On May 6, the Russian political activist collective Pussy Riot received the prestigious Woody Guthrie Prize in a ceremony held at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma—home of the Woody Guthrie Center. The award is given to artists who exemplify the spirit of Guthrie by speaking out for the less fortunate through their chosen art medium. Past recipients of this award include Mavis Staples, Bruce Springsteen, Kris Kristofferson, and many other inspiring artists.
Pussy Riot made international news in 2012 when the group staged a protest inside Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Their action—what the group chooses to call their protests—was directed toward the Orthodox Church’s leaders who openly supported Vladimir Putin during his election campaign.
A little over a month after the protest, three of the members were arrested: Nadya Tolokonnikova, Maria (more commonly known as Masha) Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich (whose charges were later dropped). As a result, Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova received a two-year penal colony sentence due to their “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.”
Nora Guthrie, daughter of the late Woody Guthrie, had heard about Pussy Riot’s bravery and activism when the women’s case attracted considerable attention and criticism in the West. The collective and Guthrie’s paths just so happened to cross at a music festival in Germany as they all waited for a taxi to leave the event; the group ended up all leaving together in a car as Guthrie explained to them the prize.
Fast forward a year later to Nora Guthrie kicking off Pussy Riot’s induction to the group of hallowed recipients of the Woody Guthrie Prize. Guthrie started off the event with a rousing speech about activism and what it means to be an activist, joking that “once you’re up off the couch, then you’re an activist.” She continued her talk by explaining the history of how the United States has tried to censor those fighting for what they believe, though she admitted that it’s nowhere near the extent of Russia’s totalitarian regime. “In America, we’ve also had our fair share of artists that get into trouble with authorities. [America] came up with a blacklist in the 1940s and ’50s, where artists were banned from radio and television appearances. We’ve had artists having to go into exile. Charlie Chaplin, little Charlie Chaplin, who would have thunk it? We’ve taken away their passports from people like Pete Seeger, all because they were ‘getting the word around.’”
She referenced some of the lyrics her father had written in the 1940s, and how censorship has somehow gotten more common since then. “But lyrics to a song? Really, now, in 2023?” she asked rhetorically. “I mean, to put it another way, when Woody wrote in 1940, ‘If Jesus was to preach like he preached in Galilee, they’d probably nail Jesus Christ to his grave.’” The audience let out a loud cheer before she continued, “Well, that was 1940. This is 2023.” Could they? Would they? Nail Jesus Christ?” Guthrie was most certainly preaching to the choir as loud shouts of affirmation rang through the crowd. “If you preach to the rich, give your goods to the poor…What are they gonna do with that one?” she again asked attendees.
Eloquently, she began to shift the conversation to the current political landscape surrounding censorship in the United States today. “On the rise, we are hearing rappers’ lyrics being used in court cases against them. We see writers’ books being banned. We see entertainers and drag queens’ lives being threatened, and their art being banned by legislators.” Referencing, of course, the troubling news coming out of Tennessee about Governor Bill Lee signing a bill to ban drag performances. Along with the book ban happening right here in Oklahoma as state senators voted to ban adults from accessing books in public libraries that contain a “predominant tendency to appeal to a prurient interest in sex.” Not to mention the senate’s vote to require high school juniors and seniors to receive written approval from their legal guardians in order to read age-appropriate books from their school library.
She continued her speech with “They’re afraid of the new world. They’re afraid of new ideas. They’re afraid of the new moral compass and afraid of all the new people. In other words, they’re afraid of losing the old world order.” Again, loud cheers rang throughout the room as she quoted a saying from her father in which he said, “You know those good ole’ days might be good enough for you, but damn, they’re not good enough for me.”
With that she transitioned to the award itself, saying “In America, we’re used to awards being glistening with crystals, diamonds, gold…shiny lighty things like that. The Woody Guthrie Prize is not that. The Woody Guthrie Prize is about artists who often have to struggle to get their word out.” She picked up the modest trophy in the shape of a guitar, hugging it to her chest in memory of her father, who died when she was only seventeen years old after a battle with Huntington’s disease. In a way, these women and this award are the closest things she has left to her father as recipients have all inhabited the same spirit of the late and great Woody Guthrie.
With tears in her eyes, she continued, “And the struggle can be dirty; it can be dusty. This is an old, battered, beat-up guitar. It’s been through a lot, and so has Pussy Riot.” Without further ado, she called the collective and presented the award to “these dynamic, inspiring, courageous, determined, frightful, loud-mouthed and the most beautiful women artists who are definitely getting the word out around the world.”
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Masha Alyokhina thanked the audience and Nora Guthrie for their support before saying “Woody Guthrie was a unique artist and man who was fighting against injustice and against the war through his songs. And now, years after, we still have injustice, and unfortunately, we again have war. So by receiving this award, we promise to fight with the poor, through our songs, through our art, with all our hearts, as loud as we can.”
Olga Borisova also gave an impassioned talk about women’s reproductive rights during her acceptance speech. “I want to address the people of Oklahoma. Please, do not stop fighting for your right to have an abortion. Abortion is not a fun choice. I made one, but you should have that choice. So please do not stop fighting. Pussy Riot supports you.”
Nadya Tolokonnikova sadly couldn’t attend, but she did later post a short video thanking the Woody Guthrie Center, vowing to continue to fight for her beliefs.
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The event soon switched over to the Q&A portion, which was moderated by Bob Santelli—a renowned music historian and author with expertise in folk and rock. Currently, he serves as the Executive Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archive and Center for American Music. He is also a former Director of the Grammy Museum. Also in attendance was Alexander (Sasha) Cheparukhin, who serves as the group’s manager and stage show arranger.
