He's the frontman for a band called Gogol Bordello. He's from the Ukraine, and his Gypsy family evacuated following the Chernobyl disaster. He then emigrated slowly west through Europe, ending up eventually in New England. Then, in 1998, the band formed and began touring, collecting a hodgepodge of musicians from the world over. They're fantastically popular with critics and have appeared on many major talk shows. Their music is an eclectic blend of punk, East European folk, and latin rhythms. Parts of some of the songs are even in Romani, the Gypsy language!
My fascination is based less on Hütz' musical prowess (though he absolutely, undeniably rocks) than it is on his dedication to his culture, his robust self-education, and his refusal to adulterate his personality and style to fit popular taste. He simply is who he is, unapologetically and without reservation. I want that kind of confidence and joy in my own life.
Pa chiv tuka, Mr. Hütz.
omg I LOVE Gogol Bordello! I love that they are such an eclectic group of artists, all combining their art into the family that is GB and embracing what each person brings...it is as if, kinda like the Baylor Theatre family just kept together, growing in their own things and yet always creating together, not caring about impressing, but on creating a product to be proud of, because it is actual pieces of everyone involved. I always feel like I am watching a collective heart being ripped open when they perform, such a beautiful thing, laid out on a table, that we all hold our breath and watch it beat, except the performers, who frenetically make it do so.
ReplyDeleteI ramble. But I love.