Czesław sang as if small towns held no secrets from him. During a performance that took the form of a cabaret more than a concert, he told a story about a mayor who, on the secretary’s recommendation, invites a mega-star to the Town Days celebrations—as long as the star is expensive—while simultaneously closing cultural centres where backyard bands from the town could play.
He gently mocked small-town know-it-alls who have to label every action because they are afraid to think for themselves. And he sang a song: “I must spierdalać z małego miasteczka” (“I must fuck off from the small town”), an age-old call surely flowing from all over Poland. He summed it up beautifully in the song: “A pretty girl ran away from a rather merry town.” Because small towns are very merry—so funny that Czesław and I were moved to tears with laughter.
Czesław also took aim at major media figures. Quoting the artist: “When you are 31 and become the head of public television, you have to be a very open-minded and tolerant person” (editor’s note: this refers to Rafał Farfał—acting president of the TVP management board, previously the publisher of “Front”, a racist magazine filled with extremely anti-Semitic articles and drawings).
Czesław can also make fun of himself, as when he asked the audience: “After fifteen minutes of fame, who will be playing at your weddings?” He prompted peals of laughter.
Many fans of this kind of concert and of an artist who is difficult to pigeonhole came to the performance. Yet, according to predictions, only lonely Polish-studies students were supposed to listen to him.
(information: Grażyna Hanaf)