Santelli started the interview off by asking how the group’s actions became such a movement all over the world. Alyokhina explained that before being arrested, she and the other members of Pussy Riot would wear balaclava masks while protesting to protect their identities. However, that all changed after being arrested for the events that occurred at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Once the trial began, the concept of being anonymous quickly disappeared. Cheparukhin chimed in to say, “Supporters began to wear balaclavas in their honor. That’s how it became a movement.” Alyokhina summed it up best with, “It’s not because of us. It’s because of you.”
When asked about who inspired and influenced their actions and music, the group had a couple of different answers. Alyokhina cited Bikini Kill as a big influence of hers, saying that the feminist powerhouses really made a difference in her life.
Borisova, on the other hand, spoke candidly about her time as a police officer in Moscow. Prompted by Alyokhina, Borisova told her story, saying, “When I was 18 years old, I was a cop; I was a cop for one year. And then I realized, you know, I just met the system, because back then, I thought that I was going to help people and make the world a better place, but very fast I realized that it’s not possible…really.” It was a hate of the system that led Borisova to become an active member of Pussy Riot.
To finish the Q&A, Santelli asked the women what the United States should do about its current political situation involving the loss of rights for many marginalized groups. Eloquently and passionately, Alyokhina urged audience members to take a stand for what they believe in, because if they don’t, they will lose their rights.
“What you need to do is very simple, look to our country. Russia was not like that all the time. It was not a totalitarian hell which imprisoned and killed people for nothing. It’s become like that in a very short historical period of 15 years. It’s a very short road from freedom to losing freedom. And if you will not fight for your life, your freedom, it will be taken.” Borisova echoed her words by telling everyone to “Go to the street. Be loud,” which earned thunderous applause from those in attendance.
The group took a fifteen-minute break before the performance of their stage show “Riot Days.” However, before it all kicked off, Cheparukhin gave a brief introduction to both the show and the members of the band. He told attendees that he first met Alyokhina while she was imprisoned in the penal colony for her actions in the church—which he described as a political statement because the band foresaw what would come of Russia. At the time, she was on a hunger strike in an effort to obtain better treatment and rights for herself and her fellow prisoners. Visiting her as a public rights defender, he provided a little bit of joy during that rough time by contacting various musicians and celebrities, all of whom sent her letters of support, including Madonna, Paul McCartney, Sting, etc.
Nearing the end of their two-year sentence, Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were released early as the pair received amnesty after the State Duma approved their pardon. From there, the pair decided to form their own independent press called Mediazona, which became one of the leading independent media institutions in Russia before it was forcibly shut down in 2022.
It wasn’t until 2015 that Cheparukhin suggested to Alyokhina that she take her protests to the stage by creating a stage show, allowing her to combine her writing abilities and high energy. “She’s not a musician. She’s just a rebel and rioter. But she wrote a good book and we took this text and made the show.”
Life in Russia became impossible for the members of Pussy Riot. In 2021 and 2022, Alyokhina was sentenced to house arrest for various random offenses such as attending the rally of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and disobeying police officers. Time kept being tacked on for unspecified reasons until in April 2022 when officials decided she would spend the rest of her two-year sentence in a penal colony. Taking matters into her own hands, she escaped Russia under the guise of a food courier—all of which she did without a passport. Now, she is considered a fugitive by the Russian government.
Cheparukhin also went on to describe the other members’ involvement, saying that Burkot was also at the church that fateful day in 2012, though she evaded arrest. Borisova joined Pussy Riot after leaving the police force, helping to co-write Alyokhina’s novel Riot Days and protesting all over Russia and even in front of the Trump Tower in New York City.
Taisiya Krugovyykh, a professional actor from one of the top acting institutions in Moscow, joined the group two years ago. The collective’s newest addition is Alina Petrova, who joined a few months ago. With a focus on violin, soundscape, and electronic music, Petrova is actually the only professionally trained musician in the group.
After recounting all this information, Cheparukhin let Pussy Riot take the stage for Riot Days, a musical performance detailing the group’s political statements and time in the penal colony. The show began with Petrova walking on stage alone, breaking into a gentle yet tension-filled song on her violin. In everything she played on stage, she performed with power; whether it be when she was playing the drums or tinkering with the electronic instruments, Petrova was always in control of the chaotic atmosphere of the show around her—even when she was sprinting from one side of the stage to the other in order to get to a different instrument.
The play is a tour de force of emotions as Alyokhina expresses fear, vulnerability, and courage unlike any other as she recounts the traumatizing events that have happened during her lifetime. Perhaps most poignant is the moment in which the backdrop behind performers shows her child holding a sign which reads “let mom go,” driving home Alyokhina’s commitment to the freedom of Russia from Putin’s totalitarian reign.
Another highlight of the performance comes from Borisova’s highly energetic dancing and vocals. Kicking the air in defiance with screams of rage, she had every eye in the house on her. But most of all, Borisova looked like she was having the time of her life as she was somehow able to transform the pain from her life into a beautiful and poignant performance.
Perhaps the most striking moment of the entire show was when Krugovyykh took center stage in a yellow balaclava as another band member simultaneously brought out a portrait of Putin and placed it in front of them. The mood of the audience shifted as attendees gave one another curious looks. It soon became apparent what Krugovyykh had in mind as they slightly squatted above the portrait and began to urinate on Putin. Everyone in the room froze for what felt like a minute before eventually erupting into a ground-shaking cheer and applause. Those in the back of the room visibly scrambled to climb into chairs lining the sides of the venue walls, craning their necks to see the sight before them.
The show ends with the band beseeching the audience, “Are you free?”
Though Pussy Riot didn’t set out to be a musical group, it appears that punk has chosen them and made them their own.
Performance
Awards Ceremony
Interview Segment
