Coming Soon: How Rock Rolled Up the Iron Curtain

Most (good) history books correctly portray the collapse of communism as due to the efforts of Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II. But there were other subversive elements at work, not the least of which was rock and roll, which bled through the Iron Curtain at an unstoppable level. In Seven Events that Made America America, I examined rock’s part in not only providing a source of hope and optimism for those youth locked under communism’s grip, but also how it became a subversive force within the East Bloc. Through interviews with American rock and rollers of the “Golden Era” (1965-1990), I found an awareness on the part of the musicians of the oppressive nature of communism.

After I had sent the book off, Marc Leif, a documentary director and superb editor, and I got together to discuss a documentary film based on the rock chapter. As a professor, I’d never raised any money in my life, but now I had to raise a considerable sum to make a movie about rock and roll! We began filming in January 2010, with one of our first interviews being Leslie Mandoki, a Hungarian student leader who crawled through a sewer to escape communism. “We ALL wanted to be Americans!” he insisted. (Mandoki has become quite successful, not only in mainstream European rock, but as the music director for Audi and Volkswagen). As he thrived in the West, Mandoki soon traveled in circles with some well known people, including Bill Clinton and Mikhael Gorbachev, and was surprised to hear Gorby tell him that “we couldn’t keep out rock and roll.”

Rockin’ the Wall will be out in August and the website/trailer can be seen here.

Yup...blue jeans and rock ‘n roll brought down an empire.

Blue jeans, burgers, car culture, and rock and roll.

Pillar by pillar the signs of "Americana" are being knocked down.

For all intensive purposes, rock music (on a large cultural scale) was dead after 1994 when the suits shoved grunge and independent music out the door for another wave of choreographed lip synching boy bands.

Look at the acts playing the big sheds and selling the top tours. Nothing new down the pike. There are plenty of worthwhile bands but the corporations won't ackowlege them.

There was rock and roll between 1959 and 1964 too but again, we are told after Buddy Holly, there was nothing until the Beatles.

Burgers are "now" called unhealthy.

Cars must be made smaller, less exiting, and cruising and drive throughs and road trips are OUT.

And Levis aren't the jeans they once were. Cheap denim and poor quality control when it comes to sizing (plus a manufactured "sag" because the masses are told "that baggy look is in now").

Comic books were killed (just a cottage industry over the titles that sold 10s of millions in their prime). Movies are made for foreign consumption over US interest (truth justice and all that...).

Homes with front yards are old hat, buy a condo skyrise instead...

Never used to be told you couldn't have a hearty toilet or incandescent light bulbs.

Our president says we can't even set our thermostats at whatever we'd like to.

There has been a conscious effort to kill of the America of the 20th century.

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