Video from Olympics opening

Mon Feb 10 12:58:01 UTC 2014

Dear Linda,

you may try this: http://rutube.ru/video/fb473dbe60a6cb13024daea753bfc8b4/
You will have to search for the other parts;

if this does not open outside Russia, try using hidemyass.com . Sorry
for the foul word, but this resourse have always been reliable so far.

Of course, this video is in some details different from what was shown
for the outsiders; but all omissions are easily found on the same
rutube channel as well..

Sincerely,

On 10 February 2014 16:48, Linda Scatton <linda.scatton at gmail.com> wrote:
> I missed the opening ceremony for the Sochi Olympics. Does anyone know of a
> site where I can view the whole sequence? I've found only snippets so far.
>
> Linda Scatton
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Feb 9, 2014, at 11:41 PM, "Carr, Christopher"
> <christopher_carr at BROWN.EDU> wrote:
>
> I would like to echo how interesting this discussion has been. Thanks,
> everyone! Enjoying all of the suggestions/comments in this thread. A couple
> more points:
>
> 1. As has been noted, it probably isn't possible to come up with an exact
> parallel to Vysotsky. If pressed, I would vote for Dylan. One of the
> original criticisms against this was that Dylan only spoke to the American
> intelligentsia while Vysotsky's influence was more universal in the USSR.
> That may be true (although others in this list have written about Dylan's
> broad influence, with which I agree), but it could be argued that they were
> both speaking to the same audience. This depends on the definition of
> "intelligentsia," but if that term is defined broadly as those who are
> socially and politically conscious, then Vysotsky spoke to the same people.
> The only difference is that there were many more Soviet citizens into that
> category than Americans. In any case, I think it's wrong to compare the
> influence and talent levels of Vysotsky and Dylan et al. I don't think
> anyone could possibly have had the same influence in America that Vysotsky
> did in the USSR. Attention is pulled in too many different directions over
> here (but it's fun to hear everyone argue for their favorites!). I don't
> mean this as an insult, but there's a reason why there are 8-10
> American/British artists on that list and only one Soviet.
>
> 2. In terms of more contemporary comparisons, several have mentioned Cobain
> as the best parallel to Vysotsky. Cobain and Nirvana were great and hugely
> influential; there is no denying that. And it is impossible to say what they
> might have done post-1994 (although I don't think very much). But the most
> appropriate comparison is actually Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam. Some might
> balk at this, as Pearl Jam was grossly miscategorized as the sellout,
> commercial version of Nirvana/grunge. But this is simply not true. In terms
> of the criteria identified by the original posting (poetics, voice,
> performance, influence, etc...Sorry, I don't remember them exactly.), then
> Vedder completely blows Cobain out of the water. (Chris Cornell was better
> than Cobain, too.) Nirvana was great. But Pearl Jam was always better. They
> had better lyrics/poetics and better music/musicians. Vedder's voice is
> light years better (better than most, not just Cobain's). Pearl Jam was more
> popular (then and now) and they were more socially and politically active.
> Cobain didn't even seem like he liked his own fans. And in terms of
> performance, Pearl Jam killed it every night with their philosophy of not
> having a set list -- there is no better band out there, even today. I would
> invite you to watch the excellent documentary "Pearl Jam Twenty," (streaming
> on Netflix and also on YouTube) released in 2011 to mark the band's
> twenty-year anniversary, which tells the story of the band's origins,
> influences, spiritual/political/social conscience, and global popularity.
> They came onto the scene as the best band in the early 90s, and they have
> evolved and matured into the best band out there today.
>
> This brings up a contentious point regarding the scope of all of these
> singers'/bands' influences. It was mentioned earlier that we should only
> consider influence in the band's home country. But the
> technological/information explosion of the last decade should not be
> ignored, not to mention the insane number of entertainment choices that
> there are today, along with the general erosion of attention spans. In terms
> of influence, I'm not sure that there will ever be another purely American
> or Russian or (insert nationality) act in the same way as those in previous
> generations, for the above reasons and because the focus is so overly global
> today. Now, artists can skyrocket to fame, but the masses will most likely
> turn their attention away just as quickly. Again, there is no telling what
> Nirvana might have done, but Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam are still massively
> popular all over the world. And their stuff is just better. Always was,
> still is. Take a listen.
>
> Best, Chris
>
>
> On Sun, Feb 9, 2014 at 10:46 PM, Sentinel76 Astrakhan
> <thysentinel at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Some more replies.
>>
>> I wanted to add a few points to my comparison of Vysotsky to Kurt Cobain.
>> Although they may not have too many "items on the checklist" in common, I
>> think that Cobain is uniquely suited to explain the concept of "nadryv" to
