The Birch, Fall 2005

Gypsy Punk Revolution
Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz on gimmicks, genre-hopping, and gypsies

Atossa Abrahamian

Anyone who has seen the recent cinematographic adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated will have certainly noticed the energetic, quirky hybrid of punk rock and gypsy music heavily laced with Russian colloquialisms playing in the background. The band responsible for this fitting soundtrack is Gogol Bordello, an ensemble fronted by none other than Eugene Hutz, who plays the Ukranian tour guide Alex in Leiv Schreiber's movie. A relative newcomer to the film world, Hutz has spent a great part of his life involved in music and does not hesitate to prioritize it above his acting career: "Music is my life", he said after a matter of seconds on the phone, "It's a real passion for me. It's what matters the most.”

This strong passion really comes through in Gogol Bordello's recordings and performances. which are becoming increasingly frequent and well-documented - the New York Times even featured them in their recent Slavic-focused Weekend Arts sections in September. The group first met in 1996 in New York City and made their debut at a privately-owned Ridge Street after hours club named Pizdetz; they were a hit and soon became the house band. Since their humble beginnings, Gogol Bordello have toured extensively and and have released five records; despite the fact that they have little national identity and that their members hail from as far as Israel and Moscow, Eugene Hutz still considers the group to be NYC-based, and the city is very present in the lyrical content of their latest album. Their live show is most striking -- described as a "three-ring circus" complete with body paint, dancers, and countless other absurd and worldly gimmicks, a Gogol Bordello concert is something that few people forget, and their raucous antics a truly refreshing change from the many blase rock groups that seem to have taken over recently. Boasting eclectic musical influences ranging from dancehall and dub to traditional Balkan folk music to straight-up punk rock, Gogol Bordello give rock'n'roll a well-travelled twist and some serious attitude, and their frontman proved to be as outspoken and funny on the telephone as he is on his band's recordings.

Hutz insists that although the giants of Western rock tend to dominate airwaves all around the world, musicians in the Ukraine and the surrounding areas are not completely indoctrinated with the Anglo-Saxon rock esthetic and that there is still a strong local influence on the music of many: "I think that the foreign influence, in the hands of the talented, will produce something fresh and original. Given to idiots, it will produce garbage. There is no black and white picture. The Dead Kennedys or Fugazi (American bands) will not damage anybody's taste - it really depends on how you deal with it.” Hutz also sees very few differences between the punk scene in his native country and in America - "Only certain types of people are attracted to punk - people with hyperactive energy and a creative drive. It doesn't matter what country." He openly criticizes the elitist, uber-political stance many punk bands take and sees no point in throwing concerts or festivals of a political nature since the bands are just "preaching to a converted and confined audience... who already knows what they're defending and fighting against.”

"I don't identify with some of the punk rock ethos - like groups who are so consumed with their underground schtick. I think it's better to go through a different, and perhaps more mainstream channel, to expose people who are less aware" comments Hutz on Gogol Bordello's recent shows on the once Walmartsponsored Warped Tour, an infamously commercial summer tour featuring the biggest punk bands in the world. "I know the Warped Tour isn't the coolest thing ever, but I love my music to be heard by a younger generation that isn't completely ruined yet. It gives them a chance to hear something other than Green Day and Offspring."

When asked whether the group felt like foreigners on the tour, the frontman expressed a sense of alienation: "I feel foreign everywhere. I even feel foreign back in Ukraine - there's a reason I don't live there anymore. I never felt at home." Hutz's family left the Ukraine at the end of the 80's and passed through several refugee camps on the way to America; the revolutionary, do-it-yourself feel of Gogol Bordello's most recent disc certainly reflects some of his experiences. Often making political references or critiques, it's easy to interpret their message as almost militant, but Hutz claims this is not their intention:

"I never sat down and outlined a political program; in fact I couldn't care less about politics - I find politics degrading…We try to be as removed from politics as we can, but it is in our nature as a revolutionary band from a certain area of the world to comment on what is going on. It's a part of our world vision." He also expressed some frustration at journalists making assumptions about the situation in the Ukraine: "People are asking me about the Orange Revolution as though it were some fantastic political event, but it was not one. I know better, I have friends and family there. It really didn't lead up to anything - it seems more like a campaign to bring tourism to the Ukraine!"

Political or not, the music on Gypsy Punk Revolution exudes a multifaceted, raucous energy that very few rock bands manage to convey nowadays; Gogol Bordello don't sacrifice production or eloquence for rawness (the record was produced by Steve Albini, who also worked with Nirvana and PJ Harvey amongst others), and manage to convey both aggression and joie de vivre at the same time. Not only is it wholly enjoyable, but it also captures the essence of a gypsy lifestyle, blending genres and styles to result in a truly unique and versatile music that, according to Hutz, can reach out to anyone, anywhere: "It will fit in at a punk, gypsy or electronic music concert, a fashion show or an art gallery. We're a band that you can play anywhere because our message is unique, and clear -- and obnoxious!"