The Cold War was a time that those of a certain age will remember living through quite vividly, and it included a terrifyingly tangible fear of global nuclear warfare. The Soviet Union was simply seen as an evil empire and the media surrounding America during those years had no problem perpetuating that narrative.
In my case, during the 1980s, it was films like Rocky IV, Red Dawn, or even Spies Like Us that set the diplomatic tone of the time. However, by the early 1990’s, I’d acquired an unusual record titled, Red Wave: 4 Underground Bands from the Soviet Union. I certainly didn’t know what to expect, but I was surprised to discover that the music contained in the album’s grooves was edgy, exciting, and surprisingly contemporary and timeless; it was cool. The Russian bands featured on the album were Aquarium, Kino, Strannye Igry (Strange Games), and Alisa.
Through glasnost and perestroika reforms this record remained in my collection. With the fall of the Soviet Union our Russian relations thawed through the years as they embraced a type of capitalistic culture that seemed somewhat familiar to us Americans. Cold War paranoia, the KGB, wiretaps, and global nuclear warfare gradually faded away.
Recently, however, our collective relationship with Russia has again changed and not for the better. But what an interesting time to learn that the catalyst for the Red Wave album that had been in my collection for so many years has recently released a book, Red Wave: An American in the Soviet Music Underground, detailing her story of how—right in the thick of the Cold War—she fell in love with the underground music and culture of the Soviet Union and how she was determined to bring their sounds to the United States and beyond.
Joanna Stingray joins me this week to discuss her adventures in Russia and her tireless determination to share that country’s brand of rock and roll with the rest of the world within the real Spy vs. Spy climate of the days. She debriefs us on what’s been happening with many of the key musical figures that she befriended and worked with in those days and we talk about how modern times remind us very much of the bad old Cold War days.
Ultimately, Stingray’s story is about the spiritual freedom of rock and roll no matter what country you were born in. We talk about all of these things, but we also have to wonder a few times, might there be anyone else listening in to our conversation? That is, anyone other than you, dear listener.
Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.
