According to a story in London’s Daily Telegraph, Yevgeny Bryun, the Russian Ministry of Health’s chief alcohol and drug abuse specialist, told a press conference in Moscow that the mind-expanding experimentation undertaken by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr back in the day helped to perpetuate recreational drug use globally.
Taken in that light - and considering their lasting and sweeping influence - he may be right.
“After the Beatles went to expand their consciousness in India ashrams, they introduced that idea – the changing of one’s psychic state of mind using drugs – to the population,” Bryun is quoted by the Telegraph as saying.
“When business understood that you could trade on that – on pleasure and goods associated with pleasure – that’s probably where it all began,” continued Bryun, who went on to discuss the “tough measures” needed to curtail the lingering effects of Beatlemania.
As the Telegraph notes, the Beatles were banned for a period in the U.S.S.R., following a decree by the nation’s state-run record label that “musicians such as these, who have plunged to the depth of musical decline, do not deserve a place on Soviet records.”
But a new ban seems unlikely, given that current Russian president Vladimir Putin is an admittedBeatles fan; after Paul McCartney played Red Square in 2003, Ultimate Classic Rock notes, Putin told him that the band’s music had been “like a gulp of freedom” to Soviet youth in the ‘60s.
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this from the minister of "health" from one of the most alcoholic nations on earth - average male life expectancy is 57 due to high rates of alcohol consumption, which predates the Beatles! Note to Russians: stop selling weapons to Syria instead of criticizing pot smokers who tend to be a peaceful bunch!
Posted by: bzbob | 06/27/2012 at 11:08 AM
I remember watching that concert Paul did in Moscow -(probably taped it) and watching Putin, he didn't flinch or move a muscle - if he got off on the music he'd be moving around in his seat - didn't happen. he had the look of an outed KGB agent ready to pounce.
Posted by: Bill | 06/27/2012 at 12:57 PM
THEY STARTED THE PROMOTION OF IMMORALITY. AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM. WANTS TO COME BACK A HAS BEEN
Posted by: gee | 06/27/2012 at 01:36 PM
Read the quote properly, and he makes sense. He's not "blaming the beatles" as the inflammatory and poorly phrased headline suggests. Note that he says "When business understood that you could trade on that - on pleasure and goods associated with pleasure - that's where it began." He's clearly blaming business for exploiting the ideas put out by the Beatles.
As for Putin not reacting during McCartney's concert, Bill, have you ever seen the man display emotion ever ? He's just incredibly private. If he'd had a problem with the concert it would simply have not been allowed.
Posted by: cynic | 06/27/2012 at 01:39 PM