30 and 9:30, Útěk do Budína (Cz) at 7 

Rock Café-Kino 63: Amores perros (Sp) at 7:30 

Světozor: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 10:45 am, 2, 5:15 

and 8:30, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Cz dub) at 

10:50, 1:45 and 4:35, Lesní chodci (Cz) at 7:25 and 9:10 

Unijazz: The Tin Drum (Ger) at 7 

Železná: student animated films (Cz) at 6 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 

Aero: 24 Hour Party People at 6, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 

at 8:30, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai at 11 

Blaník: Catch Me If You Can at 2, 4:30, 7 and 9:30 


2 and 5, Extreme Ops at 8 and 10 

Dlabačov: Crouching Tigger, Hidden Dragon at 6 and 8:15 


Edison: K-19: The Widowmaker at 5:30 and 8 


Evropa: Girlie (Cz, Slov) at 5:30, Being Light (Fr) at 7, My Big Fat 

Greek Wedding at 8 


Illusion: We Children from Bahnhof Zoo (Ger) at 6, Projekt 100/ 

2003 - Amarcord (It) at 8:30 



KC Zahrada: Captain Corelli´s Mandolin at 5:30 and 8 

Kotva: He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not (Fr) at 11 am and 7, Spy 

Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (Cz dub) at 2, 8 Women (Fr) 

at 4:30, Monty Python´s The Meaning of Life at 11:30 



Mat: Projekt 100/ 2003 - The Great Dictator at 6 and 8:30 

Modřanský Biograf: official reopening of the cinema after the flood, 

surprise, free entry! at 8:30 


40 Days and 40 Nights at 5:30 and 8 

Oko: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 6, Ghost Dog: The 

Way of the Samurai at 9:30, Human Traffic at midnight 




Ponrepo: The Elusive Summer of ´68 (Serbo-Croat) at 8 


Baraka (no dialogue, documentary) at 4, Year of the Devil 

(Cz) at 4:30, 9:30 and 11:30, Solaris (Rus) at 6:30 and 11, 

Útěk do Budína (Cz) at 7 

Rock Café-Kino 63: Dancer in the Dark at 7:30 




SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 

Aero: How to Fly through 5 Years Or 5 Years in the Air without 

the Layover - celebration of the 5 years of Aero at 7:30 

Blaník: Catch Me If You Can at 2, 4:30, 7 and 9:30 


11 am, 2 and 5, Extreme Ops at 8 and 10 

Dlabačov: My Big Fat Greek Wedding at 5:30 and 8 


Edison: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer´s Stone (Cz sub) at 2:30, K- 

19: The Widowmaker at 5:30, 24 Hour Party People at 8 


Evropa: Return to Never Land (Cz dub, animated) at 3, Girlie (Cz, 

Slov) at 5:30, Being Light (Fr) at 7, My Big Fat Greek 

Wedding at 8 


Illusion: Monsters, Inc. (Cz dub, animated) at 2 and 4, We Children 

from Bahnhof Zoo (Ger) at 6 and 8:30 



Kotva: Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (Cz dub) at 11 am and 2, 

8 Women (Fr) at 4:30 and 9:30, He Loves Me... He Loves Me 

Not (Fr) at 7, Monty Python´s The Meaning of Life at 11:30 



Mat: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Amarcord (It) at 6 and 8:30 

Modřanský Biograf: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 5, 

Rok ďábla (Year of the Devil, Cz, English subtitles) at 8:30 


Bend It Like Beckham at 5:30 and 8 

Oko: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 1:15, Hollywood 

Ending at 4:30, Celebrity at 7, Deconstructing Harry at 9:30, 

Human Traffic at midnight 

Ořechovka: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Cz dub) at 2 

and 5, Die Another Day at 8 



Baraka (no dialogue, documentary) at 4, Year of the Devil 

(Cz) at 4:30, 9:30 and 11:30, Solaris (Rus) at 6:30 and 11, 

Útěk do Budína (Cz) at 7 

Rock Café-Kino 63: The Piano Teacher (Fr) at 7:30 




SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16 

Aero: Italian for Beginners (Dan) at 6, The Ignorant Fairies (It, Turk) at 8:30 



11 am, 2 and 5, Extreme Ops at 8 

Delta: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Blow-Up at 5:30 and 8 

Dlabačov: My Big Fat Greek Wedding at 5:30 and 8 


Edison: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer´s Stone (Cz sub) at 2:30, K- 

19: The Widowmaker at 5:30, 24 Hour Party People at 8 


Evropa: Return to Never Land (Cz dub, animated) at 3, Girlie (Cz, 

Slov) at 5:30, Being Light (Fr) at 7, My Big Fat Greek 

Wedding at 8 


Illusion: Monsters, Inc. (Cz dub, animated) at 2 and 4, We Children 

from Bahnhof Zoo (Ger) at 6 and 8:30 



Kotva: Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (Cz dub) at 11 am and 

1:30, 8 Women (Fr) at 4:30 and 9:30, He Loves Me... He 

Loves Me Not (Fr) at 7 



Mat: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Amadeus at 5 and 8:30 


Rok ďábla (Year of the Devil, Cz, English subtitles) at 8:30 


Bend It Like Beckham at 5:30 and 8 

Oko: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 2, Small Time 

Crooks at 5:30, Everything You Always Wanted to Know 

About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask at 7, The Curse of the 

Jade Scorpion at 9:30 

Ořechovka: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Cz dub) at 2 

and 5, Die Another Day at 8 




the Devil (Cz) at 4:30 and 9:30, Útěk do Budína (Cz) at 7 



dub) at 10:50, 1:45 and 4:35, Lesní chodci at 7:25 and 9:10 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17 

Aero: Black Cat, White Cat (Serbo-Croat) at 6, Underground 

(Serbo-Croat) at 8:30 

Bio Roxy: The Exorcist at 8 




Delta: Projekt 100/ 2003 - The Isle (Korean) at 5:30 and 8 

Dlabačov: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Blow-Up at 6 and 8 


Edison: Road to Perdition at 5:30 and 8 




The Hungarian Culture Institute: Penguin (Pol) at 5:30 







at 4:30 and 9:30 



Mat: Projekt 100/ 2003 - The Milky Way (Fr) at 6 and 8:30 


Wings of Desire (Ger) at 8:30 

Morava: Grill Point (Ger) at 5:30 and 8 

Oko: Italian for Beginners (Dan) at 7, The Lord of the Rings: The 

two Towers at 9:30 




Ponrepo: short Louis Feuillade´s movies (Fr, silent) at 5:30 



the Devil (Cz) at 4:30 and 9:30, Himalaya (Tibetan) at 7 

Rock Café-Kino 63: VideoCulture Fest 2003 - amateur international 

video, young production (14 - 21 years) festival at 4, One 

World 2003 Festival (previews, call for program) at 8 




TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 

Aero: Year of the Devil (Cz) at 6, A Clockwork Orange at 8:30 




Delta: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Naqoyqatsi (no dialogue, documentary) 

at 5:30 and 8 

Dlabačov: Projekt 100/ 2003 - The Great Dictator at 6 and 8:15 






The French Institute: An Outgoing Woman (Fr, English subtitles) at 7:30 





Kotouč Film Club: Bend It Like Beckham at 8:30 

Kotva: He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not (Fr) at 11 am and 7, Spy Kids 2: 

Island of Lost Dreams (Cz dub) at 2, 8 Women (Fr) at 4:30 and 9:30 



Mat: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Blow-Up at 6 and 8:30 


Wings of Desire (Ger) at 8:30 

Morava: Grill Point (Ger) at 5:30 and 8 

Oko: The Man Without s Past (Fin) at 7, The Lord of the Rings: 

The Two Towers at 9:30 




Ponrepo: Magdana´s Donkey (Georgian) + The 19th Century 

Georgian Chronicle (Georgian) at 5:30, Revolt of the 

Fishermen (Rus, English subtitles) at 8 







WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19 

Aero: Monsoon Wedding at 3:15, The Man Without a Past (Fin) at 

5:30, Lesní chodci (Cz) at 8 




Delta: Projekt 100/ 2003 - The Idiots (Dan) at 5:30 and 8 

Dlabačov: Bread and Tulips (It) at 6 and 8 




Evropa: Girlie (Cz, Slov) at 5:30, My Big Fat Greek Wedding at 8 

The French Institute: An Outgoing Woman (Fr, English subtitles) at 7:30 

The Hungarian Culture Institute: Dvanáct křesel (Cz) at 5:30 



The Italian Culture Institute: Splendor (It) at 6:30 



KC Kaštan: Private Torment (Cz) at 8 



at 4:30 and 9:30 



Mat: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Brazil at 5:30 and 8:30 

Modřanský Biograf: Some Secrets (Cz) at 9:30 am, The Lord of the 

Rings: The Two Towers at 5, Wings of Desire (Ger) at 8:30 

Morava: Grill Point (Ger) at 3 

Oko: The Realm of the Senses (Jap) at 7, The Lord of the Rings: 

The Two Towers at 9:30 


24 Hour Party People at 8 


Ponrepo: Jan Švankmajer - Precursors and Conspirators - Georges 

Franju (short movies, Fr) at 5:30, Fantomas (Fr, silent) at 8 




Rock Café-Kino 63: Prague Stories (Cz) at 7:30 




THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20 

Aero: Last Tango in Paris (Fr) at 6, The Man Without a Past (Fin) 

at 8:45 


Budějovická: Treasure Planet (Cz dub, animated) at 3:15, 8 Women 

(Fr) at 5:30, Talk to Her (Sp) at 8 

Dlabačov: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Brazil at 6 and 8:30 

Eden: The Guru at 5:30, Road to Perdition at 8 

Edison: Ice Age (Cz dub, animated) (call for times) 


The French Institute: The Color of Lies (Fr) at 7:30 

The Hungarian Culture Institute: Close to Love (Hung) at 6 

Hvězda: Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, The Guru, Italian for 

Beginners (Dan) (call for times) 

Illusion: Cruel Joys (Slov) at 6 and 8 


Kameňák (Cz) at 7:10 and 9 

Kotouč Film Club: Monsoon Wedding at 8:30 

Kotva: My Big Fat Greek Wedding at 11 am and 7, 24 Hour Party 

People at 2 and 9:30, Amelie (Fr) at 4:30 

Lucerna: Once Upon an Angel, Our Little Town (Cz) (call for times) 

Mat: Projekt 100/ 2003 - Late Night Talks with Mother (Cz) at 6, 

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 8:30 

Modřanský Biograf: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Cz 

dub) at 5, Road to Perdition at 8 

Morava: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones at 5:30, 

Naqoyqatsi (no dialogue, documentary) at 8 

Oko: Being Light at 7, Mulholland Drive at 9:30, Fear and 

Loathing in Las Vegas at midnight 

Ořechovka: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 4:30 and 8 

Perštýn: Heaven at 5 

Ponrepo: Dead of Night at 5:30 

Praha: Girlie (Cz, Slov) at 1:45 and 6:30, Year of the Devil (Cz) at 

2 and 7, Full Frontal at 4, Intact (Sp) at 4:30 and 9:45, 

Some Secrets (Cz) at 9 

Rock Café-Kino 63: Kandahar at 7:30 

Světozor: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Cz dub) at 10:45 

am, 1:40 and 4:30, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 

10:45 am, 2, 5:15 and 8:30, Lesní chodci (Cz) at 7:20 and 9:10 

Unijazz: Sing, Cowboy, Sing (Ger) at 7 

Železná: Lolita at 5:30 

For Palace Cinemas multikino listings, consult www.palacecinemas.cz (English version available) 

VILLAGE CINEMAS ČERNÝ MOST FEB 7—12 

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 10 am, 11 am, 1:20, 4, 5, 

7:30 and 8:30 

Kameňák (Cz) at 10:10 am, 12:10, 2:10, 4:15, 6:20, 8:25 and 10:30 

Extreme Ops at 10:30 am, 12:40, 2:50, 4:55, 7:10 and 9:20 

I Spy at 1, 3:30, 5:40, 7:50 and 10 

The Transporter at 4:10, 6:10, 8:10 and 10:10 

Die Another Day at 10:55 am, 2, 5:05 and 8:05 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Cz dub) at 10:30 am, 2:05 and 6 

Ice Age (Cz dub) at 10:20 am, 12:20 and 2:15 

Sweet Home Alabama at 9:30 

Spy Kids: Island of Lost Dreams (Cz dub) at 10:40 am 

VILLAGE CINEMAS ANDĚL FEB 7—12 

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 10 am, 12:30, 1:30, 4, 

5, 7:40 and 8:30 

I Spy at 10:10 am, 12:10, 2:10, 4:10, 6:10, 8:10 and 10:10 

Kameňák (Cz) at 11:05 am, 1:20, 3:45, 6:05, 8:15 and 10:45 

Extreme Ops at 11:30 am, 1:40, 3:50, 5:55, 8 and 10:10 

The Transporter at 10:55 am, 1, 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30 

Die Another Day at 11 am, 2, 4:40, 7:20 and 10 

My Big Fat Greek Wedding at 10:05 am, 12:05, 5:50, 7:50 and 10:05 

Intact (Sp) at 3:40, 6 and 8:45 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Cz dub) at 10:20 am, 1:50 

and 5:10 

Ice Age (Cz dub) at 10:15 am and 1 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring at 2:10 

Útěk do Budína (Cz) at 8:40 

24 Hour Party People at 3 

CINEMA EUROPA 

Heaven at 2:20, 6:20 and 10:25 (plus at 10:20 am on weekend) 

Naqoyqatsi (no dialogue, documentary) at 12:20, 4:20 and 8:20 

The Pianist at 11:50 am, 4:50 and 7:35 

Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet at 2:50 and 10:30 

GOLD CLASS 

Die Another Day at 4:45, 7:45 and 10:20 (plus at 2:05 on weekend) 

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 5:15 and 8:20 (plus at 1:45 

on weekend) 

Jeff Koyen was never late for the movies in Prague, but sometimes 

the movies were late on him. He urges you to call ahead. 

Please consult the Venue Finder on p. 14 for theater addresses.


sponsored by 

cITY GuiDe 

SPOTLIGHT ON 

Radava Lanes 

Milady Horákové 37 

Tel. 233 101 213, www.radava.cz 

Chateau (1) 

Jakubská 2 

Still listed in many guidebooks as Chapeau Rouge, 

it’s the same old hang for locals and temporaries 

alike. It can look a bit roguish at times, but it’s actually 

warm and fuzzy and more than just a meet market. 

Bring a cool, mellow attitude, and the doors of 

the city may open for you. Not the sure-thing it once 

was, nonetheless an organic character keeps it vital. 

Újezd (2) 

Újezd 14 

As good an excuse for spending some of your 

evening on the “small side” as any. Three rooms 

featuring varying tunes to herbalize to. Probably as 

close as Prague gets to an alternative rock ’n’ roll 

bar. Welcoming to all in that Amsterdam kinda way. 

40 

w w w . a v a n t 

Be the first on your block to go 

retro! If you don't remember all the 

good times you had bowling – either 

because you never bowled or 

because it was so long ago – take a 

refresher on the Brunswick lanes in 

Holešovice. Cultures collide in this 

hospoda-meets-bowling alley that 

burrows inconceivably deep into the 

city block – no doubt contributing 

countless audible torments to the 

babičkas living in the building 

above. Never mind the suffering it 

must cause; you can actually feel 

your cares dissolve as the ball 

smashes into the wooden pins. 

Everyone cheers a strike, everyone 

gasps at a spare, everyone makes 

those silly puckered-up faces at a 

split! There's no need to fear the 

Jesus – Czechs haven't gotten the 

hang of bowling yet, so it's an open 

field for any sharks among us. There 

are 10 full lanes, and they even kick 

in the black-light for nightmarishly 

entertaining psychedelic discobowling! 

Ten lanes sounds like a lot, 

but just imagine how many people 

there are in Holešovice! Call ahead 

to reserve your lane, and kill the 

time at the restaurant out front, 

which serves decent Czech 

pub fare. Check their 

website for event 

details. 

Express Trains 

(Eurocity connections) 

from Prague to Berlin, 

Budapest and Warsaw 

Train schedules are usually reliable, 

but are subject to occasional delays. 

To confirm departure times online, 

check the English-language search 

engine on www.prague.tv, and don’t 

forget to bring something to read. 

Prague to Berlin (Daily) 

Average trip: 5 hours 

6:44 a.m. from Hlavní Nádraží 


12:44 p.m. from Hlavní Nádraží 

3:00 p.m. from Praha Holešovice 


Prague to Budapest (Daily) 




8:58 a.m. from Praha Holešovice 




Prague to Vienna (Daily) 






Prague to Warsaw (Daily) 

Average trip: 9.5 hours 




✹ 

TRAINS 

How do I get on the map 

The reviews on this page are trusted 

recommendations of our staff and friends, not 

paid ads. Advertising space is available on 

this page, however. Contact our advertising 

department at advertising@pill.cz or call 

257 534 015 for details. 

Dusk Til Dawn (3) 

Týnská 19 

One of the new set of cocktail bars flourishing near 

Týn square, filling a niche by providing quality drinks to 

the older (25-35) but not snobbier set. Radical concoctions 

at reasonable prices and a groovy interior make 

this a good place to start or wind up an evening. 

Thirsty Dog (4) 

Elišky Krásnohorské 5 

A guidebook mainstay that’s changed quite a bit 

over the years. New ownership has kept the drink 

prices and quality eats at their former level, but the 

madness is gone. The clientele has shifted from 

Yanks to Brits, but the smattering of local university 

students keeps the place out of the obituary column. 

Marquis de Sade (5) 

Templová 18 

This former Hapsburg-era brothel around the corner 

from Chateau can look like a Prohibition-era 

speakeasy, replete with gangster balcony. Swings 

from crazy to mellow with disconcerting unpredictability, 

as all kinds stop in to test the waters. 

Batalion (6) 

28. Října 3 

This 24-hour den of chaos has a New Orleans-style 

dyslexia about day and night, and is for ragers and 

alcoholics alike. Entertainment includes the occasional 

band, big-screen music videos, billiards, 

frumpy metal-heads, and the only 24-hour internet 

in town. You’d think you’d see more hipsters. 

La Casa Blu (7) 

Kozí 15 

Tucked away in old town, this funky Latino-Czech 

bar is a friendly, well-lit room with a passable midnight 

Mexican food menu, and they’ll even put ice 

in your drinks. A good place to chill with your 

new soulmate without too much interference from 

the tri-lingual staff. 

Fraktal (9) 

Šmeralova 1 

This Holešovice basement bar often feels like the 

Beverly Hillbillies have come to Prague. A friendly 

home-style joint that hosts a mix of neighborhood 

freaks and expats testing their various resolves 

nightly, and failing happily. Real canines welcome. 

Wakata (10) 

Malířská 14 

Part of the burgeoning Letná underground, this is 

the place for turntable fanatics, as some of the best 

young, local talent spin dub and hip-hop through a 

haze of homegrown. Cool interior, not touristy. 

Palác Akropolis (11) 

Kubelíkova 27 

The only Sure Thing in the city. Two bars host 

name DJs doing things you shouldn’t try at home. 

Experimental, buzzing, cheap booze, no cover. 

Unpredictable and welcoming. Worth the adventure, 

five minutes from the center. 130 Kč in a taxi. 

U Malého Glena (12) 

Karmelitská 23 

Little Glen’s is one of the oldest and most established 

bars in Malá strana. Featuring nightly jazz in 

its cozy basement and healthy short-order food 

upstairs. A place where all ages and inclinations 

feel at home. Staff open to your silly questions. 

Le Clan (14) 

Balbínova 23 

The devil has to play somewhere. This after-hours 

club caters to no one, and yet all the flotsam from 

the other bars and clubs in town congregates here 

nightly from three until sometime after dawn. 

Groups in dark corners perform illicit acts to thumping 

French house music. A low-key attitude will get 

you in the door, the secret is trying to get out. 

Baráčnická Rychta (15) 

Tržiště 23/555 

Another Malá strana beer hall turned music club, 

Rychta also offers affordable and tasty Czech 

meals. The young garden crowd moves inside for 

the winter when rivers of Pilsner are consumed. 

C L U B S 

Roxy (16) 

Dlouhá 33 

Legendary for a reason, this remarkable renovated 

old Jewish theater maintains a raw warehouse vibe 

despite its status as Prague’s downtown super-club. 

Top international Djs and bands help create the best 

club atmosphere in Prague. 

Industry 55 (18) 

Vinohradská 40 

The crowd is young, Czech, and all have huge pupils 

where their eyes once were as they jog around waiting 

for the mother ship to pick them up. Hard techno 

beats until noon on weekends. Some swear by it. 

15 

26 

12 

2 

24 

Mecca (19) 

U Průhonu 3 

The nice thing about this house music venue is 

once you get there, you have made the commitment. 

The sound system and the talent on the 

decks are arguably Prague’s finest. Most come to 

dance and space out, so say hi at Mecca and try to 

get closer at Le Clan afterwards. 

39 

La Fabrique (20) 

Uhelný trh 2 

Classic pick-up joint featuring cheesy Euro-disco 

with cheesy Euro-emcee. But that’s not why you’re 

here is it Foreigners, tourists, and local high-school 

girls and secretaries come here to get their funkless 

freak on, and get ripped. Leave no man behind. 

38 

31 

32 

35 

20 

4 

29 

21 

Double Trouble (21) 

Melantrichova 17 

Down the street from La Fabrique, with better music 

and more Germans and Italians. No matter, the same 

etiquette applies here except that the cute little girl 

you’re falling in love with has just have passed your 

wallet on to a friend. On the other hand, impromptu 

amateur strip shows spontaneously break out. 

34 

6 

7 

8 

3 

1 

3 

22 

41 

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g u i d e . c o m 

10 19 

✹ 

C A F É S 

St. Nicholas Cafe (26) 

Tržiště 9 

Just down the street from the U.S. Embassy, this 

mellow and cavernous bar has been the hang-out 

of choice for Malá Strana’s singles crowd for years. 

A pleasant place to take a date, enjoy a cappuccino 

and play a game of chess. 

Café Louvre (29) 

Národní třída 20 

Louvre is a gem. A huge selection of sweets, excellent 

espresso, and an extensive selection of newspapers in 

a variety of languages complimented by billiards. The 

French breakfast is a cheese plate, fresh vegetables, a 

two-egg mushroom omelet, three mini-croissants, and 

a glass of juice for 99 crowns. Spend the day here. 

Kavárna Obecní Dům (30) 

Náměstí Republiky 5 

Private booths and a grand piano. This Mucha-fest 

is a sight for sore eyes, especially during the winter. 

You'll want to thank them for letting you even 

sit down. Though it's best avoided immediately preand 

post-concert, anytime is a good time for their 

ice cream and coffee. 