>> current American students. Dylan and Cash don't quite accomplish the same
>> level of vocal angst or self-abnegation, in my opinion. The voices of
>> Marley, Simon and others sound much too sweet.  (Masha Kisel)
>>
>> I will try to do my best to keep my personal preferences out of this.  IMO
>> mentioning Cobain in the same sentence as Vysotsky is a grave insult to the
>> latter.  Scream alone is not enough:  this has been preferred way of
>> vocalizing since the 1960s, thoroughly perfected by heavy metal.  Poetically
>> they are not in the same galaxy.  Intellectually, philosophically,
>> artistically, theatrically... there is just no comparison.  As far as
>> "self-abnegation":  I don't know what you're talking about, as Vysotsky
>> displayed none.  He knew his worth perfectly.
>>
>>
>> This is all subjective of course (did Vysotsky ever write anything as cool
>> as "Atlantic City," "Tower of Song" or "Heart-Shaped Box"? etc.).  As for
>> cultural impact, the various subgenres of American music rarely ever reach
>> out to everybody--in a sense that's part of their power. Kurt Cobain, who in
>> concert could destroy pretty much everything and everybody on a good night,
>> arguably spoke to just about every disaffected white kid in America under
>> the age of 25 back in the 1990s; (Matt Walker)
>>
>> FWIW "Heart-Shaped Box" was single-handedly my most hated song of the
>> early 90s, and to ask if "Vysotsky ever write anything as cool as
>> "Heart-Shaped Box"? adds salt to the wound, because I know Vysotsky never
>> wrote anything as hideous.  Plus, I don't think a hundred Cobains could
>> possibly destroy Vysotsky in concert.  All Vysotsky had to do was sing his
>> "Wolfhunt," and Kurt would have been begging for his autograph.
>>
>>
>> I would add that the lack of longevity you associate with some of the
>> artists above is actually testament to the vibrancy of the American
>> tradition--someone new always comes along who does it differently, if not
>> better. In the late 1980s you used to hear Led Zeppelin on the radio
>> constantly in America, people were still buying their albums like they had
>> just come out yesterday a full ten years after they broke up, but that had
>> less to do with their greatness than with the fact that mainstream rock
>> music here was more or less in a creative rut. Kurt Cobain is probably most
>> important in rock history for dragging all of that above the floorboards, so
>> to speak. (Matt Walker)
>>
>> What you call "vibrancy," I would call "fickleness," but luckily, it's not
>> true.  Beatles, Doors, LZ, PF, and GnR are still very frequently played on
>> the radio, and people still dig them very much.  Nirvana -- not really.
>> America still loves its past heroes.  Again, the longevity of Cobain's
>> impact was extremely short-lived:  it barely outlived grunge as a genre, and
>> white angry kids soon got another idol of similar intellectual prowess,
>> Eminem.  In fact, it is pretty obvious to me that even Bob Marley's
>> longevity is far superior to Cobain's.
>>
>>
>>
>> if George Bush Sr. had been able to respond to Nirvana like you say
>> Brezhnev responded to Vysotsky, then Cobain would have been doing something
>> wrong.  (Matt Walker)
>>
>> So at least we are clear on Cobain's limited appeal?
>>
>>
>>
>> Would someone explain to me why "Brezhnev responded to Vysotsky" is saying
>> something good about Vysotsky?   It reminds me of those pins showing Nixon
>> and Elvis together.  I was there at the time (i.e., alive and conscious
>> then) and I never thought it was saying anything positive about either one.
>> By the way, apropo of nothing, Hitler liked dogs. (Jules Levin)
>>
>> I am not sure what is to be "explained" here.  When an artist's work
>> appeals to everybody (and, in Vysotsky's and Elvis's case, I mean
>> "EVERYBODY"), it has greater cultural impact than an artist's work that
>> appeals to a select group of cockney misfits, Greenwich Village
>> intellectuals, or inner city kids.  If Brezhnev adored the man who, with
>> every word he screamed, defied his regime, it clearly adds to the merits of
>> that man's work.  It truly takes great art to overcome political and
>> societal conflicts and hostilities and unify people of all lifestyles and
>> beliefs, even momentarily.
>>
>> What does Hitler's love for dogs have to do with anything?
>>
>> Have a great week!
>> Vadim
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
>> options, and more. Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>> http://seelangs.wix.com/seelangs
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
> options, and more. Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
> http://seelangs.wix.com/seelangs
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
> options, and more. Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
> http://seelangs.wix.com/seelangs
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- 
Dr. Vladimir Orlov
PhD in Musicology (Cantab)
Associate Professor, Smolny-Bard College
Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences, St. Petersburg State University
http://spbu.academia.edu/VladimirOrlov
Trustee for Cultural and Artistic Affairs, Russian Cambridge Foundation
www.russiancambridge.org

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                        http://seelangs.wix.com/seelangs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------