The Golden Age of Russki Rok
Russian/Soviet rock music of the 1980s, the golden age of the genre, is understood as critical of the Soviet state and a force that was instrumental in breaking down the Iron Curtain. On the other hand, much of contemporary Russian rock seems to be in perfect harmony with the politics of today’s Russia, including its inclinations to build new walls between its perceived traditional values and the depraved values of the West. Touching on politics and history, this talk traces the development of Russki Rok from "open" and "progressive" to "isolationist" and "conservative." While analyzing the very term “русский рок” losing its original meaning and adopting a new one, Mike (Misha) Danilin will discuss some of its key representatives, both in the beginning of their career in the 1980s and today.
Michael (Misha) Danilin received his MA from Russian and Slavic Department at New York University (NYU) in 2008. He has been teaching at NYU since 2006, working as a preceptor at such world cultures’ courses as “Russia between East and West” and “Russia since 1917” and teaching Russian language. In addition, he serves as an expert in Russian rock doing occasion lecture series and hosting other experts’ talks on related subjects (i.e. Mikhail Borzikin and Joanna Stingray). He also runs his own semi-annual talk / music event “Kvartirnik @ NYU” hosting both local bands and artists with Russian ancestry and Russian celebrities (i.e. Fyodor Chistyakov of NOL, Mikhail Borzikin of TELEVIZOR and Gerbert Morales of JAH DIVIZION). Outside of academia, Danilin is deeply involved in music: he writes, sings and produces for several different projects, both in the US and abroad, while running the two bands of his own – INTERZONA (alternative electronica) and MD & THE HEALERS (reggae / world fusion beat), both based in New York.