Jurek assumes the function of a savior, which is profoundly unfair if you consider the funds spent by the NFZ to defend health. Gluing the equipment with WOŚP hearts and building the atmosphere of the only righteous around you is simply a lie that truly needs to be protested against," says Jan Więpaszalski in an interview with Krystian Kratiuk (POSPIESZALSKI). It is worth playing clean; ESPRIT 2024).
During your music career, you met people with different biography and views. I can't aid but wonder how you and Jerzy Owsiak were friends. I know you witnessed his wedding. present you are regarded as people with radically different views of the planet and approaches to life. Can you tell me about it?
I met Jurka in the state of war thanks to Michał Lorenc, with whom we were close due to the fact that our wives are cousins. Jurek was looking for a job. individual told him there was area for a individual with plastic abilities in a stained glass workshop. He was mistaken, and he thought it was a occupation with... ..lichtroses. He went to Teresa Reklaewska's studio in Miedeshina, where he made colorful windows for churches, including the sanctuary of Andrzej Bobola. I don't know what part he was in working on those stained glass windows, but erstwhile I visited him, he worked at the stained glass workshop. We were in our 30 ’ s and had a good time.
I remember specified an episode during the 1982 Solidarity demonstration. The Citizens' Militia and the ZOMO have prepared powerful forces to push us from the Old Town to the Vistula bank. We ran distant with Jurek's car, an old volkswagen cucumber. abruptly they jumped off the side of the uniform, they wanted to turn us around or identify us, but Jurek did not stop; at the call of the militia he added gas and started running. We were sitting in the car, and I thought, "What a badass with Jurka, he can play so hard with the militia." We escaped Kościuszkowski Coast, then into tiny streets in Czerniakow and lost our pursuit. We did it. Nobody caught up. Years later, it turned out that Jurek was intuitively protecting himself under the wings of his father, General MMA, who lived in Czerniakow. This biographical issue then explained to me any of Jurek's actions, but that time I remember as fantastic.
Jurek had large energy and ability to improvise. At any name event in our home in Warsaw, Janek Tomczak, the editor of the Scouting Station, met. He improvised and told comic stories. Janek felt Jurek had a talent for standup, and offered him a radio broadcast. The first broadcast was about Voo Voo, with stories about Wojtek Waglewski, about us and my mom. Jurek rapidly settled on the radio, responding to letters from listeners, which caused an avalanche of reaction. People started writing and calling, which spawned a cool social interaction. After a while, Owsiak proposed a organization in the Warsaw Barn called “Summer Smoke in the mediate of Winter”. Voo Voo was the host, and Jurek was the conference player. This was an "grey" and it was the thought of the large Orchestra of Christmas Charity.
Where did that even come from?
The individual situation of Jurek was a direct impulse to organize the collection. His second daughter as a baby had heart problems and lay at the kid wellness Center. Jurek saw the mediocre equipment of the infirmary and decided to act. Having experience with the Scouting Station and concerts, he organized a charity for equipping the Children's wellness Center with cardiology equipment. Together with doctors, they utilized a small shortcut, specified a marketing stunt working very hard on emotions. They calculated how much 1 cardiology device costs and how many children can be handled with specified additional equipment. This gave them the premise to number the next sum collected straight into the lives of their children. This action raised funds for equipment, and Jurek shouted that we saved so many lives and so many children. Ethical treatment average but effective. The event surpassed our wildest expectations and became the beginning of the large Orchestra of Christmas Charity.
Jurek based these first actions on cooperation with Voo Voo's team. Wojtek offered him his composition with the celebrated solo of Matthew on the saxophone as the WOŚP anthem. It was apparent to us that we were creating something fresh and fun. I've identified it fully. I even gave him my yellow shirt, which I got from Tom Logan – Majka Jeżowska's husband. This yellow shirt and red pants have grown with his image. Only later, erstwhile Jurek and his wife Dzidzia (Lidia) celebrated any events with the presidential couple Alexander and Jolanta Kwasniewski, I felt a grievance. On the 1 hand, I realise that Kwasniewski won the election and became president, but on the another hand, we knew the environment from which he came and the full political environment. It was a time of disappointment in Poland erstwhile a fewer years after the unfinished counter-revolution of Solidarity took over the post of Komuna. It caused me anxiety and anger. First conflicts arose.
What was the result?
Jurek wanted to be a conference player on Voo Voo's routes at any point. He did it right, but then he felt like he owned the band. At first he introduced himself as the owner jokingly, but then he started acting so serious. We didn't like it. The first cracks were formed. During this time Walter Chełstowski besides appeared close Jurk.
Who's that?
He was active in the music industry, functioned in Jarocin, but in fresh years the Polish People's Republic of Poland was besides a associate of the Youth Council at the Central Committee of the Polish People's Republic of Poland. It seems that thanks to him Jurek Owsiak began to operate on Public Television, creating programs specified as Spinner.
