Listen now | Evgenia and I talk about TraumaZone, Adam Curtis’ latest doc series. It’s about seven hours long and tries to tell the story of the twin destructions that took place in Russia: the destruction of communism and the destruction of democracy.
I couldn't bring myself to read Generation P because at one point a former coworker would waltz around the office with it. Among his many faults he was a "repat", in that unlike an "expat" he apparently emigrated much like Yasha did to California, and then for reasons that escape me later returned to Moscow and thus held the absolute worst opinions of both worlds. He would use the term "sovok" frequently in conversation, both in English and Russian. It was insufferable.
Anyway excellent commentary as ever. I enjoyed TraumaZone but I think far too much of it will fly over people's heads because of the sheer densitry of everything in all the footage that I don't think even Curtis might be aware of, because every 30 seconds needs some kind of footnote. For all their faults, the BBC had some of the best stringers in the world that had an incredible sense of detail capturing the soviet/post soviet space on film.
The Ames term, “depression porn” came to mind when I saw this. I suppose I found it riveting. Having heard this story told via text and audio it was eye-opening to see footage.
The way Communist propaganda about USA kind of proved itself right in the end, actually gives me some weird nihilist hope. That change whatever direction it goes is possible.
I saw that 2006 Johnson documentary some time ago. I’m glad I never grew up obsecenly overburdened with resources. Those types have an empty hole and must constantly prove themselves.
Mar 2, 2023·edited Mar 2, 2023Liked by Yasha Levine
I must say I am also one of the people who found TraumaZone riveting, and it was interesting to hear your perspectives on it. I actually discovered your podcast through this episode, pretty recently (I was searching 'Adam Curtis' on my podcast app, to see if he'd done any additional interviews since the release of the series), and now I've listened to your most recent eps and have started going back through the older ones as well.
As an American born in the early 90s I can't say I remember learning much at all about Russia growing up, apart from the typical American narrative along the lines of "The USSR was evil, Reagan yelled at Gorbachev to tear down the wall, Russia became good and free like us, something something Putin (who is also good, look here he is walking and talking with George W. Bush)". I also had a childhood friend who had been adopted from Russia shortly after the Soviet collapse -- I remember asking him about it, but he said he was too young to remember anything.
Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for doing this episode, and the podcast as a whole, Yasha and Evgenia!
I was very disappointed in "Can't get you out of my head" for various reasons but after this episode I'm curious about the doc. I read about these times in Paul Klebnikow's biography of Boris Berezovsky. I also recommend the russian feature film TYCOON (2002) by Pavel Lungin: It's about an oligarch who comes to wealth and fame in the 90s. It's based on Berezovsky (but Chodorkovsky comes to mind also).
The antithesis to TRAUMAZONE is probably Vitaly Mansky's documentary PUTIN'S WITNESSES (2018) which tells the heartwarming story of a privileged TV Journalist who becomes the favoured chronicler of the Yeltsin family. He witnesses Putin's rise to power as a silent coup from within. And poor Yeltsin and his daughter didn't realize what they got themselves into. It's truly a disgusting film that portrays the Yeltsin family as innocent and naive victims of the KGB predator. So, it's really the antithesis to your proposed book, Yasha.
I wonder to what extent the marxist-leninist training (specifically re original accumulation) of post-soviet economic reformers contributed to their acceptance of crimes - or business shenanigans - as necessary steps on the way to a capitalist national economy. Then again, the tedium of mandatory courses on dialectical and historical materialism they presumably have had to sit through might simply have provoked an adverse reaction which made the Kmart® blue light special the easy winner over any critique of political economy …
I tried to find Generation P and it doesn't seem to be available in translation to English unfortunately. Does anybody have any good modern Russian fiction that is available in translation. Unfortunately I can only read fluently in English and Dutch.
I couldn't bring myself to read Generation P because at one point a former coworker would waltz around the office with it. Among his many faults he was a "repat", in that unlike an "expat" he apparently emigrated much like Yasha did to California, and then for reasons that escape me later returned to Moscow and thus held the absolute worst opinions of both worlds. He would use the term "sovok" frequently in conversation, both in English and Russian. It was insufferable.
Anyway excellent commentary as ever. I enjoyed TraumaZone but I think far too much of it will fly over people's heads because of the sheer densitry of everything in all the footage that I don't think even Curtis might be aware of, because every 30 seconds needs some kind of footnote. For all their faults, the BBC had some of the best stringers in the world that had an incredible sense of detail capturing the soviet/post soviet space on film.
The Ames term, “depression porn” came to mind when I saw this. I suppose I found it riveting. Having heard this story told via text and audio it was eye-opening to see footage.
The way Communist propaganda about USA kind of proved itself right in the end, actually gives me some weird nihilist hope. That change whatever direction it goes is possible.
I saw that 2006 Johnson documentary some time ago. I’m glad I never grew up obsecenly overburdened with resources. Those types have an empty hole and must constantly prove themselves.
I must say I am also one of the people who found TraumaZone riveting, and it was interesting to hear your perspectives on it. I actually discovered your podcast through this episode, pretty recently (I was searching 'Adam Curtis' on my podcast app, to see if he'd done any additional interviews since the release of the series), and now I've listened to your most recent eps and have started going back through the older ones as well.
As an American born in the early 90s I can't say I remember learning much at all about Russia growing up, apart from the typical American narrative along the lines of "The USSR was evil, Reagan yelled at Gorbachev to tear down the wall, Russia became good and free like us, something something Putin (who is also good, look here he is walking and talking with George W. Bush)". I also had a childhood friend who had been adopted from Russia shortly after the Soviet collapse -- I remember asking him about it, but he said he was too young to remember anything.
Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for doing this episode, and the podcast as a whole, Yasha and Evgenia!
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. It is refreshing to hear alternative perspectives of post-Soviet Russia's evolution from insiders.
I was very disappointed in "Can't get you out of my head" for various reasons but after this episode I'm curious about the doc. I read about these times in Paul Klebnikow's biography of Boris Berezovsky. I also recommend the russian feature film TYCOON (2002) by Pavel Lungin: It's about an oligarch who comes to wealth and fame in the 90s. It's based on Berezovsky (but Chodorkovsky comes to mind also).
The antithesis to TRAUMAZONE is probably Vitaly Mansky's documentary PUTIN'S WITNESSES (2018) which tells the heartwarming story of a privileged TV Journalist who becomes the favoured chronicler of the Yeltsin family. He witnesses Putin's rise to power as a silent coup from within. And poor Yeltsin and his daughter didn't realize what they got themselves into. It's truly a disgusting film that portrays the Yeltsin family as innocent and naive victims of the KGB predator. So, it's really the antithesis to your proposed book, Yasha.
I wonder to what extent the marxist-leninist training (specifically re original accumulation) of post-soviet economic reformers contributed to their acceptance of crimes - or business shenanigans - as necessary steps on the way to a capitalist national economy. Then again, the tedium of mandatory courses on dialectical and historical materialism they presumably have had to sit through might simply have provoked an adverse reaction which made the Kmart® blue light special the easy winner over any critique of political economy …
I tried to find Generation P and it doesn't seem to be available in translation to English unfortunately. Does anybody have any good modern Russian fiction that is available in translation. Unfortunately I can only read fluently in English and Dutch.