Ioan Gyuri Pascu
Encyclopedia
Ioan Gyuri Pascu is a Romania
n pop music
singer, producer, actor and comedian, also known for his participation in the comedy troupe Divertis and for his activity in Romanian cinema
and television. Moving between rock music
, rhythm and blues
, reggae
and jazz
, the multi-instrumentalist
Pascu founded a number of bands and registered success particularly during the early 1990s, when he was the lead singer of a group known as The Blue Workers. Pascu was the manager of several alternative music acts with his label Tempo Music, and remains an outspoken critic of Romanian commercial radio.
Noted for his impressions
and musical acts within Divertis political satire
shows, Pascu is also a successful actor, appearing in film productions such as Lucian Pintilie
's An Unforgettable Summer
and Cristian Mungiu's Occident
, and portraying known characters in Romanian theater in various stage adaptations. He has had collaboration with several main television stations, including TVR 1
, Antena 1 and Pro TV
. He has contributions as a printed media journalist, with columns on soccer, and is also a writer of Christian literature
.
(at the time part of Braşov Region, now in Sibiu County
), a town where he also graduated from primary school. He was born to an ethnic Romanian
father and a half-Hungarian mother, and, on his mother's side, he is also the descendant of Poles
and Slovaks
. His mother was a Roman Catholic
while his father, like Gyuri himself, was a Romanian Orthodox
. His name reflects his complex heritage: Ioan was chosen as his Romanian name; his second name was to be the Hungarian Gyurika, but it was recorded as Ghiurico in his birth certificate
and personal documents ever since—as he later indicated, this was because neither his father nor the notary were familiar with Hungarian phonology
. Pascu, who is fluent in the Hungarian language
, prefers the hypocoristic
Gyuri.
He took up piano
studies by the age of nine, and was also a sopranist
in the school choir, entertaining his friends with impressions of known pop singers of the day. During fifth grade, he became interested in playing amateur handball
, discarding music lessons and deciding to become an actor. At around the same time, Pascu gave up on his piano lessons and learned to play guitar
.
At age fourteen, Pascu recalled, his voice changed, and, in order to remain a sopranist in the choir, had to use his head voice
. During that year, as a high school student, Pascu was enlisted in the Union of Communist Youth
(UTC), the Romanian communist regime compulsory youth organization. In 1976, he enrolled at the Agnita High School, which later became the Agro-Industrial High School. The same year, he began a more formal study of guitar music, following a method devised by Romanian musicologist
Maria Boeru and giving up on handball. He debuted as an amateur actor in 1977, when he took part in a show at the local House of Culture.
By then, Ioan Gyuri Pascu became interested in the activities of Cenaclul Flacăra, a series of concerts which were an outlet for American folk
-inspired and folk rock
music performances under communism. At the time, he became familiar with Western
music acts such as Olivia Newton John and Queen
. Pascu was also active in the UTC's cultural brigade, writing and performing several rock and folk songs.
celebration, Pascu was in Mediaş
, where he befriended the brothers Septimiu and Horia Moldovan, who were in the same band as pop singer Elena Cârstea. According to his official site, they were the ones to introduce Pascu to international hits such as Deep Purple
's "Child in Time
" and Uriah Heep
's "July Morning
". Between 1978 and 1980, Ioan Gyuri Pascu sang with the Moldovan brothers' band Trandafirii Negri, and was invited to perform at weddings and other festivities. With the money earned, he purchased his first acoustic guitar
from the factory in Reghin, while teaching himself to play drums
. He composed one of his first known songs, "Melancolie" ("Melancholy"), in 1979.
In 1980, Pascu applied for Târgu Mureş' Szentgyörgy István Drama School, but failed the entry exam. He was subsequently employed as a lathe
operator at a factory, and, for several months in 1980, was conscripted into the Romanian Land Forces
. Although, as he states, he had problems adapting to military life, Pascu met with other amateur musicians who were undergoing training, and together with them founded the rock band Fundal, of which he was the lead singer and drummer. They applied for the nation-wide Cântarea României festival and registered some success with the public.
In 1982, after their term in the Land Forces was over, Pascu and his fellow Fundal members were in Mediaş. It was there that he was discovered by Romanian Radio
's Radio Vacanţa branch, who invited him to perform at concerts it organized. On the occasion, he met and befriended Teo Peter
, bass player for Compact, and music promoter Andrei Partoş. In 1982, he performed in Cenaclul Flacăra concerts, and then in shows organized by the UTC's Scînteia Tineretului
. He credits his encounters with rock singers such as Cristi Minculescu, Liviu Tudan, Adi Ordean and Vladi Cnejevici with having been his "third real school". After 1980, Pascu also became influenced by reggae
. The first contacts with this genre were through The Police
's reggae fusion
records, and through reggae music played by African diaspora
students in Romanian colleges. Twenty years later, he told reporters: "Between 1980 and 1985, I was mad about Bob Marley
."
, and was admitted into the Cluj University
Faculty of Letters, studying Romanian
and Spanish
. He had previously twice applied for the similar faculty at the University of Bucharest
, but failed the entry exam on both occasions. Soon after admission, Gyuri Pascu became active in the university's theatrical company, Ars Amatoria şi Fiii, which was supervised by literary critic Ion Vartic. The period saw his first work in radio comedy
and parody
theater, as well as a supporting presence on Vartic's Echinox literary club.
Two years later, while touring Bucharest
with a student theater adaptation of Ion Luca Caragiale
's plays, Pascu met the comedic ensemble Divertis. During those years, Divertis was also a student group, and, like many other such troupes, made use of subtle political satire
targeting Nicolae Ceauşescu
's communist rule. Gyuri Pascu, who notes having been a Divertis fan since 1982, recalled: "I met with the Divertis boys after a show. They liked me [and] asked me to join the group [...]" His first performance with the troupe took place in 1987, at Izvoru Mureşului
, Harghita County
.
He also resumed his musical career, and, the same year, was invited by Partoş to sing at the summer festival in Deva
. In 1988-1989, after graduation, Ioan Gyuri Pascu taught Romanian language and literature at a primary school in Ulmu
, Călăraşi County
, but renounced in favor of his singing career. Late in 1989, he was in Semenic
, where he met Mircea Baniciu
, former member of Romania's leading rock band Transsylvania Phoenix
. He was a guest of Baniciu until just before the anti-communist Revolution
erupted in Timişoara
, rejoining Divertis in Iaşi
, just before their scheduled show was broken up by the communist authorities.
Upon the end of communism, Pascu took up a career in entertainment. Having performed another solo recital in February 1990, he renewed his contacts with Divertis, and toured the country as a member of the troupe. Late in the same year, Divertis debuted on screen, with a series of comedy shows aired on Romanian Television
channels. From December 1990 to 1992, he was employed as a program editor by the same station. In 1992, together with Mircea Rusu, he issued his extended play
record, the cassette Ar putea fi ("It Could Be"). In partnership with his girlfriend Daniela Marin, Pascu founded the label Tempo Music, which claims to be Romania's first independent venture of its kind. At that junction, Pascu also set up his own band, The Blue Workers.
