Bohdan X
Encyclopedia
Bohdan X is the stage name
of British-born former punk rock singer Bohdan Kubiakowski in the Australian bands JAB
and Bohdan and the Instigators, both features of the emerging punk rock scene in Melbourne, Australia in the late 1970s. He was also a highly successful DJ on Melbourne's 3RRR
radio station from 1978-1995.
in 1976, with Bohdan on guitar and vocals. It began as an experimental rock band, with synthesisers as well as guitars, but adopted a punk rock style from 1977. Bohdan X wrote the songs. He also recorded his first solo single "Time to Age"/"You Got Soul" on the Tomorrow label in late 1977, and the band relocated to Melbourn
e the same year, joining an emerging New Wave music
scene and frequently playing live. The band broke up in August 1978, and Bohdan formed 'Bohdan and the Instigators' with former members of 'The Chosen Few'. His solo records since that time included a 12-inch EP "Fear of Flying", "Rumour" (1983) and the mini-album "Kingsnake" (Rampant, 1988). In 1992, a failed effort was made to revive The Chosen Few.
In 1978, Bohdan was recruited to an independent FM radio station that had been established at RMIT
University in central Melbourne in 1976. It soon became 3RRR
, Australia's most successful community radio
station. Bohdan began broadcasting a punk rock show, which lasted for 17 years. Interviewed in 2006, he said "I said I wanted a punk show. Greig Pickhaver
(later known as the comic HG Nelson) said to come down. They got me to come in at 11am and I was on air that afternoon. Volunteers were a lot harder to come by in those days. But I fitted right in; it was like a family." (The Age
, 2006). For him, the shift to broadcasting was "better than being in a bloody band, married to blokes who moan all the time". Bohdan became a fixture and a legend in Melbourne. He was once suspended for six months after playing the Sex Pistols
' "Frigging in the Rigging". In 1995, the management tried to oust him from his Friday night broadcasting slot. His career as a DJ ended precipitously when he denounced the station manager on-air before turning the power off and vacating the studio, leaving the station off air for over half an hour.
Bohdan still has a phone-in slot on 3RRR
's Vital Bits show on Saturday mornings, where he reports on an interesting life as a sometime landscape gardener, taxi driver, farmer, and man of the people. On the state of the environment, 29 Mar 2008 "even the dumb bastards are starting to realise something's wrong". He resides in Ballarat, Victoria
.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of British-born former punk rock singer Bohdan Kubiakowski in the Australian bands JAB
JAB
JAB was an Australian punk rock that band formed in Adelaide in 1976. The band's original lineup consisted of Bohdan X on guitar and vocals, Ash Wednesday playing bass guitar, synthesizer and tapes, and Johnny Crash on drums and vocals. The band took its name from the first initials of the...
and Bohdan and the Instigators, both features of the emerging punk rock scene in Melbourne, Australia in the late 1970s. He was also a highly successful DJ on Melbourne's 3RRR
3RRR
3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
radio station from 1978-1995.
History
JAB began in AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in 1976, with Bohdan on guitar and vocals. It began as an experimental rock band, with synthesisers as well as guitars, but adopted a punk rock style from 1977. Bohdan X wrote the songs. He also recorded his first solo single "Time to Age"/"You Got Soul" on the Tomorrow label in late 1977, and the band relocated to Melbourn
Melbourn
Melbourn is a large village in the far south west of Cambridgeshire, England. It is located next to the A10 just north of Royston. Melbourn has over 4,400 inhabitants...
e the same year, joining an emerging New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
scene and frequently playing live. The band broke up in August 1978, and Bohdan formed 'Bohdan and the Instigators' with former members of 'The Chosen Few'. His solo records since that time included a 12-inch EP "Fear of Flying", "Rumour" (1983) and the mini-album "Kingsnake" (Rampant, 1988). In 1992, a failed effort was made to revive The Chosen Few.
In 1978, Bohdan was recruited to an independent FM radio station that had been established at RMIT
RMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
University in central Melbourne in 1976. It soon became 3RRR
3RRR
3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
, Australia's most successful community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
station. Bohdan began broadcasting a punk rock show, which lasted for 17 years. Interviewed in 2006, he said "I said I wanted a punk show. Greig Pickhaver
Greig Pickhaver
alt=Greig Pickhaver|thumb|In May 2010Greig Pickhaver AM is an actor, comedian and writer, who forms one half of the Australian sports comedy duo Roy and HG...
(later known as the comic HG Nelson) said to come down. They got me to come in at 11am and I was on air that afternoon. Volunteers were a lot harder to come by in those days. But I fitted right in; it was like a family." (The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, 2006). For him, the shift to broadcasting was "better than being in a bloody band, married to blokes who moan all the time". Bohdan became a fixture and a legend in Melbourne. He was once suspended for six months after playing the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
' "Frigging in the Rigging". In 1995, the management tried to oust him from his Friday night broadcasting slot. His career as a DJ ended precipitously when he denounced the station manager on-air before turning the power off and vacating the studio, leaving the station off air for over half an hour.
Bohdan still has a phone-in slot on 3RRR
3RRR
3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
's Vital Bits show on Saturday mornings, where he reports on an interesting life as a sometime landscape gardener, taxi driver, farmer, and man of the people. On the state of the environment, 29 Mar 2008 "even the dumb bastards are starting to realise something's wrong". He resides in Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
.
Sources
- 3RRR official website - includes audio streaming of the broadcast and archive of best shows.
- Mark Phillips 2006. Radio City. Melbourne: Vulgar Press. (history of RRR, released to commemorate the 30th anniversary)
- The Age newspaper. 2006. Rated R. November 23, 2006. (Article on 30 years of 3RRR).