European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 16, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse S a a a a a a a. A a a s4s Kevin Dougherty tech. Sgt Kani Nichols signs autographs for to russian army band cadets who approached the musicians during a break to inspect the americans instruments. At right is tech. Sgt. Rosalind Stevens. By Kevin Dougherty staff writer a s cold As it was in Moscow air Force staff 1 sgt Lon Throop was in no Rush to Board the toasty tour bus half filled with colleagues a and idling in front of a russian army theater. A waxing Moon that seemed More Illuminant in the cloudless night had caught Throop s attention. He had seen the Moon and the stars countless times before but in this particular instance it struck a chord. Quot we have a lot in common Quot Throop said of russians and americans As he stood and scanned the heavens. Quot he gets hungry i got hungry. He has to work i have to work. He has to go through crap i have to go through Throop a saxophone player with the . Air forces in Europe band paused for a beat or two. R Quot but some people Quot he continued Quot have to go through a a a a like the people in Russia he was asked Quot the circumstances Are certainly different Quot for them Throop said. While on a recent Holiday concert tour in Moscow Throop and other members of the Safe. Band Learned firsthand just How difficult life is for Ordinary russians though they stayed in a $200-a-Day hotel that offered Many creature comforts a piano bar fitness Center Cable to bedside chocolates and a scrumptious breakfast Buffet the musicians were exposed to the. Harsh realities of life in the russian capital. Despite evidence of some economic Progress a such As foreign cars and snazzy shops offering Western goods it Many muscovites Are mired in a Day to Day hand to Mouth struggle to survive. Middle aged women for example position themselves near subway stations hoping to sell an article of clothing a lace doily or some other Possession for much needed. Cash. Some Gray haired men have Only a Mournful look and an upturned hand to offer strangers and Huddie in groups of three or four along Tverskaya Zamskaya Street a main thoroughfare waiting for their next trick. Many of the Young be models or housewives Quot said senior airman Georg held Quot but they Are prostitutes because they have to pay the rent for their apartments and their apartments Aren t very Good at All a held. 28, defected from the former soviet Union in 1989 arid joined the . Air Force two years later. Assigned to Han scorn fab mass., the clarinet player was loaned to the Safe band for the Holiday concert tour last month a a a. A a a a v. A native of St. Petersburg held left his Homeland because he wanted a better life for himself and his wife Hie also believed he was too talented to waste his most productive years behind the Iron curtain which fell soon after his departure. A a a. Quot it was depressing Quot held said of his years in the former soviet Union Quot emotionally other russian musicians weren t As fortunate As held. Is amps Ken Corgo the americans weren t the Only musicians in town. An old timer performs for passers by in the Snow. A. A. A a. 1 a a a a a a. A i. A a a. A a a a a master sgt. Peter Sandberg spent a couple of hours witha few of them one night. It was a Chance of a lifetime to see firsthand How Quot the other half Quot lives and plays. Sandberg 41, met an English speaking woman while trying to decipher the menu at a Kiosk. Nadezhda Gutkina helped Sandberg with his order and he wound up inviting her to the band s show that night. Gutkina came to the concert and in turn invited Sandberg to a Friend s House the following Day. There were some songs Gutkina had written that she wanted Sandberg to hear. He accepted. Quot i had no idea How i was going to get Back to the hotel if this turned out to be bad news Quot Sandberg said. At about Midnight the next Day Sandberg and Gutkina took the subway to the Friend s Home located on the outskirts of Moscow there were several people in their. 20s gathered in a Large room that at one time must have been used for storage. They sat on crates and makeshift benches fashioned out of wooden planks. The outside. Cold that swept through the dimly lighted room required some of them to sit close together for warmth the room was Quot spacious but not Homey very primitive Quot Sandberg said. Quot they had Wall papered Over the windows. It was definitely not the High rent . Between them there were two guitars and an endless. Supply of songs most of which were of the Folk variety the songs Sung in russian ran the Gamut of human emotion from lost love to Beer drinking to cannibalism. The earthy tunes translated into English by Gutkina were at times funny other times tragic. A. A. Gutkina s Friend Natascha Sang a Beautiful Lullaby while another Friend performed a twisted piece about a Young woman who was abducted arid killed by some men. The men ate their victim and then died of aids because of it. Gutkina contributed a piece about her 6-Yearold son whom she rarely sees now that the boy is living Wilh her sex husband. A a. As he listened to their music Sandberg realized that any fears he had for his Well being were unfounded. The musicians not Only offered songs but what Little food anti drink they had. A a a a. The hard lives they Lead Are partly offset by a simple lifestyle and enduring friendships Sandberg said. In a Way they were luckier than most because they were Able to vent their concerns and express their Hopes through. Music. A a a. A Quot what i was struck with was the Quality of their playing Quot Sandberg said Quot these people can really play the guitar and can really sing Quot the session continued unabated for nearly three hours. When Sandberg was ready to leave a few of the performers offered to drive him to the hotel in lieu of calling a taxi Sandberg said he spent five to six minutes in their car outside the hotel trying to convince Herr to accept Money from him. They eventually did. Quot not Only were these people trustworthy Quot Sandberg said Quot but they of their Way to make me real real comfortable. They did the Best they Ory 16, 1995 the star5 and stripes 17
