← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Hilaire Belloc
Thread ID: 11005 | Posts: 32 | Started: 2003-11-09
2003-11-09 18:47 | User Profile
** [url]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031109/ap_en_mu/rock_music_communism_downfall_8[/url]
Hungarian Says Rock Defeated Communism Sun Nov 9,10:09 AM ET
By M.R. KROPKO, Associated Press Writer
CLEVELAND - Rock music played lead in giving Hungarian baby boomers the resolve to bring down their communist state, says one of those reformers who today is a government official.
Andras Simonyi, Hungary's ambassador to the United States, spent an hour Saturday night discussing the impact of Western songs on Eastern European politics before an invitation-only audience of 250 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Simonyi, 51, was a devoted fan of the Beatles, Cream, Traffic and Jimi Hendrix (news) when their releases weren't officially permitted in Hungary. Records and tapes sometimes were smuggled in or recorded from foreign radio broadcasts.
Hungary became a democracy in 1990 — after more than 40 years of communism. The nation of 10 million joined NATO (news - web sites) in 1999 and will formally join the European Union (news - web sites) on May 1, 2004.
"By keeping in touch with the music scene in the West, it kind of kept me sane and with the feeling I was part of the free world," said Simonyi, an economist by training.
The ambassador was introduced by defense and anti-terrorism consultant Jeff Baxter, who once played guitar with The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan (news - web sites).
Baxter and Simonyi said they would like to establish an institute to study rock music's global influences.
"There is a commonality to the music and freedom," Baxter said. "To Andras, Western music was an open window of fresh air in a very repressive society."
Simonyi impressed an audience member from Hungary.
"He represents quite well his generation," said Judit Gerencser, a 27-year-old student at Cleveland State University. "I have heard about this from my parents, but I never really heard about just how much this music was influential." **
Oh yes indeed! Rock music accomplished what the White Army, the Whermacht, and others failed to do. Does anybody really believe this :dung: ? Communism collasped because of its own imcompenancy not because of rock!
2003-11-09 19:11 | User Profile
Funny -- Jewish-pushed/Jewish-managed/very-often-Jewish-itself rock music [1] ruined America, but destroyed Communism in Europe. Go figgure! Who'da splunkit?
Vhat a stwaaaaange country ve live in...
[1] [url]http://www.jewhoo.com/editor/columns/rockofages1.html[/url]
2003-11-09 19:18 | User Profile
Pop musik has been a major -- if not the major -- conduit of cultural Marxism in Amerika.
I agree with you two, the article is bullshit.
2003-11-10 02:50 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Centinel]Pop musik has been a major -- if not the major -- conduit of cultural Marxism in Amerika.
I agree with you two, the article is bullshit.[/QUOTE]
Reminds me of that video "Top 10 People of the 20th Century" by Time magazine and when talking about the "influence" of John Lennon, the magazine's guy explains that maybe Communism crumbled and the Cold War ended because the people in Eastern Europe were so influenced by Lennon's message of "love and peace". I couldn't help but vomit upon hearing that, and was even offended!
My great-grandfather fought the Reds during the Civil War and many more members of my family were slaughtered by the Reds. And Time Magazine honestly thinks that some crack-head racemixer did more to break Communism than the sacrifices of the brave men in the White Armies? Well you can take John Lennon's message and :censored: :censored: up your :censored: !
2003-11-10 03:04 | User Profile
Rock music makes being a junkie cool. When your hero is a junked out rock star it doesn't take much to nudge a youth into messing around with heroin, and if you so happen to be an aspiring musician rock star [I]forget about it[/I] being a junkie is almost expected, especially if you are suffering from white and middle class self hatred and you have just arrived in the big sinful city.
Back in the day when I ran around to clubs and parties I used to watch my friends and associates destroy their lives with heroin. It was just unbelievable that they thought getting strung out was cool. :wallbash: Of course quite a few of them died along the way. And some to this day I'm sure are still lining up down at the methodone clinic with all the other lifetime losers to get their distribution of hitler juice. PATHETIC.
2003-11-10 03:11 | User Profile
Yes very true!