Emergency Numbers 

Police: 150 (from any public or private phone) 

Fire: 158 

Ambulance: 155 

Mobile emergency operator: 112 

Canadian Medical Center 

Veleslavínská 1, Prague 6 

0602 335 670 

American Medical Center 

V Celnici 5, Prague 5 

2214 33 110 

Self-Service Laundry 

Laundry Kings 

Dejvická 16, Prague 6 

Laundryland 

Londýnská 71, Prague 2 

Na příkopě 12, Prague 1 

Vinohradská 50, Prague 2 

Plzeňská 344, Prague 5 

Chrudimská 2a, Prague 3 

Cyber Laundry 

Korunní 14, Prague 2 

Taxi Services 

7 

16 

5 

36 

30 

14 

18 

23 

11 

Jazz Café 14. (31) 

Opatovická 14 

This little nook (or is it a cranny) will be playing 

the same Satchmo record in one hundred years, 

and it'll still attract the same student crowd hankering 

for some hermelin, coffee and conversation. 

Intimate atmosphere for intimate people. 

Café Konvikt (32) 

Bartolomějská 11 

A two-tiered cafe where the local students drink 

enough white wine to flood Prague. A great place 

to read in; a great place to be seen reading in. Aim 

low, the ground floor is where it's at. 

Kavárna Medůza (33) 

Belgická 17 

Mirrors and photos on the wall, while you sit at your 

grandmother's table- this is the hippest, most put-together 

place in Vinohrady. Excellent juices and coffees, comfortable 

couch. Go ahead and kiss, nobody's looking. 

Ebel (34) 

Týn 2 

Ready, willing and Ebel, this Ungelt coffee shop is 

Prague's answer to Starbucks, though much, much 

less evil. Mind-boggling coffee selection and the 

outside seating is great for people-watching. 

Café Franz Kafka (35) 

Široká 12 

As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy 

dreams he found his bedroom transformed into a 

coffee shop… One of the best places to be alone in 

the heart of Old Town. There is, though, an inexplicable 

terror in tearing Kafka's face open – it's printed 

on their sugar packets. 

Memories of Africa (36) 

Rybná/Jakubská 

More beans than an English breakfast. More African 

than the Mau Mau. This cozy two-table room cooks 

up some caffeine concoctions that boggle the mind. 

You'll walk right by it three times before you find the 

door, but once you do, you'll never leave. 

Lucerna Café (37) 

Vodičkova 36 

You're sipping coffee in an Art Deco arcade, you're 

looking through the windows, you're ashing your 

cigarette, you're waiting for the exhale to answer 

the beautiful person across from you. You're a 

badass. Good coffee and interesting clientele. 

The Globe (38) 

Pštrossova 6 

Seller of used and new books, purveyors of fine 

coffee, meeting place of expats, expatellas and 

travelers from around the world. The mocha coffee 

is recommended, as is the veggie pocket. Internet 

in the front, books in the back, English all-around, 

the Globe remains a Prague institution. 

AAA Taxi: 214 014 or 233 113 311 

City Taxi: 233 103 310 

Halo Taxi: 244 114 411 

ProfiTaxi: 231 415 161 

Taxi Praha: 266 776 677 

English-Speaking Realtors 

Prague Rentals 

Sudoměřská 13, Prague 3, Tel.: 222 718 271 

DT Rentals 

Žitná 4, Prague 2, Tel.: 296 212 310 

Happy House Rentals 

Soukenická 8, Prague 1, Tel.: 222 311 855 

Select Hostels (year-round) 

Traveller’s Hostel 

Dlouhá 33, Prague 1, Tel.: 224 826 662 

Hostel Elf 

Husitská 11, Prague 3, Tel.: 222 540 963 

Clown and Bard Hostel 

Bořivojova 102, Prague 3, Tel.: 222 716 453 

Týn Hostel 

Týnská 21, Prague 1 

2248 08 333 

Hostel U melounu 

Ke Karlovu 7, Tel.: 224 919 330 

Hostel Orlík 

Terronská 6, Prague 6, Tel.: 224 311 240 

Post Offices 

Main Post Office: Jindřišská 14, Prague 1 

Staré město: Kaprova 12, Prague 1 

Malá Strana: Josefská 4, Prague 1 

Car Rentals 

Hertz: 222 231 010 

National: 224 923 719 

Budget: 224 889 995 

Dvořák: 224 826 262 

Alimex: 220 961 414 

25 

33 

Lucerna Music Bar (22) 

Vodičkova 36 

One of the most genuine music scenes in Prague. On 

weekends the sweltering Music Bar hosts the continent’s 

finest retro ’80s party. They sing, they flirt, 

drink, take over the stage to the same tunes every 

Friday and Saturday. Like Bill Murray in Groundhog 

Day, the more you go, the more ways you will find to 

take advantage of what’s on offer. Don’t be shy, and 

decide on your slow-dance partner before 2:30 a.m. 

Clown and Bard (23) 

Bořivojova 102 

Plenty of guests at this Žižkov hostel end up staying 

for months without ever making it out of the building. 

The loud, unpredictable but comfortable bar is 

why. Occasional live bands. Worth dropping by. 

Bulldog (U Buldoka) (24) 

Preslova 1 

Great food upstairs and a new club downstairs have 

made this roughneck ex-sports bar popular with locals. 

Decent DJs spinning house music and a spacious 

dancefloor might fill up if folks don’t feel too “cool” to 

shake some booty. Use sparingly and at your own risk. 

Zvonařka (25) 

Safaříkova 1 

A great view of the south city on the terrace is just 

one reason to find this stylish and professionally run 

venue. If you see a party announced here, don’t miss 

it. One of the best sunset drinks in town, supplemented 

by healthy and hearty Asian-inspired food. 

Wigwam (39) 

Hroznová 6 

One of Kampa’s many flood victims, this comfy little 

bar was barely open a week before being turned 

into an aquarium. It's re-opened and a great soundtrack 

and friendly staff make you feel at home. 

Café Orange (40) 

Puškinovo náměstí 

Snuggled between Vítězné náměstí and the 

American residence in Bubeneč, the only thing 

Orange needs is more space. The city's best freshsqueezed 

juices – grapefruit and orange, a wellthought 

out menu and high-grade people-watching 

tables in the front windows make it special. 

Popocafepetl (41) 

Vodičkova 30 

This is the second PPP in the city, but everyone 

begged us to keep the first location secret – it's like 

that. Most everyone we know swears by the sangria. 

In the Lucerna passage closest to V jámě. One word 

of caution though – ladies, watch your purses. 

Health Centers 

Canadian Medical Center: 257 211 111 

International Medical Services: 222 580 301 

or 602 289 361 (emergency) 

Unicare: 235 356 553 or 601 201 040 

(emergency) 

Prague Women’s Health Center: 251 614 686 or 

603 810 076 (emergency) 

American Medical Center: 220 807 756 

American Dental Associates: 221 181 121 

Credit Card Contacts 

VISA: 224 125 353 

Master Card: 261 354 650 

Diners Club: 267 314 485 

AmEx: 222 800 111 

☎ 

Karlova 20/180 

110 00 Prague 1 

Tel.: 222 221 218 

Fax: 222 221 419 

reykjavik@mbox.vol.cz 

Get in on the ground floor – advertise in the Pill. Tel.: 257 535 015, mobile 603 481 443, e-mail: advertising@pill.cz 

A SEAFOOD SAGA


v e n u e f i n d e r 

GEToNtHe 

listings 

Friday, February 7 

A Studio Rubín: O.K.K.O. (live) 

Agharta: František Kop Quartet (modern jazz) 

BARS AND CLUBS 

Divadlo Pod Palmovkou: Zenklova 34 in P8, tel. 284 812 209 

Akropolis: Dj A.L.I. & guest (hip hop, Small Scene), When Penguin 

Divadlo U Hasičů: Římská 45 in P2, tel. 222 516 910 

Meets Beats - Djs Tall, Janef & Radimon (flute) + special guest 

Divadlo V Celetné: Celetná 17 in P1, tel. 222 326 843 

Dj Courtney (Theater Bar) 

Divadlo V Dlouhé: Dlouhá třída 39 in P1, tel. 224 826 795 

GuESTList! 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Svátˇa Karásek and Pozdravpánbu 

Divadlo V Řeznické: Řeznická 17 in P1, tel./fax 222 230 996 

Baráčnická Rychta: Lachout (Olympic revival) 

Batalion: Steam (Led Zeppelin, Cream, Free...) 

Duncan Centre (dance theater): Branická 41 in P4, tel. 244 461 342 

Delta: Chadima & Richter 

Globe Theatre: Výstaviště in P7 – Holešovice, tel. 222 711 515 

Futurum: 80s & 90s party - TV show and video, Djs Jirka Neumann, 

Gong: Sokolovská 191 in P9, tel.:266 311 629 

Roman Pluhař, Jirka Březina & ZuzkaD 

Image (black light theater and pantomime): Pařížská 4 in P1, tel. 222 329 191 

Guru: Excelence + Djs Morse, Marek Řeřicha & E.S.W.L. (poprock, multi) 

Karlín (Hudební divadlo v Karlíně): Křižíkova 10 in P8, tel. 224 816 213 

Imperial Jazz Café: Apendixieland 

Industry: Testament Dance Party - Djs Kavalír & Marek Řeřicha 

Klementinum: Mariánské náměstí 5/ Karlova 1/ Křižovnická 2 in P1, tel. 221 663 111 

Kain: Abraxas 

Kolowrat: Ovocný trh 6 in P1, tel. 224 901 448 

KD Opatov: TakinÓff 

Komedie: Jungmannova 1 in P1, tel.: 224 222 734 

Klamovka: Michal Filek + String Time Acoustic Band 

Kongresové Centrum (Congress Center): Třída 5. Května in P4, tel.:239 071 111 

La Provence: Jazz Time 

Laterna Magika: Národní třída 4 in P1, tel. 224 914 129 

Each issue, The Pill offers valuable prizes to our Le Clan: Lounge with Dj Renda and guests 

Lyra Pragensis – Divadlo Inspirace: Malostranské náměstí 13 in P1, tel. 261 218 570 

astute and enthusiastic readers. Answer the Lucerna Music Bar: Pop 80s & 90s video party - Dj Jirka Neumann 

Malostranská Beseda: Krausberry (rock) 

Malé Nosticovo Divadlo Pod Čertovkou: Hellichova street in P1 (Kampa), tel.: 241 768 555 

question before the gifts run out, and one will be Mánes: Tropicana (Latino-American night) 

Metro: Národní třída 25 in P1, tel.: 221 085 201 

yours. SMS your answer to to 603 481 443 or Mecca: Dj Peter Moskito, Dj Neo and guest, Hip Hop and Old School 

Minor: Vodičkova 6 in P1, tel. 222 231 351 

email to contest@pill.cz. Please include a valid C’Lounge by Dj Omar 

Miriam: Ke Strašnické 10 in P10, tel: 604 541 680 

Meloun: Czechoslovakian discotheque with Djs Balda and Kříča, 

email address and your first choice of the prizes. 

Montmartre: Řetězová 7 in P1, tel.: 272 911 491 

Karaoke Caruso Show 

Metropolitan Jazz Club: The Senior Swingers (swing evergreens) 

Národní Divadlo (National Theater): Národní třída 2 in P1, tel. 224 901 448 

Mlejn: Fuck da Karot (ethno hard core), M.Z.H. (punk), Affe Afekt 

National Marionette Theatre: Žatecká 1 in P1, tel. 224 819 322, Novotného lávka 1 in P1 The Question: 

Revival band (tekno), Ginnungagap 

Obecní dům: náměstí Republiky 5 in P1, tel. 222 002 336 

Which nationality is not currently represented on Mrtvá Vrána: Dj Liquid A (latino, reggae, funky music), free entry 

Paegas Arena (formerly Sportovní hala): Výstaviště in P7 – Holešovice 

the Car Busters staff 

Nebe: Dj Kuba Soulcheck 

Pidivadlo: Letohradská 44 in P7, tel.: 233 375 706-7 

Prosek: Vyhoukaná sova 

Radost FX: Robodisco - Dj Hakan Lidbo (Paperecordings, Swe) - live 

Ponec (dance theater): Husitská 24a in P3, tel. 224 817 886 

+ Dj Tvyks (CZ) 

Rokoko: Václavské náměstí 38 in P1, tel. 224 217 113 

Reduta: Vlasta Průchová & Co. 

Rudolfinum: Alšovo nábřeží 12 in P1, tel. 224 893 352 

Rock Café: Gypsy Night - Bengas + Dj Maara 

Solidarita: Solidarity 1986 in P10, tel.: 274 815 296 

Roxy: Bugget Out!...Viva Acid House - Djs Justin Robertson (UK) + Phil 

Státní Opera (State Opera): Wilsonova 4 in P2, tel. 296 117 111 

Kieran (UK), support by Dan Cooley, Deep Lounge Chill Out - Airto, 

Lucas 

Stavovské Divadlo (Estates Theater): Ovocný trh 1 in P1, tel. 224 901 448 

Salmovská literární kavárna: Ester Kočičková & Lubomír Nohavica 

Španělská synagoga (Spanish synagogue): Vězeňská street in P1, tel. 224 810 099 

Sedm Vlků: Djs Infinity & Beast67 (dń´b) 

Švandovo Divadlo: Štefánikova 57 in P5, tel. 257 321 333 

U Malého Glena: Robert Balzar (modern jazz) 

Ta Fantastika: Karlova 8 in P1, tel./fax 222 221 366 

Ultramarin: Dj David Bowles 

Ungelt: Malá Štupartská 1 in P1, tel. 224 828 082 

Ungelt JazzŃ´Blues Club: Luboš Andršt Blues Band feat. Ramblin Rex 

Vagon: Palice + Uširváč (Hudba Praha revival), Reggae party at midnight 

Viola: Národní třída 7 in P1, tel. 224 220 844 

Wakata: Djs Saku & Slávek (breakbeat) 

XT3: Booyaka team - Fat Free Georgina, Maxim, Dave Wave & 

Mefuzo (dń´b, ragga) 

KINOS 

Železná: Vertigo (space modern jazz) 

007 Strahov: Bassbeast (jungle) 

007 Strahov: Kolej blok 7 in P6, tel. 257 211 439 

Abaton: Povltavská 2175 in P8, tel.: 266 312 719 

Agharta: Krakovská 5 in P2, tel./fax 222 211 275 

Akropolis: Kubelíkova 27 in P3, tel. 296 330 911 

At The Shot Out Eye (U Vystřelenýho Oka): U božích bojovníků 3 in P3, tel. 226 278 714 

Atrium: Čajkovského 12 in P3, tel.: 222 721 838 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Balbínova 6 in P2, tel.: 737 347 057 

Bar Pirahna: Žitná 47 in P1, tel. 222 210 350 

Baráčnická Rychta: Tržiště 23/555 in P1, tel. 257 532 461 

Batalion: 28. Října 3 in P1, tel./fax 220 108 148 

Blues Sklep: Liliová 10 in P1, tel. 224 248 794 

CZ Beat: Balbínova 26 in P2 

Černá kočka: Thámova 8 in P8, tel. 224 811 102 

Černý Kůň Restaurant: Palác Lucerna, Vodičkova 36, tel. 224 212 659 

Delta: Vlastina 887 in P6, tel. 233 312 443 

Dr. Voják: Plzeňská 221/130 in P5 (Motol), tel.:777 123 356 

Fraktal Bar: Šmeralova in P7, tel. 723 108 805 

Futurum: Zborovská 7 in P5, tel. 257 328 571 

Guru: Rokycanova 29 in P3, tel. 222 783 463 

Hájek: Ovčí hájek 2549 in P13, tel. 251 614 453 

Hells Bells: Na Bělidle 27 in P5, tel. 257 320 436 

Chateau: Jakubská 2 in P1, tel. 222 316 328 

Imperial Jazz Café: Na Porící 15/1072, P-1, tel.: 224 816 308 

Industry: Vinohradská 40 in P2, tel. 608 754 051 

Jáma (The Hollow): V Jámě 7 in P1, tel. 224 222 383 

Jo’s Bar and Garage: Malostranské náměstí 7 in P1, tel. 262 971 478 

Kafárna Na Kus Řeči: Bezručovy Sady 1 in P2, tel.:222 512 580 

Kain: Husitská 1 in P3, tel. 603 483 283 

Kavárna Na Půl Cesty: Central Park in P4 (Pankrác), tel.:290 052 615 

KC Kaštan: Bělohorská 150 in P6, tel. 233 353 020 

KC Zahrada: Malenická 1784 in P11, tel. 271 910 246 

KD Opatov: Opatovská 1754, P-4: Jižní Město, tel.: 272 941 401 

Klamovka: Podbělohorská 3 in P5, tel. 257 220 165-6 

Klub CI-5: Moulíkova 5 in P5, tel. 603 572 271 

Klub v Jelení: Jelení 15 in P1, tel. 233 357 666, 233 350 120 

La Casa Blů: Kozí 15 in P1, tel. 224 818 270 

La Provence: Štupartská 9, P-1, tel.: 290 054 510 

Le Clan: Balbínova 23 in P2 

Legends Music and Sports Café: Týn 1 Ungelt in P1, tel. 224 895 404 

Lucerna Music Bar: Vodičkova 36 in P1, tel. 224 215 957 

Lucerna: Štěpánská 61 in P1, tel. 224 212 003 

M1: Masná 1 in P1 

Magická Zahrada: Národní 6 in P1, tel.:224 931 358 

Malostranská Beseda: Malostranské náměstí 21 in P1, tel. 257 532 092 

Mánes: Masarykovo nábr. 250, P-1, tel.: 224 931 112 

Marquis de Sade: Templová 8 in P1, tel. 224 817 505 

Mecca: U Průhonu 3 in P7, tel. 283 871 520 

Meloun: Michalská 12 in P1, tel. 224 230 126-7 

Metropolitan Jazz Club: Jungmannova 14 in P1, tel. 224 947 777 

Mlejn: Kovářova 1615/4 in P13 – Stodůlky, tel./fax 226 522 507 

Modrá Vopice: Spojovací 1901 in P9 

Mrtvá Vrána: Žerotínova 31, P-3, tel.: 777 171 075 

Music Bar U Buldoka: Preslova 1 in P5, tel. 257 329 154 

N11: Národní 11 in P1, tel. 222 075 109 

Na Slamníku: Wolkerova 12 in P6, tel. 723 403 447 

Nebe: Křemencova 10 in P1, tel.:224 930 343 

NoD: Dlouhá 33 in P1 (above Roxy), tel. 224 826 330 

Norton: Dušní 15 in P1, tel.:608 022 477 

Poetická Kavárna Obratník: Jindřicha Plachty 28 in P5, tel. 257 327 446 

Prosek: Jablonecká 322, P-9, tel.: 286 884 212 

Punto Azul: Kroftova 1 in P5 

Radost FX: Bělehradská 120 in P2, tel. 224 254 776 

Red Hot and Blues: Jakubská 12 in P1, tel. 222 323 364 

Red Room: Křemencova 17 in P1 

Reduta: Národní 20 in P1, tel. 224 912 264 

Rock Café: Národní 20 in P1, tel. 224 914 416 

Rocky Reilly’s: Štěpánská 32 in P1 

Roxy: Dlouhá 33 in P1, tel. 224 826 296 

Salmovská literární kavárna: Salmovská 16, P-2, tel.: 224 919 364 

Scarlett’s: Mostecká 21 in P1, tel. 257 532 649 

Sedm vlků: Vlkova 7 in P3 

Sky Club Brumlovka: Vyskočilova 2 in P4, tel. 241 484 153 

Swamp: Újezd 5 in P1 

Tendr Club: Parížská 6, P-1, tel.: 224 813 605 

The Thirsty Dog: Elišky Krásnohorské 5 in P1, tel. 222 310 039 

Trojka: Prokopova 16 in P3 

U Buldoka: Preslova 1, P-5, tel.: 257 329 154 

U Malého Glena: Karmelitská 23 in P1, tel. 257 531 717 

U Staré Paní: Michalská 9 in P1, tel. 224 228 090 

Újezd: Újezd 18 in P1 

Ultramarin: Ostrovní 32 in P1, tel. 224 932 249 

Ungelt Jazz’N’Blues Club: Týn 2 in P1, tel. 224 895 748 

Unijazz: Jindřišská 5 in P1, tel. 222 240 901 

Vagon: Národní 25 in P1, tel. 221 085 599 

Wakata: Malířská 14 in P7, tel. 223 370 518 

XT3: Pod plynojemem 5 in P8, tel. 284 825 826 

Zion: Cimburkova 14 in P3 

Zoo Bar: Jilská 18 in P1, tel. 604 231 684 

Zvonařka: Šafaříkova 1 in P2, tel. 224 251 990 

Železná: Železná 16 in P1, tel. 224 239 697 

SELECT THEATERS AND CONCERT HALLS 

A Studio Rubín: Malostranské náměstí 9 in P1, tel./fax 257 535 191 

Akcent: Ostrovského 3 in P5, tel.:257 003 281 

Alfréd ve Dvoře: Františka Křížka 36 in P7, tel. 233 376 997 

All Colours Theatre (black light theater): Rytířská 31 in P1, tel. 221 610 173 

Animato: Na Příkopě 10 (Palác Savarin) in P1, tel.: 281 930 740 

Archa: Na Poříčí 26 in P1, tel. 222 328 800 

Branické Divadlo: Branická 411/63 in P4, tel.:244 462 813 

Činoherní klub: Ve Smečkách 26 in P1, tel. 296 222 123 

Damúza: Řetězová 10 in P1, tel. 608 52 06 90 

Dejvické Divadlo: Zelená 15a in P6, tel. 233 332 430 

Disk: Karlova 26 in P1, tel. 221 111 087 

Divadlo ABC: Vodičkova 28 in P1, tel. 224 212 585 

Divadlo Bez Zábradlí: Jungmannova 31 in P1, tel.:224 946 436 

Divadlo Jiřího Grossmanna: Václavské nám 43 in P1, tel. 224 211 911 

Divadlo Na Fidlovačce: Křesomyslova 625 in P4, tel. 241 404 040 

Divadlo Na Prádle: Besední 3 in P1, tel. 257 320 421 

Divadlo Na Vinohradech: Náměstí míru 7 in P2, tel. 224 257 601 

Divadlo Na Zábradlí: Anenské náměstí 5 in P1, tel. 222 222 026 

Aero: Biskupcova 31 in P3, tel. 271 771 349 

Bio Roxy: see clubs – Roxy 

Blaník: Václavské náměstí 56 in P1, tel. 224 032 172 

Budějovická: Budějovická 1667 in P4, tel. 261 382 297 

Čajovna pod Stromem čajovým (Tea Room): Mánesova 55 in P2, tel. 222 251 045 

Delta: see clubs – Delta 

Dlabačov: Hotel Pyramida, Bělohorská 24 in P6, tel. 233 355 109 

Eden: U Slávie 1 in P10, tel. 272 737 551 

Edison: Hlavní 1402 in P4, tel. 272 767 667 

Evald: Národní 28 in P1, tel. 221 105 225 

Evropa: Vítězné náměstí 4 in P6, tel. 220 219 069 

The French Institute: Štěpánská 35 in P1, tel. 221 401 011 

The Hungarian Institute: Rytířská 27 in P1, tel. 224 222 424 

Hvězda: Václavské náměstí 38 in P1, tel. 224 216 822 

Illusion: Vinohradská 48 in P2, tel. 222 520 379 

The Italian Culture Institute: Šporkova 14 in P1, tel. 257 533 600 

Jalta: Václavské náměstí 43 in P1, tel. 224 228 814 

Kino 63 at Rock Café: see clubs – Rock Café 

Kotouč Film Club: VŠK 17. Listopadu, Pátkova 3/A1402 in P8, tel. 233 551 040 – 45 

