ROCK AND POP

Myth has it that all forms of popular music were perceived by zealous Soviet Cultural Ministry authorities as decadent imperialist propaganda and all of its vestiges mercilessly persecuted. This is not exactly true. The authorities helped foster a serious schism between rock (rebellious or nihilistic music emphasizing lyrical content or built-up angst) and pop (flashy, image-oriented danceable tunes with happy-go-lucky, inane lyrics). The former was ruthlessly persecuted for its anti-establishment attitude and associations with drugs, decadence, and free thought. Authorities persecuted rockers for spreading "imperialist infections" by withholding stipends, expelling them from institutes and universities, and firing them from work. They even went so far as to pick hippies off the street and forcibly cut their hair. In contrast, pop music was encouraged in order to give the younger generation objects of hero worship with more rhythm than Lenin. The unfortunate result of the Politburo's desperate attempt to be hip is that Russian pop, popsa as it is derogatorily known, rivals French pop music as one of the most valid justifications for the institution of strict censorship.

Western musicians were represented in the Soviet Union almost exclusively by celebrities of the Eastern European stage such as Bulgarian megastars Lili Ivanova and Biser Kirov, and various Polish "Fab Fours" who sang popped up versions of Western hits. Occasionally a real Western group would be deemed acceptable by the authorities and would get some airplay, which led to the overblown popularity of groups like Boney M, the Bee Gees, Modern Talking, and ABBA. One of the sad results of this programming is that these four groups are deeply embedded in the "cool" (i.e. non-Soviet) section of the collective subconscious and thus can still be heard on the airwaves here after years of virtual banishment in the West.

Since the advent of glasnost rock has crawled out of the underground onto the airwaves and into the shops, and the old makeshift records made from x-ray photographs (known as records "on bones" na kostyakh) are relics of the past. A number of radio stations play a pretty wide mix of music, from the latest Western hits to oldies and lots of Russian music to boot.

Today, music is becoming an industry like it is in the West. There are plenty of one-hit wonders whose songs and lyrics are hardly distinctive and hardly bearable. The mastedons of Russian popsa, such as Alla Pugachova, Edita Piekha, Iosif Kobzon, and Valery Leontiev are more original...in some way. Russian rock music is developing. Some of the older bands, like DDT and Agatha Christie, have become nationally mega but the most interesting, independent bands are hiding in small clubs, having no money for promotion or equipment. If you want a picture of the local scene check out bands such as Auktsion, Tequillajazz, Prepinaki, P.E.P.S.I. and Kollibry. They perform quite frequently in live music venues around town including Rock Club, Wild Side and Fish Fabrique (see Nightlife).