CPg
- This article is about the underground punk rock group. For other meanings, see CPG (disambiguation).
CPg is a controversial underground punk rock group formed by guitarist Zoltán Benkő and drummer Zoltán Nagy in Szeged, Hungary in 1979. Vocalist Béla Haska and bassist Zoltán Varga joined in 1981. The group continues to perform today.
[edit] History
CPg were a Hungarian punk rock act known for controversial stage antics, anti-establishment songs and lyrics openly condemning the socialist state authority of then Soviet-occupied Hungary. By 1982 many establishments closed their doors to the act and the band was forced to relocate to Budapest. CPg gained considerable underground popularity among fans, however, by then the music industry and authorities were also on the lookout.
The final show was performed on March 5, 1983. Singer, Béla Haska presented a chicken on stage, and fans quickly ripped it to pieces. Members of CPg were arrested on charges of political agitation. An investigation concluded that the band did not represent fascist ideologies, but in fact were anti-communists. The subsequent trial lasted for six months, involving numerous witnesses and additional evidence to support the charge.
All four band members were convicted. Benkő, Haska and Nagy each received two year jail sentences. Varga was placed on four year probation as a juvenile offender. Shortly after his release, Benkő fled to America in an act to avoid draft for compulsory military service. Having spent seven years in the States he finally returned to Hungary in 1993.
The late 1990s saw the reunion of Cpg with all four original band members.
During the communist era, the only documented source of CPg music was poor quality DAT bootleg recordings, however, in 1993 an official live CD was published by Trottel Records titled: Mindent Megeszünk.
In 1999, producer Róbert Kövessy made a 63 minute documentary on the early days of Cpg, entitled Pol Pot Megye Punkjai (The Punks of Pol Pot County)
In 2003 Auróra Records released CPg's first studio recording called "Embör vigyázz!" containing mostly songs that were written and performed 20 years prior.
[edit] Name
Media slander claimed that the name CPg was an abbreviation Cigány Pusztitó Gárda (Gypsy Exterminator Gang) In fact, CPg stands for Come on Punk Group and was later changed to Coitus Punk Group by Zoltán Benkő.
[edit] References
- Ramet, Sabrina P. (1995). Social Currents in Eastern Europe: The Sources and Consequences of the Great Transformation. Duke University Press. p. 258. ISBN 0822315483. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=F3HTHpikwq4C&pg=PA258&dq=CPg+%2Bpunk&num=100&sig=n9dnP-nzspRSGdQScedRsdeAbJQ#PPA259,M1. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- Szemere, Anna (2001). Up from the Underground: The Culture of Rock Music in Postsocialist Hungary. Penn State Press. p. 140. ISBN 0271021330. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=cXAjsPvd7CUC&pg=PA140&dq=CPg+%2Bpunk&num=100&sig=4Qp54PMc56OAd1WsEfmlvs9nAqI. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- Blecha, Peter (2004). Taboo Tunes: A History of Banned Bands & Censored Songs. Backbeat Books. pp. 4, 171. ISBN 0879307927. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5zCKz7aj9eQC&pg=PA4&vq=CPG&dq=CPg+%2Bpunk&num=100&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ypYZMEp_FPM4H4HGyblCvZM8mcU. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
