Classic Cars: Tatra T87 Nazi Killer

The distinctive fin and aerodynamic body of the T87.

Today, Czech design is renowned for its retro cool. Cubism, Bauhaus and Art Deco have all left indelible marks on the country from its architecture to its interior design. These artistic movements did not simply die out in the early 20th century, but have left a lasting impression on Czech culture. Similarly, a little-known car brand named Tatra, developed a luxury car that was far ahead of its time in Czechoslovakia in 1938: the Tatra T87.

So what's special about the T87? Well, today it is a collectors item for car enthusiasts the world over. Owners include British architect Norman Foster and veteran US comedian Jay Leno. The latter has an extensive collection of classic cars. He recently presented his dark green T87 in a 30 minute video on his YouTube channel Jay Leno's Garage.

Jay Leno presenting his T87.

For those interested in either cars, history, design, engineering or even US automobile culture it is well worth watching. Leno, somewhat of a relic himself, provides an entertaining yet highly informative and detailed look at the T87 and its history.

After the Nazis took over Czechoslovakia in WWII, top SS officers requisitioned the luxury car for their own personal use. However, it was unusually fast for the time with a top speed of 100mph. Moreover, the car needed some practice to drive well as the rear-mounted engine made the car back heavy. Several high ranking officers came to their demise as they spun out of control when leaving the autobahn. The car became a hero and legend has it that it killed more Germans than the whole Czechoslovak army.

During Leno's presentation we learn that the chief engineer behind the car was Hans Ledwinka (erroneously referred to as 'Winkler' by Leno). This brilliant engineer, we are told, provided many of the ideas that were taken up by a certain Ferdinand Porsche. Tatra went on to win damages from Volkswagen after the war for stealing design secrets. However, Ledwinka himself died virtually penniless in 1967.

The most distinctive feature of the car is it's aerodynamic shape and the large wind fin on the back. Aerodynamics was taking off as a new science at the time and pioneering aerodynamicist Paul Jaray who helped develop the Zeppelin airship worked directly on the T87. Remarkably, as we see in Leno's video, the underside of the car is completely streamlined too, with barely a nook or a cranny for any extra air friction to cause drag. This car flies like the wind. 

Watch the video above to learn more and see the car in action.

Coronavirus Easter Lockdown Viewing: Jesus Christ Superstar

Cast members (L-R): Tim Minchin, Ben Forster, Chris Moyles and Mel C.

On Good Friday 2020 Europe was in lockdown. People had effectively been confined to their houses for the last couple of weeks, as authorities struggled to slow the spread of COVID-19. 'Social distancing' was the new norm as meeting anyone outside your actual household was proscribed. Needless to say, all places of worship were closed.

The rock opera 'Jesus Christ Superstar' was streaming for free on YouTube. Here is SZ's review.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Live Arena Tour (2012)
Filmed live at Birmingham Arena

Ben Forster as Jesus Christ (6/10): a rather unconvincing JC. Certainly a good voice as with all the cast, but lacking in charisma and stage presence to be the son of God. Also a rather disconcerting resemblance to failed actor Stephen Toast from the comedy Toast of London.

Tim Minchin as Judas (8/10): rips out the songs with gusto. Adequately dreadlocked and mascara-ed up to look like the edgy critic of JC that he was.

Mel C as Mary Magdalene (9/10): a stand-out performance from the former Spice Girl. Great, impassioned rendition of the song 'I don't know how to love him'. Does he require earthly pleasure or rather spiritual partnership - or maybe both? Could have been a 10/10 had her counterpart been more into it.

Chris Moyles as King Herod (7/10): quite a decent effort from the radio presenter, but still lacking some of the sinister humour of Rik Mayall in the stunning production of the year 2000. A production, by the way, that still has the overall edge on this one.

Alexander Hanson as Pontius Pilate (10/10): he plays the tormented Roman governor of Judea with aplomb. His reluctance to have Jesus crucified is palpable, as he vainly interrogates him in an attempt to force him into confessing his revolutionary ambitions.

Pete Gallagher as Caiaphas (8/10): booming bass from the high priest of the Jews, who sees Jesus as a threat to their security within the Roman Empire. Are the Jews depicted as too evil in Lloyd Webber's opera by default? Perhaps so, but every piece needs its villains.

