"We went to America in the spring of 1989, and only then, half a year later, the Velvet Revolution came, so half a year prior to that. Today, the band goes on a tour, it has a contract there, all the concerts arranged and it's the band's tour. It was impossible to do that then, because they would not let us go as a band. We went there on tourist visas, each member was just like a tourist. Of course, this was observed by secret security. There is a lot of controversy about this in the corridors - how was it possible that this band traveled, how was it possible that they allowed us to do so. You can read all kinds of opinions about it. Personally, I think it was a coincidence and that, for example, secret security hoped we would stay there, in America. I am personally convinced that no one had to vouch for that by signing a cooperation or something like that."
"Half a year before we left for America, I decided that I did not want to be one of those people who criticized the regime but did nothing about it. I was thinking about what to do, how to fight the communists. That I was going to play secretly with a band I figured that was pretty good to me, but I wanted more. Coincidentally, I met people around Charter 77 and I also signed it, I became a signatory to this document. From today's point of view, it does not say anything revolutionary or just amazing, in fact, it only says that human rights should be respected and that the state that has signed some agreements should also respect them. But then it meant that a person crossed the river, that he found himself on the other bank, where there was a threat that a house search would come or that you would be locked up or you would not be able to choose the job you wanted. That risk was simply there."
"He brought me to a meeting with Mejla Hlavsa in a pub in Klamovka. I knew nothing about alternative rock music or that there are underground bands or music that is played secretly; I didn't know anything about that. Until then, I never heard that there was a band called Plastic People. At that meeting, he told Jáchym Mejla Hlavsa, that he could set some of my lyrics to music. We talked and I told him I was studying opera at the music conservatory and he asked me, if I wanted to sing with them in a band. I said why not. And he told me a very strange thing at the time, that I didn't have to worry that it was such a better time and that they probably wouldn't put me in jail for that. I had no idea why he was saying that. I really had no idea about the band's history or that the musicians would be imprisoned. So, I told him I wasn't afraid, and he interpreted it to be so brave."
Michaela Antalíková was born on July 17, 1964 in Chomutov. She spent the first years of her life with her mother in the border village of Vejprty. Later they moved to Říčany near Prague. While studying at the grammar school, Michaela fell in love with opera. In the third year, therefore, she moved to the Prague Conservatory, where she studied opera singing. After graduation, she met Milan (Mejla) Hlavsa, who offered her to start singing with his band The Plastic People of the Universe. Michaela agreed. The first joint concert ended with the State Security and the band disbanded shortly afterwards. Michaela then performed in the new Hlavsa-led group Půlnoc, which performed legally and without any problems. In January 1989, she married David Němec, the son of dissident Dana Němcová, who strongly influenced Michaela‘s life and brought her into society around Charter 77, of which she later became a signatory. In the spring of 1989, she toured the United States with Midnight. Just before the Velvet Revolution, she gave birth to twin sons, so she watched the November events from afar. After the revolution, she began to devote herself to pedagogy. She focused on the issue of excluding children with disabilities from the collective. He still deals with this topic today.
