Madonna inducted to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

[boardashell_2000 0]

Slutdonna Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? ####### She must have wore out her knee pad to suck and fuc her way into the hall of fame??!!!!!!

Don't hate!

[almaty 19]

Madonna suxs.....well, i read that somewhere

[Alex+R 0]

Don't get me wrong, I like the music she made in the 80s and 90s (and some of it now), but her cultural tourism is a little gag-me.

Alexandra, it's called lack of intercultural competence, alas denial stage in the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity by Milton & Janet Bennett. if you don't know what you're talking about, please STFU

I youuuuuuuuuu

Now let's all sing.... HOLIDAY!!! CELEBRATE!!!!

OH, I'm sorry, I bow in deference to your knowledge.

Please enjoy this video, where Madonna pretends the members of Gogol Bordello are actually Gypsies and sings in the Romani language while simultaneously essentializing an entire culture, IMO:

I love love love Gogol Bordello, but I had to stop that video as soon as her singing started.

As far as "real" gypsies, Eugene is descendent from the Servo Roma tribe of gypsies. I'm not sure about Sergey, though. All I know for sure is that he's russian.

He's not a Gypsy, nor is anybody else in Gogol Bordello. Eugene has claimed various amounts of Gypsy heritage during his career, starting with "zero percent Gypsy." Now he's up to half or something. I asked him and he was like, "it's not important." Lawl. I don't see why it's relevant to his appreciation of Gypsy culture -- there's no reason to make stuff up, except that he is sort of a carnival barker type perormer. I believe the truth is that he had a grandparent who was ethnically Roma but did not live in that kind of social structure. He's pretty divorced from the Roma in terms of his own experience. And they seem to really hate him, from my research!

[eric&gen 0]

Who's that girl? Oh its slutdonna lol.

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

He's not a Gypsy, nor is anybody else in Gogol Bordello. Eugene has claimed various amounts of Gypsy heritage during his career, starting with "zero percent Gypsy." Now he's up to half or something. I asked him and he was like, "it's not important." Lawl. I don't see why it's relevant to his appreciation of Gypsy culture -- there's no reason to make stuff up, except that he is sort of a carnival barker type perormer. I believe the truth is that he had a grandparent who was ethnically Roma but did not live in that kind of social structure. He's pretty divorced from the Roma in terms of his own experience. And they seem to really hate him, from my research!

Well, I've never spoken to him personally, but it was my understanding that he has a Servo Roma ancestor.

I think the biggest thing is that they call their style "Gypsy Punk," so some people feel like it needs to be backed up.

Another thing that must be considered is the amount of things that a lot of musicians just make up on the spot in interviews. Sometimes, it's just fun to mess with people.

I know I have seen a scene from The Pied Piper of Hützovina where Eugene plays one of their songs for a gypsy, who got pissed and snapped that it was what they were against. I can't really put it into context, as it was an exert and I still haven't found a copy of the movie to watch in full.

Would you mind giving me a copy of the paper you wrote or the transcript of the interview?

Edited March 12, 2008 by AnewKINDofFEELIN

[Alex+R 0]

He's not a Gypsy, nor is anybody else in Gogol Bordello. Eugene has claimed various amounts of Gypsy heritage during his career, starting with "zero percent Gypsy." Now he's up to half or something. I asked him and he was like, "it's not important." Lawl. I don't see why it's relevant to his appreciation of Gypsy culture -- there's no reason to make stuff up, except that he is sort of a carnival barker type perormer. I believe the truth is that he had a grandparent who was ethnically Roma but did not live in that kind of social structure. He's pretty divorced from the Roma in terms of his own experience. And they seem to really hate him, from my research!

Well, I've never spoken to him personally, but it was my understanding that he has a Servo Roma ancestor.

I think the biggest thing is that they call their style "Gypsy Punk," so some people feel like it needs to be backed up.

Another thing that must be considered is the amount of things that a lot of musicians just make up on the spot in interviews. Sometimes, it's just fun to mess with people.

I know I have seen a scene from The Pied Piper of Hützovina where Eugene plays one of their songs for a gypsy, who got pissed and snapped that it was what they were against. I can't really put it into context, as it was an exert and I still haven't found a copy of the movie to watch in full.

You can order the movie off the web site, but the screenings outside of New York don't happen often I don't think. But yeah, the Gypsies in that movie didn't like what he did. But also Roma activists and scholars really dislike him in maybe a less visceral way but in a more intellectual way. They think he's setting back Roma rights by perpetuating stereotypes and using the word "Gypsy" to sell his own wares. Which is pretty much true, considering that the music he plays really derives more from Russian folk music than any sort of Gypsy music. Even Russian Gypsy music is not that present.

[Alex+R 0]

I didnt' formally interview him for my thesis because he's not that central to the main point. But he's in it a bit. I was hanging out in some of the same places and I talked to him while he was drunk. He's like always drunk. My thesis isn't done yet but once it's approved and signed and I've decided whether or not I'm going to sell any of it (it is journalism after all) then I could send it to you.