BALANCE of CULTURE

The Timing of Russia's New Soft Power Plan

If timing is everything, then Russian President Vladimir Putin's three-year soft power initiative is right on schedule. The plan, which Putin ordered last July, involves the usual checklist for improving a nation's image abroad: building new (and modernizing currently existing) science and cultural centers, hosting youth festivals, and promoting the Russian language. 

So back to the timing of this…last summer Putin began stressing the importance of soft power, lamenting that Russia's image abroad was "lopsided" and thus needed attention by government officials.

But did this frame of mind just pop out of nowhere? It's difficult not to notice that Putin's July appeal for aggressively pursuing soft power conveniently occurred within four months of the arrests of feminist punk band Pussy Riot for their "hooliganism"--a case that produced perhaps the biggest media frenzy surrounding Russia in years. 

Putin has publicly discussed the subject of his country's image abroad in the past, but before states look to exercise soft power in order to counter unattractive domestic cases they might want to consider some self reflection.

Without acknowledging or dealing with the Russian Orthodox Church's exorbitant influence on not only Pussy Riot's criminal investigation but also their internal propaganda to their trusting citizens, Moscow's self-promotion of "youth," "culture," or even "science" abroad probably won't be received as very organic or even very trustworthy--at least not to most Western audiences who enjoy freedom of speech without a backlash from their local church, and so forth. According to polls by Levada Center, public opinion in Russia veered heavily with the Orthodoxy and even considered the global reactions to the arrests and harsh sentences as "unfair" and "hysterical." 

Ironically, despite Moscow's good intentions, Pussy Riot is the real winner from this situation. There are very few speedier ways to reveal a progressive sensibility in an unlikely setting than by getting arrested and jail time for playing a punk song that challenges conservative society. In this case, the soft power of the "unlikely setting" will probably get a lot less traction than anticipated simply because Pussy Riot's philosophy is already the status quo in many parts of the world.

Houdini Halloween

Rockstar notes. And yes, I do think the place may very well be haunted! [Taken at The Mansion in Laurel Canyon.]

Crystal Castles/Health/Kontravoid in LA

Crystal Castles at the Palladium. Health and Kontravoid opened. Entire show was an amazing experience--don't miss these groups if they come through your city.

Different Takes on K-Pop's Cultural Technology

One of my favorite bloggers Xeni Jardin has a great post today commenting on a recent New Yorker piece titled "Factory Girls," which looks at the "cultural technology" of South Korea's global K-pop machine. 

The New Yorker article is, according to Carl Hamm (radio/club DJ who regularly spins K-pop), "one of an endless stream of articles I have read that sort of 'warns' of a pending K-Pop invasion. But the fact is, it's already happened." 

This FP blog had a similar but slightly altered take on the subject, stating that the West is "actually late" to the K-pop party, which is enjoying considerable success throughout Asia. 

While most music lovers heard of Psy only this year through his hit "Gangnam Style," he's been around for some time now. The first time I heard Psy on regular mainstream radio was months ago in Hawaii on KISS FM, probably a few weeks before KIIS FM started to play it in Los Angeles. 

But when was the last time you heard K-pop on the radio before the horsey-dance hit the web--or any foreign song, for that matter? 

McPsy is Lovin' It

Psy's "Gangnam Style" video (which has 282,944,140 Youtube views as of this morning) may have inspired some recent "branding" by entities like McDonald's (a cleverly-timed spoof), a Major League Baseball team, and Thai Airlines to name a few, but just wait until this Halloween: retailers are busy anticipating that the Psy costume "will be the costume." 

$100k Bounty for Iranian Rapper Najafi

Germany-based Iranian rapper Shahin Najafi, now sometimes referred to as "the Salman Rushdie of music," (recall The Satanic Verses?) has a bounty on his head for "Naghi," his recent "blasphemous" song that Iranian clerics felt insults the Islamic religion. Though 31-year old Najafi is thousands of miles away, fatwas have been issued identifying him as an apostate--a label punishable by death under the nation's sharia law. 

The founder of Shia-Online.ir, an Iranian religion website, is offering a $100,000 (£62,000) reward for whoever kills Najafi. Seriously.