[QUOTE]Pop musik has been a major -- if not the major -- conduit of cultural Marxism in Amerika. [/QUOTE]
I am sick of this kinf of stuff! :dung: :dung: :dung:
2003-11-10 03:12 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Bardamu]Rock music makes being a junkie cool. When your hero is a junked out rock star it doesn't take much to nudge a youth into messing around with heroin, and if you so happen to be an aspiring musician rock star [I]forget about it[/I] being a junkie is almost expected, especially if you are suffering from white and middle class self hatred and you have just arrived in the big sinful city.
Back in the day when I ran around to clubs and parties I used to watch my friends and associates destroy their lives with heroin. It was just unbelievable that they thought getting strung out was cool. :wallbash: Of course quite a few of them died along the way. And some to this day I'm sure are still lining up down at the methodone clinic with all the other lifetime losers to get their distribution of hitler juice. PATHETIC.[/QUOTE]
Oy Vey! But it brought out the best in humanity and made people come together in peace and harmony and such! Remember Woodstock people? It was all about the music, love, peace, brotherhood! Hell it even brought down Communism!
I don't deny the power of music to inspire, but to insist that such :dung: quality music alone brought down something like Communism and changed the world, man you've been smoking way too much(which they probally did back in the days)!
2003-11-10 03:37 | User Profile
Reagan defeated communism, no wait, rock music defeated communism, no wait...
2003-11-10 03:44 | User Profile
[QUOTE=perun1201]My great-grandfather fought the Reds during the Civil War ...[/QUOTE]
That is something to be proud of.
Yeah Saint John Lennon what a laugh.
The whole so-called counter culture was a disaster. How did it happen? What is the root cause of the Sixties? Television, teenagers, the meat grinder war? Commies, Jews, too much stuff?
2003-11-10 03:48 | User Profile
My father in law told me about how he went to see Creedence Clearwater Revival when they were able to play in Romania. He said it was crazy.. everyone went wild.
2003-11-10 03:53 | User Profile
[QUOTE=AntiYuppie]Perhaps the neocons are hoping that MTV will help defeat the "Islamofascist" bogeyman in the same way. Now if only our side could find a form of music to help defeat Judaeo-Bolshevism...[/QUOTE]
It definately won't be that horrible sounding stuff on Resistance Records, or "NSBM", unless we can use it as some kind of psychological auditory terrorism.
2003-11-10 03:56 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Bardamu]Rock music makes being a junkie cool. When your hero is a junked out rock star it doesn't take much to nudge a youth into messing around with heroin, and if you so happen to be an aspiring musician rock star [I]forget about it[/I] being a junkie is almost expected, especially if you are suffering from white and middle class self hatred and you have just arrived in the big sinful city.
Back in the day when I ran around to clubs and parties I used to watch my friends and associates destroy their lives with heroin. It was just unbelievable that they thought getting strung out was cool. :wallbash: Of course quite a few of them died along the way. And some to this day I'm sure are still lining up down at the methodone clinic with all the other lifetime losers to get their distribution of hitler juice. PATHETIC.[/QUOTE]
I've heard the major music label industry encourages drug use amongst many of their signed acts because it makes them easier to control. Very corrupt industry even if this rumor isn't true, however.
2003-11-10 04:35 | User Profile
[QUOTE] Let's see now, a form of mass entertainment that has done more to promote leftist values in America has actually worked to undermine leftism elsewhere in the world...now how is that supposed to work exactly?
Perhaps the neocons are hoping that MTV will help defeat the "Islamofascist" bogeyman in the same way.[/QUOTE]
In that regard, this article from REASON ONLINE is very apropos:
Look Whoââ¬â¢s Rocking the Casbah The revolutionary implications of Arab music videos. by Charles Paul Freund
[url]http://www.reason.com/0306/cr.cf.look.shtml[/url]
The following quote gives the gist of its argument:
What this low, "vulgar" genre is offering, in sum, is a glimpse of a latent Arab world that is both liberal and "modernized." Why? Because the foundation of cultural modernity is the freedom to achieve a self-fashioned and fluid identity, the freedom to imagine yourself on your own terms, and the videos offer a route to that process. By contrast, much of Arab culture remains a place of constricted, traditional, and narrowly defined identities, often subsumed in group identities that hinge on differences with, and antagonism toward, other groups.
2003-11-10 13:20 | User Profile
Actually, "Saint" John Lennon is the second [B]God[/B].
