Pussy Riot Call Russia a "Red Prison" in New Video
Despite a hunger strike, handwritten letters from Sir Paul McCartney and continued international attention, two members of Pussy Riot remain behind bars. Now several of the remaining members of the Russian feminist punk collective are lashing out at President Putin's handling of the Russian oil industry in a low budget clip called "Like a Red Prison."
According to a blog post accompanying this video, Pussy Riot say "only Putin and several of his friends see this 7 trillion" in rubles that the Russian oil industry earns each year. The song's lyrics rail against "homophobic vermin" in the government and liken Putin to "Iran's Ayatollah," implying his close ties to the Russian Orthodox Church make Russia uncomfortably similar to a theocracy such as Iran.
Incendiary politics aside, you might be surprised to hear how familiar Pussy Riot's music sounds in "Like a Red Prison." The fuzzy, simple rocker is all about three-chord guitar licks, breakneck drumming and impassioned, less-than-melodic shouting. Sure, this territory has been well-worn by many a punk before them, but for Pussy Riot, the stakes are obviously higher. After all, political punk outfits like Crass or Dead Kennedys never saw its members jailed for two years due to a single 50-second performance.
Watch it above: It's a great reminder that while punk has morphed into a lifestyle for Americans and Brits, it still remains a dangerous art form in other parts of the world.
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