Kotva: Náměstí Republiky 8 in P1, tel. 224 811 482 

Lucerna: Vodičkova 36 in P1, tel. 224 216 972, 3 

Mat: Karlovo náměstí 19 in P2, tel. 224 915 765 

Městská knihovna(Film Club at the City Library): Mariánské náměstí 1 in P1, tel. 222 113 425 

Modřanský Biograf: U Kina 44 in P4, tel. 241 772 832 

Morava: Boleslavova 13a in P4, tel. 241 403 456 

Oko: Františka Křížka 15 in P7, tel. 233 375 675 

Ořechovka: Na Ořechovce 30 in P6, tel. 233 343 839 

Perštýn: Na Perštýně 6 in P1, tel. 221 668 432 

Ponrepo: Bartolomějská 11 in P1, tel. 224 233 281 

Praha Art: Václavské náměstí 17 in P1, tel. 222 245 881 

Světozor: Vodičkova 41 in P1, tel. 224 947 566 

Železná Art Kino: see clubs – Železná 

MULTIKINOS 

Cinema City Galaxie: Arkalycká 874 in P4, tel. 267 900 567 

Cinema City Zličín: Řevnická 1 in P5, tel. 257 950 966 

Ládví: Burešova 1662 in P8, tel. 286 587 027 

Mini Multikino Modřany: Sofijské nám. in P4, tel. 244 402 256 

Palace Cinemas Hostivař: Park Hostivař, Švehlova 32 in P10, tel. 257 181 212 

Palace Cinemas Letňany: Veleská 663 in P9, tel. 257 181 212 

Palace Cinemas Nový Smíchov: Plzeňská 8 in P5, tel. 257 181 212 

Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům: Na Příkopě 22 in P1, tel. 257 181 212 

Village Cinemas Anděl: Radlická in P5, tel. 251 115 111 

Village Cinemas Černý Most: Chlumecká 8 in P9, tel. 266 790 999, 0811 

VIDEO RENTALS 

Video Express: Prokopská 3 in P1, tel. 257 535 139 and 604 302 126 

Video Gourmet: Jakubská 12 in P1, tel. 222 323 364 

Video To Go: Čelakovského sady 12 in P2, tel. 224 235 098 and 

Vítězné náměstí 10 in P6, tel. 224 318 981 

Virus Video: Templová 8 in P1, tel. 723 671 637 

SELECT GALLERIES 

Austrian Cultural Institute: Jungmannovo nám. 18 in P1 

Czech Museum of Fine Art: Husova 19-21 in P1, tel. 222 220 218 

Galerie Bayer & Bayer: Retezová 7 in P1 

Galerie Display: Bubenská 3 in P7 

Galerie Mánes: Masarykovo nábr. 250 in P1 

Galerie Rudolfinum: Nám. Jana Palacha in P1, tel. 224 893 111 

HOME Gallery: Truhlárská 8 in P1 

Josef Sudek Atelier: Újezd 30 in P1 

Leica Gallery Prague: Burgrave’s Palace at Prague Castle 

Obcení dum: Nám. Republiky 5 in P1, tel. 222 002 336 

Obcení galerie beseda: Malostranské nám. 21 in P1 

Prague City Gallery at House at the Stone Bell: Staromestské nám. 13 in P1, tel. 224 827 526 

Prague City Gallery at the Municipal Library: Mariánské nám. 1 in P1 

Prague City Gallery at Old Town Hall: Staromestské nám. 1 in P1, tel. 224 482 751 

Veletržní palác: Dukelských hrdinu 47 in P7, tel. 224 301 003 

Do you know something we don’t Didn’t find your favorite club here Did you just open a new place 

Let us know at listings@pill.cz! 

ı 

1. British 

2. American 

3. Finnish 

4. Czech 

■ Clou 

3x2 tickets, Tuesday, February 18 at Rock Café 

■ Big Fire Hat no.3 

2 tickets, Saturday, February 22 at Abaton 

■ Mix (Timmy S.) 

2 tickets, Friday, February 14 at Roxy 

■ Flaming Lips 

2 tickets, Saturday, March 2 at Akropolis 

Valentine’s Day 

Fenruary 14th 

Contrary to popular belief, Valentine’s Day was 

not invented by Bohemia Sekt. It was invented 

by a much larger corporation, the Catholic 

Church. At the end of the 5th century A.D., Pope 

Gelasius declared Feb. 14 St. Valentine’s Day, 

in honor a martyred Roman priest who is said 

to have performed secret marriages for starcrossed 

lovers. The middle of February was 

chosen to commemorate the anniversary of the 

saint’s death and/or to Christianize an existing 

pagan festival called Lupercalia, a fertility festival 

dedicated to the God Faunus. 

The oldest valentine still in existence was written 

in 1415 by the Duke of Orleans to his wife 

from his cell in the Tower of London (you can see 

it at the British Museum). By the 1700s the mid- 

February exchange of handwritten love notes and 

small gifts was common in Britain and the 

Colonies. The whole card business got going 

around the end of the 18th century, and really 

took off in the 1840s with the introduction of 

mass-produced valentines in the United States. 

In the Czech Republic, Valentine’s is a relatively 

new (post-1989) holiday. Instead of hearts and 

Cupid’s arrows, this country had scythes and hoes, 

which were hung to celebrate the Communist instituted 

International Day of Women (March 8th). 

Celebrate both. 

Things to do on Valentine’s Day: 

•Pack a thermos of hot wine and a blanket 

and climb Petřín hill. 

•Hit Mecca’s Valentine Night party. Leave 

early and walk around Holesovice. 

•Flowers! 

•Cheese baskets are nice. 

•Get a hotel room in the city you live in. 

(Clean sheets!) 

•Clean the apartment. 

•Body oil. 

•Nothing says “I love you” like local liquor. 

Alfred ve Dvoře: All the Only Ones (poetic dance performance, choreography 

by A. Stodolová) at 8 

All Colours Theatre: Faust (black light theater) at 8:30 

Animato: Rock Therapy - Beatles Story (black light theater) at 8:30 

Činoherní Klub: Misanthrope (Moliére, in Czech) at 7:30 

Damúza: Escorial (M. de Ghelderode, in Czech) at 8 

Divadlo Jiřího Grossmanna: Wow - 3D black light theater show at 8 

Divadlo V Celetné: The Cripple of Inishmaan (M. McDonagh, in Czech) at 7:30 

Image: The Best of Image (black light theater) at 8 

Komedie: Hamlet (W. Shakespeare, performed by the Klicperovo 

divadlo, in Czech) at 7:30 

Kongresové Centrum: Chicago (F. Ebb, B. Fosse, musical, in Czech) at 7 

Laterna Magika: Ulysses at 8 

Malé Nosticovo Divadlo: Vagina Monologues (E. Ensler, in Czech) at 8 

Národní Divadlo: The Lantern (A. Jirásek, in Czech) at 7 

NoD: Dark Love Sonnets - life of F.G. Lorca and R.R. Rapún (poetic 

theater, music - Miriam Bayle, in Czech) at 8 

Obecní Dům: Michal Novenko - organ concert (J. Brahms, G. 

Frescobaldi, H. Howells) at 5 

Rokoko: The Marriage Certificate (E. Kishon, in Czech) at 7 

Státní Opera: La Traviata (G. Verdi) at 7 

Stavovské Divadlo: Twelfth Night (W. Shakespeare, in Czech) at 7 

Švandovo Divadlo: Killer Joe (T. Letts, in Czech) at 7 

Ta Fantastika: Aspects of Alice (black light theater) at 9:30 

Saturday, February 8 

A Studio Rubín: Muff & Marcel Bárta 

Agharta: Roman Pokorný Trio (modern jazz) 

Akropolis: Rude Audio (Small Scene), The Tchendos - Djs (freestyle, 

Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Těla 

Baráčnická Rychta: Munka Sosztali (HU, CZ) 

Batalion: Odnikud nikam 



Guru: Hookers + Ševcovský Pop, Dj Murphy (system beat) 

Imperial Jazz Café: Apendixieland 

Industry: Attention! - Dj Dan Cooley 

Kain: Maria Scare 

KD Opatov: Dexxter, Fialky, Mayflowers (rock) 

Klamovka: Prádelna (rock) 

La Provence: Vesna Anima 

Le Clan: Moonshine with Dj Brian and guest 

Lucerna Music Bar: Pop 80s & 90s video party - Dj Jirka Neumann 

Magická Zahrada: Pragasón - La Música Cubana En Praga (son 

cubano, latin jazz) 

Malostranská Beseda: Žáha (blues, soul) 

Mánes: Czechoslovakian Party - mix 

Mecca: Camouflage - Djs Chris Sadler, Formi and guest, C’Lounge 

by Dj A.L.I. 

Meloun: Czechoslovakian discotheque with Djs Balda and Kříča 


Mlejn: Punk-Rock Festival - Proklenný Wokno, Flattus, First Choice, 

Bublifuck, Salash 

Modrá Vopice: Šántí, Zen + Méďa Péďa (rock) 

Mrtvá Vrána: Dj Spin and guest (new house music dimension), free entry 

Nebe: Dj Moskito+ Guest 

Radost FX: Open House - Djs Fafa Monteco (Fra), Paco (Fra), Maxx, 

Chris Quadrant 

Reduta: Jana Koubková & Bossanova Band 

Rock Café: Slot, Shade & U-Prag, Dj Murphy 

Roxy: Bush - jungle session - special guest Dj Matrix (UK), support 

Djs Koogi, Gabanna, 2K, Down Tempo Chill Out - Stanzim, Blue 

Sedm Vlků: Djs Hellium & Rido (oldschool, jungle, ragga) 

U Malého Glena: Robert Balzar (modern jazz) 

Ultramarin: Dj Mist (trip hop, funk, acidjazz) 


Vagon: Vrať se do hrobu + Rockń´Roll Gang, Rockotheque at midnight 

Wakata: Djs Beatz Smokin´Weedz (reggae) 

XT3: Garden Zitty soundsystem - Djs Errphorz, Shin, Falty bross & 

Mc Dr. Kary (ragga, jungle) 

Železná: Mladá Kref - Blue Crystals (blues) at 5, Šavle Meče (jazzfunk) 

007 Strahov: Djs Orion, Each & Wich (hip hop) 

Alfred ve Dvoře: Figures in a Landscape (P. Nadaud, dance theater) at 8 



Archa: Café Music - Kateryna Kolcová (songs, in the café of the 

Archa theater) at 7 

Branické Divadlo: The Open Couple (D. Fo, in Czech) at 2 

Divadlo ABC: An Ideal Husband (O. Wilde, in Czech) at 5 

Divadlo Bez Zábradlí: Oh Romeo (E. Kishon, in Czech) at 7 


Divadlo Na Fidlovačce: The Marriage (N.V. Gogol, in Czech) at 3 and 7:30 

Divadlo Na Zábradlí: Happy End (D. Lane, in Czech) at 5 

Divadlo V Celetné: The Fox (D.H. Lawrence, in Czech) at 4, All in the 

Timing (D. Ives, in Czech) at 8 

Divadlo V Řeznické: The Collector (J. Fowles, in Czech) at 7:30 




Metro: Carmen (P. Merimée, in Czech, drama) at 3 

Národní Divadlo: Macbeth (G. Verdi, opera) at 7 

NoD: The Golem (G. Meyrink, in Czech) at 8 

Rokoko: Closer (P. Marber, in Czech) at 7 

Státní Opera: Nabucco (G. Verdi) at 7 

Stavovské Divadlo: Mary Stuart (F. Schiller, in Czech) at 2 and 7 

Švandovo Divadlo: Volpone (B. Johnson, in Czech) at 7 


“Look and drink our real 

heart” 

Friday, February 14, 

St. Valentine 

La Casa Blů 

Kozí 15, Praha 1


listings 

Sunday, February 9 

Agharta: Roman Pokorný Trio (modern jazz) 

Akropolis: Djs Yanizz & Psixer (Small Scene), Pro Sound System - Djs Liquid 

A & Kryshpeen, Mc Dr. Kary (reggae, dancehall, dub, Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Irish Dew (Celtic music) 

Batalion: Hard Rock Café 

Guru: Dj Andrew K (techno) 

Malostranská Beseda: Go´Lash (A. Lantern, in Czech, performed by 

the Divadlo Lucerna MB) at 8:30 


Nebe: Dj Downtempo 

Reduta: Staří psi 

Rock Café: Music Bar - free entry! 

U Malého Glena: Leimonarion Jam Session - come to jam! 


Vagon: Gothart (Balkan world music) 

Wakata: Dj Tuvok (breakbeat) 

XT3: Sunday breakz 

Železná: Poetry in the Twilight. Music and Poetry. Open Mic in 

English at 5, Correct Groove Quartet (groove jazz) 

007 Strahov: Dr. Woggle and the Radio (GER), Fast Food (ska, reggae) 

A Studio Rubín: Tracy´s Tiger (W. Saroyan, in Czech) at 7:30 

Alfred ve Dvoře: Bliss (V. Švejda, dance theater, scenic comics & pantomime) 

at 8 



Divadlo Bez Zábradlí: The Dinner Game (F. Veber, in Czech) at 7 


Divadlo Na Zábradlí: Arabian Night (R. Schimmelpfennig, scenic reading, 

in Czech) at 7 


Divadlo V Řeznické: Romeo and Jeannette (J. Anouilh, in Czech) at 7:30 

Kongresové Centrum: The Sound of Music (R. Rodgers, O. 

Hammerstein, musical, in Czech) at 7 


Národní Divadlo: The Child and the Enchantements/ Sinfonietta (M. 

Ravel, L. Janáček, ballet) at 2 and 7 

Ponec: Archa Adrift! - Phasing, Sour Milk, Shadow (dance theater, 

performed by CandoCo, UK) at 8 

Státní Opera: The Magic Flute (W.A. Mozart) at 2 

Stavovské Divadlo: Xerxes (G.F. Händel, opera) at 7 


Monday, February 10 

Agharta: Saxtime (modern jazz) 

Akropolis: Ajn Kesl Buntes - Djs Vanja & Hujer (Small Scene), Dj 

Baltazar & guest (latino, lounge, Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Jaroslav Samson Lenk 

Batalion: Apres Ski Party 

Guru: Jam with Bohuš Matuš (improvisational show) 

Kain: Long Queue 

Malostranská Beseda: The Original Prague Syncopated Orchestra 

Meloun: Rock and Oldies Party with Radio Beat Djs 



Reduta: P.J. Ryba Trio 


Roxy: Free Mondays - Ian Sen (live), Tchendos Djs Ottoman + 

Wokurka (free entry) 

Salmovská literární kavárna: Vladimír Merta 

Sedm Vlků: Dj Brada (acid jazz) 

U Malého Glena: Stan the Man Bohemian Blues Band 

Ungelt JazzŃ´Blues Club: Lukáš Martínek Blues Band 

Vagon: Pod Černý vrch 

Wakata: Dj Matoa & Mc Adrenalin (dń´b) 

XT3: Djs Skywalker & Cashmeer (down pulse) 

Železná: The Soft Winds Jazz Trio & jazznika (modern jazz) 

Akcent: Out at Sea (S. Mrožek, in Czech), The Bald Soprano (E. 

Ionesco, in Czech) at 7 

Alfred ve Dvoře: Mur-Mur (visual theater, performed by Stage Code, 

CH, CZ) at 8 



Disk: Mighty Aphrodite (W. Allen, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo Bez Zábradlí: The Gamblers (N.V. Gogol, in Czech) at 7 


Divadlo Na Fidlovačce: The Rainmaker (R. Nash, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo Na Zábradlí: The Terrace (J.-C. Carriére, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo U Hasičů: Don´t Drink the Water (W. Allen, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo V Celetné: The Awakening (J. Garner, in Czech) at 7:30 

Image: Fiction (black light theater) at 8 

Kolowrat: Vor dem Ruhestand (T. Bernhard, in Czech) at 7 




Rokoko: The Lion in Winter (J. Goldman, in Czech) at 7 

Rudolfinum: Doležal Quartet (Smetana, Míča, Janáček) at 7:30 


Stavovské Divadlo: The Idiot (F.M. Dostoyevsky, in Czech) at 7 

Studio Ypsilon: The Boy Mother of Rátót (G. Schwajda, in Czech) at 7:30 

Švandovo Divadlo: Volpone (B. Johnson, in Czech) at 7 


Ungelt: Tell Me On a Sunday (A.L. Weber, D. Black, in Czech) at 7:55 

Tuesday, February 11 

Agharta: Gera Band (modern jazz) 

Akropolis: Future Line (Big Hall), Dj Zhulenos Aires & guest (elektro, acidtek 

& freestyle, Small Scene), Hip Hop - Djs A.L.I. & Emmitt (Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Radůza 

Baráčnická Rychta: Pavel Sedláček & Cadillac 

Batalion: Läpplae 

Guru: Dj Kyslík (tekhouse) 

Kafárna Na Kus Řeči: Hardbeat Rockers (rock) 

Kain: Folimanka Blues 

KC Zahrada: 2+2 Sax Quartet (jazz) 

La Provence: Chanson 

Le Clan: Tropical Heat with Dj Mucho and guests 

Lucerna Music Bar: Prague International Blue Night ´05 - Albert Lee 

& Hogan´s Heroes (UK) 

Malostranská Beseda: Bluesberry 

Mánes: Old Gold Canal Jazz Band 

Meloun: 80s Party with Radio Kiss Djs 

Metropolitan Jazz Club: Ivo Cíl Trio (swing evergreens) 

Nebe: Dj Liquid A 

Reduta: Matěj Benko Latin Quintet 

Rock Café: Free Zone - SŃĆ - free entry! 

Salmovská literární kavárna: Puca Rua (traditional Irish music) 

Sedm Vlků: Fatal Noise Djs (jungle, techno) 

U Malého Glena: Stan the Man “In Duo” 

Ungelt JazzŃ´Blues Club: Lukáš Martínek Blues Band 

Vagon: jam session - free entry! 

Wakata: Dj Liquid A (collector´s choice) 

XT3: Dj Saku (breakbeat) 

Železná: Zuzana Dumková Group (vocal original music) 

007 Strahov: Djs Pold.1K & Reverb (jungle night) 



Disk: Disco Pigs (E. Walsh, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo ABC: The Ash and Akvavit (B. Ahlfors, in Czech) at 7 


Divadlo Na Fidlovačce: Katharina Knie (C. Zuckmayer, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo Na Vinohradech: Lysistrata (Aristophanes, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo Na Zábradlí: The Dresser (R. Harwood, in Czech, performed by 

the Divadlo V Dlouhé) at 7 



Kolowrat: Not Just Hamlet - Radovan Lukavský Beneficium at 7 

Komedie: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (B. Brecht, in Czech) at 7:30 


Lyra Pragensis: Sonnets (W. Shakespeare, in Czech) at 6:30 




Rudolfinum: Czech Chamber Soloists Brno (Matys, Martinů, 

Tchaikovsky) at 7:30 

Státní Opera: Aida (G. Verdi) at 7 

Stavovské Divadlo: Much Ado About Nothing (W. Shakespeare, in 

Czech) at 7 

Švandovo Divadlo: Headsman´s Holiday (K. Hamvai, in Czech) at 7, 

Už jsme doma (concert, in the Studio) at 8 


Ungelt: Play Strindberg (F. Dürrenmatt, in Czech) at 7:55 

Wednesday, February 12 

A.M. Vikadlo: Fumasův písničkový koncert (Původní Bureš) 

Agharta: Jiří Stivín & Co. (modern jazz) 

Akropolis: Zlatá kozačka, Dj Spejbl & guest (oldschool acid, Small 

Scene), Djs Stanzim & Maatoha (breakbeat, dń´b, Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Třetí Dech (folk night) 

Baráčnická Rychta: Swing Dance Room - The Prague Swing Orchestra 

Batalion: Koko Trio 

Futurum: Palice 

Guru: Kencore Passa + Homeless Varpose (hc) 

Industry: Dance party Djs - Happy Night - Michal Jirák & Liner 

Kain: Natural 

Klub V Jelení: Jiří Smrž (guitar recital) 

La Provence: Hedervari Quartet, Travesti Show 

Le Clan: Nuit Sexy - Djs 

Lucerna Music Bar: Věra Špinarová & A.Pavlík, special guest Anna K. 

Malostranská Beseda: Reliéf & guests (bluegrass, gospel) 

Mánes: discotheque 

Zlatá Hvězda 

S p o r t B a r 

Ve Smečkách 12, P1 

Tel. 222 210 124 

www.sportbar.cz 

All NFL and championships live 

Free of charge 

Ian Sen 

Monday, February 10th at Roxy 

The seven-member Ian Sen band is playing the 

Roxy for the third time, and like the other two 

times, this is the free show of the month. A 

“drum’n’funky-pop act” (their words) with a 

strong dose of dance energy, you might know 

them from their hit “Shake It,” a staple on Radio 

1. Ian Sen plays all over town, but Free Mondays 

has been hot lately, and this is the place to 

catch them while you can. ■Hádrová 

Open House Party 

Saturday February 8th at Radost FX 

The warm-up party kicks off on a special tram 

leaving from Malostranské nám at 10 p.m. and 

finishes around midnight, when it pulls up in front 

of Radost FX. Tram ride includes: Music by resident 

DJ Chris Chemist and David Bowles, free 

beer and vodka and American Bull. This ride 

through town should definitely warm you up 

before you moving into Radost to hear the founding 

member of Superfunk duo DJ Fafa Monteco 

/Marseille. They’ll be joined by Open House residents 

DJ Paco, Maxx and Renda. The night will be 

packed thick with funky house and tech-house 

rhythms, and the video set is in the hands of VJ 

master Milan Perplex. Enjoy the ride. ■ Hádrová 

Bosworth and Waawe 

Tuesday, February 11th at Akropolis 

Bosworth has been pushing its pseudo-indie trail 

mix on Prague audiences since 1994, when the 

three-piece joined up under the influence of the 

Pixies’ Doolittle and Dinosaur. Although they 

record sporadically – just two records and an EP 

in eight years – they’re one of Prague’s more 

inspired live acts, especially when relaying 

impassioned stories of the lads’ drug experiences 

(as on the 1996 demo Pub-Pop U- 

Ground). With Free Dimension’s Waawe sharing 

the bill, this promises to be an amazing show in 

an otherwise slow month for indie fans. Waawe, 

which just released All Fabulous Things Turn Out 

to Happen, is one of the Czech Republic’s tightest 

and most creative groups. Paradoxically, its 

loud, precise performances come off cleaner 

and somehow more mechanical than the album, 

which was an amazing piece of hair-rock- and 

hardcore-inspired love. But the emotional weight 

of Kucera’s songwriting shines through when he’s 

onstage, spitting it out for you live. ■Jayne 

BOOKS 

Gangs Bang 

Green Fairies 

New York’s gangs, Europe’s booze make a lethal mix. 