At that time, tv was commercialized, and post-communists inactive had a lot to say. Production of programs was partially carried out outside – an outsourcing strategy was introduced. Jurek and Walter started a company to produce their programs. The first large money came, which was most likely the consequence of conflicts between them. I didn't follow it any further, but the more Jurek grew in his fresh activities, the more our contacts relaxed. The tension became visible, as my image of the situation in Poland and Jurek's image were increasingly dispersing.
A Was Wojciech Waglewski then more like yours or Jurek Owsiak?
Wojtek had definitely anti-communist, freedom and solidarity views. He was a supporter of the free marketplace and liberalism. He completed sociology at the University of Warsaw, which had affirmative and negative consequences. On the 1 hand he was an intelligent, smart, educated man, on the another hand – this university was saturated with Marxism, which in a sense could affect his sensitivity. surely Wojtek was an artist of an interesting world, observing reality, although we differed in our assessments and descriptions. Either way, in Voo Voo we had a strong anti-communism attitude, besides after his alleged fall. That's why Jurek's contacts didn't precisely suit us.
How did you get a witness at his wedding?
It was inactive in the early 1980s. For Marilla and for me it is crucial that Jurek and Dzidzi decided to base their relation on the Sacrament and on the Lord God. Witnessing them at their wedding was an honor. usually the witnesses are household members or close friends, and we were simply from the social circle. I don't think I'm going to be very incorrect if I say that the choice of us as witnesses has come from a peculiar household and environmental situation of the youth state. Then Marilla was besides asked to be the godmother of 1 of the Oats' daughters.
IsYoursContactssocialcontinuingauToday?
No, we don't actually keep in contact anymore. erstwhile we see each other, we say "good morning", but our relations have relaxed, especially after 2010. Then Jurek publically accused me in the media and on his websites of destroying Polish-Russian relations and deconstructing peace in the planet by producing the movie Solidars 2010. These were absurd charges. Jurek said that from now on I would be "Mr. Janek" for him alternatively of just Janek. The next day, Michał Lorenc met him at a local grocery store. erstwhile Jurek tried to talk, Michael replied, “Mr Owsiak, delight call me Mr.”
Later we met accidentally at the airport. I told Jurk that until he publically apologizes and cancels his words, our conversation is meaningless. There's no apology. Our relation remains cool, but I don't feel peculiarly mediocre about it.
So what do you think of his top work, the large Orchestra of Christmas Charity? In the right -wing circles where you decision all day, it creates utmost feelings.
I wouldn't demonize it or idealize it. We request to be honest with this phenomenon. If something has been going on for 30 years, it becomes part of the social scenery and, as you can see from the last elections, the political scenery in Poland; you cannot ignore what Piotr Wielgucki, known as parent Kurka, reveals. It is impossible to pass the hucpa by Jurek Owsiak, who could not explain the financial issues or answer the charges in substance. Instead, there were emotional arguments and accusations that anyone who asked was against saving children. Jurek assumes the function of a savior, which is profoundly unfair if you consider the funds spent by the NFZ to defend health. It is simply a lie, indeed, against which we must protest, to put the equipment together with the hearts of the WOŚP and build the atmosphere of the only righteous around us. besides the ideological envelope around Woodstock Station generated powerful conflicts with local governments. I've spoken to quite a few local governments who didn't want this organization at home, seeing the dangers it carries and its commercialization.
Have you always attended Jesus Stop, called to evangelize Woodstock halt participants?
Sure! We were there in 2015–2017. Much earlier, however, erstwhile the conflict between Jesus and Oatsiak appeared, I tried to mediate with Jurek erstwhile Father Arthur Godnarski, the initiator of the undertaking, asked for my help. Fr Artur wanted to make a place to aid young people who abused alcohol or experimentation with psychoactive substances. And above all, to scope them with the Gospel.
The oatmeal wanted to throw Jesus' halt at Woodstock, right?
Yeah. The point of Jurek was not to show any problems on Woodstock, that there were people who needed help, that they needed to convert anyone. This even happened to Mark Kotanski earlier erstwhile he offered to make a lasaret to aid kids who abused and are drugged. Although available studies indicate that the first drug contact and various types of risky initiations happen at specified events, Jurek rejected the offer, claiming that there were no drugs there, no 1 was always drugged there, and the charges were bullshit spread by the right.
During the mediation with priest Arthur and Jurek in his office Jurek refused to include the halt Jesus in the camp, covering himself with administrative arguments. Finally, he agreed that the volunteers of the halt Jesus would be added to the number of staff protecting the event, which would aid meet the legal requirements for the protection of mass events. Fr Artur stressed that his volunteers wanted to aid addicts first due to the fact that that was precisely the situation on the erstwhile Woodstock. Then Jurek went crazy and threw us out of the office.
Despite these hard experiences Jesus continued to operate in the neighborhood, offering Woodstock participants spiritual and medical assistance. He was frequently supported by Bishop Dajczak. I saw it up close. Ideology of Woodstock, inviting controversial people and monopolising by breweries raised our concerns. Woodstock's halt became a well shot, financially oiled machine, hence the legitimate questions as to how much these activities were besides financed from WOŚP cans.
***
"It's worth playing clean", Jan Więpajalski, Krystian Kratiuk, Esprit 2024 Publishing House
