Miscellaneous
How homophobic is Russia really? From the perspective of music history, you'd be surprised to see a very different image of Russia. In the European pop music of the last decades, Russia is not only a flourishing space of LGBT music; it's a trendsetter. Does Russia have a more dominant LGBT-scene than the rest of Europe? Or is it about something else? Something that's about Russia's peculiar relation with the rest of Europe? A relation that goes back way back into history? We are talking this episode with Roman Gerasimov, a Russian journalist and the most pop music-obsessed guy I've ever met. With him, we'll get into the story of two very different Russian music acts that shook Europe: T.A.T.u. and Pussy Riot. Speaking of Europe, there is more: Italy is getting ready for new elections, a failed terrorist attack took place in Norway, and Luxembourg legalises cannabis (and no, the Netherlands still doesn't). Photo by Victoria Borodinova from Pexels