Thursday, August 28, 2008

Gorki is a Punk Rocker

I've known a few American punk rockers who likely fantasized about this sort of thing happening to them, but thank goodness it never did- Gorki Aguila is a Cuban punk rocker and the lead singer of the band Porno para Ricardo (great name!) who is soon to stand trial for "social dangerousness", a crime that could land him in jail for four years. The reason? He wrote songs criticizing Fidel Castro. The band is currently banned from Cuban radio.

The point here isn't that American punk bands should count their lucky stars that they can write songs criticizing George Bush that the radio won't play; it's simply that Cuba still ain't libre and the regime still sucks. I'll post more information as I find it.

Update: Here is the band website for Porno para Ricardo. Check out the great band logo!

Update 2: Good news! He got off with a $28 dollar fine for "social dangerousness", a charge that is usually used to arrest dissidents in Cuba before they actually do anything. No doubt the widespread criticism of his arrest from outside of Cuba helped here.

And, to celebrate, here is an entertaining video by his band. Consider as you watch that this completely loopy punk band is actually threatening to the Castros.

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