. According to Gardianul
newspaper, his activity with Divertis made him "one of the most popular figures in homegrown comedy". During a 2006 interview with Dilema Veche
, Divertis founder Toni Grecu noted that Pascu also stood out as the only member not to originate in the historical region
of Moldavia
.
In 1993, Pascu registered his first significant success in music, with the album Mixed Grill and the single "Ţara arde şi babele se piaptănă" ("The Country Is Burning and Old Women Are Combing Their Hair", originating with an old Romanian proverb). A poll conducted at the time by the journal Evenimentul Zilei
nominated the title song as the best one of 1993, and the nation-wide station Radio Contact
awarded him the "Composer of the Year" distinction. Within this record was Pascu's brief experimentation with a fusion of rock and reggae. With hits such as "Gizzi" and "Mi-am luat colac" ("I Got Me a Lifebuoy"), he is considered one of the pioneers of Romanian reggae, ahead of acts like El Negro and Pacha Man
. The mix of genres became a characteristic of Pascu's work in music: "When I was writing records, I figured that, should someone maybe play my record at a party, they should have several kinds to chose from, and not become bored. But it's not because of that, I think that's how inspiration visits me, that's how I write. I won't stick to any one musical genre." In addition to the piano, guitar and drums, Pascu also began playing the harmonica
.
Soon after marrying Daniela Marin in August 1993, he was invited by film director Lucian Pintilie
to star in his film An Unforgettable Summer
, alongside Kristin Scott Thomas
, Claudiu Bleonţ
, Marcel Iureş
and others. Pascu, who jokingly refers to this casting as having stood in for his honeymoon
, received good reviews for his performance.
Over the following years, Pascu and The Blue Workers released two extended play labels, the rhythm and blues
record Maşina cu jazzolină ("The Jazzolin Engine") and Caseta pentru minte, inimă şi gură ("The Cassette for the Mind, Heart and Mouth"), while appearing on a number of comedy cassettes released by Divertis. This time consecrated Pascu as a protest song
author, who took inspiration from Romanian politics
and social debates to write "Morcovul românesc" ("The Romanian Carrot") or "Instalatorul" ("The Plumber"). This trait was acknowledged by Pascu, who believes that there is a necessary link between social phenomena and a songwriter's intimate perspective, and argues that songs need to tell a story. One of the parody songs
included on Maşina cu jazzolină, titled "Africa, Africa", drew special interest in cultural circles, because of its satirical undertones: the singer compared modern Romania with African countries. According to historian Sorin Mitu, "Africa, Africa" was one evidence of "the Romanians' tendency to relate to extra-European realities", which he argues was evident during Ceauşescu's final years in power and throughout the early post-revolutionary period
.
In 1995, after a series of festivals where he sang together with The Blue Workers, Pascu had a solo recital at Braşov
's Golden Stag Festival
, and was awarded the Best Album trophy by the music magazine Actualitatea Muzicală, for Maşina cu jazzolină. He also supplied the opening act for Western rock groups concerting in Romania: the British
bands Jethro Tull
, Beats International
and Asia
, as well as Germany
's Scorpions
. As actor, Pascu also took part in the development of Romania's advertising industry. He is chiefly remembered in pop culture as a spokesman for Connex
, one of the first mobile phone operators in Romania, which used the catchphrase Alo, Maria? ("Hello, Maria?").
In February 1997, the singer released the album Gânduri nevinovate ("Innocent Thoughts"), which his site indicates is "his first less commercial record." His daughter, Ana Iarina, was born later in the same month. After 1997, Pascu prioritized his activity as a music promoter and producer. Between 1998 and 2000, he and his wife helped launch successful pop and alternative rock
acts, among them Vama Veche
, Domnişoara Pogany and Dinu Olăraşu. Having released the song collection Poveştile lui Gyuri ("Gyuri's Stories") in 1999, he gave up music, stating that he had become disenchanted with the newer pop trends. Pascu nevertheless returned in 2000 with a limited-release record, titled Lasă (muzică de casă), "Leave It (Home Music)". According to his site, it registered success with "his closest fans" and, particularly, with members of the Romanian-American
community.
, which featured music composed by Pascu and his performance alongside lead actor Alexandru Papadopol
in the supporting role of Gică. This contribution earned Pascu critical accolades: film critic Alex. Leo Şerban referred to his "memorable" performance as Papadopol's "cynical, good for all neighbor"; cultural journalist Eugenia Vodă suggested that the "authentic by definition" comedian adds "diaphanous touches" to Mungiu's black comedy
.
Two years later, Pascu released his album Stângul de a visa ("The Left to Dream"). This was less of a commercial success, and, the musician noted, did not agree with the editorial policies of commercial radio. According to his site, it was not promoted by the mainstream radio stations, and sold most of its copies during live performances. In a 2009 interview, Pascu also argued: "every time I had songs to pitch, [the stations] would say: 'they're good, but they don't fit in with our policies.' [...] If commercial radio stations were to count, I haven't had put out a record since 1993." He also stated his thanks to the file sharing
community of fans for still circulating copies of his music.
Pascu toured the country to mark the celebration of his 20th year in music, performing mainly in local clubs. He continued to give occasional concerts after that date (including an opening act for Italian
singer Albano Carrisi
in Arad
), and, starting 2003, hosted the musical talk show
Taverna on the national television channel TVR 1
. With Divertis, Pascu became a co-host of a regular comedy program on Antena 1, and filmed some of the episodes in the United States
. Within the show, he had a recurring sketch, titled Felix şi Otilea ("Felix and Otilea"), also starring female pop singers Monica Anghel
and Jojo, as well as his fellow comedians Cătălin Mireuţă and Daniel Buzdugan. He also lent his voice to the cartoon show produced by Divertis for Antena 1, titled Animat Planet. For his work in the field, Pascu was designated "the best comedian of 2003" by a TVR 1 poll. In a 2007 interview, reflecting on the show's impact, he stated: "I'm not much of a fan of political humor. I simply like the impromptu kind of humor [...]. If [the joke] happens to be political, it is because that is what we have to do in this series."
He released the solo albums O stea ("A Star") and Jocul de-a joaca ("Pretending to Play"), both in 2004. In July 2005, he was invited to sing Brazil
's National Anthem
at an exhibition
soccer match, in which the 1994 World Cup
-winning formation of the Brazilian squad
faced the equivalent Romanian team
. The same year, he released a greatest hits
record, titled 12 ani, 12 balade ("12 Years, 12 Ballads"). Pascu also reunited with The Blue Workers for a 2005 nation-wide tour and a 2006 performance at the Children's Palace in Bucharest
. They also appeared at the ProEtnica event of Sighişoara
, a celebration of ethnic minorities
and the practice of toleration
.
