From Late-Socialist Irony to Post-Socialist World: The Songs of Egor Letov

• In Event: Music and Liberation II: Pushing the Official Boundaries

Abstract

The rise of the National Bolshevik Party marks the emergence of what Fabrizio Fenghi has characterized as “militant stiob,” which, in contrast to the more ambiguous stiob of the early eighties, embraced totalitarian symbols as a way of openly and actively expressing dissent. As one of its most prominent members, Siberian poet and Grazhdanskaia Oborona (Civil Defense) frontman Egor Letov played a significant role in promoting and defining the NBP’s early aesthetic and style. Although his embrace of nationalism in many respects marked a break from his earlier creative output, his music nonetheless continued to develop key themes of his perestroika era music: among other things, stiob and overidentification with official discourse. Examining songs from perestroika-era and post-Soviet records, this paper will explore how Letov contributed to the development of militant stiob and helped translate late-socialist irony into a post-socialist world.

Author

• Jacob Christopher Richey, U of Pittsburgh