Tundra Only Happens When Its Freezing---Grazhdanskaya Oborona--Siberian Punk Rock

Сельско-Хозяйственная Выставка. If you say it loud enough, you'll only sound precocious. Yes, after years of taking Russian language these are the only magical words I know. Agricultural Exhibition to all of the Cyrillically challenged out there. My Russian professor created dialogues for us to listen to in language lab, which were at a fairly elementary level. But one of the lessons had the Agricultural exhibit phrase in it and it was in stark contrast to the simple vocabulary up to that point. It was a running joke with some of us. But despite the inability of my mouth to repeat the phrase at the time, it has stuck with me and become part of my lexicon as I enter upon my remaining days of pre-senility.

But as I am finding out, as far as the Russian Language goes is, that as for me, Pushkin has apparently left the building. I was never great at it, could read the language a little, but it's funny how years of inactivity can make you forget pretty much everything. I became interested in Russian language and Culture after reading some Dostoevsky. I put off reading Crime and Punishment for a very long time, but just like a Russian Novel, I tore through the novel in a feverish surreal state, bedridden with the flu. I was hooked and read tons of books, Gogol's Dead Souls, Turgenev's Fathers and Sons, Goncharov's Oblomov, Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, Andrei Bely's Petersburg. And so on. And Russians I have found to possess a great love of literature, and in particular poetry, which many Americans would find baffling. Anyone who has read Russian poetry (or heard someone recite!) in the untranslated original form can attest to its beauty and unique descriptiveness. One of my Russian Professors inquired whether American students studied Pushkin much. One of my classmates replied, "Well, Pushkin isn't so big these days here". I thought she was going to cry. And you know, I don't blame her sentiments really. Because we were all missing out, believe me.

From my visit to Leningrad in the 80's. What a country!

So I'm trying to talk about an 80's Punk band from Omsk, Siberia, Гражданская Оборона, or Civil Defense.(Grazhdanskaya Oborona). Aka ГрОб (Coffin-Grob). The band is comprised of Egor Letov on guitar, vocals and bass, and drums and Kuzya Yo on bass, guitar and vocals. Egor Letov is a legend in his country and also a controversial figure. He died in 2008 at the age of 43. I can't imagine it was easy being a Punk Rocker in the USSR. You must possess a great bravery. Dissent could have a high price, could destroy your life, and destroy your family and friends lives also. Or maybe things are so bad you feel you have nothing to lose. From what I can find out Letov was institutionalized at some point in the mid-80's, after Поганая молодёжь Poganaya Molodyozh "Rotten Youth" was recorded. That's what would happen to people who criticize the system over there. If you transgress, you must be a madman (or woman). My Russian is terrible, but I hope that I don't offend, maybe just elicit some laughter.

From what I am hearing Yegor reminds me a bit of Joe Strummer. Many of the songs are pretty Clash-like to my ears. Or even Wire. The recording quality is pretty lo-fi as you might expect it to be, as Citizen's Brigade had to fly below the radar of the authorities. The raucous title track and opener Rotten Youth, is very much in this style, as is the excellent Nye Smeshno (It's Not Funny). Or Khvatit! (Enough!) and Ya Voyduman Naproch (I made it up completely?).

One of the things I like here is that he brings his personality to the table here, and also there is a distinctive Russianness in some of the songs. Like Klalafuda klalafu. I don't know what this means at all--it sounds like some kind of slang or a spoof of a person's name. In the same style is Poyezd Maluyu Zemlyu (Train To Small Land?) Mama Blya (Mother Whore?) and Ctarost, Ne Radost (The Old, Not Happy). Letov even delves into Reggae a bit here with Mama, Mama...

This is a fairly short recording about 36 minutes long. The third time through and I'm enjoying it more each time. Clearly these songs parody and criticize the Communist regime. But from what I am learning about the artist, he was a person who was not afraid to step on some toes and that continued long after the demise of Communism and the USSR. They say that at some point he changed course and became nostalgic for the old regime he excoriated. Perhaps he was just continuing to be a provocateur, slamming the post-Soviet world in a way that was sure get a reaction from the new powers that be. Maybe he felt it was all a case of meet the new boss, same as the old boss. His way of saying, it was bad then, but even worse now. But that is mere speculation on my part.



One thing that I can say is that this is a pretty good album, one that I would probably call a great album if my Russian was not so rudimentary. Under the circumstances that Поганая молодёжь was recorded I would say that this album was a great achievement. It had to have pissed people off, and raised a concern that songs like this could have an effect on the next generation, the Rotten Youths and Hooligans the album is titled after.