Rock n Roll beat Communism, not Reagan....

[Botafogo]

I am watching the Hungarian Ambassador to the US, Andras Simonyi, on CSPAN talking at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame about "The role of Rock Music in Social Change" and he is talking about how the MUSIC changed the world. He was a member of several rock bands in Hungary during the oppressive Communist era and speaks about how, even though they had to censor their lyrics, the power and inherent freedom in the actual music inspired a whole generation to fight the power and eventually led to the Velvet Revolution of 1989.

According to him, Traffic, Jimi Hendrix and Cream were the driving force of the fall of communism and the desire of the young people of the Iron Curtain countries to seek freedom as they showed that there was freedom in the world.

He really makes a case for it. Look for a rebroadcast of this show, I almost cried watching it and he DID cry when playing a montage of Robert Johnson, Cream and his band from 1972 playing "Crossroads".

Host of the event was Skunk Baxter of Doobie Bros and Steely Dan fame (who also consults for the Defense Department) who added that, "In retrospect we should have recognized the sheer power of our culture: hey, everyone wants french fries, blue jeans and Rock n Roll, right?"

Music is love, Music is life.....


[This message has been edited by Botafogo (edited 12-14-2003).]