Reviews by Joshua Cohen 

The Gangs of New York 

By Herbert Asbury 

Arrow Press (1927/2002) 

366 pages 

Despite the enormity of New York 

City, the universe is mostly empty. 

In proving this emptiness, physicists 

recognized something humanity 

had intuited for eons. And this empty 

universe is amoral. Philosophers who 

trained this emptiness inward were 

only theorizing a long-held suspicion. 

Natural disasters terrifically referred to 

as Acts of God, and inevitable tragedies 

of happenstance and wrong timing, 

are amoral occurrences, inexplicable 

processes shackled to unstoppable, 

directionless power. And the only 

moral force in the universe as we know 

it is us humans. 

As humans with the free will to 

question free will, we have evolved 

an awkwardly opposed idea: infamy. 

In specific usage: a strange popularity, 

an evil fame, an elevation of a 

somehow defensible villain. The infamous 

murderer seems somehow 

amoral, especially when murdering 

his own. The murder is expected and 

necessary. The murder affirms the 

existences of the murderer and the 

murdered, and anyway the murderer 

will eventually end up murdered 

himself. It is their inextricable fates. 

This reprinted volume of nonfiction 

(first published in 1927) by 

Herbert Asbury is set in a portion of 

this universe named Five Points ñ 

New Yorkís amoral heart. There, in 

the 19th and early 20th centuries, 

men like Monk Eastman ñ alias 

Joseph Morris, alias Joseph Marvin, 

alias Edward Delaney, alias William 

Delaney, alias Edward Eastman ñ 

leader of a gang of 1,200 men, split 

skulls and kept score. ìI had fortynine 

nicks in me stick, aní I wanted to 

make it an even fifty,î he is reported 

to have said. Here women like Red 

Norah married dead husbands. Here 

occupations included horse-poisoning, 

election-rigging, pimping and 

Mikado tuck-ups. Here the supposed 

innocents, like the 10- and 11-year-old 

assassins of the Daybreak Boys, murder 

and are murdered with the apparent 

randomness, lack of sentiment 

and ruthless speed of nature herself. 

Here large gangs of large men wage 

savage war in overpopulated streets, 

tearing at each othersí faces in an 

ocean of flesh. This is all true, including 

the hyperbole. Such is the nature 

of infamy ñ it slips into the explanations 

and understandings archetype 

and myth provide. 

And infamy isnít the only word 

defined. The appended glossary entitled 

ìThe Slang of Early Gangstersî 

includes words derived from English, 

Hibernian English, Gaelic, Yiddish, 

Italian and early Ebonics. A selection 

of words imparted meanings not 

found in Websterís, or wholly invented, 

includes: Sam or the Bens, who are 

fools or idiots, and to snitchel the blokeís 

gigg, which is to smash someoneís 

nose. As in, ìAnyone who wouldnít 

read The Gangs of New York is a Sam or 

one of the Bens, and someone 

should snitchel those blokesí giggs.î 

Or in this more able example from 

the glossary, ìHe told Jack as how Bill 

had flimped a yack, and pinched a 

swell of a spark fawney, and had sent 

the yack to church, and got half a 

century and a finniff for the fawney.î 

The reason for this volumeís rerelease 

(and itís a pity one was necessary) 

is Martin Scorseseís new film of 

the same title, due to arrive in Prague 

cinemas in May. A movie screen is flat, 

and movies are a flattening, a transference 

of a lived-in universe to an 

empty rectangle suspended in the 

void. Film as a medium, no matter 

plot structure or shot sequence, is 

inherently linear. Each present image 

immediately renders null the previous 

image, which itself replaced, and 

warrants, its previous image. Iím 

eager to see the filmed version, for 

the very reason that Asburyís personalities 

are each an individual flat 

image, a proposal or role, and their 

lives seem a mere moment. Asburyís 

gangsters were molded into destinies, 

into honors and tribal lines they died 

for, hopefully leaving someone else, 

through their seed or their loyalty, to 

replace them. 

The Dedalus Book 

of Absinthe 

By Phil Baker 

Dedalus (2003) 

296 pages 

Itís for export only. Who would 

want it here Absinthe ñ and you 

havenít heard it here first, folks ñ is 

a lie. Itís shit. And it shits all over your 

mornings-after. Itís for Czechs to give 

to non-Czechs as presents and for 

tourists to haul home, wrapped safely 

in their suitcases, to set on their 

home liquor shelves and never open. 

Here are the facts: Wormwood (an 

imaginative derivation from the 

Anglo-Saxon wermode meaning ìmind 

preserverî) ñ or more specifically, its 

active ingredient, thujone (or tanacetone) 

ñ makes absinthe hallucinogenic. 

Thujone, a terpene, is derived 

from thujone oil, distilled from Thuja 

occidentalis or white cedar, as well as 

from other trees of the arbor vitae 

phylum. Thujone is a near relation to 

menthol (the preferred smoke of 

hookers and German portfolio managers) 

and THC, Tetra-hydracannabinol, 

the active ingredient in 

cannabis. Now the bad news: EU regulations, 

to which the Czech Republic 

voluntarily adheres, prohibit absinthe 

containing more than 10 parts of 

wormwood per million, or 10mg of 

the stuff per kilogram of alcohol, 

meaning if you drink enough youíll 

end up fall-down drunk and not 

much more. The same effect ñ i.e., 

intoxication ñ can be obtained from 

scotch, rum, vodka and even the ubiquitous 

pivo. Absinthe hallucinations 

are for liars, tourists or wannabe 

Romantics. Sorry. 

Enter the nostalgia: Absinthe was 

once much, much stronger. In the 

Belle Epoque, the wormwood/alcohol 

ratio was more like 260-350 parts per 

million. Any schmuck with a paintbrush 

could do a few shots and paint 

Sunflowers. Any asshole with a fountain 

pen could write this line: ìAbsinthe, 

mere des bonheursî (ìAbsinthe, mother 

of all happinessî) and dissipate into an 

early grave and posthumous fame. 

Still, as alcohol, absinthe is harsh, 

potent stuff. If only the booze went 

down as easily as the book. The 

Dedalus Book of Absinthe, ably written 

by Phil Baker, is a well-researched 

and entertaining wealth of fact and 

fancy, anecdotes and information 

about the Green Fairy (or Green 

Death or Green Ghost or Green anything). 

Interspersed with historical 

accounts of absintheís production 

The EU prohibits 

absinthe containing 

more than 10mg of the 

stuff per kilogram of 

alcohol, meaning if you 

drink enough you’ll end 

up fall-down drunk and 

not much more. 

and legislation are debauched accounts 

excerpted from the writings of 

famous debauchees, among them 

Hemingway, Picasso and Van Gogh. 

Also surveyed are the rituals of libation, 

including digressions on the 

appropriate hardware. Those who 

think a shot glass, a spoon, sugar and 

a lighter are sufficient for an interesting 

Saturday night are in for an education. 

Ever hear of mainlining pure 

wormwood When you recover from 

that, you might want to have some 

green eggs and ham (of Dr. Seuss 

fame) for Sunday brunch ñ green 

eggs made green from absinthe, a 

recommended hangover remedy. 

The final section is a quirk, a tastetest 

of widely available absinthe 

brands. Howíd the home team fare 

Hillís, the oldest and most reputable 

of Czech absinthes, scored a three 

out of five, as did the imaginatively 

named Prague. Sebor and King of 

Spirits each scored a four. I take the 

rankings with a grain of salt (or a 

spoonful of flaming sugar to make 

the medicine go down). Phil Baker, 

though an insightful writer, is a Brit, 

and we all know how they drink. 

Joshua Cohen is at joshua@pill.cz


listings 

PLaYLisT 

Burnt Offerings 

Reviews by Micah Jayne 

The Flaming Lips 

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots 

Warner Brothers, 2002 

This is not a band that deserves to 

be saddled with repeated introductions, 

but their highly anticipated 

follow-up to the beautiful 

genius of The Soft Bulletin somehow 

seems to fall on virgin ears. Apropos 

their obscure fate, Wayne Coyne and 

The Flaming Lips are geniuses of perseverance. 

A 20-year career has produced 

11 albums, with each new 

effort clawing another rung up the 

ladder of the stubbornly weird. In 

1984, or so the legend goes, when 

Michael Stipe was hiding in a closet in 

Athens to record Murmur, The 

Flaming Lips invested in the first PA 

system in the Oklahoma City punk 

scene. This marvel of science guaranteed 

the modern-day champions of 

acid rock a place on stage with bands 

like H¸sker D¸, not to mention every 

single band in the local scene. 

Eventually the Lipsí penchant for real 

experimentation via Led Zeppelin 

covers in the morass of ë80s crap 

found them supporting the Jesus and 

Mary Chain and that font of all weirdness, 

the Hairway to Steven-era 

Butthole Surfers. Their reputation as 

pioneers of the ìalternativeî are fed 

by rumors of events like the famous 

ìparking-lot experiments,î which culminated 

in a demo at Austinís 1997 

South by Southwest festival, during 

which 30 different tapes were played 

simultaneously from 30 different 

cars. The result was, perhaps, the only 

successful fusion of interactive elements 

into the creation of listenable 

music. Yoshimi, like The Soft Bulletin, is 

a concept album. Named after 

Yoshimi P-we of the Boredoms, the 

protagonist explores the death of a 

Japanese fan and the bizarre circumstances 

under which Coyne and the 

band were told of her death across a 

fertile landscape of subtly tweaked 

sound. The album is soft, pretty and 

accessible, a narrative soundscape 

taking the mind-bending technical 

experience of creating 1997ís Zaireeka 

through filters of childlike awe and 

emotional abandonment. It evolves 

into what Coyne himself describes as 

a ìcandy-coated potato chip,î a 

deceptively electronic, organic album 

(or vice versa . . .) that says too much 

and ends too soon. It is yet another 

minutely flawed magnum opus from 

a band that deserves so much more 

than a gentle tip of the hat. Which is 

likely more than the musical proletariat 

of the late 20th century will ever 

grant them. 

Johnny Cash 

American IV: The Man Comes Around 

Universal, 2002 

So much ìmainstreamî entertainment 

seems three parts contrivance 

to one part each talent 

and manufacture, which makes it 

hard to reconcile certain memories of 

Mr. John Cash. Cutting the engine to 

save gas and winding a Ford van down 

a 10-kilometer decline in Bosnia with 

a friend reciting ìA Boy Named Sueî 

in the passenger seat ñ the first time I 

saw shelled-out homes. Arguing with 

another friend over a mint vinyl copy 

of At Folsom Prison we found in a 

southside Richmond, Virginia stripmall 

thrift store and finally agreeing 

to wrap it in cellophane tape and 

keep it on top of the refrigerator ìforever.î 

Johnny Cashís lot, to which he 

seems dourly resigned, is to wander 

the zone between Hank Williams 

authenticity and Tom Jones mendaciousness. 

One might say, without 

overmuch irony, that he walks the 

line. Cash uses the beneath-the-scale 

bass of his voice like a catís paw to 

stretch every bit of emotion out of 

each song of this decidedly bizarre 

assemblage. He makes Depeche 

Modeís ìPersonal Jesusî sound heartfelt, 

Simon and Garfunkelís ìBridge 

over Troubled Waterî sound manly 

and ìDanny Boyî comes off as 

American as Don Henley. (You can 

actually hear the smile lines deepen at 

ìDesperado, you ainít getting no 

younger.î) The collection is salted 

with original tunes like the spine-tingling 

title track, which finds St. John 

set to by countryís most apt voyeur, 

armed only with a deceptively aging 

baritone, a guitar and a steamship 

piano. Johnny Cash is an anomaly, 

simply put. From the baby-faced, 

tough-as-nails ex-con riffing on the 

long-lost girl next door for a newborn 

Sun Records to the dark-miened troubadour 

of the omega days, Johnny 

Cash, and, perhaps more importantly, 

his image, simply remains ñ and that is 

a wondrous feat. 

Scenic 

The Acid Gospel Experience 

Émigré, 2002 

Packaged as part of the …migrÈ 

companyís distantly avant-garde 

typography and design quarterly, 

the debut album of this hypno-electronic 

ensemble plods a meandering 

path through the conceptual wading 

pool that is electronic music. Pawing 

through the hyper-sanitized packaging, 

complete with …migrÈ leader 

Bruce Licherís painfully proud introduction 

just after the title page, somehow 

reinforces the fact that youíre 

swimming in dirty water. Reminiscent 

of so much and attempting so many 

jerky forays into apparent novelty, the 

overall affect is of a precisely planned 

effort overfinished. Dropping hints of 

ethno-trance onto a polished obelisk 

reflecting Slowdive, Mercury Rev, The 

Verve and others, the Acid Gospel 

Experience is often distastefully redolent 

of nothing so much as clichÈ and 

guitar-noodling solipsism. The sad 

thing is that 10 years ago, before high 

school kids could squeeze home versions 

of Pro-Tools onto their new G4s, 

this would have been a breakthrough 

accomplishment ñ and itís not as 

though the Acid Gospel Experience 

is bad music. On the contrary, itís 

quite listenable, but the fact that it is 

couched in such pretensions makes it 

a bit hard to stomach. Go ahead: You 

might find that you can rock 1995, if 

youíve got the chaise lounge ready. 

Micah Jayne is at micah@letters.cz 

LeGaL 

“Black Souls” 

I have been working in an English school 

for the last three months. I still don’t have a 

work visa. Last week I crossed the border 

to renew my tourist visa, but when I got my 

passport back, it hadn’t been stamped. 

Now I don’t have a work visa or a tourist 

visa. My employer tells me not to worry 

about this. I AM worried – should I be 

First, you’re not the only person who 

should be worried. Your employer ought to 

be equally worried; he’s employing you 

illegally, and if the labor office finds out he 

could lose his business license. Because 

you don’t have work permission, for all 

practical purposes you’re practically not an 

employee, but what is called in Czech a 

“black soul” – someone who works 

without appearing on any official record. 

You’re getting your salary on a cash-inhand 

basis, you’re not paying social 

security or health insurance, and neither is 

your employer. In short, you’re working 

here illegally, and stamps in your passport 

aren’t going to change this. If you’re 

caught working without official permission 

you can be deported (either by court order, 

or directly by the police); even worse, you 

can be banned from re-entering the Czech 

Republic for several years. 

It’s time to decide what you want from 

life here. If you plan to stay in the Czech 

Republic for more than a brief holiday, you 

(and your employer) need to take the 

necessary steps to make your presence 

here legal. Yes, getting a work permit (or 

trade license) does involve an 

unbelievable amount of work – a long, 

boring and downright awful trudge through 

Czech bureaucracy. But at the end of the 

day it’s necessary, and you should start 

the process right now. Good luck! 

Our employer insists that we work regular 

unpaid overtime, usually between three 

and six hours per week. We weren’t told 

about this when we started, and there’s 

nothing about it in our contracts. Can we 

refuse 

Your boss can only insist that you work 

overtime in exceptional circumstances, 

described in Paragraph 96 of the Czech 

Labor Code as “serious operating 

reasons.” This covers one-off situations 

where extra work is urgently required to 

keep the business running; it does not 

cover, for example, a staff shortage the 

employer has made no effort to remedy. 

In deciding whether or not to refuse to 

work overtime, you must decide if this is 

the kind of exceptional case that could be 

considered “serious operating reasons” 

from your employer’s point of view. 

Situations arise in many jobs where it 

becomes necessary to work overtime, but 

as I understand, it compulsory overtime 

forms part of your regular weekly 

workload. This is completely 

unacceptable, and certainly doesn’t fall 

within the Paragraph 96 definition. It’s 

also worth noting that there is a clear 

legal limit on how much overtime you can 

be told to work – not more than eight 

hours extra in one week, and not more 

than a total of 150 hours in one year. 

Of course, regardless of number of 

hours or soundness of reasons, you are 

entitled to be paid for all work you do. You 

are entitled to remuneration for all the 

unpaid overtime you have done thus far, 

and you should insist that your employer 

pay you accordingly. If he or she won’t 

pay, don’t be afraid to go to court for your 

money. And don’t be afraid to refuse to 

work further unpaid overtime, whether or 

not the business will collapse as a result 

of your absence. 

Got questions Send them to 

letters@pill.cz or contact Klára Veselá 

Samková directly at 

klara.vesela@lawyers.cz. Your personal 

details will be treated with strictest 

confidence. 

Gwendolyn Albert 

Reading 

Alchemy Reading and Performance 

Series Monday, February 17th at 

Shakespeare and Sons 

According to some 20th-century literary theorists, 

a poem doesn’t exist until it is read aloud. The 

line is meaningless, many argue, until it meets 

the breath. While this might or might not be true, 

it did provide a useful subject for a few decades 

of doctoral dissertations. Test this thesis on 

selected Mondays, and this Monday in particular, 

at a promising installment of the Alchemy series, 

Prague’s most inclusive and interesting readings 

in recent memory. Gwendolyn Albert, an expatriate 

poet or poetess (and herein lies another thesis) 

from Oakland, California, will read from her 

work, which has appeared in numerous publications, 

including the prestigious Exquisite Corpse. 

Shakespeare and Sons, a delightful idea-retailer, 

is in almost the same quandary as poetry itself: If 

you’ve only read about the place here, it might 

not really exist. Hop on a tram and find out for 

yourself. ■ Cohen 

Karaoke nights at 

Scarlett’s every 

Wednesday 

6pm—midnight. 

Sponsored by 

The Prague Pill 

Suk, Prokofiev and 

Schnittke 

Prague Symphony Orchestra. Wednesday, 

February 19th at Obecní dům 

Minimalism, minimalism, minimalism, minimalism 

and minimalism. And minimalism. Is minimalism 

a poverty of expression, or a serious 

artistic idea America thinks minimalism is a 

product of popular music, a product of a wider 

populist aesthetic, of the same advertisements 

seen every five minutes, of the same Monday 

workday every Monday workday. Europe disagrees. 

The two apologists for European minimalism 

couldn’t be more different. There’s Arvo 

Part, for whom minimalism is an offshoot of old 

religious music, specifically Gregorian vocal 

music. Then there’s Alfred Schnittke, an affirmed 

writer of tonal music, for whom minimalism was 

a response to the predictability of tonal polyphony. 

Minimalism for Schnittke was a way out of the 

predictable progressions, a way to zero in on texture 

as opposed to linearity. Hear him at the end 

of an interesting program of Suk and Prokofiev 

and you’ll understand that not one of his notes is 

ever repeated, it’s only heard again for the first 

time. ■ Cohen 

Meloun: Nijak - live, discotheque with Dj Aned Brumla 

Metropolitan Jazz Club: Bob Zajíček Quartet 

Mlejn: Monogram + Kvintet (bluegrass, CD release party) 

Nebe: Dj Big J - Soulfood 

Norton: Dj Chris Cags 

Reduta: Gera Band 

Rock Café: Ska Night - 2V1 & Green Smatroll 

Salmovská literární kavárna: Fianan (Irish songs & ballads with Czech texts) 

Sedm Vlků: Djs 2K & Babe LN (dń´b) 

U Malého Glena: Groove (groove, funky, acid jazz, blues) 

Ultramarin: Dj Lumiere 

Ungelt JazzŃ´Blues Club: Chicken Soup - Jazz Fusion Band 

Vagon: Walk Choc Ice 

Wakata: Dj deNisa (freestyle beats) 

XT3: Turntable lounge - Djs Touchwood & Katcha (jungle, dń´b) 

Železná: Flavors (modern jazz) 

007 Strahov: Le Laple 

Akcent: Fiery Love Plays (Hans Sachs´s farces, in Czech) at 8 


CH, CZ) at 8 



Činoherní Klub: The Lonesome West (M. McDonagh, in Czech) at 7:30 

Damúza: Tramvaj načerno (“Blind Tram” - poetic evening, in Czech) at 8 


Divadlo ABC: The Golem (G. Meyrink, in Czech) at 7 


Divadlo Na Fidlovačce: What the Butler Saw (J. Orton, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo Na Zábradlí: Knives in Hens (D. Harrower, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo V Celetné: Copenhagen (M. Frayn, in Czech) at 7:30 

Image: Cabinet (black light theater) at 8 

Klementinum: Z. Němečková - organ, H. Jonášová - soprano, M. 

Laštovka - trumpet (Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart) at 5 

Kolowrat: Countryside (M. Crimp, in Czech) at 7 

Kongresové Centrum: Singing In the Rain (choreography G. Kelly, S. 

Donen, musical, in Czech) at 3 



Národní Divadlo: Cyrano from Bergerac (E. Rostand, in Czech) at 7 

NoD: Dream Play (A. Strindberg, performed by the Bohnická 

Divadelní Společnost, in Czech) at 8 

Ponec: Archa Adrift! - workshop with the CandoCo dance theater 

company 

Rudolfinum: Prague Chamber Orchestra without the conductor (Bizet, 

Schumann, Vaňhal) at 7:30 


Stavovské Divadlo: The Entertainer (J. Osborne, in Czech) at 7 

Švandovo Divadlo: The Hussars (P.A. Bréal, in Czech) at 7 


Ungelt: Marriage Play (E. Albee, in Czech) at 7:55 

Thursday, February 13 

A.M. Vikadlo: ŠlupkaHůla nejen blues 

A Studio Rubín: Mantis 

Agharta: Limited Edition (modern jazz) 

Akropolis: Breakneck Kru (breakbeat, Small Scene), Face2Face (live - 

tribal house project, bass, percussions, sax, vocals, Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Balbín’s Poetic Cabaret - guests Záviš 

and Jiří Konvrzek 

Baráčnická Rychta: Gaelachas - 29. Evening of Irish music + dance 

lessons 


Futurum: V.T. Marvin 

Gong: The Empire Builders (B. Vian, in Czech) at 7:30 

Guru: Ermitage (melorock) + Zaba 

Industry: Dance party Djs - E.S.W.L. 

