Russian punk group Pussy Riot is languishing in prison, sentenced for hooliganism after an impromptu acoustic set at a church last year.
The "Free Pussy Riot" movement already includes the White House. But now it boasts someone who actually makes a difference in the world: Bono.
In a letter of solidarity, 100 musical acts stand with Pussy Riot. The list includes:
Bryan Adams, Adele, Alt-J, Laurie Anderson, Animal Collective, Anti-Flag, Arcade Fire, Arch Enemy, Archive, Joan Armatrading, Joan Baez, Beardyman, Jeff Beck, Yasiin Bey, björk, Rubén Blades, Billy Bragg, Jackson Browne, Peter Buck, Tracy Chapman, Chase & Status, The Chemical Brothers, Neneh Cherry, The Clash, Coldplay, Lily Rose Cooper, Dido, Django Django, Melissa Etheridge, Siobhan Fahey, Paloma Faith, First Aid Kit, Franz Ferdinand, Foster the People, fun., Peter Gabriel, Bob Geldof, Kim Gordon, Debbie Harry, PJ Harvey, Don Henley, The Hidden Cameras, Niall Horan, Billy Joel, Sir Elton John, Ke$ha, Angelique Kidjo, The Knife, Mark Knopfler, Tom Lehrer, Sean Lennon, Annie Lennox, Lykke Li, Sir Paul McCartney, Romy Madley-Croft, Madonna, Zayn Malik, Stephen Malkmus, Marina & the Diamonds, Johnny Marr, Massive Attack, Mike Mills, Moby, Thurston Moore, Tom Morello, Alanis Morissette, James Morrison, Graham Nash, Kate Nash, Youssou N'Dour, Karen O, Yoko Ono, Clock Opera, Ozzy Osbourne, Liam Payne, Peaches, Joe Perry, Phoenix, Rain Phoenix, Portishead, Portugal. The Man, Cat Power, Radiohead, Bonnie Raitt, Rise Against, Patti Scialfa, Scissor Sisters, Paul Simon, Sleigh Bells, Patti Smith, Esperanza Spalding, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Stewart, Sting, Michael Stipe, Harry Styles, Neil Tennant, Louis Tomlinson, Pete Townshend, K T Tunstall, U2, Eddie Vedder.
Tom Morello, Elton John, and Melissa Etheridge are the usual suspects who bang out press releases whenever someone gets dunked in a toilet for a swirly. But Ke-Dollar Sign-Ha? She's the last person I would have thought to protest Russian illiberalism.
According to the Wikis, Ke$ha’s music "thematically, generally revolves around party antics and binge drinking, although some tracks have been noted as odes to individuality. Philanthropically, Ke$ha has been involved with animal rights and LGBT activism." Censorship in Russia is a helluva of a big issue to tackle for the artist who gave you "Grow a Pear."
Bottom line here is, besides being a despot, Russian authoritarian Vladimir Putin has no musical taste. His favorite band, Lubeh, is the Nickelback of Russia.