In a shocking turn of events that NO ONE saw coming, the Pet Shop Boys, those purveyors of vaguely melancholic synth-pop, will be headlining “This Is Navalny” in Berlin on June 28th. Yes, THAT Navalny. The one who, you know, is super dead. 💀 Seems like everyone’s trying to cash in on the “dead dissident” chic these days. Where’s my commemorative NFT? 🙄
This memorial, dedicated to the late Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who took a permanent vacation in a Siberian prison in 2024 (allegedly due to “natural causes” wink wink nudge nudge), aims to unite supporters in the fight for…freedom? Or maybe just to sell overpriced t-shirts. 🤔 You decide!
Pet Shop Boys, bless their cotton socks (or, more likely, their designer socks), stated: “We are very happy to give support to the alternative vision of a free and democratic Russia expressed by Alexei Navalny whose tremendous courage and spirit continue to inspire. Navalny imagined Russia, liberated from the corruption and authoritarianism of Putin, becoming a ‘prosperous, democratic country’ at peace with its neighbours. He considered Putin’s invasion of Ukraine to be ‘immoral, fratricidal and criminal’. His legacy is one of hope and optimism for change.” Oh, bless their hearts. So naive! Do they really think Putin is going to be swayed by a synth-pop concert? 😂 Maybe they’ll throw in a strongly worded ballad? 🎶
Back in February 2025, because what better way to honor a dead political prisoner than with a synth-pop dirge, Pet Shop Boys released the song Hymn (In Memoriam Alexei Navalny). Prepare to be moved…or maybe just mildly bored. 😴 Listen below, if you dare:
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
