Guitarist, singer and composer Karel Plíhal has been on the scene for more than 40 years

Karel Plíhal is hard to miss in a crowd – his thick blond hair is to blame. Nevertheless, Plíhal has always come across as rather reserved. Before and after concerts, he can often be found quietly standing around with a beer in his hand. Despite never learning to read music, he has managed to compose beautifully complex songs spanning folk, swing and jazz and his timeless, often humorous lyrics have entertained audiences of all ages at concerts for more than 40 years.

Moravian-born folk singer, songwriter and music producer Karel Plíhal first picked up a guitar at the age of 15. While studying mechanical engineering in Olomouc, he became involved in the underground music scene, performing with country-swing bands. Before signing a record deal in 1985, in his mid-twenties, he also worked as a designer and a boiler operator at a local theater.

According to Plíhal, working as a boiler operator suited him perfectly because it gave him plenty of time to compose music and perform at concerts. Even before releasing his first solo album, he made a name for himself at the renowned Porta folk festival with his band Plíharmonyje. The modest Plíhal, however, always looked forward most to the jam sessions after concerts. Away from the spotlight, he could be himself and let himself be carried away by melodies, sounds, instruments and the atmosphere among his closest friends and fellow musicians.

Much of his songwriting was inspired by poet Josef Kainar, whose poems he also set to music. But if you understand Czech and listen closely to Plíhal’s work, you enter a world of its own, where anything is possible. In one song, he lends his body to fleas and sings about himself as an old boarding house for lonely flea mothers. In another, with the feel of a ballad, he gazes at his beautiful, large sleeping dog. In many others, he expresses his love for his muses in his own unique way.

Plíhal was introduced to a new generation of fans through his role in the 2002 mockumentary Rok ďábla (Year of the Devil), about a foreign filmmaker who travels to the Czech Republic to make a film about curing alcoholism. Plíhal’s longtime friend, musician Jaromír Nohavica, played the lead role in the film. Nohavica had also accompanied Plíhal at concerts in the past, while Plíhal produced Nohavica’s album Mikymauzoleum.

Today, Plíhal is accompanied at concerts by the guitarist Petr Fiala, and he has replaced the guitar with a mandola. He alternates songs with short poems, some of which were published in 2006 in the collection Jako cool v plotě. Most are very short, poetic jokes that make virtually everyone in the audience laugh.

The musician, who turns 68 on August 23, certainly has no shortage of creativity. And once you fall in love with his work, it is usually a love that lasts a lifetime.