36 |BIGISSUE.COM CULTURE | MUSIC is the song to energise apopular revolt rock anthem. MalcolmJackfinds out why this Belarus isbeingsoundtracked by adecades-old The rising tide of politicalrage on the streets of tyranny...music with up to Standing biggest band. In June 1990theyperformed for 62,000peopleatMoscow’s music. ItlaunchedKinofrom theLeningrad underground totheUSSR’s official government production featuring hithertobanned Russian rock sang thesongindramatic finalscene ofthe1987 Soviet filmAssa–an was shovelling coal intoaboilerfurnace. He was propelled tofame whenhe a handsome, enigmaticproletariat-poet whowhenhewasn’t scrawling lyrics Wind ofChangeasthesongtime.” certainly overlooked by theworld outsideofRussia whichpromoted it was writtenby theirhero, notsomebodyfrom theWest. Peremen was author whowas marriedtoKino’s guitaristYuri Kasparyan. “This isbecause important,” statesJoanna Stingray, anAmerican musicproducer, singerand Wall andallthatfollowed. “For mostSoviets, Peremen was muchmore 14 million-sellingpower balladsynonymous withthefall oftheBerlin the timethaneven Wind ofChangeby West German bandScorpions, the According tooneexpert onRussian rock music, itwas amuchbiggerdealat “Our heartsare longing for changes!Oureyes are longingfor changes!” rousing, racing, electrifyingpost-punkthunderboltwithachorusof – istheRussian-speaking world’s mostfamous rock’n’roll protest anthem:a you’re whistling. its partintheeventual collapse oftheSoviet Union in1991. It’snotthesong reformist policiesofglasnostandperestroika . Asongthat’ssaidtohave played was ahugehitintheEastern BlocattheheightofMikhail Gorbachev’s song hasbecome thepeople’s anthem. Asongabouttransformation which blasted from cars orperformed by musicians, amore than30-year-old rock the streets ofMinsk andothertowns andcities. Whether sungenmasse, A Changes was writtenin1986by Kino’s half-Korean frontman , Khochu Peremen by Kino– inEnglish IWant Changesorsimply authoritarian leaderAlexander Lukashenko have repeatedly filled blatantly riggedpresidential election, hugeprotests against state dubbed “Europe’s lastdictatorship”. wind ofchange isblowing through Belarus, theformer Soviet a site of pilgrimage the Tsoi Wall inMoscow isstill yearsThirty after hisdeath, ‘Our demandchanges’ hearts Following another

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shrouded behindtheIron Curtain. have tolearnaboutthe culture ofcountries once to grow, andteach ushow muchmore we still movements across theformer USSR– continues by allkindsofsometimescompeting political complex legacy – which has seenitembraced it was toolate. Thirty-three years onthesong’s federalist communist statefrom withinbefore helped motivate himtoameliorate thefailing the , acknowledged thatChanges significance. Even Gorbachev, thelastleaderof it couldn’t helpbut take onmuchbroader and innerunderstandingofoneself.” write aboutpolitics, itwas aboutaninnersearch things orunderstandingthemselves. He didnot cage insidethemthatkeeps themfrom doing inner struggle. He saidallpeoplehave a kind of month. “He saidtheywere abouteachperson’s American intheSoviet Music Underground isoutthis says Stingray, whosememoirRed Wave: An times andasked himwhathislyricswere about,” was apolitical. “I interviewed Viktor acouple of a few weeks later. tragically prove Tsoi’s last. He diedinanaccident – aconcert thatwould Yet intherevolutionary fervour ofthetime Ironically, Tsoi always insistedthatChanges