I never understood the big deal about him, other than the fact that his geisha wife had him on a leash for at least 11 years. Some of his music was good, but I'm reminded more now than before that it was really Yoko that personified his music after the Beatles broke up. I doubt you'd hear "Imagine" being written by John and Paul and recorded as the Beatles.
He's just another example of the MLK syndrome. When a media-approved "righteous" man dies by violence (in both cases, gunshots), he immediately becomes exhalted to god status. Had the two of them lived today, they would be two aging annoyances pushing their idiotic agendas on everybody (plus the others doing likewise today in music and entertainment).
2003-11-10 16:45 | User Profile
I never understood the big deal about him...
Yay, I thought I was the only one.
2003-11-10 16:50 | User Profile
Speaking of rock stars, anyone seen "Surviving Nugent"?
2003-11-10 17:21 | User Profile
[QUOTE=AntiYuppie] Perhaps the neocons are hoping that MTV will help defeat the "Islamofascist" bogeyman in the same way. Now if only our side could find a form of music to help defeat Judaeo-Bolshevism...[/QUOTE]
Well AntiYuppie, you're closer to the truth than you think!
** [url]http://www.observer.com/pages/story.asp?ID=7254[/url]
When Will Iraq Go Pop? by Jason Gay
They now have Americans troops patrolling their neighborhoods, American-supplied radio on their airwaves, and pretty soon they’ll have Tom Brokaw, too, stentorially rhapsodizing on their rabbit-eared televisions.
But is Iraq ready for Seinfeld?
The American media campaign in Iraq is well underway, of course, even without Jerry. It began with psychological-warfare radio messages urging Iraqi soldiers to lay down their weapons and surrender. After Baghdad fell, a specially outfitted military aircraft continued to fly over the region, broadcasting public-service announcements and reassuring, look-into-your-eyeballs addresses from President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair sitting against grim orange backgrounds. Now there are plans to show evening news programs from NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox. (Hearts, minds and … Brit Hume!)
But what about entertainment television? [u]After all, there’s no more potent, pervasive—if invidious—agit-prop than Western TV and film, and it seems only a matter of time before the likes of American Idol, Are You Hot? and Old School arrive in Iraq alongside the military’s battalions.[/u] Even if no less a culture critic than Jimmy Kimmel thinks of Idol’s Ryan Seacrest and Hot’s Lorenzo Lamas and worries it’s a "really bad idea".
To date, U.N. sanctions have prohibited Western media companies from distributing their content in Iraq. A Department of Defense spokesperson said on April 15 that it’s "way premature to think about" TV entertainment being made available in the country.
But given Iraq’s eager and ripe market—25 million people, though only 13 percent with TV’s, according to the Pentagon—there will be plenty of TV suitors.
"We feel very robust about the fact that Iraq will be a potentially very good market for us and other businesses," said Peter Einstein, the president and chief executive of Showtime/Gulf DTH, a digital-television venture partially owned by Viacom that will be among the distributors seeking to service Iraq. "There is already demand."
Western television programming is already widely available in the region surrounding Iraq. Showtime/Gulf DTH, one of three major providers—the others are Arab Radio & Television (ART) and a company called Orbit—is available in more than a dozen Middle Eastern nations, including Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where its most popular offerings include current TV hits like CSI and Survivor, as well as good old Seinfeld. You can watch World Wrestling Entertainment pro wrestling in Arab nations, and they get their MTV, too, offered as a composite of programming from MTV India and MTV Europe. Certain state television outlets even offer some American programming, usually old stuff. Almost anything you can get here, you can get there, too.
Of course, not everyone is happy about it. Westernization has, in some instances, served the radicals better than the democratizers. The content and imagery of American pop culture has been a rallying point for fundamentalist leaders, who view its reach and coarseness as a threat to their countries.
"American media and culture infiltrate the airwaves of the entire Middle East," said CBS Evening News executive producer Jim Murphy. "It’s one of the reasons conservatives there are so upset."
But Mr. Einstein said that Showtime/Gulf DTH’s customers in the Middle East have been eager for Western programming of all kinds. When the pay-TV service—known as Showtime Arabia—launched six years ago, programmers took great pains to censor and edit shows it felt might be objectionable, he said. But Mr. Einstein said that many Arab viewers complained and urged Showtime Arabia to air the programs in their entirety, unedited.
