Rockin The Kremlin a book by Ohio author David Junk discussion and book signing

HOW DOES AN OHIO FARM BOY BECOME THE CEO OF A MAJOR RECORD LABEL’S FIRST OFFICE IN RUSSIA? Cold War Kid David Junk Grew Up on a Farm in Ohio Fearing the Russians. His Journey Took Him to Moscow Where He Headed Up Universal Music Russia Junk Tells His Amazing Story in New Book: Rockin’ the Kremlin My Incredible True Story of Gangsters, Oligarchs, and Pop Stars in Putin’s Russia Growing up on a farm in Ohio, David Junk had many reasons to fear the Russians. His classmate was killed when Russia shot down a Korean Air Lines passenger jet. He lived near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, a known target if the Soviet Union were to launch a first nuclear strike on the U.S. And he hated that their basketball team cheated at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. And yet, his love of Pink Floyd brought him to Berlin to see a staging of their album The Wall, which eventually led him to Russia and a job with a diamond company. But that job ended in disaster when Junk found out the Russian-owned firm was stealing diamonds. He was accused of being complicit in the crime but was acquitted when his boss was arrested by Interpol and the Russians realized David was innocent. Next stop: an accounting job with PolyGram, a major record label. And when Universal Music bought PolyGram, Junk was named CEO of the new company. He first realized the dangers of the job when his London bosses told him the company would pay a ransom of up to five million dollars should he be kidnapped. During his time in Russia, Junk dealt with an oligarch who wanted his daughter to be a pop star; with record pirates who were stealing 90 per cent of all record sales; a record rate who wanted to turn legitimate and was murdered; and the most dangerous band in the world – the two young girls known as t.AT.u., provocative in their protests against war and famous for kissing in their music video, a dangerous move in a repressive Russia where homosexuality was outlawed. He developed Russian stars and welcomed superstars from the West who were touring Russia, including Mariah Carey, Elton John, Sting, Bon Jovi and Enrique Iglesias. He introduced hip hop to Russia with the arrival of the firs Eminem album, paving the way for rappers like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre to become huge stars in Russia. When Junk arrived in Moscow, Americans were welcomed under President Yelstin and glasnost. But when Putin came to power, the climate changed. Eventually, Junk sent his Russian wife and their two children to the U.S. and followed a year later. He returned in 2013 to open the first Gibson Guitar showroom in Russia. A year later Russia invaded Ukraine for the first time, seizing Crimea. Once again, Junk had to leave the country and return home to America. His thrilling tale takes many twists and turns and all is revealed in Rockin’ the Kremlin, where his journey begins on that farm about 20 miles south of Columbus in Ohio and comes to a brave conclusion with his return to Ukraine in 2023, to see how his friends and colleagues are faring during a war with Russia. “Music industry veteran Junk debuts with an energetic chronicle of his crusade to bring popular Western music to post-Soviet Russia... It’s an exciting and colorful look at a dynamic period in Russia’s cultural history.” —Publishers Weekly “‘I led an American pop music invasion… to Russia. It was too loud and brash, like rock ’n’ roll’—these words from David Junk impressed and inspired me. He tries to find meaning behind the cause to which he devoted over three decades of his life—bringing America and Russia closer together after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Visiting my homeland, Ukraine, David questions if dedicating these thirty years was in vain. His story is captivating.” —Ruslana, renowned Ukrainian singer and activist; winner of the Eurovision Song Contest and World Music Awards “A fast-moving, information-rich narrative about the intersections between politics and pop culture behind the Iron Curtain. [Junk and Bronson’s] book will probably appeal to readers who want a behind the scenes look at the music industry in Putin’s Russia and a rare view of the powerful forces that spawn and prohibit the birth and proliferation of singers, songwriters, and their fans in a nation where freedom of expression and the First Amendment are not taken for granted.” —New York Journal of Books ROCKIN’ THE KREMLIN: My Incredible True Story of Gangsters, Oligarchs, and Pop Stars in Putin's Russia (Rowman & Littlefield; July 2, 2024) follows David Junk as he becomes the first CEO of Universal Music Russia and builds impactful cultural bridges with music—but also how that would all shatter with the rise of Vladimir Putin and invasions of Ukraine.

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