Quantcast
 Everett True

Song of the day – 493: Pussy Riot (+ a mini-rant)

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page

Pussy Riot by Jean Smith

Punk rock. Fuck yeah. We are all Pussy Riot. 

The stench of hypocrisy emanating from the U.S. government over the Pussy Riot ‘verdict’ (inverted commas used, because quite clearly the decision was made to incarcerate the three women before the ‘trial’ even began) is overwhelming: think they’d have reacted any differently in similar circumstances on their own soil? ‘Course not. U.K. politicians, too. It’s all a gigantic bandwagon that folk can clamber on, nail their colours to the mast, the cynical secure in the reflected credibility of those who passionately care, a big old whirligig of sex and mock outrage and ‘free speech’.

Sting goes public in his support for the Pussy Riot ladies and the same day the verdict is announced, he plays a party in honour of Putin’s sister. That’s joined-up thinking for you. The Tories condemn the ‘trial’ ‘verdict’. Right. The fucking Tories.

The Russian Orthodox Christians were very vocal in their condemnation of the collective before the trial verdict was announced, absolutely supportive of the idea of a prison sentence: “It is God’s will,” announced one senior clergy member. (Funny that, I thought it was Putin’s will. Or are the two indistinguishable in Russia these days?) Now that the Orthodox Church sense the moral majority turning against them – after all it’s hardly an “eye for an eye” – they want that the ladies should be set free. Sanctimonious, smug hypocrites.

The judge in the case pronounces men and women to be on equal status across in Russia and hence feminism only creates religious hatred (15:36 on this live blog). Or something. It’s hard to tell in the translation. And I’m sure I read somewhere a few weeks back that the prosecution argued that clearly the Pussy Riot song ‘Punk Prayer’ was an attack on religious beliefs – so nice to know that the fate of Earth rests with folk who believe in supernatural beings – and not political, because no politicians are mentioned in the lyrics. Er, that would be except for Putin in the opening line and main chorus, then. Or is he really viewed as God by the Russian Orthodox Church?

Whatever. There’s a new Pussy Riot single out. Of course there’s a new Pussy Riot single out. And it fucking rocks harder than anything else from 2012, ‘Ill Manors’ perhaps excepted. Of course it does. CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT. No coincidence that it’s taken women to effect any major change within the poisoned citadel that is rock’n’roll in 2012. Men are such a devalued currency… as Putin and his humourless, protectionist cronies and apologisists, and their hypocritical counterparts condemning them from the other side of the world, prove.

One simple acid test for anyone supporting Pussy Riot now. Who among the very vocal and increasingly public chorus line of celebs and B-grade politicians voicing their support for a bunch of disenfranchised women in Russia fighting a battle most can barely comprehend would have done the same 30 years ago in the U.K. when it was Crass vs the establishment (or even 20 years ago, when it was Riot Grrrl vs the establishment, albeit on a much smaller scale)? Kate Nash: yes. Peaches: why the fuck not? Bjork: definitely. The U.S. State Department? Are you fucking kidding me?

‘Putin Lights Up Fires’

State more time in prison
The more arrests – more happiness
And every arrest – with a love of sexist
After swinging his cheeks, as the chest and abdomen

But we can not be resealed in the box
Security officers overthrew the better and more

Putin ignites the fires of revolution
He was bored and frightened people in the silence
Whatever punishment he had – that rotten ash,
With no time in many years – the subject for wet dreams

Chorus.
The country is, the country goes to the streets with audacity
The country is, the country is going to say goodbye to the regime,
The country is, the country is a wedge of feminist
And Putin is Putin goes, leave cattle

Arrested on May 6 the whole city
7 years we have little, give me 18
The ban yelling, slander, and walk,
Take his wife’s dad Lukashenko

Chorus 2 times.

Song of the day? Song of the fucking year.

Related posts:
Song of the day – 492: the collected Pussy Riot Brisbane mixes
Do I think Pussy Riot will provoke a new coming of Riot Grrrl? (my answer to a question from The Guardian)
Create your own Pussy Riot protest song

Pussy Riot Painting: Jean Smith

3 Responses to Song of the day – 493: Pussy Riot (+ a mini-rant)

  1. Pingback: we are all pussy riot;

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.