How Stalin invented world music
This article has been making the rounds all weekend. At first I figured I had no interest. I am in the minority of folks who don't inherently care to know more about Stalin, in particular whatever hook might be attached to: How Stalin invented world music, by Joe Boyd (2nd article - the first is also interesting). But I was wrong. In the face of ongoing e-mails from unrelated friends, I decided to see what was up. This is a fascinating article. Don't miss it.
My friend, Lila, writes: "I found it exciting that Joe Boyd, whom I have known as a brilliant pop music producer, is so well acquainted with the history and context of this stuff." (She found out about the article from a post to the Balkan music list which claimed that there were a few inaccuracies.)