The most recognisable face of Hungarian rock music and a truly beloved self-made man sadly passed away yesterday. János Kóbor, frontman of Omega was 78.
A victim of covid, Kóbor had fiercly resisted vaccination and is believed to have stuck to his gameplan till the very end. For some fans, such a passing of their champion may be as anticlimatic as it is tragic, but Kóbor has always been a person who travelled a path that was his only. He had walked out on classical music teachers as a kid and turned down professional offers as a fresh university graduate with a coveted degree in architectural engineering. Pursuing his heart's desire, he dedicated his life to rock and roll. Omega rose to huge popularity and toured all over Europe in the 1970s, yet following a crash-landing incident, Kóbor never boarded an airplane. While bandmates quickly flew to the next venue, he drove for endless hours to get there - and then lit the stage on fire with his indomitable presence.
Friendly and easy-going socially while gritty in his personal choices, Kóbor was a true hero for me, whose spirit is vividly captured in the song A nagy folyó by Omega-Sülyi.
Rest In Peace.
The Full Distance
You wanna travel the full distance
So dial directory assistance
Ask them for the way to go
But don't trust them unless they say
You're already there
You wanna scale the distant heights
The operator behind the blinds
Mumbles softly but don't despair
Just be sure that within you
You reach up there
The true sound that the steel strings make
Music teachers can only fake
They are deaf to the inner voice
The one within you that make the body
Resonate
Which way will the big wheel turn?
Computations may unfurl
An engineer will never think
It's up to you as you're the one
Who rides the thing
What's beyond the iron gate?
'Stay within, and you'll be safe'
That is what they always say
But be within or be without
It's your own mandate
You wanna learn about delivarance
You sense a silent defiance
There's truth ringing in the white noise
Only you can make the jump
Over the fence
Hungarian lyrics -- with one hilarious misheard part.
An English version of the song was also recorded with practically meaningless words.
