Michele Gorbachev left the Kremlin with a Nobel Peace Prize under his arm and a budding career as a lecturer and star in the West, while he tried unsuccessfully to return to politics of his country, later converted into a republic.
But politics turned its back on him and little by little, at the dawn of the 90s and as a symbol of the freedom found after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Gorbachev became a popular culture figurewith forays into music, entertainment and fashion.
In 1989 the Spanish group my crazywhich has had hits such as Disco Ibiza Loco Mía, dedicated a song to him to Gorbachev – he even entitled him with his surname – when his figure became synonymous with reforms in the USSR and the recovery for a large part of the world of individual freedoms after the Soviet yoke.
In their style, irreverent and devoid of any particular political commitment, the long hair celebrated with their lyrics the beginning of the end of the Soviet regime, which they interpreted as progress, a return to freedom and a commitment to nuclear disarmament.
“Gorbachev is a star, long live the superstar of Gorby”, Loco Mía sang and thus predicted the pop star that the Russian politician would become in the West.
“Gorbachev is Perestroika / Gorbachev disarms / Gorbachev convinces / He knows how to command”, the band sang in their catchy chorus that captured the magnetism generated by this bald, good-natured, easy-smiling man who built bridges with capitalism.
With that success, the extravagant Spanish band best remembered for their performances and fans closed the Viña del Mar festival in Chile in 1997.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the Grammy winner
Music would reappear in Gorbachev’s life. In 2004 he obtained the a Grammy Award in the category Best Spoken Album For Children with the former president of the United States bill clinton and the actress Sophia Loren for the narration of the story Pedro and the Wolf.
In 2009 he was encouraged to sing. In Songs for Raisa he sang romantic ballads dedicated to his late wife with the Russian musician Andréi Makarevich with the aim of raising funds for his foundation.
Mikhail Gorbachev, guest star of The Simpsons
Like many other personalities in the world of politics, the last leader of the USSR also appeared in The Simpsons. He does it together with the former president of the United States, George Bushin the episode “Two Bad Neighbors”, the thirteenth of the seventh season aired for the first time on 1January 4, 1996.
In the story of that episode, political leader visits Bush’s new home in Springfield and watch Bush and Homer fight fists. Gorbachev watches the painful scene from the sidewalk as he holds a gift – a coffee pot – for the then president of the United States.
The scene culminates with Gorbachev calling Homer a “local fat” and with the protagonist of the series referring to him as Bush’s “Communist Friend”.
In turn, Gorbachev is also mentioned on one occasion by Krosty, the clown of the series, who jokes with his stain on his head: “Have you heard of Herpes? Herpes Herpes Banana Boberpes, they know that Gorbachev has Herpes in his head ”.
Source: Clarin
