29 November, 2013
We Will, We Will Rock You
Music was very limited to traditional norms in the 60s and early 70s. Songs were centered around the Soviet motherland and culture in a very routine way. Departures from the norm would not gain recognition by those in power, and occasionally minor deviations from traditional composition were ignored if the message remained Soviet-based. For example, David Tukhmanov’s “My Address is the Soviet Union” contained Soviet patriotism, so the electric guitar was ignored by higher ups (Seventeen Moments). In a Report of the Board of Russian Republic Composers’ Union to the Third Congress of Russian Republic Composers, the report discusses the “characteristics of the most interesting works” in which “Russia has always been a country with highly developed standards” (Report of the Board). The importance of stage genre was upheld within the article, leaning toward tradition instead of toward innovation.
Contemporary music departing from expectations were slow to move across the country, often smuggled between individuals on tape recorders or records. Soviet authorities would work to eradicate the invasion of “inappropriate,” western music from Soviet society, but the music would eventually capture the country’s youth.
Tatyana Nazarenko: Dance Floor (1977)
While the Soviet Union resisted changes in musical norms, rock and roll was emerging in the west. The connection of the west to rock and roll would infiltrate Soviet society in 1973, leading Russian singers to sing rock songs in English, rather than Russian (Seventeen Moments). The influence of Andrei Makarevich, the lead singer of Time Machine, would change the face of western rock and roll to Soviet based music, relating to the Soviet Union and Soviet culture (Seventeen Moments). There is an identifiable contrast between Tukhmanov’s “My Address is the Soviet Union” and Makarevich’s “You or Me,” both released in 1973 (Seventeen Moments).
Innovation did not necessarily meet prace and the “press featured vitriolic attacks against the Western influence presented in rock music” (Editorial Roundtable Discussion). The infiltration of western influence, while criticized by many, was due to an expanding world. According to the “Editorial Roundtable Discussion,” “[t]he broadening of contacts with foreigners has intensified the exchange of information” (Editorial Roundtable Discussion). The discussion goes on to try and understand rock music and interpret the societal impacts of the music.
The rave of rock music peaked in 1987 when Billy Joel went to Moscow. He was one of the first American rock artists to perform in the Soviet Union since the construction of the Berlin Wall. The crowd at the show in Moscow had never experienced a show like the one before them, but the excitement and energy of the show would ignite rock and roll passion within Soviet youth (To see the show, here is a link to the performance). The controversy of the event was seen in the bright lights used during the show. The crowd would freeze under spotlight, fearing action would be taken against them.
The transition of Soviet music to mainstream rock and roll was gradual, but the ease to transfer information across the country, and across the world, would open the door to exchange thoughts, art, music, and ideas around the globe. The continuing technological advancements in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s have resulted in nearly instantaneous communication. The worlds of individual cultures unaffected by popular fads in other countries was officially a thing of the past.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Joel#Trip_to_the_Soviet_Union
http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php?page=subject&SubjectID=1973rock&Year=1973
http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php?page=article&ArticleID=1973sots1&SubjectID=1973rock&Year=1973
http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php?page=subject&show=music&SubjectID=1973rock&Year=1973&navi=byYear
http://dlib.eastview.com.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu:8080/searchresults/article.jsp?art=0&id=13644135
6 December, 2013
Without a Place, Dreaming of a Future
The image above depicts a bourgeois propaganda poster. The poster was designed to weaken the revolutionary enthusiasm growing within the Soviet youth culture. It was also designed “to inoculate young people with apolitical attitudes, indifference to the historical fate of socialism, and to blunt its class consciousness” (Seventeen Moments Images). A clear example of youth’s feelings can be found in “Soviet Youth: a Turbulent Factor” when the author states, “‘We knew what our future was to be gray and immutable. We grew up in the seventies…[w]e simply lived the life you laughed about once you had put us to bed and firmly shut the door. No wonder you have turned out to be better prepared for the gust of fresh air which has knocked us off our feet'” (A Turbulent Factor). Another example of the divide between generations is seen in the Disaffected Youth (1984) video clip. This clip showcases how youth culture was divided from older generations, specifically concerning motorcycles, and a subject states “[w]hereever we go, we are in somebody’s way” (Seventeen Moments Video).
This semester, I have often looked into the role of women and family. The family unit within Soviet culture has been threatened as political tides have shifted, laws have changed, and exposure to the world has caused conflict in societal norms. The traditional Soviet youth was expected to take part in dated practices of the Komosol and antiquated school lessons (Seventeen Moments). The system wasn’t just outdated, but youth was rejecting out-of-date ways of life for more contemporary rock music and so on. With challenges to youth expectations increasing, “authorities had no answers to the questions agitating young people, and in fact ignored issues such as sexuality and the legitimacy of authority” (Seventeen Moments). With the truth coming out, youth began to question why they had to endure the same system of their parents. If there are problems, why not change them? Or at least challenge them.
Jurus Podnieks found that youth was “disenchant[ed] with Soviet mores” and they were struggling to figure out where the Soviet future would lead (Seventeen Moments). In the article “Invitation to Discussion: ‘Is It Easy to be Young?'” the author discusses how the film relates to the young and not the old. The older generations have failed the youth “[t]o all indications, because [they] failed to provide them with worthwhile pursuits, jobs and sensible entertainment, and because [they] failed to teach them how to put their free time to good use” (Invitation of Discussion). The document states the interests of youth are entertainment and materialism, not hard work and usefulness. Youth does not want to perform labor like the older generations were required to do so, therefore the transformation of youth will have negative consequences for the Soviet state (Invitation of Discussion). The document concludes with the need for music, art, film, etc. that promotes youth within Soviet ideals, rather than supporting laziness and reform (Invitation of Discussion).
In short, the youth of the Soviet Union was diverting away from traditional Soviet values. They were asking questions their parents had not and looking for answers in a time when change was occurring.
Sources:
http://dlib.eastview.com/browse/doc/19995802
http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php?page=subject&SubjectID=1985youth&Year=1985
http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php?page=article&ArticleID=1985sklyrenko1&SubjectID=1985youth&Year=1985
http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php?page=subject&show=images&SubjectID=1985youth&Year=1985&navi=byYear
http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php?page=subject&show=video&SubjectID=1985youth&Year=1985&navi=byYear
By carlin Welcome to 20th Century Russia! 2 Comments