Rock Defeated Communism

[Hep]

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.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031109/ap_en_mu/rock_music_communism_downfall_8

[youngred]

1. Yeah, he's been saying that for awhile

There was an article in the post last week or the week before about this and his beliefs that music helped turn the tide against communism

[Loonman]

2. Damn straight - crusty Reagan didn't win the cold war

McDonald's, Levi Jeans and the Beatles won the Cold War.

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Of course, OUR leaders don't want anyone to think that

They want to maintain the fiction that Russia was beaten into submission by our awesome military might and ability to outspend it.

But the truth is, our goods and our ideas flowed in, the people got hold of it, and THEY forced a change! (well, that and being fed up with their own economy, and the poverty of the government to begin with).

And though the repukes will admit that it was American IDEAS - they will never admit that it is was "degenerate" ideas that did it, like protest rock music, jeans, liberal writing, etc. They want to couch it only as "American ideas of freedom and justice". But of course, only the liberals ever actually talk/write/sing about the American of freedom of justice in a real way.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

4. As far as I know, the Czech underground were all huge Velvets fans

That's partly why they called it the Velvet Revolution (Serious!)
Just ask Vaclav Havel (coolest President ever!)

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Aye, this is true!

And why Havel made Zappa and ambassador!

Man, what I wouldn't give for a president with the cultural understanding and intelligence of a Havel.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

8. Wasn't Zappa also Honourary Arts Minister of Lithuania?

nb - Those Czechs rock!

[Squeech]

11. Statue of Frank Zappa in Riga

the capital city of Latvia.

Zappa and the Mothers were the big heroes of the Czech underground, along with the Velvets and the Doors. And this was known to the government forces. More than one dissident reported being picked up by the gendarmes for "questioning," and the interrogators would say, "We're gonna *beat* the Zappa out of you!"

And Frank himself liked to point out, if his music is so powerful in promoting freedom, how come he doesn't get more airplay in the land of the free?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

12. Aah, Latvia! I always get those Balts confused.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. Nah! Ted Turner Defeated Communism

When Turner showed the rest of the western world that not only could money be made in sattelite programming, but also that news and information could be pumped continuously over the birds and still make money, he spawned imitators all over the world. (Too bad one of them had to be Rupert Murdoch!)

Anyway, once the flow of information was basically unstoppable (just too much of it, all the time) the people behind the curtain were able to figure out that the whole Soviet experiment was a big lie.

The genie was out of the bottle, and people elsewhere had it MUCH better than they did. I also give credit to Gorbachev who recognized the jig was up and liberalized things, much to the chagrin of the other politburo members.

So, i have always believed that Ted Turner had 1000x more to do with the fall of the Soviet Union than did our government.
The Professor

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

7. The Solidarity Union beat communism

:evilgrin:

[blockhead]

9. I agree

It was Lech Walesa and his supporters who got the ball rolling.

[qwertyMike]

10. iggy pop

[CanuckAmok]

13. No, rock beats scissors. Paper bests Communism n/t