In Gogol's historical short novel, Taras Bulba, he takes us on a journey into the world of the ancient Ukrainian Cossacks. Taras Bulba, an old Cossack, sends his two sons Andriy and Ostap to study at the Kiev Academy. After returning, the three men embark on a journey to Zaporizhian Sich in Ukraine to join other Cossacks to go to war against the Polish nobles. Eugene Hütz is better known as the singer, lyricist and visionary of the internationally acclaimed Gypsy punk rock band Gogol Bordello. Born in Kiev in 1972, Hütz's road to the United States was a long trek through Poland, Hungary, Austria and Italy, an immigrant experience that informs much of his band's material. Descendants of Gypsies called the Serva Roma (a tribe known for its blacksmiths, pottery makers and musicians), his family relocated to Vermont after the Chernobyl meltdown through a Refugee resetelment program. "It's the last place where I wanted to go," Hütz says of the Green Mountain State. "Once I saw Sonic Youth in 1989 in Kiev, all I wanted to do is be in New York." It was in 1998 that Hütz finally moved to New York and formed what would become the eight-piece lineup of Gogol Bordello. The band's name pays homage to the author of Taras Bulba Nikolai Gogol whose writings remain to be a large influence on the band's ethos, particularly, the innovative treatment of tradition and folklore. Since their formation Gogol Bordello has been described as one of the best live bands of our time and been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine and Time Magazine to name a few. NPR described their last album as "the best rock album of the decade. Period." Gogol Bordello have created a new level of musical and lyrical intensity in their continuing cultural crusade to build a bridge between Gypsy music, rock 'n roll, reggae and other brands of rebel music.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Headache Inducing,
By The Manster (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Taras Bulba (Paperback)
Eugene Hutz is a fun and talented guy. But Eugene will also admit to you that his Ukrainian identity is "Russified." I know this because he told me. So, when Eugene gives you his authorative view on what Taras Bulba is or means, keep that in mind. For example, Eugene tells us that the Zaprozhian Sich, was really only marginally Ukrainian. So, claiming that this enterprise is some sort of paen to Ukrainian history and identity strikes me as an odd thing to say. Eugene is also a very articulate and bright guy, but his forward reads exactly like he talks: animated, self indulgent,possibly half lit, and with an accent that predictably excludes articles of speech. If a folksy, direct from me to you effect was the point in this straight transcription, well, in my opinion it just distracts from the points he is making, and ultimately just comes off sounding affected. He's an exceptionally fine lyricist, but even on the occasions where he lapses into mildly mangled English when singing with Gogol Bordello there it works well as a texture, giving the song a sweaty rough hewn urgency. Here, however, it reads like barbed wire.
Okay, the meat of the matter: the actual story. The translation is a chore to read. It is lumbering and stilted. Hurts the eyes and the head. I put the book down after about 4 pages. If the attempt was to create a tongue in cheek pulp fiction than this should have been served up as a graphic novel. Look, I know these larger than life characters are about as subtle as scimitar, but if you're going for a cartoon angle, make the thing into a comic book - or get a better translator.
3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Old Ukraine meets new Ukraine,
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This review is from: Taras Bulba (Paperback)
In the Subculture Books Edition of Taras Bulba, we are exposed to the Ukrainian spirit that is as much alive and thriving today as it was in the era written about by Nikolai Gogol in Taras Bulba. By Gogol Bordello's front man, Eugene Hutz, providing the introduction, it links the Ukrainian Diaspora of the 20th century with a past that is just as Punk Rock as its descendants. Included in this edition is the famous Cossack Letter that reads like the equivalent of a Sex Pistols' lyric. Hutz's introduction is a wonderful amalgam of deep intellect mixed with his trade mark Ukrainian-ness.
This edition is a must-read for anyone with Eastern European or Punk roots. By understanding the independent and rebellious nature of the Ukrainian Cossacks, you come to understand a legacy handed down for generations of challenging the status quo.
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