Monika Načeva - Udržuj svou ledničku plnou (Keep Your Fridge Full)

 Another represantation of the colourful post-socialist musical scene of the 1990's, this song is arguably one of the best punk offerings Czech music has to give. In her debut album Možnosti tu jsou (There Are Options, 1994), Monika Načeva combines Jáchym Topol's harsh, yet intimate poetry with straightforward punk energy and a cheeky black and white videoclip inspired by Patti Smith.

Jáchym Topol (brother of the late Filip Topol from Psí vojáci, which I covered on this blog) was not allowed to publish officially until 1989, but his poems were spread in samizdat. Udržuj svou ledničku plnou (Keep Your Fridge Full) is part of his first collection of poetry, Miluju tě k zbláznění (I Love You Madly, 1990, samizdat 1988). Since then, he has published a number of novels that were translated into several languages, and two of them were adapted to films.

Monika Načeva is a Czech actress and singer who often works with notable poets and musicians. Her work is astonishingly diverse, ranging from punk and rock to chanson or trip-hop. This is definitely not the last time you see her on this blog, because I find her one of the most interesting Czech musicians, and I highly recommend you go and find more of her work.