Pascu parted with Divertis in 2007, confessing that he could no longer cope with the routine of regular shows, but indicated that he considered a comeback if a change in schedule was to occur, and continued to work for Animat Planet. His split with the group was followed shortly by a conflict between Grecu and the remainder Divertis crew, which resulted in another break. Pascu released the album La jumătatea vieţii ("Halfway through Life") with a November 2007 live show in Cluj-Napoca, and resumed his career as a stage actor. In spring 2007, he starred as Rică Venturiano in an adaption of Caragiale's play O noapte furtunoasă, commemorating the 130th anniversary of its first public performance. Pascu, alongside singer Dan Bittman
, critic Ion Bogdan Lefter, actor-politician Mircea Diaconu, historian Marius Oprea
and others, was interviewed for Marius Barna's documentary film Utopia impusă ("Forced Utopia"), which discusses life in Communist Romania.
In his forties, Pascu became the author of Christian literature
, publishing a number of essays on mystical
subjects. He declares himself inspired by the Orthodox priest Arsenie Boca
and Bulgaria
n-born New Age
mystic Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov
. In 2007, he said: "We must understand that our destiny, our earthly road, is rebuilding the connection with Divinity, with God." Although an Orthodox, Pascu also went on pilgrimage
to the Roman Catholic
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
.
-produced film, being cast in the role of a Romanian Police
officer, and starred in a stage production of Eugène Ionesco
's Le Viscomte. He had cameos in various new television commercials, and authored sports columns for publications such as the leisure magazine Time Out Bucharest. In the 2008-2009 season, he joined the cast as Chief Inspector Fane Popovici in Vine poliţia!, aired by Pro TV
. The comedy series, based on Spain
's Los Hombres de Paco
, was described as a "catastrophic" failure by television critic Cezar Paul-Bădescu. In April 2009, Pascu was also invited to provide comedic intermezzos at the UNITER
Awards Gala, but his performance received mixed reviews. Three months later, he was the opening act for American folk artist Suzanne Vega
at her Bucharest show. Pascu noted that he had accepted the invitation after consulting with his daughter, a Vega fan, and specially adapted his electric songs to an "unplugged" setting, replacing his guitar with a mandolin
.
In autumn, he reunited with most of his Divertis colleagues, after their common move from Antena 1 to Pro TV, while also taking on a role in a Metropolis Theater production of The Lower Depths
by Maxim Gorky
, featuring veteran Ştefan Radof in the lead role. The play opened to good reviews, and Pascu's presence, alongside that of other comedic actors (Alexandru Bindea, Tudorel Filimon), was considered unusual. Together with his Blue Workers, he was also a noted act at the Sibiu Jazz Festival. Late in the year, Pascu and his wife agreed to a divorce.
HI April 2010, Pascu received criticism in the media when he agreed to perform for disciples of Gregorian Bivolaru
's Yoga
movement, or MISA, at a reunion in Timişoara
. Bivolaru's legal troubles, together with allegations about the MISA group's sexual agenda, and are the topic of controversy in Romania; when contacted by reporters, Pascu stressed that it was a regular gig, and added: "Those people have never harmed me and I have no reason to be avoiding their company." Pascu's activities for that year include several other live concerts, such as one held during the Bookfest event of June. In November, he was a guest appearance at the Mircea Baniciu
tribute concert, where he entertained the public with musical impressions of folk singers Nicu Alifantis and Victor Socaciu, and lend his voice to old Pasărea Colibri
hits. Pascu also opened his own drinking establishment and live music venue, a Bucharest tavern called Gyuri's Pub. One of the events it hosted was a performance by Moldova
n folk singer Radu Captari: a collaborator of Pascu on solo music projects during spring 2010, Captari sang while saddled on a horse.
In late 2010, it was reported that Pascu had suffered a stroke
and was recovering at the University Hospital of Bucharest. At the time, media speculated that his decline in health was owed to the stress of divorce, even though Pascu had released a statement saying that he and Daniela Marin were still friends. Shortly after being admitted out of hospital, Pascu resumed artistic life, studying for the part of Cadâr in Victor Ion Popa
's comedy Take, Ianke and Cadâr. The production went on a tour of Romanian theaters in the early months of 2011.
Pascu also made his return as to the set of Land of Jokes, the comedic series produced by one half of Divertis for Pro TV, where he played the lead character Nemuriciul, a spoof on Highlander: The Series
. In June 2011, he and the other Land of Jokes comedians announced that their split with Divertis was final, and that their contract with Pro TV had come to an end. In an interview with Adevărul
daily, the freelance group announced that it was interested in finding a new media outlet, while Pascu expressed some criticism regarding Pro TV's focus on talent show
s. The troupe rebranded itself Distractis, since "the Land of Jokes brand was left with Pro TV", and, in August 2011, signed with TVR 1.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer, producer, actor and comedian, also known for his participation in the comedy troupe Divertis and for his activity in Romanian cinema
Cinema of Romania
The cinema of Romania is the art of motion-picture making within the nation of Romania or by Romanian filmmakers abroad.As upon much of the world's early cinema, the ravages of time have left their mark upon Romanian film prints. Tens of titles have been destroyed or lost for good...
and television. Moving between rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, the multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
Pascu founded a number of bands and registered success particularly during the early 1990s, when he was the lead singer of a group known as The Blue Workers. Pascu was the manager of several alternative music acts with his label Tempo Music, and remains an outspoken critic of Romanian commercial radio.
Noted for his impressions
Impressionist (entertainment)
An impressionist or a mimic is a performer whose act consists of imitating the voice and mannerisms of others. The word usually refers to a professional comedian/entertainer who specializes in such performances and has developed a wide repertoire of impressions, including adding to them, often to...
and musical acts within Divertis political satire
Political satire
Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly...
shows, Pascu is also a successful actor, appearing in film productions such as Lucian Pintilie
Lucian Pintilie
-Filmography:* Duminică la ora şase * Reconstituirea * Salonul numărul 6 * De ce trag clopotele, Mitică? - see also the "Portrayals and tributes" section at Mitică* Balanţa * O vară de neuitat * Prea târziu...
's An Unforgettable Summer
An Unforgettable Summer
An Unforgettable Summer is a 1994 drama film directed and produced by Lucian Pintilie. A Romanian-French co-production based on a novel by Petru Dumitriu, it stars British actress Kristin Scott Thomas as the Hungarian-born aristocrat Marie-Thérèse Von Debretsy...
and Cristian Mungiu's Occident
Occident (film)
Occident is a Romanian film released in 2002, and directed by Cristian Mungiu. It stars Alexandru Papadopol as a 29-year old man named Luci and Anca Androne as his wife Sorina...
