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 Kaleidoscope
 "Export from Mysłowice"
 (??? 2003)

  Their records have gone platinum in Poland, and they've topped the charts. But Poland is not enough. Europe is next.


  "I work only for Spielberg and Myslovitz," laughs Janusz Kamiński, winner of two Oscars and full-time cinematographer for Steven Spielberg. In order to shoot the video for 'Sound of Solitude' by Myslovitz, he turned down Martin Scorsese, who was constantly rescheduling; when shooting began in March, Kamiński was already due to work with Myslovitz. The again, who knows what choice he'd have made if didn't like their music? After all, a fan is obliged to support his idols.

  When they gave their first concert 9 years ago in Częstochowa, at a talent show, the audience responded coldly. And although today they'd give anything for the band, their stage appearance than was welcomed with laughter. They were done for. The Polish rock-man stereotype had no leeway then for anything other than long hair, leather, and heavy metal. Myslovitz were the opposite, in Beatles-like suits, neat hairdos, and melodious, melancholic guitar music British style. They finished in second place. For the next few years they had more luck with critics and all types of jurors than with the public.

  These days their fan numbers are multiplying. Last year, during performances at summer festivals in Belgium and Germany, they only needed a few minutes. They pulled the crowds with just two or three songs. The same happened in Spain, Portugal, and the British Isles, where they were the warm-up band before Simple Minds and Iggy Pop. It was so good, that this year they've been invited to Hamburg, Aarhus, Berlin, Dublin and Glenrothes. It's worth adding here that one of the fruits of these performances is an Internet fan page, in Danish.

  Artur Rojek, the vocalist and 'face' of Myslovitz, is not idol material. Modest, quiet, sensible, the intellectual type. No reddyed hair, earrings, or tattoos. He prefers a book to post concert excesses in the dressing room or hotel, and morning jog is sacred. And he's supposed to be an idol? The rest of the band is little different, Guitarist Wojetek Powaga treats visiting the towns where they're on tour just as methodically as Arthur treats his running. In Barcelona he hurried to the Gaudi museum, and he took a tram tour of Lisbon. The rest could hardly be called partiers of the year either, best proof of that is that after the success of their album 'Miłość w czasach popkultury' [love in the times of pop culture], instead of moving to Warsaw they chose to stay in Mysłowice near Katowice.

  So what's Mysłowice like? In Artur's opinion there's nothing special about it, just a typical town in Upper Silesia: grey buildings, red-bricked miners' houses with shared courtyards, a park, and two mines. When they formed their band, somebody suggested they name in after their town. "Let's write it like on the doors of the old stove in my parents' flat," said drummer Lala, picking up the idea. But the name caused problems more than anything. The German name worked on the local authorities like a red cloth on a bull. The town wasn't keen on providing a venue to practice in - not for a band that soiled its own nest! This attitude was only changed by the nationwide success of 'Miłość w czasach popkultury', when readers of 'Trybuna Śląska' gave Myslovitz an award for 'getting to the tops of the Warsaw charts'.

  "Mysłowice is boring when I have nothing to do," says Artur. "And I have to organize something to do to feel good. In Mysłowice that was tough. I always had to go somewhere, either to Warsaw or up to the coast where I recorded a record as Lenny Valentino. But since the record 'Korova Milky Bar', the band has had such momentum that I no longer need more things to do, just more peace. And if necessary we have a very good connection to Warsaw,' he adds. "The train from Katowice to Warsaw takes 2 hours 40 minutes."

  It took Artur slightly longer - 3 hours and 23 minutes - to run a marathon. He's entered one so far, in Poznań, and finished more or less in the middle of the pack. This year he wants to enter the Berlin marathon, It should go better this time.

  "I rise at 6, and run to 9 a.m. I get the best ideas by the 15th kilometer. Later it's pretty bad." he laughs. "I know it's not a very rock-n-roll pastime, but joggings is very good for me. Once I'd have never thought there were squirrels and deer in Silesia."

  Myslovitz is trendy today. Four years ago, their song 'Długość dźwięku samotności' brought half of Poland to their knees. Now the English-language version, 'Sound of Solitude', has the European charts in its sights. And it has been released with Kamiński's video. Any moment now the export edition of the album 'Korova Milky Bar' will be out to give its support. This year there won't be any summer holidays.

  They're keeping the momentum going in Poland, as well, having just released a best-of collection; one track was recorded with Marek Grechuta, a living legend in Polish songs. The group's guitarist Przemek Myszor recently collaborated with another dinosaur of Polish music, Krzysztof Krawczyk, resulting in a huge hit, 'Bo marzę i śnię', topping the charts for weeks.

  Their English-language record is their passport to Europe. It won't be easy. Hundreds of new singles are released in Europe every week, so there are no plans yet to move London's Nothing Hill or Camden Town. They were at the stage of making it big in America seven years ago, but their performance at a Polonia disco brought them straight back down to Earth.

  UThey're doing admirably. They've unconstrained in their music making, and have only a few regrets, such as the record-cover designed by Ryszard Horowitz, an expert in advertising photography. As for their affair with youth cinema, Artur doesn't even want to be reminded of the film 'It's Us'. They found working with Jerzy Stuhr for the film 'Big Animal' much better. Involvement in 'It's Us' is something they treat as the price paid as unfledged debutantes in the deep waters of show business.

  "Today," says Artur, "I'd simply walk out."

  He and the entire band are stronger now than they've ever been. They've released five good records, one at least of which will go down in the history of Polish music. And perhaps world music. After all, Myslovitz has its sights on Europe this year.

Hubert Musiał

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