The People Around the Band

Vladimír Vitonský

Nicknamed "Dědek" (The Old Man). He worked as a sound technician at many of our live shows. Despite his age, he was still living with his parents as very old bachelor back then. His famous saying was: "The parents are obligated to take care of their children until they are 60... As if until the children are 60."

Aleš Opletal

Sometimes called "Oploš" or "Welner". A very extravagant, loud, and cute clown who used to work as a band's roadie from time to time. He was even a manager and an illusionist at the same. Also, he was the biggest expert on Rychlé šípy, very popular comic book and book collection of stories about the adventures of five young Czechoslovak boys by Jaroslav Foglar.

Petr Podzemný, Zdeněk Macháň

Nicknamed "Bóďa". A vigorous football sweeper, bus driver, roadie and lighting electrician. While he was driving our Škoda RTO bus in January 1990 as the band members were feeling sleepy in their seats after coming back from the first (and also last) tour, he uttered now notorious words: "It's freezing like in seal's ass in here!" The passenger erupted in an awakening laughter...

Zdeněk Macháň, also known as "Benďa". He used to play the guitar and sing in the local band Atlantic. He was also an infamous heartbreaker.

Milada

She was one of the reasons why girls stopped going to band's concerts, eventually. It was because she started dating Dušan "Dodo" Zeman (she even married him later and they are still together). After that, the only band member who was left to attract the potential female fan base was Vítězslav "Viktor" Kula.

Vladimír Hajduk

The bass guitar player. He used to play with Pavel Balko and Michal Langer in the band Psí deka for about a year. He helped Pavel with learning how to play the drums as Vladimír was his "bass metronome" back in 1982. He is also very skillful – he made his own bass guitar, and even his own strings (no exaggeration)! He is also a painter, graphic and woodcarver.

Lev Kment

Nicknamed "Levek". A true bohemian. The first real band's manager. He introduced the band to the roadhouse in the town of Starý Jičín. Since then, they went there after every show because Levek loved their roasted duck. But he ate only the meat, never the side dishes. 

Zuzana 

Every song on Mobilis in mobili has a hidden background. Behind all the intelligent messages and wise tidings is often a piece of a desire, an unfulfilled wish. An experience that shakes the man. The bar set very high and an exhibition of one's ego. In case of "Ráchel" and "Nautilus", it was Zuzana (Zuzka). The eyes on the album cover should have been hers...

Eda

Full name Eda Hanák. A technology enthusiast from New Jersey who loved to talk about the latest news in audio technology industry for hours and hours. He had a lovely sister. He was very selfless as he had proven on several occasions, especially when everyone around was extraordinarily shitfaced. He always helped them to recover and get home safe.

Slayers

The Králík boys, blonde twins who did not miss any Tarantula show when we played in the town of Hranice. Their favorite bands were Slayer and Destruction, respectively. Both of them had their logos embroidered on their jean vests. Later, they grew up to become a pair of really tough guys.

Michal Furár

Also known as Grizzly. There was once a girl who used to call him "Lvíček" (A Little Lion). He was a naturally talented musician from the south. He was an easy-going partner and used to plat the clarinet with Dušan "Dodo" Zeman in a brass orchestra of the Czech vehicle company Tatra Kopřivnice where he had some disciplinary issues from time to time. He also played the guitar with Pavel Balko and Michal "Kevé" Langer in a dance party band back in 1985 for some time. After 1991, he replaced Michal Langer in Tarantula.

The boys from the camp Kamenec

Despite having different musical roots than us, they always rooted for the band, laughed and rocked with us as they were walking past our rehearsal room in Hřbitovní street while on their way to the Hranice train station. One memorable quote of theirs? "Dude, that Citron (another metal band from Hranice)!" – "No way, that Tarantula!"