FROM 14SEPTEMBER 2020 FROM 14SEPTEMBER 2020 love andsupporttothepeopleof Belarus. Everybody whowas atthatevent was very brave, andwe thankthemfor risking theirfreedom andexpressing their what happenedtoGalanov andSokolovsky. “In thissituationtheseDJguysare clapping andsingingalongasofficials scramble to pulltheplug. many supportersofoppositionleaderSvetlana Tikhanovskaya – can beheard videos viewed millionsoftimesonsocialmedia, thecrowd – whichcontained playing Changesover thepublicaddress systemwiththeirfistsintheair. In rally inMinsk andlaterimprisonedaftergoingrogue and Vladislav Sokolovsky, were arrested atapro-government pair ofstate-employed soundengineers, KirillGalanov and gratitude. Itwas avery strong senseofsolidarity.” them strength. So we didit. And peopleanswered uswith we understoodthatmusicreally supportspeopleandgives was afraid ofbeingarrested, beaten, simply ‘disappeared’. But “You mustunderstandthateveryone whotooktothestreets bagpipes, was “a very powerful feeling,” Nadezhda reflects. a brightred dress, blaringthe melodyofChangesonher cultured andcivilised countrywithcomplete impunity.” change. Thepeople want to reverse thesituationwhentorture takesa place in not changedtheirstrength over theyears,” shesays. “And we really needa imprisonment atthehandsofsecurityservices. “The words ofhissonghave where ithasbecome abeacon ofhopefor Belarusians riskingviolence and performed Changeswithher bandIrdorath atarally inMinsk lastmonth, “This isjustmental,” responds Masha Zinevitch angrily, whenasked about On theeve ofthepresidential electioninearlyAugust, a To march togetherwithherfriendsthrough in “Tsoi was agenius,” statesNadezhda, ayoung folk musicianwhoraucously

protest song’ The perfect also uplifting. ‘It’s darkbut @MBJack September 22(DoppelHouse Press, £20) Joanna Stingray andMadison Stingray ispublishedon : An American in theSoviet Music Underground by would beproud.” else togoandstandupfight for thingsthey want, he inKazakhstan, Sevastopol intheCrimea andcentral Petersburg boilerroom where heonce shovelled coal to A hugeoutpouringofpublicgrieffollowed. From theSt in hisdeath, butallevidence suggestsitwas anaccident). (conspiracy theoristsseektheshadowy handoftheKGB a bus, presumably afterhehadnoddedoffatthewheel most un-rock’n’roll ofsuperstars’ car collided head-onwith early-morning fishingtripinLatvia August 1990, the Tsoi hadhelived toseeit. While drivingbackfrom an independent elections.” during thecollapse oftheUSSR– andduringthefirst “went totheseconcerts, participatedindemonstrations parents were young, theylistenedtothesesongs,” shesays, Guzik pointsout, it’sthatchangeispossible. “When my one, hasagain become acultsong.” why thesongChanges, althoughnotaBelarusian national limit. The Belarusian peopleare unitednow.very is That freedom. We want changes. Ourpatience hasreached the which shelikens tothemafia. professional, ofacorrupt andbrutalregime inhercountry how tolive underanother,” remarks Ganna Guzik, afinance “I was bornunderthecurrent government andIdon’t know 1994, longerthanmany young Belarusians have beenalive. it’s worth notingthatLukashenko hasbeeninpower since continue toprotest, despitetherisks. To understandwhy, threaten intervention toprop himup. Yet thepeople as Lukashenko continues toclingpower andhisbackers perfect protest song.” energetic andupliftinginitsown way atthesametime. The love aboutpost-punk,” shesays. “It’s darkandmoodybut politically butalsomusically. “It’s everything we, personally, and Changesare aninspiration toDlinaVolny, notonly way, we can fightitback!” Zinevitchspeaksofhow Tsoi call-to-arms withlyricssuchas “Whatever iscoming our song Whatever Happens Next – abrooding, spine-tingling movement inBelarus withtherelease oftheirown protest label ItaliansDoItBetter. shown support for the They’ve based synth-popbandsignedtocultAmerican record That’s scary.”very streets andputyou inavan withoutany explanations. don’t wear auniform. They can justgrab you from the crime group,” Zinevitchadds. “They cover their faces and now duetotheriskofpersecution. was incredible. Unfortunately, theyhadtoleave Belarus for very happy tohearthatsongatagovernment-held rally. It All ofwhichwould probably have confounded Viktor If thelegacy ofTsoi’s Changesteachesusanything, “One thingisclear:peopleare tired,” sheadds. “We want What happensnext inBelarus remains far from certain Zinevitch isthesingerwithDlinaVolny, aMinsk- “The police here lookandactmore like anorganised energises peopleinBelarus oranywhere be trapped. In thatregard, ifPeremen do somethingtheywant todoandnot his lyricstohelppeoplebreak outand song hastaken. He toldmehe wanted Viktor would beamused by thepathhis close friendJoanna Stingray. “I believe this songintheirsouls,” reflects Tsoi’s taken onalife ofitsown, thatpeoplefeel likeembodies hismemory hismusic. states commemorate Tsoi. Yet nothing Minsk, shrinesacross theformer Soviet “It isawesome that ‘Peremen’ has

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