Writer Mindaugas Peleckis: Singing Revolution Led Our Country to Independence

 

My book’s exact name is “Lithuanian Rock Music: Beginnings and Development” (2011), although one can consider it both as Lithuanian rock music encyclopedia / history. Rock music is important to most of the peoples of the worlds, so why not to Lithuanians? But, there is one important specific thing: so called “Roko maršai” (Marches of Rock, 1987–1997) and other venues like “Lituanica”, “Opus” where rock music gathered lots of people, were part of “Singing Revolution” which led our country to Independence on the 11^th of March, 1990. Now, rock music is not so revolutionary in Lithuania, however, there are bands (f. e., Skyders, Dalyvis, Diktatūra, Juodvarnis, Thundertale etc.) who are very patriotic.

 

 

I wrote the book in about six months. Writing took me nights and days. Of course, without my background (listening to rock music from 1987, going to musical school) I probably wouldn’t do that.

 

    While in the process of writing the book did you have any difficulties? How did you overcome them?

 

The only difficulty I had was a lack of information. Only 4 years ago, in 2010, almost no bands had their own Internet pages / Facebook / Soundcloud and other accounts which makes life of rock historian easier. Then, to find a band took not minutes / hours, but days / weeks. There were pretty much bands that I discovered not only for myself, but for lots of people – they started to rewrite their old tapes (f. e., 13 (Trylika), August Band, Laiko Sala, Siena etc.). I created several Facebook groups, the biggest of which is called “Knyga “Lietuvos rokas” (dedicated to the book and Lithuanian rock). In several years it grew to about 5 200 people. There are also Facebook groups dedicated to Lithuanian punk rock, experimental music, and jazz music. I wanted to thank all people that helped – answered questions, gave information, photos, and memoirs.

 

Nobody (except musicians, who helped with information). This was entirely my idea and lots of work with information, people, music, videos etc. Nobody believed such a book could be published at all. It was the first one of its kind and still is the only one (I would like to update it someday, but it still is not “too old”).

 

 

 

 

I wanted to become a journalist, so in 1993, after a high school, I entered Vilnius University, where in 1999 I’ve got diploma of Master of Journalism. I wrote and write about different things, but music is my love.

 

 

My first LPs were recorded by Antis, Katedra (Lithuania), Yngwie Malmsteen, The Police, Deep Purple, The Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath. In 1989 I began to listen to MCs – it all started from Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, soon I went into thrash metal (Metallica, Overkill, Kreator, Sodom, Slayer, Mekong Delta, Sieges Even), other kinds of metal music, later – all sorts of music You can imagine: from The Residents to Death In June, from Mayhem to Tiamat.

 

 

Sonic Youth (1996, Utrecht, The Netherlands), Neurosis (1996, Eindhoven, The Netherlands), Anathema (1994, Vilnius, Lithuania), Testament, Soilwork, Mayhem (2013–2014, Vilnius, Lithuania), Antis (2013 and now waiting for the grand show on the 29^th of December, 2014, Vilnius, Lithuania). Also, concerts in Vilnius by The Legendary Pink Dots, MK9 / Death Squad, Raison d’Etre, Deutsch Nepal, Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, Hiperbolė, Foje must be mentioned.

 

 

“In the house of lovers, the music never stops, the walls are made of songs & the floor dances” (Rumi).

 

 Your Christmas greetings to metal music fans around the globe!

 

Listen to all sorts of music and don’t you ever forget METAL MUSIC!!!