A Glimpse into Russian and Soviet Culture: Alla Pugacheva’s 75th Birthday

It’s a little hard to write this story — trying to explain the legacy of a non-Western pop icon to a Western audience. The influence of Western pop icons transcends borders, walls, and Iron Curtains. For example, many people outside of the West know Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley. The legacy of non-Western icons is mostly constrained to their countries.

So I want to leave this note without some deep attempt to communicate the profound role of Alla Pugacheva in the culture of the Soviet Union. In fact, I’m…