History

Subversive Types

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From Alexei Yurchak via: Sean’s Russia Blog comes an interesting piece of Soviet history:

The:

ALL-UNION LENIN COMMUNIST YOUTH LEAGUE NIKOLAEV REGIONAL COMMITTEE OF KOMSOMOL OF UKRAINE.

Seeks to advise “discotheques and vocal groups” about “music groups and artists whose repertoires contain ideologically harmful compositions.”

The Sex Pistols and Clash are off limits because of “Punk and Violence” (which sounds reasonable.) Pink Floyd are dangerous because of their “Distortion of Soviet foreign policy” (Were there really not even four umbrellas left over from the Georgi Markov assassination?)

Then it all starts getting weird. Julio Iglesias is considered dodgy because of his “neofascism” (as are Sparks; who are also apparently “racist.”)

The Village People are “Violent” and Styx (yes I said “Styx”) are violent vandals….

I have no idea if it is a real document or a wind-up. I’m just laughing at the fact that Leonid Brezhnev apparently thought Morrissey less of a threat than Donna Summer. (Yes. I know that there is a distinctly “1980” feel to this list and the lanky Manc would probably have been on there a couple of years later for “abusing nature” or some suchlike.)

Check out those other dodgy western artistes though. Perhaps Wardy is on to something with his “Guilty Pleasures.”

Also, have a look at the blogroll while you are there. There are a lot of good Russian and Eastern European info sites (even if he does also link to Stalin’s womb.)