Music to My Ears

Russian Punk Rockers Rage Against the Putin Machine


Russia and Putin are usually not topics covered here on Yankee Scribble; I typically leave those Ballista. But since Ballista hasn't made an appearance in over a year, it seems I must take up the slack. Or, more to the point, the angst-filled youth of St. Petersburg have taking their musical jabs at the Soviet-styled strongman. Oh yes, the Ramones and Sex Pistols would be proud. I certainly am. If there is one group that is never afraid to speak out, it's the punk rockers. God bless them.

[T]he outspoken singer of Saint Petersburg-based punk rock band PTVP, saves much of his venom for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, referring to him as a "pig" in one of his most strident songs.

As the article explains, this is nothing new for Russia, however, these voices have been fading.

[R]ussian rock music lost much of its rebellious spirit after being at the forefront of perestroika, the liberal reforms introduced by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s, musicians and critics say.

Ironically, some of the leading figures in 1980s rock now perform at patriotic concerts organised by the Kremlin.

But in Saint Petersburg, a city long seen as Russia's "window to the West", a handful of bands have defied the trend and continue to speak out.

They include PTVP, whose full name translates as "The Last Tanks in Paris," and some veteran bands who complain of being marginalized on television and radio because of their politics.

"Most bands, for some reason, have become conformist and most music is just fun," said Sergey Chernov, a music columnist for the St. Petersburg Times newspaper who has followed Russian rock since the 1980s.

So how is Vladimir reacting to this scrutiny and criticism? As one would expect of a KGB colonel.

Several times over the years, police rushed the stage and stopped concerts after Nikonov sang about Putin, and once in Vyborg he was hauled off to jail before being freed without charges, band members recalled.

"It is mostly provincial towns that are afraid," Nikonov said.

I sincerely hope PTVP keep it up, regardless of the quality of their music. If democracy is ever going to take deep root in Russia, then the artists, musicians, writers, and other creative folk need to lead the way. Imagine America without Thomas Nast, Bob Dylan, or Thomas Paine. Sadly, I have to ask, how long before these guys are found each with a bullet to the head? Or is that reserved for human rights lawyers? It's so hard to keep track of the many methods used by the Kremlin to eliminate its opponents.

Come to think of it, maybe Ballista has become a PTVP groupie. Either that or he's in the gulag. After all, Ballista's last post was on the Russian invasion of Georgia and I wouldn't put it past Ballista to go ballistic and join the Georgian cause.