Kain: Dolmen 

Kavárna Na Půl Cesty: Jakub Noha Band (big beat) 

KC Zahrada: Carrabina (bluegrass) 

Klamovka: Techtle mechtle 

La Provence: Caca Band, The Robots, Electric Boogie 

Le Clan: Show a la House with Dušan - Djs 

Lucerna Music Bar: Krausberry 

Malostranská Beseda: Proti proudu (Against the Stream) lonely songsters 

festival 

Mánes: Sebranka (country) 

Mecca: Valentine Night - Storm & Storm fashion show, party with 

Djs and food 

Meloun: Karaoke - Dj Aned Brumla 

Metropolitan Jazz Club: Jazztet Quintet (dixie, swing, Latin) 

Nebe: Dj Absolut POP 

Prosek: Faidon, Dr. Triceratops 

Radost FX: Soultrain - resident Djs Big J, Rico, Special-K (soul + r’n’b night) 

Reduta: Jiří Stivín & Co. 

Rock Café: Orange Tour - Obří Broskev & guests N.O.D. Štěpána 

Smetáčka, Maťo Mašík 

Salmovská literární kavárna: Pavel Bobek & Lída, Miloš and Mikoláš Nop 

Sedm Vlků: Dj Ka-Ve (2step, jungle) 

U Malého Glena: František Kop Quartet (modern jazz) 

U Vystřelenýho Oka: Baťa & Kalábůf něžný beat 

Ultramarin: Dj Victorious 

Ungelt JazzŃ´Blues Club: Chicken Soup - Jazz Fusion Band 

Vagon: Ready Kirken 

Wakata: Tempo is Down - Djs Pintlich & Zichi (downtempo) 

XT3: Thursday hip hop - Djs Aphect & True (hip hop) 

Železná: Jan Kořínek & groove (vocal original jazz) 

007 Strahov: Djs Orion, R.B.R. (hip hop, ragga) 


CH, CZ) at 8 



Činoherní Klub: The Lonesome West (M. McDonagh, in Czech) at 7:30 


Divadlo ABC: Pouic-Pouic (J. Vilfrid, J. Girault, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo Bez Zábradlí: Bambini di Praga (B. Hrabal, in Czech) at 7 



Divadlo Na Vinohradech: Who´s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (E. Albee, in 

Czech) at 7, Scenes from Marriage (I. Bergman, in Czech, in the 

rehearsal room) at 7 

Divadlo Na Zábradlí: The Terrace (J.-C. Carriére, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo V Celetné: All in the Timing (D. Ives, in Czech) at 7:30 


Klementinum: J. Maťátková - violin, M. Bauerová - soprano, F. Petr - 

organ (Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Massenet, Gounod) at 5 

Komedie: Rooms (P. Minyana, in Czech) at 7:30 

Laterna Magika: The Wonderful Circus at 8 


Národní Divadlo: Cyrano from Bergerac (E. Rostand, in Czech) at 7 

NoD: Sávitrí (shadow theater based on Mahábhárata motives, performed 

by the Líšeň theater, in Czech) at 8 


company 


Stavovské Divadlo: Romeo and Juliet (W. Shakespeare, in Czech) at 7 

Švandovo Divadlo: Tartuffe (Moliére, in Czech) at 7 


Ungelt: Tell Me On a Sunday (A.L. Weber, D. Black, in Czech) at 7:55 

Viola: The Gin Game (D.L. Coburn, in Czech) at 8 

Friday, February 14 

A.M. Vikadlo: Jazz Maze at 4, Missa (Karel Kryl revival) 

A Studio Rubín: Sperms after Week 

Agharta: Masala (fusion) 

Akropolis: Hip Hop Foundation # 15 - Rap - Phat; Djs Battle - Jazzy (SK) 

vs Maro vs Enemy, Freestyle Battle - Dano (SK) vs Mc Janek vs 

Sleva; B-Boys Battle - Torzo Breakers vs Energy 49; Beatbox Battle 

- Kezom vs Anir vs Kafes 33; Graffiti Style Battle - the best writers; 

Chill Out Djs - Glazy, Trafik, Jürgen, True + the winners of the Hip 

Hop Foundation # 14 (Big Hall, Small Scene, Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Psalteria (medieval girl band) 

Baráčnická Rychta: Balkan Music and Dance Evening - Gothart, traditional 

Balkan dances, belly dancers 

Batalion: Valentine Party 

Delta: Jiří Schmitzer 



Guru: Industrial Symphony - Dj Element (techno) 

Imperial Jazz Café: Senior Dixieland Praha 

Industry: Testament Dance Party - Djs Kavalír & Michal Jirák 

Kain: Krleš 

KD Opatov: South House & Breakbeat Work (southwork vs. pure rhythm) 

Klamovka: Dasein


listings 

La Provence: Classic Nostalgia Jazz, Valentine Weekend at Banana Café 

Le Clan: Lounge with Dj Renda and guests 


Malostranská Beseda: Proti proudu (Against the Stream) lonely songsters 

festival 

Mánes: Tropicana (latino-american night) 

Mecca: Dj Vadim Craft with Final Scratch (Megatronpeople, Cyprus), 

Dj Kuba Soulcheck, Teddy B (Ibiza) and special guest from 

Holland, Coitus’s Workshop - Dj Coitus Exitus live and Djs 



Mlejn: Bass Beast, Dreat Beat Squad, Hypno 

Mrtvá Vrána: St. Valentine’s Night - Dj Baltazar plays for all those in 

love, free pink welcome drink and free entry 

Nebe: Djs Groof + Rend@ 

Radost FX: St. Valentine’s Party with Crazy Penis (UK) - live + Dj set, 

Djs Loutka + Vectif 

Reduta: Impuls 

Rock Café: Valentine Day Party - Unity & SM Lomoz 

Roxy: Mix - special guest Timmy S (UK), Djs Tráva + Rescue, Chill 

Out - Significant Brother 

Rudolfinum: V-Day - Vagina Monologues (E. Ensler, in Czech) at 5 

Salmovská literární kavárna: Katka Garcia & guests - Dun An Doras, 

Predrag (world music) 

Sedm Vlků: Djs Skywalker, Cashmeer & Stanzim (oldschool, jungle, ragga) 

U Malého Glena: Najponk Trio 

Ultramarin: Dj Special K - Valentine Night Party 


Vagon: Jetbeat (60s - 70s music), Reggae party at midnight 

Wakata: Djs Gardenzitty SoundSystem (ragga jungle) 

XT3: Heavy Load - Djs Marvel, Ka-ve & Infinity (dń´b) 

Železná: František Kop Quartet (modern jazz) 

007 Strahov: Vertibo, Seher Sekete Kerek (ska, reggae) 


CH, CZ) at 8 



Činoherní Klub: Entertaining Mr. Sloane (J. Orton, in Czech) at 7:30 

Damúza: Agatomania (A. Goldflam, in Czech) at 8 

Dejvické Divadlo: The Brothers Karamazov (F.M. Dostoyevsky) at 7:30 

Disk: Some Explicit Polaroids (M. Ravenhill, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo ABC: Charley´s Aunt (J. Brandon - Thomas, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo Bez Zábradlí: Luv (M. Schisgal, in Czech) at 7 


Divadlo Na Fidlovačce: The Marriage (N.V. Gogol, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo V Řeznické: The Collector (J. Fowles, in Czech) at 7:30 


Klementinum: Mozart Quintet - J. Jonášová - soprano, Z. Němečková - 

organ (Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart) at 5 

Kolowrat: Happy Days (S. Beckett, in Czech) at 7 

Komedie: Here THE Life Is Beautiful (dance performance, in cooperation 

with the Deja Donne company) at 7:30 


Národní Divadlo: Maryša (A.+ V. Mrštík, in Czech) at 7 

NoD: Forest and other pieces (puppet theater, N. Sawa) at 8 

Ponec: Archa Adrift! - workshop with the CandoCo dance theater company 

Rokoko: Romeo and Juliet (W. Shakespeare, in Czech) at 7 

Státní Opera: Cosi fan tutte (W.A. Mozart) at 7 

Stavovské Divadlo: The Bandits (G. Verdi, opera) at 7 

Švandovo Divadlo: Killer Joe (T. Letts, in Czech) at 7 


Viola: Angel in Blue - J. Marais and J. Cocteau (reading, talk, in Czech) at 8 

Saturday, February 15 

A Studio Rubín: Sygnus 

Agharta: Flavours (modern jazz) 

Akropolis: Rude Audio (Small Scene), Pimprle Mix - Djs Voita & 

Kaplick (freestyle, Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Taliesyn (jazz, folk, fusion) 




Guru: Birthday Party - Mr. Montana + Dj Kenny (hip hop, rap & soul) 

Hells Bells: Sci-Fi, Faidon 

Imperial Jazz Café: Dixieland Messengers 

Industry: The Sound of Industry - Prochy, Jeremy, Petr Holman, Raju 

Kain: Seven 

Klamovka: Agáve 9 

La Provence: O & Band, Valentine Weekend at Banana Café, Cancan 

Dancing 

Le Clan: Moonshine with Dj Brian and guest 


Magická Zahrada: Pragasón - La Música Cubana En Praga (son 

cubano, latin jazz) 

Malostranská Beseda: Sto zvířat (rock) 

Mánes: Chevrolet Oldies Party 

Mecca: Love’in - US funky & vocal house with resident Djs Neo and 

Kristian Szabo and special guest from Germany Dj Hubee aka 

Wackside, history of funky music in C’Lounge by Dj Luděk Fí 



Modrá Vopice: Deheth C, FuckDaKarot + Ambrosia (hardcore) 

Mrtvá Vrána: Djs Deep Corner (tech house, breakbeat) 

Nebe: Djs Rockweell + Teddy B. 

Radost FX: Lollypop - gay night, resident Djs Vilém + Lumiere + special 

guest 

Reduta: Bobby Houda Blues Band 

Rock Café: TakinÓff (latin funky) + Dj Maara 

Roxy: Zen - special guest Phil Thompson aka Moonface (UK), resident 

Djs Joel Einhorn, Michael Burian, Deep House Chill Out - 

Dan Cooley + Rai 

Sedm Vlků: Djs Beast67, Hellium & Rido (dń´b) 

Solidarita: Dance Café - Trio Jimi 

U Malého Glena: Najponk Trio 

Ultramarin: Dj Chris Cags 


Vagon: Votchi & guests, Rockotheque at midnight 

Wakata: Djs Irie Memba & Anděl (reggae dancehall night) 

XT3: Premium Wondah of da unda - Djs Pepe & A.L.I. and guests 

(hip hop) 

Železná: Mladá Kref - take the Jazz Train (classic & modern jazz) at 

5, Robert Balzar Trio (mainstream jazz) 

007 Strahov: Djs Orion, Each & Wich (hip hop) 



Činoherní Klub: Entertaining Mr. Sloane (J. Orton, in Czech) at 7:30 

Dejvické Divadlo: The Loot (J. Orton, in Czech) at 7:30 


Divadlo ABC: Double Play (R. Thomas, in Czech) at 5, Nunsense (D. 

Goggin, musical, in Czech, on Small Scene - Ábíčko) at 2 and 8:30 

Divadlo Bez Zábradlí: Noises Off (M. Frayn, in Czech) at 7 


Divadlo Na Vinohradech: Howard Katz (P. Marber, in Czech) at 2 and 7 

Divadlo Na Zábradlí: In the Summer House (J. Bowles, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo U Hasičů: You Know I Can´t Hear You When the Water´s 

Running (R. Anderson, in Czech) at 3 and 7 

Divadlo V Celetné: Supper of Ashes (B. Kuras, in Czech) at 8 


Kolowrat: Vor dem Ruhestand (T. Bernhard, in Czech) at 7 

Komedie: Here THE Life Is Beautiful (dance theater, in cooperation 

with the Deja Donne company) at 7:30 



Metro: Carmen (P. Merimée, in Czech, drama) at 3 

Národní Divadlo: Comedy of Errors (W. Shakespeare, in Czech) at 2, 

The Servant of Two Masters (C. Goldoni, in Czech) at 7 


company 

Státní Opera: Aida (G. Verdi) at 7 

Stavovské Divadlo: Rigoletto (G. Verdi, opera) at 7 

Švandovo Divadlo: The Tempest (W. Shakespeare, in Czech) at 7 


Sunday, February 16 

A Studio Rubín: Bengas 

Agharta: František Uhlíř Team (modern jazz) 

Akropolis: Za pecí - jungling afternoon at 3 (Big Hall), open stage 

(Big Hall), Dj Sunpaya & guest (funky, new york deephouse, 

Small Scene), Pro Sound System - Djs Liquid A & Kryshpeen, 

Mc Dr Kary (reggae, dancehall, dub, Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Luboš Pavel - One man theater 


Guru: Dj Es.Pe.Ha.Ce (elektroexperiment) 

La Provence: Valentine Weekend at Banana Café 

Metropolitan Jazz Club: Jaroslav “Fats” Kos Trio 


Reduta: Jazz Fragment 


U Malého Glena: Leimonarion Jam Session - come to jam! 

Ungelt JazzŃ´Blues Club: Gumbo Blues Band & Ondřej Konrád 

Vagon: Film Blues Band + OOZ 

Wakata: Back 2p2p - Djs Ali & Pepe (hip hop) 

XT3: Sunday breakz 

Železná: Sunflower Caravan (progressive jazzrock) 



Dejvické Divadlo: Three Sisters (A.P. Chekhov, in Czech) at 7:30 


Divadlo Bez Zábradlí: Same Time, Next Year (B. Slade, in Czech) at 7 


Divadlo Na Fidlovačce: Fiddler on the Roof (J. Stein, J. Bock, S. 

Harnick, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo Na Vinohradech: Ballad about the Thief of the Horses or 

Gypsies Go to Heaven (musical, in Slovak) at 5 and 8 

Divadlo Na Zábradlí: The Dresser (R. Harwood, in Czech, performed b 

MUSIC CLUB ■ INDEPENDENT 

MUSIC CLUB 11-05 CAFÉ 11-03 

ROKYCANOVA 29, PRAHA 3 – ŽIŽKOV 

603 115 836, 222 783 463 

Bumcello 

Friday, February 21st at Palác Akropolis 

Bumcello is an eclectic duo. With Vincent Segal 

on electric cello, Cyril Alef on drums, and 

vocoders, effects boxes and tape loops of their 

own music, they are able to create a kaleidoscope 

of sound from dub, drum ‘n bass, house, 

jazz, techno, funk, hip hop, oriental sounds and 

beyond. Their influences run from African music 

to French pop. Just to give you a sense of what 

to expect: They’ve dubbed their sampler “head 

rush,” which means the audience can expect to 

have their minds blown. Since the opening act 

for this show is Dub-O-Net (featuring vocalist 

Jamajka), as well, everyone’s going to have at 

least a contact high for the main attraction. ■ 

Ozuna 

Millie Howe 

Andrew Jose Hairdressing Salon. 

Michalská 17 in P1. 224 23 20 29 

Are you tired of going out night after night to the 

same bar, talking up the same girl, only to have 

her brush you off her shoulder like a flake of 

dandruff when it comes time to go home She’s 

probably laughing at that dead ferret on your 

head whenever you go to take a piss. Sorry to 

have to break it to you, man, but you’re wolfin’ 

like a ‘tard these days. What you need is a gay 

haircut, and there’s only one woman in this town 

who knows what that means. That woman is 

Millie, the Australian wunderkind specializing in 

the funky, the punky, the obtuse, the asymmetrical, 

and Wilde Colour. Millie will tell you herself 

that she doesn’t do conservative, so if you work 

in a bank and hang out at Tretter’s, you’d better 

stick to your neighborhood holic. But if you’re a 

tattooed, pierced, fucked-up, trisexual creature 

of the night, Milly will make you look cooler than 

you already are. The same holds true for ladies: 

Milly is responsible for the most talked about 

hair cut in Prague this winter, Miss Jill Ruchala’s. 

Her rates aren’t particularly cheap, but this kind 

of talent is rare in Prague and you wanna start 

getting laid, right ■ Jeppesen 

PraGue LoG 

No Ocean, but 

Sharks Aplenty 

Prague’s posh poker scene. 

By Dan Levine 

Casino Palais Savarin 

Na príkopé 10, Praha 1 – Nové město. 

Tel. 224.221.636. Open daily 1pm- 

4am. Poker every Wednesday from 

7pm to 330am 

Americans and poker go together 

like Elvis and peanut butter, 

which is why friendly expat poker 

games have popped up around 

Prague like mushrooms in September. 

One weekly match, held in a 

Vinohrady pub for the past 10 years 

or so, counts amongst its regulars 

two of the cityís most prominent 

restaurant owners, a technology 

entrepreneur and a globetrotting 

alcohol importer. Another, drawing 

one of the cityís biggest real-estate 

moguls and a well-known film executive, 

is a high-stakes stunner with 

pots in the thousands of dollars. 

Since last month, a far more egalitarian 

game has been holding court 

Wednesday nights at Casino Palais 

Savarin, a swanky spot on the second 

floor of an amazing rococo palace 

that, ironically, is also home to the 

Museum of Communism. This sevenhour 

seven card stud marathon, 

played with Vegas rules on beautiful 

felt-topped tables, is secreted in a lavish, 

wood-paneled back room with 

piped-in music, brocaded velvet curtains 

and extravagant crystal chandeliers. 

Itís an amazingly stylish space 

that wouldnít be out of place in a 

James Bond fil. (Indeed, it was used as 

a backdrop for the card scenes in last 

yearís Czech hit Babi Leto.) The giddy 

sense of exclusivity is further heightened 

by an entrance sign which reads 

ìPrivate Invitation Onlyî to keep the 

Great Unwashed at bay. 

The game has been attracting a 

diverse cast of characters that includes 

a sculptor, a hard-core pornographer, 

a couple of insanely rich Czech lads of 

shady providence, the occasional 

track-suit-wearing Russian mobster 

and a self-proclaimed former professional 

poker player who loses just as 

often as anyone else. 

Youíd think you have to be a freaking 

Rockefeller for an invitation to 

join this rarefied assemblage, but the 

Savarin game is actually open on a 

first-come, first-served basis to anyone 

with a picture ID and a few thousand 

crowns to blow. The result is a surprising 

friendly vibe, with most players 

on a first-name basis and house 

rules that are flexible enough to bend 

to the tableís democratic whims. 

Betting is structured and stakes 

are lowish: 50 KË minimum/100 KË 

maximum, though pots can rise into 

the thousands of crowns. The casino 

rakes 10 KË per person per hand 

and, in return, supplies the venue, 

dealers and a small buffet of 

chlebicky and smoked ham, or 

greasy egg rolls and mystery meat in 

a chafing dish. Oh, and cocktails and 

cigarettes are on the house; just ask 

the pit boss to ring the bell for one of 

the waitresses. 

The game has been 

attracting a diverse cast 

of characters that 

includes a sculptor, a 

hard-core pornographer, 

and a couple of insanely 

rich Czech lads of shady 

providence. 

For all its munificence, the casino 

only grosses about 1,300 KË per player. 

Itís really quite a generous proposition 

that naturally provokes one to 

look for the catch. Then one of the 

chain-smoking mafiosi leaves the 

poker table in a huff and drops a tall 

stack of black chips on roulette to 

heal his wounded pride. Knowing 

smiles flash around the card room 

and we summon the waitress for 

another round. 

Dan Levine has an ace up his sleeve at 

letters@pill.cz 

sTaGe 

What’s 

Opera, 

Doc 

Let me start by warning you: if you know 

what a coloratura is, just put the paper 

down and no one will get hurt. Good. Now 

for the rest of us whose knowledge of 

opera consists of Elmer Fudd singing “Kill 

da wabbit,” this is the first in a series of 

articles on the State Opera and its current 

repertoire. 

“It’s not easy to make an opera really 

good,” says Vojtěch Spurný, SO’s artistic 

director. There’s singing, acting, set design 

...” And all this has to come together at the 

same time. Live. Repeatedly. 

Take Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (or The 

Magic Flute, if you like, which is OK but 

doesn’t have those rockin’ umlauts.) 

Zauberflöte is a big, honking crowdpleaser 

– sort of like The Lord of the 

Rings meets Moulin Rouge, except those 

films likely won’t be called masterpieces 

in 200 years. SO’s new production – it 

premiered last September – is “no 

museum piece,” Spurný says. (“Sniff,” say 

the critics.) 

Here’s what happens: The evil Sarostro 

has kidnapped Pamina, the daughter of the 

mysterious Queen of the Night. The Queen 

sends Prince Tamino to rescue her. He and 

his sidekick, the bird-man Papageno, find 

Pamina and learn that Sarostro is just 

misunderstood. Pamina and Tamino must 

undergo a series of ordeals to win love and 

freedom. 

Zauberflöte is what is commonly called 

a singspiel – what American audiences 

would call a musical. There’s a lot of 

music, obviously, interspersed by spoken 

dialogue. This production has very little 

dance, but look for the frolicking slave 

number near the end of the first act. 

Like a lot of art, you have to meet 

opera halfway. “It’s not like television, 

where you can spread out on the couch 

with your popcorn,” Spurný says. “You 

have to see it and hear it actively.” 

The most enjoyable parts of the 

production are those featuring Papageno. 

This makes sense when you understand 

that Zauberflöte was created for the 

Viennese Theater auf der Wieden, where 

the greater part of the audience aspired to 

the middle classes. Papageno was written 

for them – and for the librettist. Emanuel 

Schikaneder, the man who wrote the words, 

was also the first to play the comic star of 

the show. Hardly surprising, then, that he 

gave himself all the good lines. SO’s 

production features several casts who 

perform in rotation. Aleš Jenis’ Papageno is 

part surfer-dude, part Jar-Jar Binks, and he 

brings the house down in duets with Tereza 

Merklová, as his flighty sweetheart, and 

Katharina Müller as Pamina. Other roles 

were written with particular singers in mind, 

to accentuate the strengths of the auf der 

Wieden crew. The reason there’s a magic 

flute and not a magic ukelele, for example, 

is because the first Tamino played could 

play the flute. (SO’s Tomáš Černý, however, 

just sort of holds it nobly aloft while it plays 

itself.) 

SO presents the opera in the original 

German and the sets evoke Karl Friedrich 

Schinkel’s Zauberflöte of 1816 – work 

often cited as a hallmark of scenography. 

But the intent is not to re-create an earlier 

production, Spurný says. “There’s a 

conservative audience who know a lot 

about opera, how it ‘should’ be. That the 

pyramid should be so-and-so, for example, 

and that there should be 11 elephants 

coming out from this direction, and so on. 

But I love it when an audience has no 

preconceptions about how the opera. This 

is how you have to go to the theater. You 

give your heart to the show.” 

Spurný is now replacing SO’s mossier 

productions with new ones and adding 

new works, like local jazzman Emil 

Viklický’s Oráč a smrt (“Death and the 

Ploughman” – no umlauts, but rockin’ 

nonetheless) and Scott Joplin’s 

Treemonisha. 