High point: the live musicians on stage are fantastic. Electrifying rock grooves.

Low point: staging of the last supper scene falls flat, as Forster as Jesus flatly delivers his lines. The cast look like a bunch of hobos drinking wine from paper bags here.

Karel Gott: Thousands view coffin, Minister skips the queue

It's time to lay the Karel Gott story to rest now with a few final reflections.

Why did 49,000 people (see gallery) line up to pass by the late singer's coffin?

Was it that they simply loved his music? His mere artistic output brought joy to their hearts?

Perhaps. But why was this musician given a funeral with near state honours? What did he achieve for the Czech state?

An alternative view is that this was an outpouring of nostalgia for the past. Looking back with rose-tinted spectacles at those cheery days in Communist Czechoslovakia. The songs on the state-sponsored radio and TV. Who is this blogger to say? Readers comments welcome below.

One last macabre snippet: the Transport Minister was in such a rush that he skipped the queue to say goodbye to the dead singer. Scandalous and inexplicable in equal measure. Skipping a queue for lunch, if you can get away with it ok. But skipping the queue to see a stone cold dead guy? What's the point?

A video mix of Gott's hits from the 60s including a Beatles cover.

Farewell to the godfather of Czech pop: Karel Gott

Czechs are currently mourning one of their greatest and most beloved popstars: Karel Gott.

His big voice and big smile made him a hit sensation from the 1960s onwards and he sold millions of records throughout his long career.

His biggest markets were Czechoslovakia, Germany and Russia. His folk-style Schlager went down well in those parts.

I first became acquainted with him whilst watching the film Kdyby tisíc klarinetu (1965). He plays himself - already a pop star back then. The film is full of music. With a little help from a statue of Bach, all the weapons on a military camp turn into musical instruments to the delight of one pacifist soldier. Well worth watching.

Back to Gott (which is German for God, if you weren't so sure). He had four daughters with three different women and now he will have a semi-state funeral with a service by the archbishop of Prague.

Some Czechs (not many), are not only questioning his Catholic credentials, but also whether such an honour should be bestowed upon someone who was simply a popular singer. He largely rode above political issues during his long career and remained content with communism as long as he could cut his records and continue to travel (something most of his countrymen were unable to do).

Give him his service, I say. He was a happy-go-lucky guy who enjoyed singing and entertaining. To reach 80 in the music industry is quite an achievement. After all, drugs and alcohol don't seem to have been big issues for him and with a name like his who could deny him a holy send off?

A clip of Karel Gott singing in the film Kdyby tisíc klarinetu - If a Thousand Clarinets (1965).

Josef Koudelka Invasion Prague 68 photo exhibition

August, 2018 - Nowadays it is difficult to comprehend the events in Prague that happened 50 years ago this month. Why and how on earth did tanks and soldiers end up storming around the cobbled streets of this beautiful European city? To the people of Prague back then, it was not only bewildering, but terrifying.

Invasion Prague 68 is a touring exhibition that showcases the photos of Czech photographer Josef Koudelka who was on the streets with his camera in August 1968. This reviewer saw the exhibition whilst on display at Botanique in Brussels from 14 June to 12 August 2018.

The giant black and white photos are stark and life-like. Anxious faces leap out at you as smoke from angry fires, tank guns and armed soldiers straddle the urban setting with disdain.

This is high calibre press photography - the viewer is literally thrown onto the streets of Prague, the confusion and the utter disbelief that so-called allies are invading the country.

For a brief time leading up to the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops led by the Soviet Union, the Prague Spring had heralded the dawn of a more humane system: 'Socialism with a Human Face'. But Moscow was not amused - the lifting of censorship and burgeoning freedom of expression in Czechoslovakia could not be allowed to spread (uncovering uncomfortable truths about the past and openly criticising communism and its leaders).

Koudelka's photos were smuggled out of the country and published in the international press one year later with the anonymous credit of P.P. (Prague Photographer). It was only long after he had emigrated/escaped to the West during the 80s that Kodelka was able to take the credit for the photos. In the meantime his photos had won numerous prestigious photography awards and become emblematic of the tyranny of the Soviet Union.