, and portraying known characters in Romanian theater in various stage adaptations. He has had collaboration with several main television stations, including TVR 1
TVR 1
TVR1 is the main channel of the Romanian public broadcaster TVR.The most important show of the channel is Jurnalul TVR, whose motto is Jurnalul aşa cum ar trebui sǎ fie! , but on 28 March 2009 was replaced by Telejurnal...
, Antena 1 and Pro TV
Pro TV
Launched in December 1995, Pro TV reaches almost 99% of Romania’s 21.5 million people and has 48% of its broadcast schedule comprising locally-produced programs...
. He has contributions as a printed media journalist, with columns on soccer, and is also a writer of Christian literature
Christian literature
Christian Literature is writing that deals with Christian themes and incorporates the Christian world view. This constitutes a huge body of extremely varied writing.-Scripture:...
.
Early life
Pascu is a native of AgnitaAgnita
Agnita is a town on the Hârtibaciu river in Sibiu County, Transylvania, central Romania. It is considered the locality in the center of the country. The town administers two villages, Coveş and Ruja...
(at the time part of Braşov Region, now in Sibiu County
Sibiu County
Sibiu is a county of Romania, in the historical region Transylvania, with the capital city Sibiu.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 421,724 and the population density was 78/km²....
), a town where he also graduated from primary school. He was born to an ethnic Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
father and a half-Hungarian mother, and, on his mother's side, he is also the descendant of Poles
Polish minority in Romania
According to the 2002 census, 3,671 Poles live in Romania, mainly in the villages of the Suceava region . There are even three exclusively Polish villages: Nowy Sołoniec , Plesza and Pojana Mikuli...
and Slovaks
Slovaks of Romania
The Slovaks are an ethnic minority in Romania, numbering 17,199 people according to the 2002 census and hence making up 0.1% of the total population. Slovaks mainly live in western Romania, with the largest populations found in Bihor and Arad counties, where they make up 1.22% and 1.25% of the...
. His mother was a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholicism in Romania
The Roman Catholic Church in Romania is a Latin Rite Christian church, part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Curia in Rome. Its administration is centered in Bucharest, and comprises two archdioceses and four other dioceses...
while his father, like Gyuri himself, was a Romanian Orthodox
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
. His name reflects his complex heritage: Ioan was chosen as his Romanian name; his second name was to be the Hungarian Gyurika, but it was recorded as Ghiurico in his birth certificate
Birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
and personal documents ever since—as he later indicated, this was because neither his father nor the notary were familiar with Hungarian phonology
Hungarian phonology
Hungarian phonology is notable for its process of vowel harmony, the frequent use of geminate consonants and the presence of otherwise uncommon palatal stops.- Consonants :...
. Pascu, who is fluent in the Hungarian language
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, prefers the hypocoristic
Hypocoristic
A hypocorism is a shorter form of a word or given name, for example, when used in more intimate situations as a nickname or term of endearment.- Derivation :Hypocorisms are often generated as:...
Gyuri.
He took up piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
studies by the age of nine, and was also a sopranist
Sopranist
A sopranist is a male singer who is able to sing in the vocal tessitura of a soprano usually through the use of falsetto vocal production. This voice type is a specific kind of countertenor...
in the school choir, entertaining his friends with impressions of known pop singers of the day. During fifth grade, he became interested in playing amateur handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
, discarding music lessons and deciding to become an actor. At around the same time, Pascu gave up on his piano lessons and learned to play guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
.
At age fourteen, Pascu recalled, his voice changed, and, in order to remain a sopranist in the choir, had to use his head voice
Head voice
Head voice is a term used within vocal music. The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals regarding this term...
. During that year, as a high school student, Pascu was enlisted in the Union of Communist Youth
Union of Communist Youth
The Union of Communist Youth was the Romanian Communist Party's youth organisation, modelled after the Soviet Komsomol. It aimed to cultivate young cadres into the party, as well as to help create the "new man" envisioned by communist ideologues.-History:Founded in 1922, the UTC went underground...
(UTC), the Romanian communist regime compulsory youth organization. In 1976, he enrolled at the Agnita High School, which later became the Agro-Industrial High School. The same year, he began a more formal study of guitar music, following a method devised by Romanian musicologist
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
Maria Boeru and giving up on handball. He debuted as an amateur actor in 1977, when he took part in a show at the local House of Culture.
By then, Ioan Gyuri Pascu became interested in the activities of Cenaclul Flacăra, a series of concerts which were an outlet for American folk
American folk music revival
The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States that began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Richard Dyer-Bennett, Oscar Brand, Jean Ritchie, John Jacob...
-inspired and folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
music performances under communism. At the time, he became familiar with Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
music acts such as Olivia Newton John and Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
. Pascu was also active in the UTC's cultural brigade, writing and performing several rock and folk songs.
Trandafirii Negri and Fundal
In 1978, during the International Workers' DayInternational Workers' Day
International Workers' Day is a celebration of the international labour movement and left-wing movements. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their labour unions throughout most of the world. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries...
celebration, Pascu was in Mediaş
Medias
Mediaș is the second largest city in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania.-Geographic location:Mediaș is located in the middle basin of Târnava Mare River, at 39 km from Sighișoara and 41 km from Blaj. The health resort Bazna, officially recognized for the first time in 1302, is...
, where he befriended the brothers Septimiu and Horia Moldovan, who were in the same band as pop singer Elena Cârstea. According to his official site, they were the ones to introduce Pascu to international hits such as Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
's "Child in Time
Child in Time
"Child in Time" is a song by British hard rock band Deep Purple. Featured on their 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock, the song is 10 minutes and 18 seconds long.-History and characteristics:...
" and Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
's "July Morning
July Morning (song)
"July Morning" is a song by Uriah Heep. It is the third track of their 1971 album Look at Yourself.The song was written by the band's keyboardist Ken Hensley and original lead singer, David Byron. Approximately the last four minutes of the piece consist of an organ solo, serving as a fine example...
". Between 1978 and 1980, Ioan Gyuri Pascu sang with the Moldovan brothers' band Trandafirii Negri, and was invited to perform at weddings and other festivities. With the money earned, he purchased his first acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
from the factory in Reghin, while teaching himself to play drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. He composed one of his first known songs, "Melancolie" ("Melancholy"), in 1979.
In 1980, Pascu applied for Târgu Mureş' Szentgyörgy István Drama School, but failed the entry exam. He was subsequently employed as a lathe
Lathe
A lathe is a machine tool which rotates the workpiece on its axis to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, or deformation with tools that are applied to the workpiece to create an object which has symmetry about an axis of rotation.Lathes are used in woodturning,...
operator at a factory, and, for several months in 1980, was conscripted into the Romanian Land Forces
Romanian Land Forces
The Romanian Land Forces is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the force.The Romanian Land Forces were founded on...