Jazzier works like these tend to attract 

a younger audience. Sure, students don’t 

stand in line all night for tickets like they 

did in Verdi’s day, but opera is holding its 

own. The Czech Republic has 10 opera 

companies (Sweden has only four.) 

Premieres at SO regularly sell out, and 

even regular programs fill 50 to 90 percent 

of the house. ■ Theodore Schwinke 

Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) 

W.A. Mozart, libretto by Emanuel 

Schikaneder. Directed by Michael Schlüter- 

Padberg. Next performances: Feb. 9, 2pm. 

Feb. 10, 7pm. Feb. 16, 2pm. Tickets are 

100-900 Kč, available at the box office or 

at the SO web site www.opera.cz. 

Státní Opera, Wilsonova 4, P1 

Tel.: 224 227 266


listings 

Eli Geiser, Galerie Bayer & Bayer, through Feb. 8 

Asphalt and skin by a Swiss expat. 

Czechoslovak Socialist-Realism 1948-58, Galerie 

Rudolfinum, through Feb. 9 

Klement, landscape, dam, Stalin, Klement, landscape, 

dam, Stalin. 

World of Stars and Illusion, Galerie Mánes, through Feb. 9 

Tracing the evolution of the film poster from 

the silent era to the present, this exhibition 

does an admirable job of putting the work into 

a local context. 

Like Old Maps, Obcení galerie beseda, through Feb. 16 

More like oil paintings by Italian artist Rosemaria 

Benini. 

Vladimír Birgus: Something Unspeakable, Austrian Cultural 

art 

Out of Order 

Da Paintas have come for your children. 

By Travis Jeppesen 

Da Paintas 

NoD Gallery 

Dlouhá 33 in P1 

Through February 20 

An exhausted-looking, possibly 

drugged man wearing a blue suit 

points to a cartoon-like rendering 

of an android on a chalkboard 

while an airplane crashes into something 

in the horizon. The somber 

expression on the manís face and the 

dark circles beneath his eyes convey 

an air of authority. Heís probably an 

elementary school teacher, but he 

could also be a politician, an art critic, 

or a zombie. His index finger 

shoots an invisible beam towards the 

picture-within-the-picture: This is the 

problem, he seems to be saying. 

Whatever creepiness we feel looking 

at the guy dissipates into hilarity 

when we turn our gaze to the forbidden 

image and are met with this silly 

green thing ñ maybe itís an alien from 

an animated childrenís TV show, 

maybe itís some sort of art prank by a 

rebellious student. It waves at us with a 

huge smile. We almost expect it to 

burst into song. The little alien beckons 

us to run away into fantasyland, a 

two-dimensional world of the imagination, 

an enticing alternative next to 

the grim reality of Authority Man and 

the exploding sky. 

This is the image that accosts the 

spectator upon entering the NoD 

Gallery above the Roxy, where a 

group of young Czech artists calling 

themselves ìDa Paintasî have 

installed an ebullient show conflating 

the seemingly limitless world of the 

childís imagination with the abject 

machinery of the adults enlisted to 

police those wild escapist yearnings. 

Cops figure in works by two different 

Crumpled 

Remembering Jiří Kolář’s 

beautiful mess. 

At the time of his death last year, 

Ji¯Ì Kol·¯ had acquired a reputation 

as one of the more inventive 

20th-century Czech artists. He was a 

member of Group 42 and the first 

Czech Group of Experimental Poetry, 

and he helped develop the collage 

techniques of froissage and confrontage. 

As writing poems and crumpling 

up pieces of paper were considered 

subversive activities under the communist 

regime, Kol·¯ was continuously 

harassed and jailed by the 

authorities. After he signed Charter 

77, life became unbearable in his 

native country. The artist emigrated 

to France, where he continued to 

work and was finally able to attain 

some international renown. 

A loaded gun held against 

your head is endowed 

with a different meaning 

than the cap gun you 

chased your sister around 

with as a child. 

artists, but theyíre not Czech cops. 

Theyíre the artistsí re-creation of the 

Universal TV Cop, who just happens 

to wear the same uniform as an 

American police officer. 

Benjamin äoltÈsz, who authored 

the first painting in the exhibit, follows 

up with a more placid portrait of 

six of New Yorkís finest moving silently 

down a street. They donít seem to 

be in any hurry, and we have no clue 

whether theyíre coming from the station, 

a false alarm or the neighborhood 

doughnut shop. We have no reason 

to loathe them, fear them or worship 

them; theyíre just vulnerably 

there, suspended in this ordinary 

moment, unable to sustain any real 

authority beyond the faÁade of their 

uniforms and guns. 

Beyond the obvious phallic connotations, 

a gun can be a powerful symbol, 

as well as a beautiful object, as 

David »ern˝ and a three-quarter assload 

of contemporary artists have 

demonstrated. A loaded gun held to 

your head is endowed with a different 

meaning than the cap gun you 

chased your sister around with as a 

The exhibit of Kol·¯ís work currently 

at the French Instituteís modest 

gallery couldnít possibly represent the 

entirety of his oeuvre. Instead, the 

curators have chosen to focus on 

three random strains of Kol·¯ís long 

career: confrontages from the early 

ë50s, a couple of rollages from the 

early ë60s, and a series of froissages 

probably dating from 1977. (Oddly 

enough, none of the work in the current 

exhibit dates from Kol·¯ís years 

in France.) 

Froissage is a method developed by 

Kol·¯ís friend Ladislav Nov·k in which 

the lines made by crumpling up a 

piece of paper are used to create a 

on display FEBRUARY 7—20 

Institute, through Feb. 16 

A critic, curator, and professor at FAMU, Birgus 

also takes pictures. 

Da Paintas, Galerie NoD, through Feb. 20 

Danda Horáčková, Benjamin Šoltész, Marek 

Hyksa, Martin Káňa, and Jan Kaláb take over 

upstairs at the Roxy (see review, above.) 

Split Points, Veletržní palác, through Feb. 23 

What’s going on in Dresden these days This 

group show provides an answer. 

Teenagers, Galerie Display, through Feb. 23 

The first joint exhibition of Slovak conceptual 

artists and longtime collaborators Roman Ondak 

and Julius Koller in the Czech Republic. 

Josef Koudelka, Veletržní palác, through Feb. 23 

Gypsies, exiles, actors, the ‘68 invasion and the 

devastated landscape, all seen through the lens 

of this Czech photographer. 

Antonín Procházka (1882-1945), Obcení dům, through Mar. 2 

The largest exhibit to date of this Czech 

Modernist’s paintings. 

František Tichý, Prague City Gallery at House at the 

Stone Bell, through Mar. 2 

Another Czech modern painter. Lots of clowns 

on display. 

Dragan Dragin: Shepherd’s Constellation, Josef Sudek 

Atelier, through Mar. 2 

A series of black-and-white double portraits, people/landscape. 

Slovak Photography, Prague City Gallery at the 

“I’ll get you and your little gun, too!” 

child. Attached to a copyís uniform, 

a loaded gun may go unnoticed until 

it comes out of his holster. 

The other Universal Cop in the 

exhibition, probably a found object, is 

a small statue of a traffic cop reaching 

for his gun. He feels compelled to do 

so because Marek Hyksaís massive 

sculpture of a Voltron-like robot is 

pointing at something in the distance 

that heís about to destroy. While 

inverting äoltÈszís initial painting, 

Hyksaís sculpture also pays homage to 

the action figures that populate childrenís 

TV shows and comic books 

such as Spiderman, He-Man and 

Voltron. The sculpture is surrounded 

by awe-inspiring paintings of similar 

retro-futuristic robotic entities in 

motion, as well as little-girlish images 

of cute froggies spraypainted on to a 

silver-paneled background that resembles 

candy-bar wrappers. 

So what are all these cops doing 

interrupting this celebration of fin de 

siecle kiddie pop culture The police 

are obviously an integral part of the 

world television culture of the last 20 

years, but theyíre also universal symbols 

of authority in the same league as 

parents and teachers. But the most 

influential authority of the last 20 

years isnít God or any other spiritual 

deity ñ itís Television. Da Paintas may 

just be indulging a superficial obsession 

with their recent past. Or they 

may be after something more subversive: 

unmasking those action heroes 

as the commodification of the childís 

imagination by an invisible apparatus 

whose power defies all limits. 

Travis Jeppesen is at travis@pill.cz 

drawing. The clear highlight of the 

exhibit, Kol·¯ís froissages utilize previously 

existing works, in this case 17thcentury 

French drawings, to form new, 

abstract pictures. The results occasionally 

resemble early Cubist efforts to 

capture several different movements 

within a single image. Entire cities 

crumble into themselves; pieces of 

ornate buildings collide into one 

another and coalesce into chaotic antistructures; 

noblemen are transformed 

into grotesque, retarded machines. 

Like most great artists of the past 

century, Kol·¯ was both an anarchist 

and a reactionary. In order to ìmake 

it new,î the artist must systematically 

reject every aesthetic tendency thatís 

come before; the artist can either 

accomplish this task via exclusion or 

destruction. Witnessing first-hand the 

steady self-destruction of European 

civilization throughout his life, it 

seems only natural that Kol·¯ would 

go the latter route ñ picking through 

the debris and disfiguring all that he 

came across, granting his objects a 

novel significance that certainly 

wouldíve baffled their original creators. 

■ Travis Jeppesen 

Municipal Library, through Mar. 30 

An important exhibition covering every major 

movement in Slovakia, 1925-2000. 

Edward Steichen, Leica Gallery, through Mar. 30 

Steichen was responsible for the infamous “Family 

of Man” exhibition, and his work for Vanity Fair 

had a lasting impact on portrait photography. 

Berlin-Praha-Berlin, Galerie Mánes, Feb. 13-Mar. 11 

Čečo’s latest work goes on display. 

Through Antonín Hudeček’s Landscape of the Soul, Czech 

Museum of Fine Art, Feb. 19-Apr. 21 

This exhibition by Antonín Hudeček is a survey 

of his work emphasising the early stage of his 

career, and features loans from the Prague 

National Gallery, the Moravian Gallery in Brno 

and a number of other Czech regional galleries. 

Son Cubano 

At Magická Zahrada (behind Laterna 

Magika on Národní třída). Saturday, 

February 8th and February 15th 

Did your romantic gene get caught in the bicycle 

chain when you were a kid Did the workweek 

foul your well-made plans Clear your calendar 

for Saturday the 15th and prepare to make 

amends. Son Cubano, though composed of 

entirely Czech members, plays some pretty convincing 

Havana jazz a la Buena Vista Social 

Club. Set in the Magicka zahrada restaurant, a 

beautifully adapted foyer space hidden in the 

courtyard of the Laterna magika theater, the 

music is a slightly mismatched but welcome 

flourish on top of the excellent Latin-American 

inspired cuisine. The performance and one 

mixed drink are free for everyone who spends 

more than 350 Kč on dinner, which is a safe 

estimate in this slightly pricey venue. Attentive, 

friendly waiters and a long, unusual wine list 

complete the experience. ■Jayne 

Psalteria 

Friday, February 14th at Balbínova 

You can have your riot grrrls and punk-rock 

chicks – Psalteria kicks it old school. Like, 15th 

century. Billed as a “medieval girls band,” 

Psalteria re-creates Gothic and Renaissance 

music (and dresses the part), covering early 

European songs from Spanish to Sephardic. The 

quartet’s sound is built on four-part harmony, 

but the glorious ladies of Psalteria also accompany 

themselves on a variety of medieval instruments 

– lute, drum, fiddle, shawn, whatever it 

takes. Their name is derived from the word for a 

collection of psalms set to music; come worship 

at Balbinova. ■ Markowitz 

GLOBE 

Great Books 

Great Coffee 

Great Food 

cheap 

internet! 

Prague’s 1st English Language 

Bookstore and Coffeehouse 

v 

Pstrossova 6, Prague 1 

tel. 224 934 203 

CanDoCo 

Sunday, February 9th and Monday, 

February 10th at Divadlo Ponec 

Don’t miss this chance to see CanDoCo as part 

of the Archa Adrift! Program at the Ponec theater. 

The British company astounded Czech audiences 

in 2001, and this time its they’re bringing 

not one, but three newly devised works by choreographers 

Jamie Watton (Phasing), Javier de 

Frutos (Sour Milk), and Fin Walker (Shadow). 

Phasing is an upbeat exploration of human relationships 

set to a soundtrack created by the 

Steven Reich Group. Sour Milk is an elaborate, 

theatrical piece set to visceral Chinese drumming, 

and Shadow is a stroboscopic piece relying 

on precision and speed. CanDoCo has been 

performing together since 1991, guided by the 

conceptual premise of blending performers with 

physical handicaps with non-handicapped performers. 

Given the omnipresence of electronics 

in music, it seems only natural to employ 

mechanical devices to augment human capabilities 

in performance. ■ Jayne 

the Divadlo V Dlouhé) at 7 

Divadlo V Celetné: supporting concert for Divadlo Jana Kašky - songs 

from the performances, O. Wilde - The Canterville Ghost and 

The Importance of Being Ernest at 3, Fool For Love (S. 

Shepard, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo V Řeznické: Exit the King (E. Ionesco, in Czech) at 7:30 

Kolowrat: Czech Secretaries (I. Žantovská, in Czech) at 6 

Komedie: The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart 

(J.A. Komenský, perfomed by the Miloco theater, in Czech) at 7:30 

Mlejn: Emil, the Ignorant Lover (J. Cocteau, in Czech, performed by 

the ToDivadlo) at 8 

Národní Divadlo: Káťa Kabanová (L. Janáček, opera) at 7 

Ponec: Archa Adrift! - workshop with the CandoCo dance theater company 

Rokoko: Closer (P. Marber, in Czech) at 7 


Stavovské Divadlo: Isert Incert/ Cor Perdut/ Hands/ Wolfgang, bitte... 

(ballet, choreography Carlos Iturrioz, Nacho Duato, Wim 

Vandekeybus, Rui Horta - IT DANSA Jove Compania) at 7 

Švandovo Divadlo: Wuthering Heights (E. Brontë, in Czech, performed 

by the Moravské Divadlo Olomouc) at 7 


Monday, February 17 

Agharta: Jiří Stivín & Co. (modern jazz) 

Akropolis: Metro Djs (trance house, Small Scene), Viva La Musica - 

Dj Liquid A (latino, Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Paleček & Janík 

Batalion: Formule 1Party 

Guru: Jam with Bohuš Matuš (improvisational show) 

Kain: Charlie´s Blood Group 

KC Kaštan: Noční optika (jazz) 

KC Zahrada: Langley School Park (girls´ jazz group from Kent) 

Malostranská Beseda: Yo Yo Band 

Meloun: Rock and Oldies Party with Radio Beat Djs 

Metropolitan Jazz Club: Swing Party Jaromíra Konůpky (Steamboat 

Stompers) 


Reduta: R. Krampl Vibe Fantasy 


Roxy: Free Mondays - Al-Yaman (live), Djs Yukimura, Ravi (free entry) 

Salmovská literární kavárna: Šlupkahula (blues) 

Sedm Vlků: Kazztroll Sound System (techno) 

U Malého Glena: Stan the Man Bohemian Blues Band 

Ungelt JazzŃ´Blues Club: Jazz Efterrätt 

Vagon: Folimanka Blues + Sedum 

Wakata: Djs Voita & Ottoman (breakbeat) 

XT3: Dj Spejbl (progressive dń´b) 

Železná: In 2 Funk 

007 Strahov: Cablecar Theory (USA), Ravelin 7, Thema 11 (hc) 



Branické Divadlo: The Open Couple (D. Fo, in Czech) at 7 

Činoherní Klub: The Wood Demon (A.P. Chekhov, in Czech) at 7:30 

Disk: The Marriage (N.V. Gogol, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo ABC: The Front Page (B. Hecht, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo Bez Zábradlí: Festival of Slovak Theater - Krajčírky (J.C. 

Grumberg, in Slovak) at 7 



Divadlo Na Vinohradech: Lysistrata (Aristophanes, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo V Řeznické: Desire Under the Elms (E. OŃeill, in Czech) at 7:30 


Kolowrat: Countryside (M. Crimp, in Czech) at 7 

Komedie: Je na čase, aby se TO změnilo (motional theater, E.L. 

Tobiáš) at 7:30 




Národní Divadlo: The Servant of Two Masters (C. Goldoni, in Czech) at 7 

Pidivadlo: The Storm (A.N. Ostrovsky, in Czech) at 7 

Ponec: Archa Adrift! - performance of the participants of the 

CandoCo dance theater workshops + discussion at 8 

Rokoko: Death of a Salesman (A. Miller, in Czech) at 7 

Rudolfinum: Prague Chamber Philharmony (Bodorová, Bruch, 

Milhaud, Weber) at 7:30 

Shakespeare & Sons: The Alchemy Reading & Performance Series - 

poet Lucien Zell at 8 

Švandovo Divadlo: The Tempest (W. Shakespeare, in Czech) at 7 


Ungelt: Killing of Sister George (F. Marcus, in Czech) at 7:55 

Viola: Master Class (T. McNally, in Czech) at 8 

Tuesday, February 18 

Agharta: Luboš Andršt Group (jazz & blues) 

Akcent: Pavla Kapitánová & Jakub Zahradník (blues, chanson) 

Akropolis: Future Line (Big Hall), Dj Yukimura & guest (Small Scene), 

Hip Hop Djs Enemy & Kolator (Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Jiří Dědeček 

Batalion: Läpplae 

Čajovna pod Stromem čajovým (tea room): Agnes Kutas & Jaroslav Kořán 

(Hungarian folk songs) 

Guru: Cyberdance - Hedonix Sound System (psychedelic trance) 

Kafárna Na Kus Řeči: Dubia Fortuna (medieval ages music) 

Kain: Easy Rider, Beat In 

KC Kaštan: Létající koberec (shaman rituals, dream, house, ethnotrance-break-beat) 

KC Zahrada: Bulabula (jazz) 

KD Opatov: Karel Plíhal 

Klamovka: Šantré (folk) 

La Provence: Chanson, Cancan Dancing 

Le Clan: Tropical Heat with Dj Mucho and guests 

Lucerna Music Bar: And the End, Shampoo (big 60s show) 

Malostranská Beseda: Jablkoň 

Mánes: Taxmeni 

Meloun: 80s Party with Radio Kiss Djs 

Metropolitan Jazz Club: Jitka Vrbová and MJB Quartet 

Nebe: Dj Liquid A 

Reduta: Return to Silence 

Rock Café: The Ghost (USA) & Clou & guests 

Sedm Vlků: Fatal Noise Djs (jungle, techno) 

U Malého Glena: Stan the Man “In Duo” 

Ungelt JazzŃ´Blues Club: Jazz Efterrätt 

Unijazz: Tuesday Escapes - Bob Dylan (presentation in Czech) at 6 

Vagon: Jam session - free entry! 

Wakata: Djs Suki & Coltcharam (dń´b) 

XT3: Dj O2 (tekhouse) 

Železná: Gothart (world music) 

007 Strahov: Djs Rude Audio Sound System (ska, reggae, 2tone) 



Činoherní Klub: Waiting for Godot (S. Beckett, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo Bez Zábradlí: Festival of Slovak Theater - The Birthday Party 

(H. Pinter, in Slovak) at 7 


Divadlo Na Fidlovačce: Le Dindon (G. Feydeau, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo Na Vinohradech: A Flea in Her Ear (G. Feydeau, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo Na Zábradlí: In the Summer House (J. Bowles, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo U Hasičů: The Ispector General (N.V. Gogol, in Czech) at 7 


Klementinum: The Best of Classics - T. Vejvoda - violin, P. Mišejka - 

cello, R. Jelínková - piano (Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Dvořák, 

Smetana) at 5 

Kolowrat: Not Just Hamlet - Radovan Lukavský Beneficium at 

Komedie: Wyrd Sisters (T. Pratchett, S. Briggs, in Czech) at 7:30 





Mlejn: Cosmic Dance Hall I or Belated Lover (movement theater, 

authorial project of the PAPP theater, in Czech) at 8 

Národní Divadlo: Comedy of Errors (W. Shakespeare, in Czech) at 7 

Obecní Dům: Prague Symphony Orchestra (J. Suk, S. Prokofiev, A. 

Schnittke) at 7:30 

Pidivadlo: Dancing at Lughnasa (B. Friel, in Czech) at 7 

Švandovo Divadlo: Volpone (B. Johnson, in Czech) at 7, Václav 

Koubek & Pavel Fajt (concert, in the Studio) at 9 


Ungelt: Marriage Play (E. Albee, in Czech) at 7:55 

Wednesday, February 19 

Agharta: Luboš Andršt Group (jazz & blues) 

Akropolis: Nahoru po schodišti dolů band - CD realese party (Big 

Hall), Dj Zhulenos Aires & guest (elektro, acidtek, freestyle, Small 

Scene), Cottage Djs t.n.t. & call.da & juan (house, Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Radim Hladík and Jaroslav Hutka 

Batalion: Koko Trio 

Futurum: Krucipüsk, Eleison 

Guru: Eastpark (guitar poprock) 

Industry: Dance party Djs - Happy Night - Michal Jirák & Liner 

Kain: Joe Satriani revival 

KD Opatov: Original Indigo (dixieland) 

Klub V Jelení: Oldřich Janota (guitar recital) 

La Provence: Soul Connection, Travesti Show 

Le Clan: Nuit Sexy - Djs 

Lucerna Music Bar: Brutus 

Malostranská Beseda: Brnkání na duši (Strumming on the Soul) - Pavel 

Žalman Lahonka & guests (folk) 

Mánes: Motovidlo, Zelená půlnoc (country) 

Meloun: BBQ Smoke Style + guest (live), discotheque with Dj Jirka 

Švesták 

Metropolitan Jazz Club: Jazz Fiddlers (traditional jazz) 

Mlejn: Jarda Samson Lenk + Hop Trop (folk) 

Nebe: Dj Big J - Soul food 

Norton: Dj Chris Cags


listings 

N11: Brutus 

Reduta: Emil Viklický Trio 

Rock Café: Bublifuck (videoclip release party) & Soul Discount 

Salmovská literární kavárna: On the Ways of the Twilight -J. Rychterová 

(singer) 

Sedm Vlků: Djs Element & B.One (techno) 

U Malého Glena: Groove (groove, funky, acid jazz, blues) 

Ultramarin: Dj David Bowles 

Ungelt JazzŃ´Blues Club: Roman Pokorný & Blues Box Heroes 

Vagon: Echt! (punk) 

Wakata: The Original Moody Djs Baltazar & Filippitch (funk, latino) 

XT3: DJs Crew Wednesday - Djs Rido & Hellium (dń´b) 

Železná: Sextet Pana Jana (fusion) 

007 Strahov: Djs Pold.1K & Reverb (jungle night) 

A Studio Rubín: Dog´s Heart (M. Bulgakov, in Czech) at 7:30 


at 8 



Činoherní Klub: A Midsummer Night´s Sex (W. Allen, in Czech) at 7:30 

Damúza: Emil, the ignorant lover (J. Cocteau, in Czech, performed by 

Todivadlo) at 8 

Dejvické Divadlo: The Brothers Karamazov (F.M. Dostoyevsky, in 

Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo ABC: The Ash and Akvavit (B. Ahlfors, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo Bez Zábradlí: Festival of Slovak Theater - Striptease Tartuffe 

(Moliére, Polák, Císař, in Slovak) at 7 


Divadlo Na Vinohradech: The Lady from Maxim´s (G. Feydeau, in 

Czech) at 7 

Divadlo V Celetné: Bloody Wedding (F.G. Lorca, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo V Řeznické: Premiere of Youth (Ch. Giudicelli, in Czech) at 7:30 


Klementinum: H. Jonášová - soprano, M. Laštovka - trumpet, Z. 

