SPILL FEATURE: PUNK IS A WAY OF LIFE – A CONVERSATION WITH PUSSY RIOT’S MASHA ALEKHINA

PUNK IS A WAY OF LIFE

A CONVERSATION WITH PUSSY RIOT’S MASHA ALEKHINA

Maria “Masha” Alekhina is many things; she is an author, she is a poet, and she is an active member of the punk collective that is Pussy Riot. First and foremost, however, Alekhina is a political activist. As a Russian citizen, Alekhina remains a prolific voice that stands against injustice through action and her art, taking aim at authoritarian leadership in support of feminism, LGBTQ communities, the environment, and democracy – so much so, that in 2022, Alekhina was left no choice but to flee her country as a political refugee.

“I am not a musician at all,” Alekhina tells me, continuing, “punk is a way of life. We are a political art collective; it is bigger than what you saw at Riot Days.” She adds, “I can write, I can tell a story, and for me, it is important to spread this message; I believe that our story can be useful”. Reflecting on the early days of the band, Alekhina tells me, “I joined Pussy Riot at the end of 2011, when they were a small group in Moscow. We did the Red Square ‘Putin Pissed Himself’ performance and then ‘A Punk Prayer,’” the latter of which saw the band perform at Moscow’s Cathedral of Chris The Savior and resulted in the arrest of the band, “The world knew of us because two of us were imprisoned.” In the 12 years since, Alekhina adds, “We continued to do street actions, protests, and we started to fight for prisoners’ rights and created the first alt journalism in Russia, Mediazona. I received a second criminal case, spent a year and a half under house arrest, was beaten, imprisoned in detention centres six times, and blocked from the Russian bank system, but I think it’s important to understand that we are all different people from different areas to stand against Putin’s dictatorship and for feminist issues… There was no big feminist movement… I think it is super important for the world, but for Russia especially, to have women’s voices in this position.”

In 2017, Alekhina released her debut book, Riot Days, via Penguin Books. Since then, her book has transformed into a touring live show. “I saw how you can combine art and politics” she tells me, describing the show as a live experience that combines passages of the book with music, “We combined the book and cut lines from the book to music and that was the show.” Given the political nature of the performance, Riot Days remains in a constant state of evolution, “We continued changing the show with more lines of the show, reflecting current events… For example, there is a part where you can see current political prisoners and, before the full-scale invasion [of Ukraine], we were raising money for families of Russian political prisoners… When the full-scale war started, we introduced anti-war songs and started helping a children’s hospital in Ukraine. We have raised over 200,000 euros in three years. This tour will support another hospital.” With a second book on the way, Alekhina adds, “Now the show looks completely different as we prolong it with material from my second book, which will be available this autumn.”

Pussy Riot’s Riot Days Tour will continue throughout Europe this summer following and Canadian tour earlier this year. While Alekhina hopes for new music from Pussy Riot to emerge soon, and she has the follow-up to her 2017 book, Riot Days, scheduled for release this fall, Alekhina remains focused on her work as an activist. Her outlook and actions stand as a testament to the importance of civic action, for standing up for the most vulnerable members of your community, and for speaking out against oppressive forces, no matter the danger doing so may pose. Alekhina’s story and the resilience of Pussy Riot remains an inspiring narrative that should remind us all the vital importance of remaining vigilant in our ever-changing world.

Listen to the full, unabridged conversation, including Alekhina’s escape from Russia, her introduction to political activism, and the importance of protest music on episode 46 of Beats By Ger on Spotify and YouTube.

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Main Photo Credit: JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images