. Although, as he states, he had problems adapting to military life, Pascu met with other amateur musicians who were undergoing training, and together with them founded the rock band Fundal, of which he was the lead singer and drummer. They applied for the nation-wide Cântarea României festival and registered some success with the public.
In 1982, after their term in the Land Forces was over, Pascu and his fellow Fundal members were in Mediaş. It was there that he was discovered by Romanian Radio
Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company
The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company , informally referred to as Radio Romania , is the public radio broadcaster in Romania. It operates four national radio channels, and, under the Radio România Regional umbrella, eleven regional radio stations. The four national radio channels are: Radio...
's Radio Vacanţa branch, who invited him to perform at concerts it organized. On the occasion, he met and befriended Teo Peter
Teo Peter
Teofil Peter was a Romanian rock musician and bass player for Compact.Peter was born in Cluj-Napoca, in Transylvania, in 1954. He was considered by some to be the Bruce Springsteen of Romania. Compact was formed in Cluj-Napoca in 1977...
, bass player for Compact, and music promoter Andrei Partoş. In 1982, he performed in Cenaclul Flacăra concerts, and then in shows organized by the UTC's Scînteia Tineretului
Scînteia
Scînteia was the name of two newspapers edited by Communist groups at different intervals in Romanian history...
. He credits his encounters with rock singers such as Cristi Minculescu, Liviu Tudan, Adi Ordean and Vladi Cnejevici with having been his "third real school". After 1980, Pascu also became influenced by reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
. The first contacts with this genre were through The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
's reggae fusion
Reggae fusion
Reggae fusion is a fusion genre of reggae that mixes reggae or dancehall with other genres, such as pop, rock, hip hop, R&B, house, jazz & drum and bass....
records, and through reggae music played by African diaspora
African diaspora
The African diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world—predominantly to the Americas also to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe...
students in Romanian colleges. Twenty years later, he told reporters: "Between 1980 and 1985, I was mad about Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
."
University years and Divertis debut
In 1984, Pascu moved to Cluj-NapocaCluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, and was admitted into the Cluj University
Babes-Bolyai University
The Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca is an university in Romania. With almost 50,000 students, the university offers 105 specialisations, of which there are 105 in Romanian, 67 in Hungarian, 17 in German, and 5 in English...
Faculty of Letters, studying Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. He had previously twice applied for the similar faculty at the University of Bucharest
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest , in Romania, is a university founded in 1864 by decree of Prince Alexander John Cuza to convert the former Saint Sava Academy into the current University of Bucharest.-Presentation:...
, but failed the entry exam on both occasions. Soon after admission, Gyuri Pascu became active in the university's theatrical company, Ars Amatoria şi Fiii, which was supervised by literary critic Ion Vartic. The period saw his first work in radio comedy
Radio comedy
Radio comedy, or comedic radio programming, is a radio broadcast that may involve sitcom elements, sketches and various types of comedy found on other media. It may also include more surreal or fantastic elements, as these can be conveyed on a small budget with just a few sound effects or some...
and parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
theater, as well as a supporting presence on Vartic's Echinox literary club.
Two years later, while touring Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
with a student theater adaptation of Ion Luca Caragiale
Ion Luca Caragiale
Ion Luca Caragiale was a Wallachian-born Romanian playwright, short story writer, poet, theater manager, political commentator and journalist...
's plays, Pascu met the comedic ensemble Divertis. During those years, Divertis was also a student group, and, like many other such troupes, made use of subtle political satire
Political satire
Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly...
targeting Nicolae Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
's communist rule. Gyuri Pascu, who notes having been a Divertis fan since 1982, recalled: "I met with the Divertis boys after a show. They liked me [and] asked me to join the group [...]" His first performance with the troupe took place in 1987, at Izvoru Mureşului
Voslabeni
Voșlăbeni is a commune in Harghita County, Romania composed of two villages:*Izvoru Mureșului / Marosfő*Voșlăbeni / Vasláb-Demographics:The commune has a Romanian majority with a large Székely Hungarian ethnic minority...
, Harghita County
Harghita County
Harghita is a county in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea-Ciuc.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 326,222 and a population density of 52/km².*Hungarians- 85%...
.
He also resumed his musical career, and, the same year, was invited by Partoş to sing at the summer festival in Deva
Deva, Romania
Deva is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, on the left bank of the Mureș River. It is the capital of Hunedoara County.-Name:...
. In 1988-1989, after graduation, Ioan Gyuri Pascu taught Romanian language and literature at a primary school in Ulmu
Ulmu, Calarasi
Ulmu is a commune in Călăraşi County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Chirnogi, Făurei, Ulmu and Zimbru....
, Călăraşi County
Calarasi County
Călărași is a county of Romania, in Muntenia, with the county seat at Călărași.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 324,617 and a population density of 64/km².*Romanians – 95%*Roma and others.-List of cities by population:...
, but renounced in favor of his singing career. Late in 1989, he was in Semenic
Semenic
Semenic is a national park and ski resort in the region of Banat, Romania.-Etymology:The semenic is actually a rare flower growing in the wilderness of the mountains...
, where he met Mircea Baniciu
Mircea Baniciu
Mircea Baniciu is a Romanian musician. He plays with the bands Transsylvania Phoenix and Pasărea Colibri. While playing with Phoenix, he also earned a BA in architecture.Mircea Baniciu is now married and has two children.- Discography :...
, former member of Romania's leading rock band Transsylvania Phoenix
Transsylvania Phoenix
Transsylvania Phoenix is a Romanian rock band formed in 1962 in Timişoara by guitarists Nicu Covaci and Kamocsa Béla. Guitarist Claudiu Rotaru, vocalist Florin "Moni" Bordeianu and drummer Ioan "Pilu" Ştefanovici completed the early lineup...
. He was a guest of Baniciu until just before the anti-communist Revolution
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
erupted in Timişoara
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
, rejoining Divertis in Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
, just before their scheduled show was broken up by the communist authorities.
Upon the end of communism, Pascu took up a career in entertainment. Having performed another solo recital in February 1990, he renewed his contacts with Divertis, and toured the country as a member of the troupe. Late in the same year, Divertis debuted on screen, with a series of comedy shows aired on Romanian Television
Romanian television
Romanian television may refer to:* Communications media in Romania* Televiziunea Română, TVR, the national television network* List of Romanian language television channels...
channels. From December 1990 to 1992, he was employed as a program editor by the same station. In 1992, together with Mircea Rusu, he issued his extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
record, the cassette Ar putea fi ("It Could Be"). In partnership with his girlfriend Daniela Marin, Pascu founded the label Tempo Music, which claims to be Romania's first independent venture of its kind. At that junction, Pascu also set up his own band, The Blue Workers.
