I love Western pop culture, but this part of it totally escaped me

If there is something trendy and I missed it, I’d never be arrogant and say oh, I’m too busy for this or too smart for this; or this is too mainstream. I don’t ever want to grow into a grumpy old man who’s out of touch with the modern world, who wouldn’t at least try to understand what excites others.

Fortunately, I don’t have to force myself to stay in touch with pop culture. I’ve loved it my entire life. I fell in love with Western rock and pop music even when I was in Russia, not even a teenager. The early 1990s in…