Němečková - organ (Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart) at 5 

Kongresové Centrum: Chicago (F. Ebb, B. Fosse, musical, in Czech) at 7 



Národní Divadlo: Marketa Lazarová (V. Vančura, in Czech) at 7 

NoD: Woman Who Killed God (dance theater, direction O. David) at 8 

Obecní Dům: Prague Symphony Orchestra (J. Suk, S. Prokofiev, A. 

Schnittke) at 7:30 

Orfeus: Beatniks - A. Ginsberg, G. Corso, L. Ferlinghetti (talk, in 

Czech) at 7 

Ponec: The Nangnang Drum (magic play, author - Cchö in-hun, direction 

- Ho Shin, South Korea) at 8 

Rokoko: The Revenge of Caramba L. (W. Norfolk, in Czech) at 7 

Rudolfinum: Concert of the Prague Spring 2002 laureate at 5:30, 

Czech National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Paul Freeman 

(Beethoven, Mahler) at 7:30 

Salesiánské Divadlo: Columna Vertebrarum (modern dance) at 8 

Stavovské Divadlo: Švejk´s Grandson (L. Balák, in Czech) at 7 

Studio Ypsilon: Orfeus in the Underworld (J. Offenbach, operetta, in 

Czech) at 7:30 

Švandovo Divadlo: Clavijo (J.W. Goethe, in Czech) at 7 


Ungelt: Play Strindberg (F. Dürrenmatt, in Czech) at 7:55 

Thursday, February 20 

Agharta: Petr Zeman Quintet (fusion) 

Akropolis: Vltava (Big Hall), Dread Beat Squad (Small Scene), Djs 

Groof & Renda (house, deephouse, Theater Bar) 

Balbínova Poetická Hospůdka: Pětník (vocal) 

Batalion: 80s Party 

Delta: Neočekávaný dýchánek + guest 

Futurum: Visací zámek, Dj JB 008 

Guru: Hermafrodit, Discrimination & Dj Lamontes (electronic body music) 

Industry: Dance party Djs - E.S.W.L. 

Kafárna Na Kus Řeči: Marw (Irish, Celtic music) 

Kain: Törr 

Kavárna Na Půl Cesty: Extempore (underground) 

KC Zahrada: Jiří Schmitzer (recital) 

La Provence: Alice & Company, The Robots, Electric Boogie 

Le Clan: Show a la House with Dušan - Djs 

Lucerna Music Bar: U2 revival 

Malostranská Beseda: T4 - S.Kubeš, V. Guma Kulhánek, R. Dragoun, 

M. Kopřiva (rock) 

Mánes: Sebranka (country) 

Meloun: Karaoke - Dj Aned Brumla 

Metropolitan Jazz Club: XXL Blues Band 

Mlejn: Mlejnice 

Nebe: Dj Absolut POP 

Prosek: Disharmonici, Odečet plynu 

Radost FX: Soultrain - resident Djs Big J, Rico, Special-K (soul + r’n’b night) 

Reduta: Golden Swing 

Rock Café: 60s party - Sunflower Caravan & guests 

Salmovská literární kavárna: Ivan Hlas 

Sedm Vlků: Music Shuffle 

U Malého Glena: Blues Messengers 

U Vystřelenýho Oka: Holmes Šolmes bezva hrajou 

Ultramarin: Dj Thomas (acid jazz, dance) 

Ungelt JazzŃ´Blues Club: Roman Pokorný & Blues Box Heroes 

Vagon: Nahoru Po Schodišti Dolů Band 

Wakata: Djs Babe LN & 2K (dń´b, downtempo) 

XT3: Wondah of da unda - Djs Pepe & A.L.I. (hip hop) 

Železná: Emil Viklický Trio (contemporary jazz) 

007 Strahov: Robocop Craus, Landmine Spring 


at 8 



Branické Divadlo: Last of the Red Hot Lovers (N. Simon, in Czech) at 7 

Damúza: Play Strindberg - The Dance of Death (A. Strindberg, in 

Czech, performed by the Divadlo Neklid) at 8 

Divadlo ABC: The Importance of Being Ernest (O. Wilde, in Czech) at 7 

Divadlo Bez Zábradlí: Festival of Slovak Theater - Closer (P. Marber, in 

Slovak) at 7 

Divadlo Na Fidlovačce: The Marriage (N.V. Gogol, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo Na Vinohradech: Don Juan (Moliére, in Czech) at 7, An Evening 

with the Family/ Unveiling (V. Havel, in Czech, in the rehearsal 

room) at 7 

Divadlo Na Zábradlí: The Baroness and the Maid (M. Mackenzie, in 

Czech) at 7 

Divadlo V Celetné: The Metamorphosis (F. Kafka, in Czech) at 7:30 

Divadlo V Řeznické: Exit the King (E. Ionesco, in Czech) at 7:30 

Gong: 9 Lives (movement theater, choreography A. Svobodová) at 7:30 


Kolowrat: Vabank (M. Puig, in Czech) at 7 

Komedie: 2 in 1 - Expedient Packing (performed by the M.U.T. 2003 

Mensch und Trauma, in Czech) at 9:30 


NoD: Bacchantes 20th February 2003 - experimental inspiring 

workshop on a Bacchus theme (in Czech) at 8 

Pidivadlo: The Trojan Women (B. Vian, in Czech) at 7 

Stavovské Divadlo: Romeo and Juliet (W. Shakespeare, in Czech) at 7 

Švandovo Divadlo: Mother´s Day (D. Storey, in Czech, in the Studio) at 7 


Ungelt: Sylvia (A.R. Gurney, in Czech) at 7:55 

Viola: Master Class (T. McNally, in Czech) at 8 

Prague International 

Blues Night-Albert Lee 

Tuesday, February 11th at Lucerna 

Music Bar 

Lucerna’s International Blues Nights, which only 

last month imported the American Bernard 

Allison, welcomes another stellar fretter, Albert 

Lee, native of Herefordshire, England. With nearflawless 

technique and speed that would put an 

F-16 to shame, Lee is a guitar geek’s wet dream. 

Aspiring pickers working at fast-food eateries 

and still living in their mothers’ basements often 

slow his records to half-speed to steal a few tasty 

licks. For the average music lover, however, Lee 

has much to offer: a wide-ranging repertoire, an 

amazing sense of showmanship, and, with the 

accompanying Hogan’s Heroes, incredibly tight 

ensemble playing. Like his less-talented peers 

Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, Lee is living proof 

that you don’t have to be African-American to 

play the blues. You can also be English. ■ Cohen 

Tuning Metronomes 

Wednesday, February 12 at the Atrium 

at 7:30pm 

In a strange role reversal from the previous era, 

our pop culture has silently evolved an underground, 

nearly irrelevant scene of previously 

high-culture art, especially music. Tuning 

Metronomes is one of the few dedicated ensembles 

that thrive in this ghetto, and one of the 

very few who play. This show (and their performances 

are much closer to shows than concerts) 

features the works of Karlheinz 

Stockhausen, Anton Webern and Igor Stravinsky. 

Open your ears and get marginalized. ■ Cohen 

Třetí dech 

Wednesday, February 12th at Balbínova 

Poetická Hospůdka 

Treti dech, with a modicum of talent and pride, 

keeps the tradition of Czech “folkor” alive. This is 

cigarette-smoking, beer-stein-pounding, felt-hatwearing 

fun for the whole family. Well, at least 

everyone in the family old enough to drink. An interesting 

aside: The Balbinova pub may be the only 

such establishment in the world to have proudly 

lent its name to a political party – the Balbinove 

Poeticky strany, a brainchild of Magor, the guru of 

Prague’s own Plastic People of the Universe. Aside 

from the fact that Magor drinks there, Balbinova is 

a fairly typical, if slightly more lively, representative 

of the typical corner hospoda. And Třetí dech will 

take the night up another notch or two. It’s hump 

day, so come on and get some culture. ■Jayne 

savage 

love 

The Bug Chasers 

A new gay subculture fetishizes the virus. 

By Dan Savage 

Iwent on to The Drudge Report 

today and read something that 

must be a bunch of shit or a complete 

hoax: ìMAG: 25% OF NEW 

HIV-INFECTED GAY MEN SOUGHT 

OUT VIRUS, SAYS SAN FRAN 

HEALTH OFFICIAL.î Is there any 

truth to this The link was e-mailed all 

over my office today and it makes gay 

men look awful if itís true. Can you 

prove or disprove Matt Drudgeís outrageous 

claims I sincerely hope that 

itís not true and that Matt Drudgeís 

ìjournalistî badge is revoked! 

Can’t Trust Drudge 

Sorry, CTD, but we canít take 

away Drudgeís journalism 

badge. First, thereís no such 

thing as a journalism badge. Second, 

the claim that 25 percent of all new 

HIV infections in gay men are intentional 

wasnít made by Matt Drudge. 

Drudge doesnít do much actual 

reporting; any Drudge Report regular 

can tell you that his website is almost 

entirely composed of links to stories in 

other publications. All Drudge is 

guilty of is disseminating a claim made 

in the February 6 issue of Rolling Stone. 

Gregory Freeman wrote the story 

that Drudge trumpeted on his site. 

Freemanís piece focuses on so-called 

ìbug chasers,î HIV-negative gay men 

who are actively trying to get infected, 

and ìgift givers,î HIV-positive gay men 

who are only too happy to infect other 

gay men. After a depressing slog 

through the cracked thinking of one 

bug chaser, Freeman whips a little 

amateur psychoanalysis on us: 

ì[Some] see HIV infection as 

inevitable ... so they decide to take 

control of the situation and infect 

themselves. For others, deliberately 

infecting themselves is the ultimate 

taboo ... and that has a strong erotic 

appeal for some men who have tried 

everything else.î 

Then he introduces Dr. Bob Cabaj, 

director of behavioral-health services 

for San Francisco County. ìSome men 

consciously seek the virus,î Freeman 

writes, paraphrasing Cabaj, ìwhile 

many more are just as actively seeking 

HIV but are in denial and wouldnít call 

themselves bug chasers.î Then 

Freeman blows his wad, spewing the 

shocking sound bite that The Drudge 

Report made famous: ìCabaj estimates 

that at least twenty-five percent of all 

newly infected gay men fall into that 

category.î 

The day after Drudge picked up 

the story, Cabaj accused Freeman of 

fabricating his quotes. In an interview 

with Newsweek, the doctor denied ever 

saying that 25 percent of the new 

infections in gay men are due to bug 

chasing. Freeman told Newsweek that 

he quoted Cabaj accurately and 

implied that Cabaj got cold feet once 

the story hit the cable news talk shows. 

Who to believe On the one hand, I 

know from personal experience that at 

least 25 percent of the people who 

work in AIDS ñ how can I put this nicely 

ñ are gutless wonders. People who 

work in HIV/AIDS have told me 

things in on-the-record interviews that 

they denied saying once their quotes 

were published. On the other hand, 

Freeman goes on to make such a huge, 

glaring, obvious error that any reasonable 

person has to doubt his skills as a 

reporter, and his motives. After trotting 

out the 25 percent figure in his 

Rolling Stone story, Freeman writes this: 

ìWith about 40,000 new infections in 

the United States per year, according 

to government reports, that would 

mean around 10,000 each year are 

attributable to that more liberal definition 

of bug chasing.î 

Uh, no. While the U.S. Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention estimates 

that there are ìapproximately 

40,000 new HIV infections occurring 

in the United States every year,î only 

42 percent of them are occurring in 

men who have sex with men. (The 

rest of the infections are attributed 

to heterosexual sex and IV drug 

use.) That means the number of new 

infections in gay and bisexual men 

each year is roughly 17,000, not 

40,000. Even if that sensational 25 

percent figure is accurate ñ and 

thatís one huge ìifî (thereís no actual 

data backing it up, only a disputed 

quote) ñ that would mean there are 

ìonlyî 4,250 conscious and subconscious 

bug chasers getting infected 

every year, not 10,000. Whatís worse, 

by lumping conscious bug chasers (a 

very small number of very crazy assholes) 

in with subconscious bug 

chasers (a comparatively large number 

of self-destructive gay dopes) 

Freeman dishonestly distorts the 

scale of the problem. 

Perhaps some unknown 

STD is gaining a toehold 

in urban gay scenes, just 

as HIV did in the 70s. 

Considering how badly Freeman 

botched some relatively simple and 

widely available stats, and how he distorts 

the size of the problem, his 

entire piece is easily dismissed. But 

the damage has been done, thanks 

in part to Drudge, and the 25 percent 

figure, as Andrew Sullivan complained 

on Salon.com, ìwill soon be 

accepted as fact,î despite the story 

having ìcompletely fallen apart.î 

Personally, I donít think Freemanís 

story has completely fallen apart, nor 

do I think the entire piece should be 

dismissed. While the 25 percent figure 

is clearly bullshit, the barebacking 

websites Freeman writes about are 

real, and some men with HIV are only 

too willing to engage in unprotected 

sex with guys who arenít HIV-positive. 

And before gay men congratulate 

themselves for ìonlyî making up 42 

percent of all new HIV infections, 

consider this: Gay and bisexual men 

make up only 3 percent of the population. 

Regardless of how gay men are 

getting the virus, they are getting 

infected at appalling rates. 

Why Thereís a clue in Freemanís 

piece. When I read the article, I didnít 

think the now-infamous ì25 percentî 

was the most shocking thing in it. That 

honor goes to a comment by Daniel 

Castellanos, assistant director of community 

education at Gay Menís 

Health Crisis in New York. 

Castellanos, who acknowledges that 

the bug-chasing phenomenon is real, 

was asked if he would try to talk someone 

out of trying to catch HIV. ìIf 

someone comes to me and says he 

wants to get HIV,î Castellanos replies, 

ìI might work with him around the 

why he wants to do it. ... But if in the 

end thatís a decision he wants to 

make, thereís a point where we have 

to respect peopleís decisions.î 

While active ìbug chasingî may only 

account for a handful of new infections 

in gay men, the inability of 

HIV/AIDS educators to aggressively 

challenge gay men surely accounts for 

a large chunk. Since the arrival on the 

scene of effective treatments for HIV, 

gay men in urban areas have been 

busily re-creating the kind of sexual 

subcultures that laid out the welcome 

mat for HIV in the 1970s. Rates of sexually 

transmitted diseases are soaring, 

and ñ who knows ñ perhaps some 

unknown STD is gaining a toehold in 

urban gay scenes, just as HIV did in the 

70s. And at the same time that infection 

rates are rising among gay men, 

the education strategy in vogue at Gay 

Menís Health Crisis and other AIDS 

organizations is: We must respect the 

decisions gay men make, up to and 

including the decision to get infected 

with HIV for fun. Itís a bizarre and, 

judging from those infection rates, 

shockingly ineffective strategy. 

Perhaps itís time for AIDS groups to 

start telling gay men the truth. Taking 

stupid sexual risks ñ even if risk turns 

you on ñ is reckless. Anal sex on the 

first date ñ even with condoms ñ is a 

bad idea. Giving someone HIV ñ even 

if he wants it ñ is immoral. Being a 

huge slut ñ as popular as it might 

make you ñ has physical and emotional 

consequences. And, finally, gay men 

need to be told that stupid decisions 

donít deserve anyoneís respect. So 

long as AIDS educators refuse to challenge 

gay men, HIV infection rates 

will continue to rise. Thatís the real 

scandal, not Matt Drudgeís link, or 

Gregory Freemanís story, or Rolling 

Stoneís ineptitude. 

Pill readers are encouraged 

to send their question, no 

matter how gross, to 

mail@savagelove.net.


THe DisH 

Eat It Raw 

Trawling for the best sushi in town. 

By Scott MacMillan 

170 KË and shoots up to 480 KË for the 

rare sea ear or abalone (awabi). If 

youíre on a budget, the sets offer good 

value at 395 KË to 690 KË, but donít be 

tempted by the Kirin beer. That novelty 

alone adds a whopping 130 KË to 

the bill. Reservations are recommended, 

but weeknights appear to be slow, 

perhaps a product of the season. 

Hanil 

Slavíkova 24, P3 

Tel. 222 715 867 

Open Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., 

5:30 p.m. – 11 p.m. 

Opening Soon... 

Rose & Crown 

Traditional British Sports Pub 

Masná 3, Prague 1 

www.roseandcrown.cz 

e-mail: roseandcrown@volny.cz 

Genuine French bakery in Prague 

Kostelní 16, Praha 7-Letná 

Open Monday to Friday 07.30 am - 09.00 pm 

DELIVERY SERVICE-CATERING 

Sandwiches-panini-salads-quiches-deserts 

www.delicatesse.cz 

tel.: 220 571 775 

Restaurant Gitanes 

TrûiötÏ 7 

Mal· Strana 

118 00 Praha 1 

257 530 163 

info@gitanes.cz 

www.gitanes.cz 

LA CREPERIE 

Bar-Restaurant-Salon de Thé 

THE CELTIC ATMOSPHERE FROM BRETAGNE 

Janovského 4, Praha 7-Letná 

Open daily 09.00 am- 11.00 pm 

tel.: 220 878 040 

Gone fishin’ in Smichov. 

Sushi is one of those rare globalization-resistant 

foods. It would 

be a surprise to find a restaurant 

in Prague specializing in food from, 

say, Namibia, but if you wanted to 

start one, you probably could. And if 

you tried hard enough you could 

make the food just as good as it is 

back in Namibia. You might have 

trouble finding an importer of good 

Kalahari truffles, and you might have 

to start your own springbok farm, but 

it could be done. 

Sushi, on the other hand, is of a bygone 

era. Barring the emergence of a 

local restaurant serving fresh-killed 

fish from an on-premises tank (youíll 

be the first to know, but donít hold 

your breath) or a slightly less likely 

seismic cataclysm that rearranges 

Europeís geography, youíll never find 

top-quality sushi in Prague; the seaís 

just too darned far away. No amount 

of improvement in ìjust-in-timeî 

delivery will change that. 

Or so they say. Logistics aside, letís 

get real for a moment: Anybody who 

comes to the Czech Republic, or any 

landlocked country, and complains 

about the quality of the sushi should 

have his rod bent, especially after the 

explosion of decent sushi outlets 

over the last two years. 

Expect to pay a bundle relative to 

other cuisines in Prague, but few local 

sushi places are outright rip-offs. 

Sushi, like many overseas commodities, 

is more expensive than local 

offerings. While some imports 

attempt to adjust their prices for local 

budgets, sushi hasnít deigned to dine 

with the natives. Still, thereís expensive 

and thereís expensive, and at most 

places, sushi makes for a reasonable 

Saturday-night splurge. Stick with 

these recommendations, and may 

your dining be bacteria-free. 

The Sushi Bar 

Zborovská 49a, P5 

(bordering Malá strana) 

Tel. 603 244 882 

Open daily noon-10 p.m. 

Letís say atmosphere, location and 

price are of no consideration. 

Youíre simply looking for The 

Best Sushi in Prague. Make your way 

to The Sushi Bar, a sleek, miniature 

spot in Smichov that takes a commanding 

lead in quality and presentation, 

scoring excellent marks in 

most other categories as well. 

A good sushi chef approaches his 

or her work with measured artistry, 

arranging the colorful slices of raw 

fish, salmon roe, the green dab of 

wasabi (or imitation wasabi), and pickled 

ginger enticingly just so. The 

enjoyment of sushi, above all other 

foods, relies on more than just stuffing 

and swallowing. At The Sushi Bar, 

aesthetic ensembles are the norm. Its 

nine-piece sashimi set is almost as 

enjoyable to look at as it is to eat. (But 

not quite.) The wait staff (thereís usually 

only one waiter; he and the chef 

are brothers) is helpful when asked 

and invisible otherwise. And with a 

restaurant the size of a crab cage, 

theyíre never far off. 

The nine-piece sashimi 

set is almost as 

enjoyable to look at as it 

is to eat. 

The appetizer always consists of 

breaded fried fish, the selection of 

which changes daily, sprinkled with 

sesame seeds and served on a small 

bed of salad with exquisitely nutty 

dressing. Expect to pay a reasonable 

50 KË couvert for this worthy starter. 

Preparation can often take some 

time ñ a drawback. The best sushi 

chefs are quick with the knife, as 

sushi lovers do not suffer delay gladly. 

For the best catch, ask the staff 

whatís freshest. High-turnover items 

such as tuna (maguro) and salmon 

(saki) are always decent bets; a 

recent visit yielded exceptionally 

tasty servings of sea bass based on the 

staffís recommendation. 

Oddly enough, this is probably the 

most ìCzechî of Pragueís sushi dens. 

The owner, manager, waiter, and chef 

are all Czech, and guests consist mainly 

of well-heeled natives ready to shell 

out 700 KË and up for a meal. The 

Sushi Bar and the neighboring 

Seafood Shop (a wholesale distributor 

and retail store) are the property 

of Luk·ö PospÌöil, who last year added 

to his portfolio of piscine businesses 

by acquiring and reconstructing the 

CafÈ Savoy across the street. Savoy 

now specializes in fresh seafood, giving 

this corner the largest concentration 

of fresh fish of any in Prague. 

Two-piece sushi a la carte starts at 

With a good seating area and 

large Korean-Japanese menu 

devoted to more than sushi, 

éiûkovís Hanil makes an ideal choice 

for a large group. In terms of dÈcor 

and atmosphere, Hanil is likely as 

close as youíll get in Prague to a tasteful, 

run-of-the-mill Japanese restaurant 

in a bigger Western city. Its wooded 

interior, marble tables and comfortable 

banquettes could lie off a 

major street in New York or London. 

The range of specialities is wide, 

with Korean dishes prepared mini-barbeque 

style on a grill at the table, 

warm starters like chicken wings, cold 

starters like kimchee (pickled cabbage), 

hot-pot soups and Japanese mainstays 

such as vegetable and fish tempura. 