First musical and comedic hits
Pascu recalls that, at some point in the early 1990s, the touring Divertis could be called on for tens of consecutive encores, which interfered with their schedule of watching Twin PeaksTwin Peaks
Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
. According to Gardianul
Gardianul
Gardianul was a Romanian daily newspaper published in Bucharest. It claimed to have had an anti-corruption stance, investigating organized crime and high-level corruption....
newspaper, his activity with Divertis made him "one of the most popular figures in homegrown comedy". During a 2006 interview with Dilema Veche
Dilema Veche
Dilema veche , formerly Dilema, is a Romanian weekly journal of culture, criticism and opinion.- History :It was founded as Dilema in 1993 by art critic Andrei Pleşu and up until the end of 2003 it was edited by an independent cultural body, Fundaţia Culturală Română...
, Divertis founder Toni Grecu noted that Pascu also stood out as the only member not to originate in the historical region
Historical regions of Romania
At various times during the late 19th and 20th centuries, Romania extended over the following historical regions:Wallachia:*Muntenia or Greater Wallachia: as part of Wallachia, joined Moldavia in 1859 to create modern Romania;...
of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
.
In 1993, Pascu registered his first significant success in music, with the album Mixed Grill and the single "Ţara arde şi babele se piaptănă" ("The Country Is Burning and Old Women Are Combing Their Hair", originating with an old Romanian proverb). A poll conducted at the time by the journal Evenimentul Zilei
Evenimentul Zilei
Evenimentul Zilei is one of the leading newspapers in Romania. Based in Bucharest, the Romanian-language daily has a paid daily circulation of 110,000...
nominated the title song as the best one of 1993, and the nation-wide station Radio Contact
Kiss FM (Romania)
Kiss FM is a Top40/Hit Radio station from Romania, owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG. The station was rebranded from the old Radio Contact, after being purchased by a Belgian radio network...
awarded him the "Composer of the Year" distinction. Within this record was Pascu's brief experimentation with a fusion of rock and reggae. With hits such as "Gizzi" and "Mi-am luat colac" ("I Got Me a Lifebuoy"), he is considered one of the pioneers of Romanian reggae, ahead of acts like El Negro and Pacha Man
Pacha Man
Pacha Man is a reggae musician. He is one of the first Romanian artists to pursue a career as a reggae artist and the first to release a professionally produced album in this genre...
. The mix of genres became a characteristic of Pascu's work in music: "When I was writing records, I figured that, should someone maybe play my record at a party, they should have several kinds to chose from, and not become bored. But it's not because of that, I think that's how inspiration visits me, that's how I write. I won't stick to any one musical genre." In addition to the piano, guitar and drums, Pascu also began playing the harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
.
Soon after marrying Daniela Marin in August 1993, he was invited by film director Lucian Pintilie
Lucian Pintilie
-Filmography:* Duminică la ora şase * Reconstituirea * Salonul numărul 6 * De ce trag clopotele, Mitică? - see also the "Portrayals and tributes" section at Mitică* Balanţa * O vară de neuitat * Prea târziu...
to star in his film An Unforgettable Summer
An Unforgettable Summer
An Unforgettable Summer is a 1994 drama film directed and produced by Lucian Pintilie. A Romanian-French co-production based on a novel by Petru Dumitriu, it stars British actress Kristin Scott Thomas as the Hungarian-born aristocrat Marie-Thérèse Von Debretsy...
, alongside Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
, Claudiu Bleonţ
Claudiu Bleont
Claudiu Bleonţ is a Romanian film and theatre actor. He is known in Romania not only by his acting ability, but also for his improvisational talent.-Life & career:...
, Marcel Iureş
Marcel Iures
Marcel Iureş is a Romanian stage and screen actor.Iureş was born 2 August 1951 in Băileşti, Romania and is one of Romania's most acclaimed stage and film actors. Iureş entered the Institutul de Arta Teatrala si Cinematografica in Bucharest in 1974 and graduated in 1978...
and others. Pascu, who jokingly refers to this casting as having stood in for his honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
, received good reviews for his performance.
Over the following years, Pascu and The Blue Workers released two extended play labels, the rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
record Maşina cu jazzolină ("The Jazzolin Engine") and Caseta pentru minte, inimă şi gură ("The Cassette for the Mind, Heart and Mouth"), while appearing on a number of comedy cassettes released by Divertis. This time consecrated Pascu as a protest song
Protest song
A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
author, who took inspiration from Romanian politics
Politics of Romania
Politics of Romania take place in a framework of a semi-presidential parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Romania is the head of government and the President of Romania exercises the functions of head of state. Romania has a multi-party system. Executive...
and social debates to write "Morcovul românesc" ("The Romanian Carrot") or "Instalatorul" ("The Plumber"). This trait was acknowledged by Pascu, who believes that there is a necessary link between social phenomena and a songwriter's intimate perspective, and argues that songs need to tell a story. One of the parody songs
Parody music
Parody music, or musical parody, involves changing or recycling existing musical ideas or lyrics — or copying the peculiar style of a composer or artist, or even a general style of music. Although the result is often funny, and this is the usual intent — the term "parody" in musical terms also...
included on Maşina cu jazzolină, titled "Africa, Africa", drew special interest in cultural circles, because of its satirical undertones: the singer compared modern Romania with African countries. According to historian Sorin Mitu, "Africa, Africa" was one evidence of "the Romanians' tendency to relate to extra-European realities", which he argues was evident during Ceauşescu's final years in power and throughout the early post-revolutionary period
History of Romania since 1989
- 1989 revolution :1989 marked the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. A mid-December protest in Timişoara against the eviction of a Hungarian minister grew into a country-wide protest against the Ceauşescu régime, sweeping the dictator from power....
.
In 1995, after a series of festivals where he sang together with The Blue Workers, Pascu had a solo recital at Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
's Golden Stag Festival
Golden Stag Festival
The Golden Stag Festival is an annual international music festival held in Braşov, Romania. The main organiser is Televiziunea Română, Romania's state-run television network. The festival has two main components: an international contest and guest performances by both Romanian and foreign stars...
, and was awarded the Best Album trophy by the music magazine Actualitatea Muzicală, for Maşina cu jazzolină. He also supplied the opening act for Western rock groups concerting in Romania: the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
bands Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
, Beats International
Beats International
Beats International was a British electronic music band, formed in the late 1980s by Norman Cook , after his departure from The Housemartins.-Career:...
and Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
, as well as Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
. As actor, Pascu also took part in the development of Romania's advertising industry. He is chiefly remembered in pop culture as a spokesman for Connex
Vodafone Romania
Vodafone is a Romanian mobile phone network operator. It launched in April 1997 as the first GSM network in Romania...
, one of the first mobile phone operators in Romania, which used the catchphrase Alo, Maria? ("Hello, Maria?").
In February 1997, the singer released the album Gânduri nevinovate ("Innocent Thoughts"), which his site indicates is "his first less commercial record." His daughter, Ana Iarina, was born later in the same month. After 1997, Pascu prioritized his activity as a music promoter and producer. Between 1998 and 2000, he and his wife helped launch successful pop and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
acts, among them Vama Veche
Vama Veche (band)
Vama Veche was a Romanian soft rock band, founded in 1996, the same year in which they recorded the song that would become a big hit in Romania the following year, "Nu am chef azi".Their first concert took place on 28th November 1996 at Lăptaria lui Enache....
