Remembering the Space Age. - Black Vault Radio Network (BVRN)

the MUSIC OF MeMOrY aND FOrGettING:
GLOBaL eChOeS OF SpUtNIK II
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work against each other for ironic efect. But whereas the appeal of “Mutniks
and Sputniks” derives from its disarming simplicity, “russian Satellite” exploits
a hallmark of calypso style, setting deftly pointed social commentary against a
bright, syncopated melody. “Murder, murder everywhere,” begins the song,
which goes on to examine one of the many widespread myths about Laika’s
demise: “Over a thousand miles in space . . . they poison the food for the poor
puppy / Oh Lord, this is more than cruelty.” In 2002, the Mighty Sparrow
reminded fans that he is a “multi-faceted” individual whose concerns about
social justice still extended past the human community: “I can remember when
the russians sent a satellite in the sky, with a dog in it. I was the only one who
came out and said that I was sorry for the dog.” 22
Given that rock and roll music developed in tandem with the space
race and the heyday of science fction, the pervasiveness of space themes
throughout rock’s history is hardly surprising. Indeed, as Ken McLeod has
recently noted, “the association of space and alien themes with rock’n’roll
rebellion is found throughout rock’s history and has had an impact on nearly
all its stylistic manifestations.” 23 But while any number of examples can be
mustered to demonstrate the fertility of this connection from the 1960s on
(i.e., David Bowie’s Space Oddity [1969] and his glam rock alter ego “Ziggy
Stardust,” pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon [1973], George Clinton’s Mothership
Connection [1974], etc.), the fight and plight of the frst space dog seems to
have found minimal resonance between the late 1950s and the era of glasnost.
Beginning in the mid-1980s, however, a diverse assortment of flmmakers,
musicians, artists, and authors began turning to Laika for inspiration. Most of
the resulting creative work has originated outside the former Soviet Union,
although statistical evidence suggests that the memory of Laika thrives in her
homeland as well. the majority of russians surveyed in 1994 could identify
Laika more accurately than they could other major events from the post-war
period, including the Cuban missile crisis, the 20th party Congress, or the
publication of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. 24
the starting point for this renewed interest in the frst space dog was the
1985 flm My Life as a Dog. Set in Sweden in the late ‘50s, Lasse halström’s
drama charts the coming of age of a boy named Ingemar, who copes with his
mother’s failing health and her inability to care for him by reminding himself
of Laika’s plight. he worries that Laika starved to death, identifes with her
helplessness, and laments her physical isolation in an efort to gain perspective
22. “Sparrow, the Concerned Caribbean Villager,” The Jamaica Gleaner, November 27, 2002, http://
www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20021127/ent/ent1.html (accessed January 25, 2008).
23. Ken McKleod,“Space Oddities:aliens, Futurism, and Meaning in popular Music,” Popular Music
vol. 22, no. 3 (2003): 340.
24. howard Schuman and amy D. Corning,“Collective Knowledge of public events:the Soviet era
from the Great purges to Glasnost.” The American Journal of Sociology 105, no. 4 (2000): 913-956.