Bourdain: A Voice for Good Lost to the Ages

Bourdain: A Voice for Good Lost to the Ages

I lived in Moscow for approximately 13 years.  For most of that time, it was a great and fascinating place to live.  I learned much about life and business, while also meeting some of the most interesting people and characters I could ever imagine.  And even though the experience ended on a low point, I’ll always remember it positively, and my days there were some of the best of my life. 

I arrived under a booming economy at the tail end of Yeltsinism and rode that wave for the first few years, but a dark cloud was also forming and it kept growing.  As the economy boomed and Putin got accustomed to being in power, he started altering the country’s direction.  As his power continued to grow, he started protecting it by any and all means, even if that meant tearing up the constitution and rule of law while also tearing down the independent press and arresting (or worse) business and opposition leaders.  By the end of my time there, the Kremlin was doing things I didn't think possible and the country had become something I never could have imagined.

I only had access to a few English language TV channels there and CNN was one of them.  When Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown started being broadcast in 2013, I immediately became a fan and always watched it whenever possible.  Like for so many others, Bourdain came across as someone I related to and shared certain interests with, namely a love of travel, food and different cultures. 

In 2014, Russia’s corruption and hostile climate had crossed the point of no return for me and I was on the last lap of my life there.  I was closing down and selling my Russian assets and preparing to move back to the States.  Putin’s grip on power seemed untouchable and the press and opposition had been marginalized to such an extent that their voices were barely ever heard in both Russia and the West. 

Then, I saw a commercial that the next Parts Unknown show was taking place in Russia ahead of the Sochi Olympics and it was starring Russia’s former Deputy Prime Minister (under Yeltsin) and opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.  This was quite a surprise.  I’d known Nemtsov from afar for many years and he had remained one of the only strong and consistent voices of opposition to the Putin regime.  I’d seen him speak at multiple protests and conferences over the years and respected his honesty, integrity and determination to fight for a free and liberal Russia despite the risks.

I stayed in to watch the Parts Unknown episode and was completely blown away by what I saw.  At the most unexpected time and on an even more unexpected platform, Anthony Bourdain had done more to tell the world about what was really happening in Russia, while also promoting Nemtsov’s and the opposition’s cause, than any other Western or Russian media outlet ever could have.  The Nemtsov interview was open, direct, strong and shocking.  It ripped apart the myth of Putin’s Russia right at a time when Putin and his PR machine were in overdrive pushing a false narrative to the world ahead of the Olympics. 

I sat in front of the TV like a child watching Saturday morning cartoons.  I was mesmerized.  The interview was exciting and awe inspiring to anyone who cared about the state of affairs in Russia.  Nothing close to this amazing and honest interview had ever been broadcast in Putin’s Russia and Bourdain had somehow made it happen (probably because it was in English and on what was considered a food/travel show).  The show was broadcast throughout the country and many Russians out in the regions were able to watch on honest discussion on what was really happening under Putin’s rule for the first time.  Anthony pushed the discussion about topics that were forbidden in the Russian press and Nemtsov answered honestly, bravely and directly.  The interview ended with Bourdain saying to Nemtsov that many of Putin’s critics had had bad things happen to them and asking if he was concerned for his life. 

Nemtsov courageously answered, "Tony, I was born here 54 years ago.  This is my country.  The Russian people are in a bit of trouble.  Russian courts don't work.  Russian education declines every year.  I believe that Russia has a chance to be free- has a chance.  It's difficult, but I must do it."

My respect and admiration for both Bourdain and Nemtsov grew immeasurably from that moment.  Nemtsov gave an interview that would surely ruffle many feathers and make him a bigger target to the authorities and Bourdain had cleverly used his global platform to give access to and promote a much needed voice and political cause that the world had largely decided to ignore.  

The next day everyone I knew was talking about the show.  “Did you see Nemtsov on Parts Unknown last night?” was a question I heard repeatedly by my friends and colleagues.  It was ground breaking stuff and it was a positive jolt for the opposition’s cause.  

Despite that, over the next months, the most corrupt Olympics in history happened, Ukraine had a revolution that was countered by Russia sending in troops to steal Crimea and start a war in the Donbas region and I liquidated or sold all my assets and businesses and left the country.  I was shocked that Russia chose this path and more shocked that the country’s people allowed it to happen, but sadly, there weren’t many places left for the opposition’s voice to be heard and people couldn't hear any other options.  

In February 2015, Nemtsov was still trying his best to make a positive difference.  He announced that he was putting together a report that would prove that the Russian army was actively fighting in southeastern Ukraine (something the government adamantly denied) and he was going to present this to the world.  A few days later, I turned on the TV and saw that Boris Nemtsov was assassinated walking home with his girlfriend from a restaurant on Red Square right next to the Kremlin.  He was shot four times in the back.  It was a heartbreaking and tragic turn of events.  A prominent political figure of Nemtsov’s stature had always been considered untouchable for this type of gangland killing and the fact that he was murdered in front of the Kremlin- one of the most policed and secure areas in all of Russia- said it all.  It proved to be a Coup de Grâce to Russia’s opposition movement and no one was ever charged for masterminding this heinous and brazen crime. 

I was planning on visiting Russia in March of that year, but once Nemtsov was murdered, I cancelled my plans and haven’t gone back since.  It was just too much for me to accept. 

Since Anthony’s unexpected passing, this memory has continuously come to my mind.  Anthony was the real deal- a generous, ethical, and forthright person who endeavored to break down barriers and improve the world around him in any way he could and I believe that is why his death has had such an affect on so many people.  I never had the good fortune to meet him, but even now, weeks later, I’m still thinking about him.  Sadly, like Nemtsov before him, his voice for good is now lost to the ages.  Rest in Peace Mr. Bourdain- you made a difference-

 

Anthony Bourdain: June 25, 1956 - June 8, 2018

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Interested in reading another blog that touches upon some of these issues?  Please click the link below to read: A Spark of Revolution in Russia That Didn’t Catch-  

https://libertinereflections.blogspot.com/2018/03/russia-journal-election-fraud-and-spark.html


Or, for a more light hearted tale about a date I had in Russia in the old days when I took the girl to the exact restaurant I believe Nemtsov dined at on his fateful last night.

https://libertinereflections.blogspot.com/2018/02/gouzelle-from-museum.html

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