Team:

Director/Producer, Steven Lawrence

Editor, Susanne Rostock

Co-Producer, Vinnie Longobardo

Writer, Michael Benson

 

Tell Tchaikovsky The News: Rock In Russia

Documentary. MTV.

 

In the summer of 1987 – the early days of Glasnost – Steven Lawrence produced & directed this documentary for MTV about the Soviet underground rock scene. For two years he'd been studying the subject long-distance and trying to convince MTV management to finance the film. Finally, when Billy Joel announced he'd be doing a short tour of the USSR, the project was greenlit with the requirement that Lawrence produce a series of tour reports. In July he took a small crew to Moscow and Leningrad for 10 days, where with the help of rock journalist Artemy Troitsky and coordinator Marina Albee, they filmed with a small number of bands that inspired them with their extraordinary artistry, resourcefulness and courage. This clip includes the film's intro, featuring Boris Grebenshikov (of Aquarium), and a segment on Zvuki Mu.