Monsters of rock...

1991 was a time of turbulence in Russia - at the time USSR. Gorbachev was pushing reforms that were not welcomed by hardline communists including the KGB. The situation boiled over when in August '91 the hardliners attempted a coup against Gorbachev's government. During the coup when the KGB forces attempted to take control of parliamentary buildings, young Russians came out in their defense. The buildings were symbolic of the Russian peoples' right to freedom and democracy and the youth were not prepared to be mute spectators as KGB took control over them. In the ensuing clashes, many of the young defenders lost their lives. In the end, the coup failed and the sacrifice of the kids who died - choosing death to a life of subjugation and propaganda - etched into the hearts and minds of the Russian public the preciousness of their hard won democracy.

One month later, in the September of 1991, a one day rock concert was organised at a huge airfield Tushino, just outside Moscow. Though this was said to be part of the Monsters of Rock European tour, this particular concert was made special by the circumstances that had just preceded the event and for the fact that it was free - open to everyone. For the first time there were western bands, particularly American, playing in Russia to salute the spirit of the youth and what they had stood up for.

I laid my hands on the fantastic video coverage of the event. That this DVD is out of print makes it a collector's item for any music lover worth his salt.

The concert received around 500,000 in audience. But as though a shadow of the era that had just passed, truncheon weilding police are seen deployed at the concert to keep the crowd "in check". The show starts off with images of the police beating up the young rockers trying to have a good time; perhaps, because such an outward show of youthful celebration as displayed by the rockers was never witnessed in Moscow before that day. However as the concert proceeds, and as the music and vodka continues to flow, the police eventually throw away their batons, rip off their uniform coats and sway to the music right along with the crowd. Wow! now that's what I call a rock concert.

Musically, there's Pantera, Metallica, AC DC, the Black Crowes and a Russian band EST on the show. Being aware of what the guys in the crowd had been through , one can make out how all of the bands play their heart out for them making sure the crowd have the time of their life. Perhaps some of the best live acts from Metallica and AC DC are on this video.

High points for me are the performances of "Everybody must get stoned.." by the Crowes (the crowd getting stoned on the music, liquor and God knows what other shit), "Creeping Death" by Metallica (five hundred thousand humans chanting "Die") and I must say the whole set by AC DC - the final act of the show. If Maiden have Eddy, then AC DC have Rosie - she comes up as a backdrop blow up on "A whole lotta Rosie" and on "Highway to hell" complete with the devil horns. Now I know what "whole lotta Rosie" refers to - a whore with an ample body :). AC DC sets a standard of live performance I've hardly seen anyone, really, anyone match. On the song "For those about to rock, we salute you.." Brian Johnson builds up to an earth shattering 21 gun (firework) salute to the crowd and Angus Young simply lets himself loose on all the tracks pulling off some of the fastest ass kicking riffs. Loved it!

I spent the two hours or so headbanging away to the great music on this DVD - a wonderful catharsis for a shit week gone by. It continues to amaze me how powerful this kind of music is - filling in for that what people find incomplete in themselves or for what they lose to the toll that life takes.

Woodstock '69, Live Aid, The Rising; now I have one more added to the list - Monsters of Rock '91.

Krakatsunda

For the curious, this title of my blog comes from a Sanskrit word which means "Destroyer of cyclic existence". Why did I name my blog like that - I don't know, I just felt this was a wonderful Sanskrit word with an even more inspiring meaning.

I leave it to the readers to figure what my sign off name Vipashyin stands for. Yes, it is Sanskrit.

300

I watched the movie 300 with much awe. It was not the special effects that put me in awe, it was the heart and courage of men of battle that took me in. The battle at Thermopylae pitched one man's courage against another. I have been reading more and more about the Spartan culture these days impressed by their ideas of dignity, bravery and their ferocious spirit of independence.

In fact I have always been a believer that there indeed are two kinds of people - those that uphold their principles and dignity above anything else and would literally make it as the basis of their life while there are the others for whom material gain is all that matters or they are just happy to exist from one day to another. The world of the battles was the world of honour, respect and dignity - a world run by warriors. The world of today is run by businessmen and politicians, mostly spineless creatures.

Sometimes I wonder if today we really are better off than before. Taking for instance the case of India, values of the aryans - their patronage of knowledge, art, spirituality and valour are mostly forgotten. Mahabharata and Ramayan are nothing but odes to men who stood up for what they believed was their Dharma and took on overwhelming odds to come out victors as much due to their valour in the battlefield as to their deep belief in doing what was right. Unfortunately, these aspects of the epics have been forgotten and such human values as those enshrined in them are almost lost.

It is the world of back stabbing, self gain and exploitation now. If you just imagine that somehow we were to be returned to those times of the past where men had to stand up in battles for their families and clans you would not take long to realise that the breed of businessmen and politicians currently in power would be the first ones fleeing a battlefield because there would be little by way of their physical condition, bravery and inner uprightness that could keep them holding their ground.

Not too far back in history, considering that I started off with the battle of Thermopylae, 480 BC, right here in India we had Shivaji and his fearless warriors that we can look back to. In almost similar circumstances as the battle of Thermopylae, in the year 1660, Baji Prabhu Deshpande a brave sardar of the Marathas, held up a huge army sent by Adil Shah at the Pavan Khind pass to allow Shivaji to retreat to the Vishalgaad fort where he could regroup his men to set up an attack in return. Baji Prabhu Deshpande took on an army of 10,000 with 150 men. He fought with such bravery that it's now one of the greatest testaments to Maratha courage. He held off the whole army with his men and even with fatal injuries kept fighting, giving up his life only after he heard the canons at the Vishalgaad fort go off, signalling the successful escape of Shivaji.

For men of such constitution I don't think any corrupting influences exist. It's men like these and their values that we have lost. And probably, in the process much more that we can not comprehend.

My belief in warrior culture has just been re-enforced.



Baji Prabhu Deshpande