On the whole, prices are above 

average in terms of Prague restaurants 

(above 300 KË for most entrees, but 

with a number of less expensive appetizers), 

but the sushi section offers 

exceptionally good value, with items 

like a 12-piece avocado maki roll for 

only 145 KË. A maguro cut perhaps fell 

too much on the lean side, but quality 

and freshness are reliable and consistent. 

The drawback is the lack of variety; 

the sushi menu is limited compared 

to the other places on this page. 

Small sushi sets go for 330-400 KË, 

while chirashi sushi makes a good 

lunch or light dinner at 450 KË. 

Cleanse your palate with a dab of pickled 

ginger and a 60 KË ginseng tea. 

Millhouse Sushi 

Slovanský dům 

Na přikopě 22, P1 

Tel. 221 451 771 

Open daily 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. 

Millhouse wins a mention for its 

unbeatable location, just inside 

the courtyard of the Slovansk˝ 

d˘m shopping mall in the center of 

Prague, site of the cityís busiest cinema. 

Millhouseís fare is unspectacular 

but safe, with the quality of items consistently 

in the fair-to-middling range. 

The restaurantsí gimmick is a conveyor 

belt, a staple of sushi bars 

around the globe. Judging by the 

freshness of some items, Iíd guess 

Millhouse does not have adequate 

business to support the concept. The 

staff assured me that nothing stays on 

the belt for more than 10 minutes; if 

so, then the customer pays extra for 

wasted food. For the record, I 

observed one tekka maki circling 

untouched for 15 minutes. Ideally, 

sushi should be eaten immediately 

after itís cut. 

Recent staff recommendations 

included salmon and red snapper. 

The latter ñ from the menu, not the 

baggage claim ñ had the exceptionally 

fresh taste of the ocean. The salmon 

was on the fatty side, with a thin layer 

of flab around the edge, making for a 

full, none-too-subtle flavor. 

It may surprise some that Millhouse 

Sushi did not get its name 

from Richard Nixon (himself an avid 

fisherman, but his middle name had 

only one ìlî). Rather, it came from an 

actual mill that once served as a prop 

and leitmotif at the companyís first 

location in flood-ravaged KarlÌn. 

Owing to the recent disturbances, 

the first Millhouse will be closed until 

later this year. 

Scott MacMillan is a co-owner of Tulip Café. 

He can be reached at letters@pill.cz.


Broken Breaks 

By Tim Otis 

Download hi-res copies from the PTV galleries at www.prague.tv 

My musical survival depends quite 

superficially on a steady soundtrack of 

breaks, the occasional live gig, and the 

pervasive atmosphere of “what’s next.” 

Prague’s recent resurgence into all things 

Breakbeat is due in large part to local 

promoter Josef Sedlon’s creation of “The 

Breakbeat Conference,” a weekly radio 

broadcast highlighting new releases with 

the fresh-faced youngster Dj Kaplick. 

Sedlon’s local production company, 

Lighthouse, has recently booked some 

highbrow talent in this genre, including 

Adam Freeland, Koma & Bones, The 

Drummatic Twins and Lee “Perfecto” 

Coombs. The recent Freeland show at the 

Roxy was a heart-stopper. Local DJs 

meshed effortlessly with the Marine Parade 

label founder, alongside a fascist-style 

podium caked in foil framed by Union 

Jacks. A 500-plus crowd stomped to the 

inescapable 2/4 rhythms ‘til dawn. Dj bars 

like Punto Azul, XT3 and Wakata have 

helped fuel this renaissance, inviting those 

with vinyl to B.Y.O.V. Come ‘round and 

show them! No ego, no groupies, just solid 

steady beats to coat your weekends. 

On the 7th the Bugged Out crew 

descends on Dlouha for yet another 

incomparable UK treat. Justin “Lionrock” 

Robertson will headline on a fresh bed of 

ripe local talent. Justin’s 2001 release, 

Revtone delves deep into the electro/clash 

genre with bleepy ‘80s synth patches and 

rave-esque melodies that push this wellestablished 

DJ/producer further into 

uncharted realms. The Bugged Out format 

has been a monster success for the Roxy. 

Try and make it down and save the airfare 

to London for drinks and couscous in the 

Indian themed chill-out hosted by Lucas 

and Airto. February also features the return 

of the Reading-based Sneaker Pimps on the 

27th. I unfairly gave up on this outfit when 

lead siren Kelli Dayton departed following 

the Pimps’ wildly successful debut 

Becoming X in ‘96. The band has indeed 

hit stride with the lushly crafted Splinter 

(Clean Up ‘99) and Bloodsport (Tommy 

Boy ‘02). Liam Howe conceives and 

produces all the tracks, and Chris Corner 

handles vocal responsibilities quite tidily. 

This is a sensible, cerebral pop band that 

continues to surprise critics and fans alike. 

Their last Roxy set was a well-attended and 

tight performance. Trip hop’s not dead yet. 

If you make only one show this month, 

catch the TCR production team of Koma & 

Bones at Radost FX on the 22nd. Heralded 

by Remix magazine as the “best breaks 

remixers of 2002,” this duo from Lancaster, 

England has been responsible for 

treatments of The Crystal Method, 

Kosheen, X-Press 2 and the stunning 

rework of New Orders classic “Confusion.” 

Their Blinded by Science album continues 

to spawn quality 12-inch floor fillers. 

Currently in studio with D&B legend 

Proteus, Koma & Bones’ second full length 

will drop later this year on Thursday Club 

Recordings. Widely acclaimed and fresh 

from touring Australia and Asia, their discs 

are favorites with the likes of Hybrid, Blim, 

Hyper and Tayo. 

What There’s more 

Devotees MUST NOT miss the 

incomparable Lee”Perfecto” Coombs and 

Rennie Pilgrem gig at Abaton on the March 

8th. Tribal Tech-House vs. Tech Breaks on 

two floors should send skeptics sailing. 

Why Lighthouse continues to program 

these costly and renowned demi-gods of 

the industry remains a mystery. I for one 

will follow the breaks gospel set forth by 

Saint Sedlon and solemnly attend. 

For weeklies, check out Red Beard 

Records’ Chris Cags & Tram Party 

“Chemist” Sundays at Naif off Old Town for 

veggie grub, green tea and fat, soulful 

house beats. For R&B: M1’s Big J sells out 

in style with Top 40 teasers every Friday. 

Thongs and tube tops abound as the 

clueless crowd does Finlandia shots and 

flops about to Jerome’s thumping radio 

fare. Consistent quality breaks can be had 

in the Brown Bar at Akropolis Saturdays. 

Look for DJs Boland and Blue and a 

revolving array of up and coming 

breaksters to keep your soul-a twitching. 

Oh, and be sure to buy your lover some 

1200s and a box of chocolates. 

Terrible Tim’s Top Five 

•ILS / Soul Trader (Marine Parade) 

•Koma & Bones / Blinded By Science 

(TCR Music) 

•Hotel Costes / Volume 5 (Pschent) 

•J-Walk / A Night on The Rocks 

(East/West) 

•The Drummatic Twins / Drummatical 

(Finger Lickin’) 

Tim Otis is at letters@pill.cz. He can be 

heard Fridays 8-11 pm on Radio One (91.9 

FM). Breakbeat Conference airs 6-7 pm 

every Tuesday on the same station. 

Riverside terrrace 

True Neapolitan pizza 

Excellent International and Czech cuisine 

15 m bar 

Regular music program 

Downtempo lounge-style chillout with DJs and live sets 

Cihelna 2b 

118 00 Praha - Mala Strana 

' 

Reservations: 

257 535 534 

kontakt@cihelna.com 

www.cihelna.com 

West Coast Style Coffeeshop 

Free 

internet 

with 

purchase! 

Voted 3x 

the best 

coffee in 

Prague! 

Open Mon/Fri: 7am—10pm, Sat/Sun: 9am—10pm 

Courtyard Platýz, Národní třída 37 

Tel.: 224 228 862 • e-mail: kava@mbox.vol.cz • www.kava-coffee.cz 

La Casa Blů 

Tvá španělská vesnice 

“Your Spanish village” 

Do you know what “Spanish village” means in Czech 

Excellent people. Beverages and food for good prices!! 

Música y Ambiente Rica Cocina y Cócteles 

We speak Spanish, Czech and English 

Kozí 15, just 500 mtrs. off Old Town Square 

224 818 270 

'


Classifieds 

Regus is a multi-national organisation 

and leading worldwide operator of 

business centres, bringing together 

people, property and technology to 

provide you with a platform for doing 

business on flexible terms, whenever and 

wherever you require. We offer a global 

network of fully equipped offices and 

meeting rooms which you can hire for 

and hour, a day, a month, a year or longer 

just as easily as you would book a hotel. 

Prague Contact: 222 191 110 

http://www.regus.com 

Announcements 

English family with boys 2 and 4 y.o. who understand 

English seeks English speeking playmades. I can 

look after the children in the afternoon here in the 

garden or at nearby Obora Hvězda. Please call at 

723 980 443. 

BASSIST WANTED for alt. Rock band. Influences include 

Smiths, Pixies, Joy Division. Phone 732 229 321. 

Would you like to lose 20 Lbs before spring Natural, safe, 

doctors recommended! Call 777600854, 222 322 237. 

VIDEO CASTING in the City of Prague.One local 

female model needed with very long hair and a "oneof-a-kind" 

look. You must be very sexy, under 30 year 

old, not taller than 1.72m (5' 8") for a slow pop-ballad 

video, in March 2003, in the City of Prague. 

Compensation negotiable. Please send resume or 

your qualifications with contact information to the e- 

mail address indicated below.casting@gr8roc.com 

Looking for actors, males and females in their early 

20s with Czech and English fluency. Also looking for 

a German male in his early 20's with Czech and 

English fluency. Unpaid, though food provided. Email: 

tquinn@fourcornersltd.com 

Looking for squash players. Mid-level players 

especially for practice and games. Email: 

Stephanielally27@hotmail.com 

Individuals and teams for winter season basketball 

league. Call Lucie: 723.839.843. 

The next Initiative against War peace demonstration is 

planned for February 15 at 1:00 p.m. on Palachovo 

nam. (near the Philosophical Faculty of Charles 

University). Show your solidarity. 

Education 

Experienced teacher offers Czech lessons. Teacher 

will travel to your office. Email: turek11@volny.cz 

Experienced American English teacher seeks 

individual students or companies for private 

lessons/conversation. Call Earnest at 732 388 103. 

Trinity TEFL Certificate course is 

a practical and theoretical training 

course designed to produce teachers 

with the proper skills and 

techniques needed in order to 

teach English abroad. Job guidance 

is available to all graduates 

and some may even be hired at 

our in-house language school, 

Prague Schools. For more information, 

visit www.tefl.cz or contact 

info@tefl.cz. 

FREE ENGLISH CLASSES 

Prague Schools, a TEFL certification 

training center, is offering free 

English classes to students of all 

levels. Day and evening lessons 

available. Interested Call Martin at 

233 322 742 or visit 

www.pragueschools.cz. 

Experienced teacher/native speaker offers fun, high-quality 

English instruction at all levels. Grammar, vocabulary, and 

conversation. Call Adrienne at 721 355 907 

Looking for someone to teach English once or twice 

per week. Call Pavel: 607.900.424. 

Native English speaker with teaching experience. For 

Depressed Bad hangover 

Crisis Contact me: 

Dr. Peter Pöthe, 

therapist with international 

experience. 

Národní 9, Prague 1 

Tel. 602 289 717 

www.dr.pothe.sk 

HEALTH INSURANCE FOR 

EX-PATRIATES 

BUPA International 

The World's Health Service 

Corporate or individual 

schemes 

For info call 221 667 384 or visit 

www.health-insurance.cz 

lessons, Email Hilary: Rhenium3@yahoo.com 

Private Czech lessons offered. Call: 604.625.092. 

Qualified Teacher with B.A in Education and TOEFL 

certificate available to teach or tutor all ages in 

English or French. Prices negotiable. Call Vanessa 

Gendron: 737.879.476. 

Private Piano lessons available on your piano. Call: 

608.508.377. 

Highly skilled tennis trainer from Russia gives lessons. 

Call Nikolay: 776.192.936. 

Flats Offered 

Furnished room in 4+2 flat (100m2) in Karlin, 10 min 

walk to Nam. Republiky. 6500 Kc/month all incl. 

Long term preferred. Call: 732.853.786. 

Apartment nearby the Old Town Sq., max for 3 

months, 4-th floor, lift, 65 m2, 2 rooms + kitchen, 

wood floors, TV/SAT, 23000czk/month, call 

602273076 

25 year old Czech female, smoker, seeks fun and 

mature female roommate to share a 2 + kk flat next to 

Old Town Square. Partially furnished, new washer 

and fridge. Rent: 6000Kc/m plus half utilities. 

Gorgeous view. Email: oldtown@seznam.cz 

Flatmate needed in spacious flat at Strossmayerovo 

namesti. Fully furnished, washing machine and dryer, 

large kitchen, balcony. Rent 9000Kc/month including 

utilities. Would like a clean considerate person. Email: 

mkarnoldova@hotmail.com or Call: 776.008.348. 

Looking for non-smoking flatmate in large 3+1 

apartment (100 m2) at Budejovicka. Fridge, washing 

machine, TV, video, weekly turndown service. 

7800Kc/month. Email: sylvester@volny.cz or Call: 

732.355.893. 

For Sale 

Yamaha DGX 300 keyboard for sale.76 keys with 

touch response, pitch wheel, floppy disk drive, AC 

adaptor. 12,000Kc includes 2 year guarantee and 

CZ, EN manuals/songs. Email: milstere@yahoo.com 

or Call: 721.843.869. 

ANTIQUE 

AHASVER 

Prokopská 3, Prague 1 

(just round the corner from 

the Pill, opposite El Centro) 

Tel.: 257 531 404 

Open Tue—Sun 11am till 6pm 

Specialising in laces, old 

embroideried textiles, and 

original vintage clothing, 

jewelry, glass, porcelain 

original folklore costumes, 

paintings, photographs, curios 

2X 20GB IBM IDE HDD,1X 14GB WD IDE HDD, RAM 

256MB /133 & 100 MHZ, IDE CD-DRIVE 52X , ZIP 

Media 100MB. Best offer. Email: tutcz@yahoo.com 

Teletech 18" television. Bought a few months ago 

(5500Kc), used very little. Dual receiver, remote. Fine 

condition. Yours for 3000Kc. Call/text: 

732.532.649. 

Jobs 

A university educated lady looks for an English 

language native speaker for English conversation. 

Both Czech or French conversations in return are 

222 718 271, 222 718 097, 603 450 420 

FLATS in the center + around 

and VILLAS in Prague 6 + Nebušice 

possible. Email to anj.anj@seznam.cz 

Looking for tour guides. Czech citizens, fluent English 

and other languages are bonuses. Must be young or 

young at heart. Must have a driver's license. Make 

4000Kc in 3 days. Email CV and letter: 

brettcjamieson@yahoo.ca 

AMERICAN MEN NEEDED 

FOR AMERICAN 

FEATURE FILM. Shooting 

in Prague March-July 

2003. Need men who are 

5'9" or under, aged 25-45 

who have American 

accents, conservative 

look and willingness to 

act. For further 

information call Nancy 

Bishop casting 2 2108 

0201 or email photo and 

contact info to: 

minnapyyhkala@hotmail 

.com or drop off photo 

at Anenske nam 2. 

All submissions must be 

in by January 14 at the 

latest. 

Having a party You need 

sound! From small bars to 

large halls 1/2 kW to 6 kW 

turntables, CDs, mixers, 

speakers, microphones. 

Delivered plus professionally 

installed. 

Call Kevin at 732 469 507. 

Conspiracy s.r.o. Flyering, 

postering. Distribution in 

Prague's clubs, pubs etc. 

/more then 250 places in 

database/, promotion of 

cultural events. Info on 

222522519 or 222516380. 

Or send email to 

conspiracy@conspiracy.cz 

and ask for our offer 

and references. 

www.conspiracy.cz 

Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles 

b y N e i l S w a a b 

Seeking Sales Executives for Advertising Sales 

department. Previous experience and Czech/English 

skills a must. Email: 

michelegreen_travelling@yahoo.com or Fax: 

257.530.343. 

Seeking a native English speaker with conversational 

Czech to work in the roles of help desk and quality 

assurance for company in Brno. Email your CV and 

cover letter (in .pdf or .rtf format) to Mr. Lubos Hanak: 

lhanak@isgroup.com 

Personal 

American gentleman desires to correspond with 

Czech, Slovak or Ukrainian lady via E-mail. 30 years 

of age or older. Seeking friendship, maybe more. 

Email: furtdw@rcn.com 

Iam czech girl-17-which finds american or english 

guyes and girls to practise my english.Istudy high 

school in Prague.Ilearn English,German and Italian. 

With the best regards Daniela. My phone number- 

00420737830268 

How to place a classified advertisement in The Prague Pill 

■ Standard 

6 lines, plain text. 

200 Kč 

■ Premium Dark 

6 lines, justified text 

350 Kč 

■ Premium Light 

6 lines, justified text 

350 Kč 

■ Premium Plus 

18 lines, b/w logo 

700 Kč 

I Saw You 

Place an “I Saw You Ad”! It’s Free! 

I Saw You ads are free, 50 words max. Please 

include a phone number or email address for 

use in the ad. Submit via email 

(isawyou@pill.cz) or visit pill.cz. You can also 

stop by our offices at Karmelitská 18 and fill 

out the form while sneaking peaks at the 

awfully attractive Pill staff. 

You asked me where the Metro was and I told 

you it was closed from the floods. You're here for 

another month; let's see what we can make of it. 

You: green eyes, dark hair, Mary. Me: tall, 

glasses and yours. mikeyabroad@hotmail.com 

Saw you reading Raspe on the tram last 

Wednesday. Red dress and blonde, looked too 

into it to disturb. I need another chance. 

RHyatt81@yahoo.com 

You were the guy at Fraktal with the tattoos. I'm 

the girl with the dog you liked. You said you were 

leaving for New York. Hope you didn't leave 

without me. KlaraH@seznam.cz 

Beautiful Blonde Stefan: I got pulled away from 

you Saturday in Radost before I could get your 

number in Berlin. If you're still in town, get it 

touch. Had a blast with you, really. I'm around. 

kgk77@hotmail.com 

I saw you writing something in Akropolis 5/1. I 

called it "KETSACH" u think not so 

Whatfuckwasit Email konflict3@hotmail.com. OK 

I Saw You, Prague, in my rear-view 

mirror. Thanks for the early sunrises, 

late sunsets, outdoor parties, fresh 

beer, cheap drugs, wonderful friends 

and, of course, the best job in the 

world. I will miss all of you. Be proud, 

Micah, of everything you've done at this 

newspaper. It is truly a unique and 

spectacular thing. -Jeff Koyen 

Sound for hire parties, 

concerts and 

conferences. Clubs, 

pubs and boats from 

500w to 15 000 w - 

new 10 k 

JBL/Precision devices 

system available. 

Competitive prices. 

732 469 507. 

Talented team offers 

sound design 

consultation and 

production. Music for 

TV/radio adverts, 

games and web 

pages. Multi track 

recording and editing. 

Competitive rates. 

Contact Zip sound 

factory at 737 348 270 

or 603 917 638. 

L.A. movie script writer, 

40's, 183cm, 80k, 

educated, nice looking, 

living in Prague would 

like to meet a warm, 

attractive, interesting 

female.723906891, 

email: imc@artbyec.com 

GAY MONDAY 

03.03.03. 

Industry 55 at 9pm- 

Boy dancers 

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Classified ads are the best way to get what you want, get rid of what you don’t want and let the world know where you are. We offer you three 

different packages. Ordering is simple: 

Step 1: Decide which format you want: plain, premium, or premium plus. 

Step 2: Write your copy and pick a category from the list provided below. 

Step 3: Write out the form below. 

Contact us by phone (257 534 015), by fax (257 534 016), or by e-mail (classifieds@pill.cz) and our staff will guide you through the rest. 

You can also place a classified through our website at www.pill.cz! 

Browse the photos! 

www.prague-rentals.cz 

Payments must be 

made in advance by 

bank transfer, 

složenka, direct 

deposit or cash. 

Contact our sales 

office for details. 

Classified ad sales and prices 

apply only to private 

individuals. 

Stuff 

❏ Items for Sale 

❏ Items Wanted 

Jobs 

❏ Seeking Jobs 

❏ Help Wanted 

Real Estate 

❏ Flats offered 

❏ Flat Wanted 

signature 

❏ Announcements 

❏ Personals 

❏ Escorts

Flats & Houses, long & short term rentals 

for every budget and taste! We also do sales. 

Stop by our office at Soukenická 8, Prague 1 (9am–5pm) 

or call Aleš 602 375 513 or Yanna 604 205 866 or Lukáš 603 839 362 

e-mail: hhrentals@volny.cz 

STUDIO, Prague 1, Mala Strana – historical building next to Charles Bridge Mostecka, Fully 

Furnished, Modern furn, Brick, Parquet Floor, Telephone, Television, TV, sat, Sunny, Refridgerator, 

IDEAL FOR A COUPLE – exclusive neighbourhood, one does not find so inexpensive accommodation here. You walk 

out of the historical apartment building and you are right at the Charles Bridge. Restaurant in the apt. building. 

You are able to have a discount on a romantic dinner. rent: long term 18 000 CZK Short term 25 000 

1+1,Prague 1, Old Town, Konviktska, 60m2, Modern flat, Fully Furn, Antique 

furn, Parquet Floor, Lift, W.M, Telephone, TV, Bathtub, Balcony, Apartment 

by the river side Vltava with a view of Hradcany rent: long term 15 000 CZK 

short term 21 000 CZK 

2+1, Two floor apartment, Prague 2, Vinohrady, Cerchovska, 6th Floor (top), 

Modern flat, Fully Furn, Modern furn, W. M., Dishwasher, Telephone, 

Television, TV, sat, Bathtub, Sunny, TERRACE, FIXED INTERNET 

CONNECTION, Fireplace, rent: 25 000 CZK + 

2+1, Prague 1, Old Town, Truhlarska, Modern equipted flat, Fully Furn 

with antique furn, Historical, Parking in secure courtyard/garden/ 

etc for 1 Vehicle, W.M, TV, sat, rent: long term 19 000 CZK short 

term 24 000 CZK 

3+1, Prague 1, New Town, Narodni, 95 m2, 4th Floor, Fully Furn, Modern furn, W M, Dishwasher, Telephone, TV, sat, Bathtub, great location 

with good public transport. rent: long term 30 000 CZK + , short term 40 000 CZK 

b r o w s e o u r o n - l i n e g a l l e r y : 

www.happyhouserentals.com 

photos ... photos ... again many photos

Pill 25 part I.qxd - Prague TV

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