, Domnişoara Pogany and Dinu Olăraşu. Having released the song collection Poveştile lui Gyuri ("Gyuri's Stories") in 1999, he gave up music, stating that he had become disenchanted with the newer pop trends. Pascu nevertheless returned in 2000 with a limited-release record, titled Lasă (muzică de casă), "Leave It (Home Music)". According to his site, it registered success with "his closest fans" and, particularly, with members of the Romanian-American
Romanian-American
A Romanian American is a citizen of the United States who has significant Romanian heritage. For the 2000 US Census, 367,310 Americans indicated Romanian as their first ancestry, while 462,526 persons declared to have Romanian ancestry...
community.
Occident, Felix şi Otilea and writing debut
Also in 2000, Ioan Gyuri Pascu began working with filmmaker Cristian Mungiu. Having written the soundtrack to Mungiu's short film Zapping, he starred alongside Mircea Diaconu in his medium-length film Corul pompierilor. The collaboration resulted in OccidentOccident (film)
Occident is a Romanian film released in 2002, and directed by Cristian Mungiu. It stars Alexandru Papadopol as a 29-year old man named Luci and Anca Androne as his wife Sorina...
, which featured music composed by Pascu and his performance alongside lead actor Alexandru Papadopol
Alexandru Papadopol
Alexandru Papadopol is a Romanian actor.At the beginning of the year 2000 he appeared in the films Marfa şi banii and Occident, after which he appeared in a series of television productions.-External links:...
in the supporting role of Gică. This contribution earned Pascu critical accolades: film critic Alex. Leo Şerban referred to his "memorable" performance as Papadopol's "cynical, good for all neighbor"; cultural journalist Eugenia Vodă suggested that the "authentic by definition" comedian adds "diaphanous touches" to Mungiu's black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
.
Two years later, Pascu released his album Stângul de a visa ("The Left to Dream"). This was less of a commercial success, and, the musician noted, did not agree with the editorial policies of commercial radio. According to his site, it was not promoted by the mainstream radio stations, and sold most of its copies during live performances. In a 2009 interview, Pascu also argued: "every time I had songs to pitch, [the stations] would say: 'they're good, but they don't fit in with our policies.' [...] If commercial radio stations were to count, I haven't had put out a record since 1993." He also stated his thanks to the file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
community of fans for still circulating copies of his music.
Pascu toured the country to mark the celebration of his 20th year in music, performing mainly in local clubs. He continued to give occasional concerts after that date (including an opening act for Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
singer Albano Carrisi
Albano Carrisi
Albano Carrisi , better known as Al Bano, is an Italian singer, actor and winemaker.-Biography:He was born in the town of Cellino San Marco , where he still lives....
in Arad
Arad, Romania
Arad is the capital city of Arad County, in western Romania, in the Crişana region, on the river Mureş.An important industrial center and transportation hub, Arad is also the seat of a Romanian Orthodox archbishop and features two universities, a Romanian Orthodox theological seminary, a training...
), and, starting 2003, hosted the musical talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
Taverna on the national television channel TVR 1
TVR 1
TVR1 is the main channel of the Romanian public broadcaster TVR.The most important show of the channel is Jurnalul TVR, whose motto is Jurnalul aşa cum ar trebui sǎ fie! , but on 28 March 2009 was replaced by Telejurnal...
. With Divertis, Pascu became a co-host of a regular comedy program on Antena 1, and filmed some of the episodes in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Within the show, he had a recurring sketch, titled Felix şi Otilea ("Felix and Otilea"), also starring female pop singers Monica Anghel
Monica Anghel
Monica Anghel Monica Anghel Monica Anghel (born June 1, 1971 is a Romanian singer born in Romania.In 1996 she took part in the international preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Unfortunately the Romanian song "Rugă pentru pacea lumii" was not chosen to go to the international final in Oslo...
and Jojo, as well as his fellow comedians Cătălin Mireuţă and Daniel Buzdugan. He also lent his voice to the cartoon show produced by Divertis for Antena 1, titled Animat Planet. For his work in the field, Pascu was designated "the best comedian of 2003" by a TVR 1 poll. In a 2007 interview, reflecting on the show's impact, he stated: "I'm not much of a fan of political humor. I simply like the impromptu kind of humor [...]. If [the joke] happens to be political, it is because that is what we have to do in this series."
He released the solo albums O stea ("A Star") and Jocul de-a joaca ("Pretending to Play"), both in 2004. In July 2005, he was invited to sing Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
's National Anthem
Brazilian national anthem
The Brazilian national anthem was composed by Francisco Manuel da Silva in 1831 and had been given at least two sets of unofficial lyrics before a 1922 decree by President Epitácio Pessoa gave the anthem its definitive, official lyrics, by Osório Duque-Estrada, after several changes were made to...
at an exhibition
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
soccer match, in which the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
-winning formation of the Brazilian squad
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
faced the equivalent Romanian team
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
. The same year, he released a greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
record, titled 12 ani, 12 balade ("12 Years, 12 Ballads"). Pascu also reunited with The Blue Workers for a 2005 nation-wide tour and a 2006 performance at the Children's Palace in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. They also appeared at the ProEtnica event of Sighişoara
Sighisoara
Sighişoara is a city and municipality on the Târnava Mare River in Mureş County, Romania. Located in the historic region Transylvania, Sighişoara has a population of 27,706 ....
, a celebration of ethnic minorities
Minorities of Romania
Officially, 10.5% of Romania's population is represented by minorities . The principal minorities in Romania are Hungarians and Roma people, with a declining German population and smaller numbers of Poles in Bucovina...
and the practice of toleration
Toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
.
Pascu parted with Divertis in 2007, confessing that he could no longer cope with the routine of regular shows, but indicated that he considered a comeback if a change in schedule was to occur, and continued to work for Animat Planet. His split with the group was followed shortly by a conflict between Grecu and the remainder Divertis crew, which resulted in another break. Pascu released the album La jumătatea vieţii ("Halfway through Life") with a November 2007 live show in Cluj-Napoca, and resumed his career as a stage actor. In spring 2007, he starred as Rică Venturiano in an adaption of Caragiale's play O noapte furtunoasă, commemorating the 130th anniversary of its first public performance. Pascu, alongside singer Dan Bittman
Dan Bittman
Dan Bittman is a Romanian singer who represented the country at the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 and came 21st with 14 points.Dan Bittman is the lead singer of Holograf, since 1985. Since November 2004, he is the host of "Dănutz S.R.L.", a TV show on TVR 1....