It’s clear that there’s an appetite for American entertainment in Iraq. The closed country has long been home to a bustling black market for Western media. Mr. Murphy, who last visited Iraq in February, when Dan Rather interviewed Saddam Hussein, said that "pirated DVD’s and CD’s of Western movies and music was probably one of the few thriving businesses" in the region.
[u]"Young people are incredibly receptive to the music and the TV shows,"[/u] said Mr. Murphy, who also recalled seeing numerous children wearing Simpsons T-shirts.
Such exportation is nothing new, of course, even in regions where few people own televisions. Al Jean, an executive producer of The Simpsons, appreciates his show’s world audience, and sounded pleased at the prospect of it eventually reaching Iraq as well. The indefatigable Fox cartoon series is seen in dozens of countries; Mr. Jean recalled watching an episode on a visit to Egypt several years ago.
"I’m always glad when we have viewership worldwide," Mr. Jean said. [u]"I think the flow of information—not just entertainment—is the friend of democracy. The more information a country has, the better."[/u]
Indeed, few dispute Western pop culture’s power. For better and for worse, television and film can be equally effective as military and political operations in spreading American ideals and values.
"The United States takes its cultural-export mission very seriously, and believes that its films and television programming will shape a cultural landscape in a foreign country," said Lauren Zalaznick, the president of Trio, a digital-cable channel specializing in pop culture and owned by Vivendi Universal. "It’s the quickest way to shape a cultural sensibility, as opposed to humanitarian aid and financial aid, which we are less in control of."
Still, Ms. Zalaznick acknowledged a certain wariness at the idea of conquering the culture, too, and pushing too much American entertainment upon Iraq. Not only could it undermine local culture, but distributing Western media in a country was no guarantee that American ideals would be embraced, she said.
"One would guess that a new level of media penetration is going to yield unwarranted and unexpected results," Ms. Zalaznick said. "Possibly positive, possibly negative. Once you put words and images out there, you have no way of controlling how they are received."
Entertainment companies say that in the event they’re allowed into Iraq, they are likely to take steps to make American programs more palatable to an Iraqi audience. A London-based spokesperson for MTV International said that if MTV were to launch a channel in Iraq, it would make an effort to use local talent and appeal to local tastes, as it has done in other countries. Showtime’s Peter Einstein said that his service has taken advantage of the burgeoning Arab movie-making business, showing many productions made by Middle Eastern film companies on a new outlet called Al Shasha.
Still, there will always be the worry that, as the influence of Western entertainment grows, it will serve to diminish Iraq’s local culture—Hollywood dumb bombs falling after American smart bombs.
"We are being introduced to the world by Los Angeles!" said Tad Low, the television producer behind such shows as VH1’s Pop-Up Video. "That is like going to a party and having a guy in ironed jeans and a Botoxed forehead introduce you to people."
Mr. Low recalled a recent trip to a rural area of Vietnam, where the natural noise of the surroundings was interrupted by the canned laughter of American sitcoms playing on local TV.
"It’s horrifying," said Mr. Low. "If the Arab world was pissed at us before, wait until they get a load of Bob Saget and Matt LeBlanc." ** Yes those poor Iraqis were so oppressed because they were denied their human right to watch MTV, thats like against the Geneva Convention or something!
"Russia may steal a nation's liberty, America steals a nation's soul!" --Otto Remer, German nationalist, sometime in the 1980's
I also remember during the Iraqi war, MSNBC kept showing some Marine leading Iraqi children in a very crappy rap song and then the words "Let Freedom Ring" showed up on the screen. Indeed, let "freedom" ring!
That quote about "the flow of information" being good is so ridiculas. Most of the "information" being spread nowadays is worthless trival crap! No f*cking way is MTV or anyother pop culture outlet spreading "information" of any worthwhile value, none whatsoever!
2003-11-10 23:49 | User Profile
[QUOTE=perun1201]
I also remember during the Iraqi war, MSNBC kept showing some Marine leading Iraqi children in a very crappy rap song and then the words "Let Freedom Ring" showed up on the screen. Indeed, let "freedom" ring! [/QUOTE]
That Marine had to use hip-hop to convince the Iraqi children that freedom was theirs?? Yes, what fine examples of American culture we have to offer.