The song chronicles the tumultuous events in Iran the past year. Najafi states to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle:

I thought there would be some ramifications. But I didn't think I would upset the regime that much. Now they are taking advantage of the situation and making it look like I was trying to criticise religion and put down believers. For me it is more of an excuse to talk about completely different things. I also criticise Iranian society in the song. It seems as though people are just concentrating on the word 'imam'.

Residing in Germany, Najafi almost certainly will have a less ultra-traditional stance on his lyrics. But the usage of "imam" ("Islamic spiritual leader") in the song insults these clerics just as easily as women who attend sports games or own pets. Not too many people or circumstances can satisfy the mindsets of these ultra-extremist types, especially in our time of rapid content-sharing and freedom of expression. 

Rest in Peace, MCA

Last Friday the world lost Adam Yauch--otherwise known as "MCA" of the Beastie Boys--an amazing artist, humanitarian, and individual. Our hearts go out to his wife, daughter, and all of his loved ones. He touched so many lives with his love of music, film, and the rights of the Tibetan people. 

We were fortunate enough to meet Adam through our gallery over the years. His rock star status never prevented him from hanging out in our little experimental space on La Cienega, or joining us for a simple, homestyle Salvadoran meal nearby at one of our favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants…below are a couple of photos taken before his illness was announced to the public.

One of the most down-to-earth icons ever. The world could learn a thing or two from this man's legacy.

Rest in peace, Adam Yauch. 

Ballet & Radiohead

Just beautiful! My ballet instructors were super old-school so we never used contemporary music like Radiohead during my serious dance years, but this video makes the two look like they go hand-in-hand...

From First Ladies to Bitter Bettys

As part of the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit yesterday, Korea's first lady Kim Yoon-ok hosted a slew of global leaders' wives to an official luncheon where the women enjoyed Korean hansik cuisine (kimchi pancake, japchae, noodles, etc.). Afterwards they relaxed and were treated to live performances of traditional hanbok and ballet as well as an intimate show by K-pop stars JYJ and Seong Si-kyung.

I can't emphasize how important it is for the spouses of world leaders to get together and develop their own discourse with one another, even if it is simply another way for their men to passively network and gather information. Surely these women do not agree on every issue, but they nevertheless are confident and successful enough to engage with each other through casual cultural experiences. Even if they cannot come to a consensus on every conversation, a symbolic stance of unity and support is exactly what civilized and educated women should strive for.

In a world where so many girls and women have little hope for a life beyond illiteracy to even sex-trafficking, I firmly believe that women need to support fellow women much, much more. It sounds simple, but to be honest, women have a tendency to shun other women who they deem as some kind of a threat, and often in ways much less slick than their male counterparts.

I'm particularly embarrassed for adult women who enjoy the luxuries of being a Western female today, only to use their privileged positions for bitter attempts at entitled social gatekeeping. This behavior is an archetype for a reason, and this behavior starts early. Remember the movie Mean Girls?

Luckily, there are plenty of women who don't feel the instantaneous need to become Bitter Bettys whenever they feel threatened--or if they do, they hide it well and recall what it means to truly be civilized adults.

There's always room for change, and women must start supporting each other if we want the world to improve beyond what our elite men have basically created--and some would even call this world a "mess."

Bad Girls like Middle Finger Malfunctions

M.I.A.'s latest video "Bad Girls" is a much better thing to watch than yesterday's rather tepid Superbowl halftime performance with Madonna, Nicki, M.I.A., LMFAO, and Cee lo (let's face it, Madge needs all the youthful help she can get at this point) -- the music video has lots of cool scenery in Ouarzazate, Morocco with creative choreography and car stunts.

To her credit though, at least M.I.A. stuck with her new video's theme and flipped the bird (aka middle finger malfunction) to the primetime cameras yesterday, effectively riling up the usual suspects like Parents Television Council and of course Fox News.

It's "big news" today but I doubt too many people noticed at the time, though -- most were staring longingly at either Madonna reinventing herself again or the hordes of dark, ripped young guys she brought with her…I guess some things never change!