Russian Conductor Criticizes Pussy Riot
Furthering his reputation as a patsy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, conductor Valery Gergiev (pictured) has claimed Pussy Riot’s musical protest against Putin was a publicity stunt. Well, duh! The feminist punk band was making a point about the ever-lessening artistic freedom in Russia, and they knew that if they sang an anti-Putin song in Moscow’s main cathedral they would make headlines for their cause. And they did. And now two of the members of Pussy Riot are serving harsh sentences in penal colonies. Gergiev says that the band’s action has nothing “to do with artistic freedom” and that the women are out for potential commercial gain. Again: duh! Political consciousness and business success don’t have to be exclusive, Maestro. Meanwhile, Putin’s deputy prime minister for modernization tells the New York Times columnist Tom Friedman that the United States doesn’t have a stellar record itself when it comes to treatment of musicians, specially Tupac Shakur. Idiot! One wrong doesn’t justify another.