2003-11-11 01:44 | User Profile
This is designed to legitimize the counterculture, which despite its statements saying that it is for "freedom" espouses only one side of the political spectrum, that of feeling over logic.
2003-11-11 07:29 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Craig Smith]This is designed to legitimize the counterculture,[/QUOTE]
Yes, the hedonist counterculture of yesteryear. But today it is we who are the counterculture. If nationalistic minded artists can produce movies, art, literature and music that reach out to and touch certain subcultures and groups that we could never do, then I say more power to them. The counterculture of yesterday is now today's mainstream and a new counterculture arises to make a challenge. The time to make our charge is beginning. Tomorrow is our day.
2003-11-11 08:53 | User Profile
Guess it's up to me to take this writer's side. But yes, I can believe that rock & roll played a part in the downfall of Communism; or more properly, offered a kind of conduit for disaffected youth in Soviet-bloc nations to turn their attention to. Communism 'collapsed' under the weight of numerous pressures from without and within but rock music certainly helped Sov-bloc kids express their disillusionment at the sham they were indoctrinated with daily. If you're going to guffaw at the idea (or make tired MTV-bashing jokes -or worse, even wheezier, clueless "peace and love" jokes) then you obviously are laboring under the delusion that what Murray Rothstein is offering the world is "rock'n'roll". It isn't; rock music as a cultural force is dead and has been for a long time now. But it wasn't [I]always [/I] thus.
2003-11-11 13:53 | User Profile
As I was involved in music myself and acquainted with some people in the business, I discovered that the whole, entire industry is very, very tightly controlled. This only dawned on me several years ago, but the fact of the matter is that those who control the conduits to speak to the masses, will fabricate artists and acts that they feel have the right message for the right time. The industry does NOT respond to trends, but totally sets the trend first and then sells it.
Heavy Metal and also Punk/Hardcore was huge from the late 70's to the late 80's and the message was White Unity, although not directly stated, but insinuated. Drug use, unfortunately, was a by-product of the scene, but the White youth of Eastern bloc countries would sell their sisters in order to have money to buy jeans, records, guitars, go to concerts, posters, whatever since the word spreads, and the music was transcendental and uplifting. Under Communist control, these developments of rock music infiltrating the youth with a message of unity and freedom could have greatly influenced those same youth who later on in the late 80's and early 90's began movements to loosen the Communist yoke from around their necks.
I dunno. On one hand I know now that rock n roll is pure decadence and ultimately destructive, utterly corruptible. On the other hand the music used to, and I stress USED to have the power to tell the government to F*CK OFF!!
2003-11-11 16:13 | User Profile
Heavy Metal and also Punk/Hardcore was huge from the late 70's to the late 80's and the message was White Unity, although not directly stated, but insinuated.
It definately insinuated that to the point where the Mexicans felt it. In Junior High, the Mexicans accussed me of being a "Nazi KKK" (yeah, they said it together like that - morons) just because I listened to Metal instead of pop and hip hop. The entire clique of "Metalheads" was thought of as "Nazi KKK" to them.
I think it's a fallacy to lump all rock (or metal) together as decadent and corrupt. What makes something decadent is the message behind it, not the usage of an electric guitar. Also, the centralized music industry control is headed to the ash heap of history thanks to the internet, with countless "counterculture" (as in, against the current sick state of affairs) scenes cropping up...many pro-European.
2003-11-11 17:37 | User Profile
The punk scene was influenced by nazi fashions, at least. The stormtrooper black leather fashion, although somehow I don't see SS stormtroopers with safety pins in their ears. :) . When I first stumbled upon it I was thrilled to think I had actually discovered so many fascists! but it wasn't so. They were being [I]ironic[/I]. Hardly a nationalist amongst the bunch. Anarchist mainly. Food not Bombs, health foods and heroin, and lots of Jews.
2003-11-11 17:39 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Edana]Speaking of rock stars, anyone seen "Surviving Nugent"?[/QUOTE]
Saw this thing while waiting for my car at the shop. The 20ish kid next to me was shaking his head while Nugent savaged one of the contestants, an "animal rights activist" who was weeping about Nugent killing/eating cute little deer. Of course, she was on the show to win money and an SUV with a full leather interior package.
