Pussy Riot is first and foremost a political activist group rather than an artistic musical group. In this last section I want to discuss the choice to use the genre of punk rock as their medium of protest. They are not a traditional music group. They do not perform traditional concerts for fans nor do they sell records for fans to buy. They use the energy that comes with punk music for the most effective way to convey their message. For Pussy Riot it is the best, most clear and attention grabbing way to spread their message of opposition to the Putin government and traditional Russian ideology. In order to understand the decision to become a political punk rock group, one must understand the roots of politics in punk rock.
Roots and Ideology
Punk began in the 1970s in New York and London as a symbol against traditional rock music and the ideologies that came with it. In London, it began with working class young people who were dissatisfied with their social situations. They used punk to express their dissatisfaction and rebellious nature. Punk was supposed to be the antithesis of traditional idea of a musician. Many punk bands knew little about music but they were able to create a sound that embodied the rebellious spirit that young people were looking for at a time of great social and political unrest. “Rude and unconventional, punks tended to view established social conventions as hypocritical obfuscations obscuring the brutality of real life.”[1] Punk rock was meant to be openly offensive and critical of outsiders. It was meant to shock outsiders out of their complacency towards life’s injustices.[2] Their angry and violent tones are expressed through screaming and destroying their instruments and audience members would express their excitement and support through mosh pits and throwing things on stage. There was a shift from the traditional relationship between the audience and the performers. Rather then simply watching and dancing, the audience became an important part of the whole show and atmosphere. Outside of the concerts, fans embraced their political views, and became part of important political movements that bands would sing about.
Sex Pistols’ “God Save The Queen” released 1977
Punk Rock and Political activism
As Punk has spread around the world, it has continued to hold onto its DIY ethos as well as its basis in political change. Some of it has been co opted by capitalist forces but there was always a background that existed in the desire to make social change through music. In the 1990s the riot grrrl movement began the feminist era of punk rock and changed the once male dominated music scene into one with far left political leanings with bases in feminist values.[3] In a way this punk scene is really what Pussy Riot has modeled itself off of. The way that the 1970s punk bands fought against passivity toward racial and economic injustices, the riot grrrl movement fought against the passivity toward the blatant sexism that existed in the Punk Rock culture as well as mainstream culture. This became the second wave of political activism in punk. The Riot Grrrl movement started in Washington D.C and spread around the country in the 1990s. There had been women punk groups in the 1970s and 1980s, but the women in the 1990s gained prominence that women before them never had in the punk culture. The movement was named Riot Grrrl following the riots in D.C in 1991, when a Salvadoran man was shot by a police officer and hundreds of people rose up, attacking police, damaging property and looting. A prominent women punk member said that the summer was going to be “a girl riot”.[3] The most prominent band of the Riot Grrrl movement was called Bikini Kill who became a symbol for women in the punk rock culture.
Bikini Kill live in Washington D.C, 1992.
Many of the values that Pussy Riot hold close were also important to the Riot Grrrl movement: Feminism, anti-capitalism, and a fight for political power through protest and song. Knowing the origins of the punk movement and especially the Riot Grrrl movement it is easy to see why Pussy Riot would choose this type of music to express their opinions. Since the Russian society is so conservative and traditional, Pussy Riot uses the same strategy of shocking the public out of their political complacency that punk bands have done since the 1970s. Since punk is a relatively new phenomenon in Russia, one can compare Russian reaction to how people might have reacted to it in New York in the 1970s. There is traditional protest in Russia, but protest through music seems to have been much more effective in catching the attention of the Russian public and supporters around the world. “Protest art is activist by nature, attempting to transform audiences who might then transform society.”[2]Pussy Riot was able to harness the energy and rage that comes with punk music and channel it into their own political aspirations. There is very little opportunity to challenge the government in traditional democratic ways, through petitions and interests groups. Pussy Riot found a way to make Putin listen to their grievances and make him pay politically for their arrest.
[1] Dunn, Kevin. (2008). “Never Mind the Bollocks: The Punk Rock Politics of Global Communication”. Review of International Studies. Cambridge University Press.
[2] Drake, Kimberly. (2009). “The Violence in / of Representation: Protest Strategies from Slave Narrative to Punk Rock”. Pacific Coast Ideology. Penn State University Press.
[3] Schilt, Kristen. “The History of Riot Grrls in Music” The Feminist Ezine. 2015