, critic Ion Bogdan Lefter, actor-politician Mircea Diaconu, historian Marius Oprea
Marius Oprea
Marius Oprea is a Romanian historian , poet and essayist.He studied history at the University of Bucharest, and earned a Ph.D. with a thesis on the role and evolution of the Communist-era secret police, the Securitate between 1948 and 1964...
and others, was interviewed for Marius Barna's documentary film Utopia impusă ("Forced Utopia"), which discusses life in Communist Romania.
In his forties, Pascu became the author of Christian literature
Christian literature
Christian Literature is writing that deals with Christian themes and incorporates the Christian world view. This constitutes a huge body of extremely varied writing.-Scripture:...
, publishing a number of essays on mystical
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
subjects. He declares himself inspired by the Orthodox priest Arsenie Boca
Arsenie Boca
Arsenie Boca was a Romanian Orthodox monk, theologian and artist. He was persecuted by the Communists and named among the 100 greatest Romanians....
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n-born New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
mystic Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov
Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov
Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov was a Bulgarian philosopher, pedagogue, alchemist, mystic, magus and astrologer...
. In 2007, he said: "We must understand that our destiny, our earthly road, is rebuilding the connection with Divinity, with God." Although an Orthodox, Pascu also went on pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to the Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes or the Domain is an area of ground surrounding the shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes in the town of Lourdes, France...
.
Since 2008
Pascu was also convoked to appear in a HungarianHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
-produced film, being cast in the role of a Romanian Police
Romanian Police
The Romanian Police is the national police force and main civil law enforcement agency in Romania. It is subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform.-Duties:The Romanian Police are responsible for:...
officer, and starred in a stage production of Eugène Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco was a Romanian and French playwright and dramatist, and one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd...
's Le Viscomte. He had cameos in various new television commercials, and authored sports columns for publications such as the leisure magazine Time Out Bucharest. In the 2008-2009 season, he joined the cast as Chief Inspector Fane Popovici in Vine poliţia!, aired by Pro TV
Pro TV
Launched in December 1995, Pro TV reaches almost 99% of Romania’s 21.5 million people and has 48% of its broadcast schedule comprising locally-produced programs...
. The comedy series, based on Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's Los Hombres de Paco
Los hombres de Paco
Los hombres de Paco' is a Spanish comedy television series, originally aired from 9 October 2005 to 19 May 2010 on the Antena 3. The series has also been broadcast in Argentina, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Morocco, Romania, Serbia, Italy, Slovakia and Turkey...
, was described as a "catastrophic" failure by television critic Cezar Paul-Bădescu. In April 2009, Pascu was also invited to provide comedic intermezzos at the UNITER
UNITER
UNITER or Uniter is a Romanian organization, created as a professional association of theater employees...
Awards Gala, but his performance received mixed reviews. Three months later, he was the opening act for American folk artist Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
at her Bucharest show. Pascu noted that he had accepted the invitation after consulting with his daughter, a Vega fan, and specially adapted his electric songs to an "unplugged" setting, replacing his guitar with a mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
.
In autumn, he reunited with most of his Divertis colleagues, after their common move from Antena 1 to Pro TV, while also taking on a role in a Metropolis Theater production of The Lower Depths
The Lower Depths
The Lower Depths is perhaps Maxim Gorky's best-known play. It was written during the winter of 1901 and the spring of 1902. Subtitled "Scenes from Russian Life," it depicted a group of impoverished Russians living in a shelter near the Volga. Produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18,...
by Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
, featuring veteran Ştefan Radof in the lead role. The play opened to good reviews, and Pascu's presence, alongside that of other comedic actors (Alexandru Bindea, Tudorel Filimon), was considered unusual. Together with his Blue Workers, he was also a noted act at the Sibiu Jazz Festival. Late in the year, Pascu and his wife agreed to a divorce.
HI April 2010, Pascu received criticism in the media when he agreed to perform for disciples of Gregorian Bivolaru
Gregorian Bivolaru
Gregorian Bivolaru is the founder of the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute , a former member of the International Yoga Federation...
's Yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
movement, or MISA, at a reunion in Timişoara
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
. Bivolaru's legal troubles, together with allegations about the MISA group's sexual agenda, and are the topic of controversy in Romania; when contacted by reporters, Pascu stressed that it was a regular gig, and added: "Those people have never harmed me and I have no reason to be avoiding their company." Pascu's activities for that year include several other live concerts, such as one held during the Bookfest event of June. In November, he was a guest appearance at the Mircea Baniciu
Mircea Baniciu
Mircea Baniciu is a Romanian musician. He plays with the bands Transsylvania Phoenix and Pasărea Colibri. While playing with Phoenix, he also earned a BA in architecture.Mircea Baniciu is now married and has two children.- Discography :...
tribute concert, where he entertained the public with musical impressions of folk singers Nicu Alifantis and Victor Socaciu, and lend his voice to old Pasărea Colibri
Pasarea Colibri
Pasărea Colibri is a Romanian folk supergroup. Aside from typical Romanian folk instruments and acoustic and electric guitars, the band also made use of digital and analogue synthesisers and fretless bass guitar, a somewhat revolutionary approach among Romanian bands in the 90s.The band formed in...
hits. Pascu also opened his own drinking establishment and live music venue, a Bucharest tavern called Gyuri's Pub. One of the events it hosted was a performance by Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
n folk singer Radu Captari: a collaborator of Pascu on solo music projects during spring 2010, Captari sang while saddled on a horse.
In late 2010, it was reported that Pascu had suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
and was recovering at the University Hospital of Bucharest. At the time, media speculated that his decline in health was owed to the stress of divorce, even though Pascu had released a statement saying that he and Daniela Marin were still friends. Shortly after being admitted out of hospital, Pascu resumed artistic life, studying for the part of Cadâr in Victor Ion Popa
Victor Ion Popa
Victor Ion Popa , in Moldavia, Romania – March 30, 1946 in Bucharest) was a Romanian dramatist.He went to primary school in the village of Călmăţui where his father was a teacher. At Iaşi he finished his first five years of junior high/high school and his last two years of high school at the...
's comedy Take, Ianke and Cadâr. The production went on a tour of Romanian theaters in the early months of 2011.
Pascu also made his return as to the set of Land of Jokes, the comedic series produced by one half of Divertis for Pro TV, where he played the lead character Nemuriciul, a spoof on Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...
. In June 2011, he and the other Land of Jokes comedians announced that their split with Divertis was final, and that their contract with Pro TV had come to an end. In an interview with Adevărul
Adevarul
Adevărul is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in 1871 and reestablished in 1888, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published during the Romanian Kingdom's existence, adopting an independent pro-democratic position, advocating land reform and universal suffrage...
daily, the freelance group announced that it was interested in finding a new media outlet, while Pascu expressed some criticism regarding Pro TV's focus on talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
s. The troupe rebranded itself Distractis, since "the Land of Jokes brand was left with Pro TV", and, in August 2011, signed with TVR 1.