Remarkably, the history of this invasion is neither deeply nor widely understood. It is more sexy to focus on the student protests and countercultural revolution that gripped many countries around the world in that very same year.

Koudelka's photos reveal the grotesque dichotomy of a tank accosting peaceful citizens trying to go about their everyday business. Many important questions are raised that need investigating.

WWII memoir with a twist

US troops march through a wood as they move to liberate Germany in 1945.

The Past is Myself by Christabel Bielenberg is a fascinating account of life in Germany from about 1930 to 1945. 'Oh no, not another turgid Nazi-era memoir!' you're thinking. The 'twist' here is that the author is English.

Christabel is married to a German from Hamburg called Peter. Both husband and wife watch the rise of the Nazis with utter surprise, horror and dismay.

What shines throughout the whole story is Christabel's incredibly strong character and humour. She endures long periods of the war separated from her husband and is more or less left to raise three young sons by herself.

As allied bombing draws closer and closer to their little house in Berlin, the family is eventually forced to evacuate to a little village in the Black Forest. Here, they experience the incredible warmth and hospitality of the locals who more or less ignore all Nazi rules and decrees as far as possible. The experience of liberation by French troops turns out to be a rather terrifying experience as much raping and pillaging ensues.

What stands out in the book are the many German friends that Christabel has who totally despise the Nazis yet are unable to openly express their opposition for fear of being dragged away to Gestapo HQ.

Christabel and her husband are in fact friends with many of the July 1944 plotters who attempted and failed to blow Hitler up with a bomb hidden in a suitcase. Although, this was a popular selling point for the book when it was first published in 1968, it is most valuable for its detailed and insightful observations of everyday life under the Nazis.

The author does employ a rather old-fashioned style which is sometimes a little heavy to get through, but persevere and you will be rewarded. Highly recommended for anyone interested in history as well as fans of memoir and women's history and literature.

The Road Ahead is the follow-up novel by Christabel which recounts her family's emigration to Ireland after the war. There are interesting reflections on Irish life and society at the time, but the book lacks the bite and drama of her first one.

Johnny Cash - The Life by Roger Hilburn

There was much more to the man in black than his stage persona revealed. This well-written and thoroughly-researched biography by LA Times journalist Robert Hilburn traces Cash's development from youth to old age and ill health with remarkable sensitivity and warmth.

The central focus is the evolution of Cash as a musician. From a boy who loved to sing gospel songs with his mum - to a man strumming his guitar with air force pals - on to starting a garage band and eventually after thousands of miles touring across America, a spell of super-stardom before the inevitable fall.

Hilburn goes into detail about most of the songs ever written by Cash and quotes many of the lyrics at length. This really brings his subject to life and it's a joy to read song texts penned by Cash. If you know the songs you will certainly hear his voice and music in your head as you read. Seeing the lyrics on paper it's clear that Cash is a storyteller and poet of great style and wit.

Here are the top 5 new things I learnt about Cash reading this book:

1. His Christian faith played a huge part in his life. He regularly read the Bible and even wrote a book about St John. Despite this he almost never went to church.

2. He wrote Walk the Line for his first wife Vivian. He tried to remain faithful to her and was terrified of separating from her. In the end, it was she who filed for divorce.

3. His return to the music charts with the album American Recordings in 1994 owed a great deal to the inspirational work of music producer Rick Rubin who reinvented Cash at the height of the grunge movement.

4. He was in an incredible amount of pain and on a cocktail of about 40 pills a day as he recorded his last albums with Rubin. Sometimes he was so out of breath that his voice was reduced to a whisper. Engineers had to piece his last songs together from hundreds of takes.

5. Cash was a terrible driver and was in many car accidents. Once he crashed a camper van in the middle of a national park. He ended up by causing a wildfire in which scores of endangered eagles were killed. He got off with a hefty fine.

Of course the book also covers the drug addiction and the famous prison concerts with panache, but there is so much more to Cash and therefore the book than that. An added richness is the cultural context which Hilburn lucidly paints from the 1950s to the beginning of the 21st century.  This book sits not only within biography but within the historiography of 20th century music - doing Cash justice as one of America's biggest musical icons of the last century.

Drive On from the album 'American Recordings' (1994) is one of the lesser known songs by Cash that I discovered whilst reading the book. He was a prolific artist.