This kid commented to me that he could tell Nugent had rotted his mind with drugs. His eyes got huge when I told him that Nugent had never tried drugs, and became known for being a straight arrow, at least in reference to mind-altering substances. I didn't tell him that Ted was also an insufferable neocon shill, since it would not have served any purpose. However, when Nugent said in aside to the camera that the black contestant seemed to be popular with the others, but this was cheating since everybody is always supposed to like the "black guy", I cracked up and watched the kid recoil in horror.
Nugent may well be a neocon, but the guy was hilarious dealing with these MTV punks. I'm surprised he's allowed that much latitude. Then again, the Viacomites making the show probably assume that 99% of the audience is horrified at Nugent instead of finding him on the mark.
2003-11-11 17:46 | User Profile
Ted Nugent has his faults, but I think the show was hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed his humiliation of MTV mallrats and his lack of "sensitivity".
2003-11-11 17:52 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Bardamu]The punk scene was influenced by nazi fashions, at least. The stormtrooper black leather fashion, although somehow I don't see SS stormtroopers with safety pins in their ears. :) . When I first stumbled upon it I was thrilled to think I had actually discovered so many fascists! but it wasn't so. They were being [I]ironic[/I]. Hardly a nationalist amongst the bunch. Anarchist mainly. Food not Bombs, health foods and heroin, and lots of Jews.[/QUOTE]
I remember Sid Vicious of The Sex Pistols would wear a Swastika T-shirt during interviews for TV. Yes, Bard, lotsa Anarchy shirts in the scene back in those days....but... I'd settle for real Anarchy right now, if it were possible. That's how deflated I feel these days.
2003-11-11 17:56 | User Profile
Nugent's recent jingoistic war-mongering is regrettable, but the guy will always have my admiration for going on-stage a few years back here at the Woodlands Ampitheatre and yelling at the audience that if you didn't speak English you should get your ass back to Mexico. Even more impressive was his refusal to apologize to LULAC and the usual suspects crying about it.
weisbrot, I saw that show as well. The girl crying at suppertime was pretty humorous.
2003-11-11 18:05 | User Profile
[QUOTE=xmetalhead]I remember Sid Vicious of The Sex Pistols would wear a Swastika T-shirt during interviews for TV..[/QUOTE]
:ohmy: Yeah, pretty funny.
[QUOTE=xmetalhead] That's how deflated I feel these days.[/QUOTE]
I can relate. I see you are making your stand in JooYorkCity. At least here in SF I don't have to encounter the Specials in their capital.
2003-11-11 18:13 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Texas Dissident]Nugent's recent jingoistic war-mongering is regrettable, but the guy will always have my admiration for going on-stage a few years back here at the Woodlands Ampitheatre and yelling at the audience that if you didn't speak English you should get your ass back to Mexico. Even more impressive was his refusal to apologize to LULAC and the usual suspects crying about it.
weisbrot, I saw that show as well. The girl crying at suppertime was pretty humorous.[/QUOTE]
I've been really disappointed with the guy as well; I think he could reach a segment of the population that Jared Taylor leaves ice-cold. He's also hilarious and spot-on with most of his commentary. He was touring through Biloxi soon after the English language controversy, and was interviewed on local media while I was working there. The locals all obviously were nuts about the guy, even though the multicult TV types all wanted to give him grief. If I remember correctly he sold out that show and many others after making his stand.
Could be ol' Todd Nergent might be a prime candidate for enlightenment. Anyone up Michigan way with his address might want drop off a copy of Culture of Critique and other assorted materiel. I spent lots of goof-off time in high school damaging my eardrums with Double Live Gonzo; it would be a kick to see Nugent come around to the side of the righteous.
If ersatz "rock" can kill communism, perhaps Nugent's brand could put a dent in multicult and Zionism. At the worst, we'd be losing our soul to "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" instead of the insipid strains of "Imagine".
2003-11-11 18:17 | User Profile
Rock music in the Soviet Union was a very good pressure valve. It did teach some consumerism and created interests not officially approved, but so what? Music lovers were the most harmless creatures. It was only the native political rock of the "glasnost" era that started ridiculing the system in earnest and making VNN-style imprints on the minds of the millions, but then it wasn't exactly music that started the "perestroika", and it was just "elevator music" accompanying the elevator ride.
2003-11-11 18:24 | User Profile
Convert to something not yet corrupted by Judeo-"Christianity". No, I don't mean Islam :lol: