Kovo 11-a & Ukraine

Wednesday was the 25th anniversary of the 1990 declaration of a (re)independent Lithuania--but it was an anniversary under the cloud of continued strife in and around the Ukraine.

In the last few weeks we've seen the odd theater of the Minsk cease-fire conference (and its bloody aftermath); we've seen a key Russian opposition leader gunned down days before a Moscow rally; and we've seen Lithuania jump-start a plan to reinstate a type of military draft in order to get troop numbers up to believable levels.

This wasn't the script for how the quarter-century of independence was supposed to feel. This wasn't the script for how "Europe" was supposed to be in 2015.

In fact, sometimes it feels a lot like how I imagine 1938 or 1939.

Transitions Online has been running a series of short opinion pieces from key Ukrainian voices on the ongoing crisis--CLICK HERE for the latest installment.

LT '10 tour scrapped--maybe next year?

Unfortunately we didn't get enough students this spring for the Lithuanian study tour. The post-mortem points to a lack of branding ("...and Lith-u-a-nia is where?"), funding issues (study grants have dried up, and loan requirements are such that a separate new loan application would be required of interested parties), and general economic malaise (students have to work more this summer to pay their bill from last semester so they can register late for next semester)... It sounds like over half the proposed trips for the college won't run, so there's cold comfort in knowing we weren't alone. Still, though!

But we're going to try again in 2011, this time with a more systemic outreach to other campuses nation-wide that have a stake in things Baltic (Indiana, Ohio State, Washington, Yale, etc.) as well as Boston-area schools that might have interested students (Harvard, Emerson, Stonehill, etc.).

And in the meantime, as I start to hunker down for the upcoming joint Baltic / Scandinavian studies conference next weekend, I find myself daydreaming about a winter trip to Norway, centered around the 2011 Tromsø International Film Festival. I'm afraid it would cost 25-50% more than the proposed Lithuania trip, but maybe the lure of an international film festival (and even the Northern Lights?!) will get some folks to commit to an arctic expedition before the start of spring semester...

I get interviewed, or 10 litas wasted!

A month or so back, I was asked to do an interview for Lithuania's largest daily, Lietuvos rytas.  After teaching on media for several years now, and writing about Lithuanian media in particular, it's an odd experience to become a "participant" again in the process.  I managed to piss a lot of people off for writing off Sasha Son (who did, in fact, get to the second round of Eurovision).  I still owe him 10 litas.  Here's the interview: 1. How many years and under what circumstances have you lived in Lithuania?  Add it all up, and I've lived over two years in LT... 1997-98 I was an English teacher at Seduva Secondary School.  2000-2001 I was doing dissertation research and interning at Radio Vilnius.  Summer 2002 I did some follow-up research in Seduva.  But really that was the last serious chunk of time I've lived in the country.  By the time I finished my dissertation, I was already writing about history--the period right before EU & NATO accession.  I've been back each of the past two summers, and have a conference in Kaunas this summer--but it's not the same as living there.  I miss it. 2. From http://www.bridgew.edu: “His particular focus continues to be in Lithuania, with a wider contextual base in post-socialist Eurasia.” Is it accurate to say you sort of built a career out of  interest in Lithuanian pop culture? How much of your research material, gathered in Lithuania (or about Lithuania), do you use in your classes? Do you students seem to be interested in it? My dissertation on Lithuania allowed me to work through a range of interests: not just television and film, but also popular music and new media as well.  My work on Lithuania certainly helped build my career.  My hope is that it's not a one-way situation--for instance, I'm working on a study-tour to bring a class of students to Lithuania this next summer, introducing them to another culture--one I fell in love with myself some dozen years ago... My work in Lithuania comes up in my research methods course (field work takes time!), though I try to not make it about ME.  I have a new class next year called "Cinema of Small Nations" that will include a unit on Baltic film--we're going to use a special issue of the Estonian journal Via Transversa that focused on the "lost cinema of the former Eastern Bloc." My students are curious about the world, but a lot of them haven't had the chance to be exposed to a lot of stuff.  I had a student travel to NYC for the first time in his life (only a four-hour drive) only because of the festival success of a film he acted in.  Students take my classes on Global Cinema, Central European Film, or (most recently) Central Asian Cinema and are really learning about that part of the world along with trying to sort out the films.  Even sorting out watching films with subtitles is a challenge, because it's a learned skill they have yet to develop.... They're open to learning, and that's all I can ask for!  3. You met and interviewed Andrius Mamontovas, other Lithuanian pop/rock stars. What impression they made to you? Any stories/reminiscences connected to them? Did they conduct themselves as stars, or they were casual with you?  AM was incredibly gracious with his time--I interviewed him twice, and once my cassette recorder even worked!  He strikes me as both wise and self-aware--seeing as all I could muster is kind of smart and self-conscious, I wasn't exactly in a position to negotiate a profound interview, I'm afraid.  I still have a tape of our interview in Old Town: AM's talking interrupted by a song by....yep!  No escape. I still regret not getting to the last Foje show in '97--I made up for it by seeing AM several times in 2000-01, including a blisteringly loud show in Palanga...  Olegas from Lemon Joy opened several doors for me, for which I'll always be grateful.  My wife and I even celebrated Int'l Women's Day w/ him & his family, which was fine. I got to interview Skamp in 2001 after Eurovision--I wrote extensively about the LT contest that year in my dissertation, and so it was helpful for me to hear from them what they thought about the whole "real Lithuanians" discourse. I got a few autographs for friends / family but never for me... except for running into A. Kaušpedas in the airport w/ my 4-CD Antis reissue, and sheepishly asking for a signature.... If you're asking whether the LT stars acted arrogantly, I would say absolutely not.  It was an artificial situation--they don't know me, I'm recording their conversation, I'm from the state radio (press) but also a student from abroad (?!).... So the fact that they sat down with me at all was gracious. I realized, though, that my interest ultimately was more towards these stars' AUDIENCES and that my time was probably better spent sitting around in Seduva talking about what Antis meant to them... instead of trying to interview Antis themselves. 4. How they perceived themselves being musicians in a small country, relatively far away from the European music scene? Did they express any frustrations? I think AM and Skamp both were looking to break out, or cross over, or what have you.  Neither really succeeded in that sense, but both really continue to be successful domestically.  In the diss, I discuss AM's double-bind in particular--he was looked at with a fair amount of disdain for trying to "rebrand" himself internationally.... And when he would go abroad, it still ended up mostly being Lithuanians looking to hear "Laužo Šviesa" and relive the '80s....That's got to be hard--but it's also opened so many doors for him... 5. What did you know about Lithuanian pop music/pop culture before coming to Seduva/Vilnius? Did reality contradict any of your preconceptions about the state of Lithuanian pop music? about consumption of foreign pop music? I knew absolutely nothing about Lithuanian pop music before setting foot in the country.  Well, I read about Antis from a dogeared copy of LET'S GO USSR!  We saw Lemon Joy play at a club in Feb. '97--they were pretty heavily influenced by The Smiths at that point.  That was my first exposure to the local scene. Really, my students were my teachers.  We would talk in and out of class about media, and I would encourage them to bring tapes to class to play.  Students took me to see SEL that spring, and introduced me to Mamontovas and Foje.   I came to LT thinking I was going to write a dissertation about postsocialist film industries that was going to cover 27 countries--totally ridiculous.  Once I actually was living in Lithuania, I realized there was WAY more going on right there than I could account for.  And I needed to not just talk about film, but about a wide spectrum of media practices.  I'm lucky my students were willing to teach me so patiently. 6. In your article “Lithuanian Contests and European Dreams” you focus a lot on European Song Contest—Eurovision. Why Eurovision was interesting to you? How you, as American, not just as media researcher, perceive it? Is it comparable in any way to “American Idol”? Why yes/no? I'd read about Eurovision in Melody Maker & the NME (all bad stuff, of course), but never seen it until 1998--"Viva Victoria," right?  It was just great television for a night.  Israeli transvestite boom-chick?  I'm in! Working at the state radio in 2000/01, I saw the gear-up for the ESC first-hand, which got me to talking with folks on both sides of the TV screen.  This was a period when everyone saw that LT needed to get into the EU & NATO, but a) it wasn't 100% clear it was going to happen [remember how LT = NATO, EE = EU, LV=?], and b) it wasn't clear what was going to be gained, but c) there was a sense of loss--a decade after getting out of one multinational state only to enter another, right? I couldn't really walk up to folks and say HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT EU ACCESSION, THEN? and expect anything worthwhile.  But I could get to that through the back door--LT & Eurovision (vis-a-vis success by both EE & LV) became something of a referendum of whether or not LT "belonged." I don't think it necessarily plays out that way now, but I defer to those "on the ground" to make a more informed argument on that... 7. What drive people to think of Eurovision as “a gateway to Europe”? Do you find these hopes naïve, or they do have any substance after all? The precedent is there: ABBA, Celine Dion...even Lordi!  Heck, Ruslana made the rounds after her win, right?  The problem when it comes to LT artists is that the political economy of the industry works against them in a huge way.  Ironically, after trying to break out by playing it straight, the boys of LT United made a blip on the European radar with tongue firmly in cheek.  I have to admit I didn't get it at first--but now I look back and see that as probably THE defining LT/ESC moment.  At least until 2010--I have 10 litu that says Sasha Song doesn't make it out of the semifinals. 8. Let’s say one day Lithuanian wins Eurovision. Will that help the country’s image? Will substantial amount of Europeans pay attention to it? What about Americans? Australians? I think Europop travels--wait, is Lordi Europop?  I think so.  If the act has that "something" that puts them over at Eurovision, they can potentially take that "something" on the road.  But while my students that are into metal know Lordi, nobody has anything to say about the Russian winner this past year.     9. Maybe having internationally successful band would help Lithuania’s image more? I’m thinking about something like Lithuanian ABBA… What are the biggest obstacles for Lithuanian musicians to make any larger footprint in the world pop scene (I am not talking only about ESC)? Robert Burnett wrote a great piece about the success of Sweden internationally, and he identified four key things Sweden had going on: musical competence of its citizenry (especially seen in extensive music education), industrial / infrastructural presence, a history and existing network of voluntary organizations, and audience sophistication vis-a-vis global music trends.  What kind of marks might we give LT on the "Sweden test"? 10. Do you find it strange that Lithuanian national television (LTV) is at the center of selection who is going to represent Lithuania in Eurovision? LTV is all about being non-pop and elitist… Some of the “expert judges” are experts in folk singing… Does it have anything to do with the poor Lithuania’s performances in ESC? If you look at the ESC from an industrial POV, whom else would be in the center of national organization if not LTV?  This is part of how public-service broadcasting is being branded, right?  Pan-European populist broadcasting.  This tension you identify is something that public-service broadcasters globally are wrestling with--but having folk singing experts decide who goes to Eurovision helps explain to me why we have another LT singer with questionable taste in hats ready to be bounced in the semifinals.  I think the hat just bugs me because it reminds me of "I, Assassin"-era Gary Numan! But fair is fair--I remember seeing a broadcast in '98 of Rebel Heart playing for all the kids in Vilnius for Dainu svente--headbanging kids in traditional outfits, while the band (in full pancake makeup) spit out I'M YOUR ENEMY--DON'T YOU F**K WITH ME!  Classic. 11. If you approached an average Joe in Massachusetts and asked him what Eurovision was, what, in your opinion, he would say?  Why most Americans are not interested in European music; or are they? How would you define a term of Europop to an average Jonas in Seduva? Why Americans do not like Europop in particular? An average person in Massachusetts has no idea what Eurovision is.  Students in my "Popular Music, Communication & Culture" course now know what it is, but I think they wish they didn't.  Their loss. I think what matters here in the US is the song... or the (sub)genre....more so than where the song is from.  People don't care that Peter, Bjorn & John are from Sweden--they just like that whistling song, right? I think part of how Europop works is that it's designed for folks whose first language ISN'T English--English is pretty much THE second language of Europe at this point, and it serves as common currency.  But if you're looking for something deeper in terms of lyrics, that's not where to look.   12. At a time you were living in Lithuania, debate about Skamp’s Lithuanian-ness and necessity of purely Lithuanian pop music versus singing in English peaked. Do you think the debate is still relevant in nowadays Lithuania? In other words, do you think Lithuanians are more open in 2009 than they were in 2001? I'd like to think that this debate is over.  But it's not.  Actually, I think it's transforming in ways that will make this even MORE pressing in coming years.  This latest wave of folks who have left the country to make their lives outside of Lithuania--there's so many folks like this.  And they're EVERYWHERE, right?  I think folks from LT are more open, but I think the discussion re: Lithuanian-ness will continue...just like European-ness and global citizenry.  Those questions never are fully resolved--they keep coming back in new and interesting ways.   13. In your article “Lithuanian Contests and European Dreams” you wrote: “To a native English speaker, Europop lyrics can always seem simplistic, if not downright nonsensical”. What do you make of this piece of lyrics:         A little girl is crying alone                     A little boy searching for his home                     Giving up to a sin                     For a heart-craving dream                     Is that a sin?                     If you really love                     The love you say you love (really love)                     Then surely that love would love...                     Then surely that love would love to love you back FYI, this is a song by Sasha Son, official Lithuanian entry to Eurovision’09. I saw the video.... His heart is in the right place (vs child abuse) but the whole thing seems packaged in a way that is ultimately disappointing to me.  Like I said, I have 10 lt that says LT is done in the semifinals, but I'd love to be proved wrong.  As soon as someone like me opens their big mouth, that's almost a guarantee that Fate will find a way to serve me Humble Pie... 14. A very straightforward question: Why Lithuanian acts always were miserable to lukewarm in Eurovision? We might best answer that on a case by case basis.... 15. What Lithuanian music is on your iPod (if any)? Why?  Mamontovas--Laisve tavyje...Superb b-side w/ a beautiful chorus Empti--Diskoteka...They should have been MASSIVE--what a loss Jurga--Instrukcija...Saw her in Boston--great new hope for me for LT pop Lukas--Ėch ta laime...Did a presentation on this song at MIT two years ago! Mango--Raskila...Musu kiemo raskila, nu va.

A Sunday morning in the life of a prof....

I'm not sure if this is a cautionary tale or what, but here I'm posting a proposal for a Baltic Studies conference in Lithuania....that I whipped together this morning before taking off to Boston with L for cepelinai.  Fingers crossed!

"From despair to where?  The post-accession era Baltic film industries"

Bjorn Ingvoldstad, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Communication Studies

Bridgewater State College (USA)

Abstract submission for the 2009 Baltic Studies Conference

Vytautas Magnus University--Kaunas, Lithuania

Cinema Studies offers a particularly revealing lens through which to investigate the intersections between Baltic cultures and Baltic identities.  In addition to work on texts and audiences, work on film industries reveal the economic spine of "the most important art."  Building on recent work on "cinema of small nations" generally (Hjort & Petrie [eds.], 2007) and on Baltic cinema in particular (Naripea & Trossek [eds.] 2008), I propose to discuss the most recent, post accession era (2004- ) in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

In particular, my focus will be on the film industries in the Baltic and their adaptation to the economic and geopolitical opportunities and constraints coupled with accession to the European Union and NATO.  My presentation uses Baltic cinema circa 2004 as its initial reference point, and works its way out both chronologically and geographically.

While accession to the EU and NATO was an endgame envisioned and worked towards for over a dozen years, it certainly was not "the end of history" (Fukuyama, 1992).  Rather, it opened a new chapter in the political, economic, and social transformations taking place in the Baltic States (the post-postsocialist era?).  Half a decade is a blink of an eye compared to the millennium of Lithuanian history we celebrate in 2009, yet it still offers us a vantage point to trace the continuities and discontinuities in the film industries of the region upon greater European integration.

Rather than strictly focusing on one particular country, the analysis will center on the national cinemas of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.  My presentation will consider the level of interaction and integration with one another (is there such a thing we can meaningfully refer to as Baltic Cinema?), as well as interplay with other regions' cinemas (Scandinavia, Central Europe, Western Europe, and the CIS) and the global film marketplace.  In this regard, I will explore EU-based funding networks for production and distribution (in particular, co-production and cross-medium strategies), the evolution of exhibition and ancillary markets, and the relative position of Baltic cinema within both the EU and the global marketplace.

Seeing film as a cultural crossroads of culture not only allows us to look at the ways in which cinema industrially links texts with audiences, but also offers a connection between people of different localities, nationalities, and regions.  Baltic cinemas, in this sense, can rightly be viewed as an intersection of civilizational identities.