Chimes of freedom

Yesterday evening Hungarian Ambassador to the United States Andras Simonyi spoke at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland to pay tribute to the force of rock music in bringing down Communism in Hungary. Like Ambassador Simonyi, I love the music. I don’t necessarily buy his thesis, but his speech testified to the inspiration that the music provided him to oppose tyranny. (Below is a 1999 photo of Ambassador Simonyi jamming with his daughter.)

The AP account of the event hilariously notes that Ambassador Simonyi was introduced by “defense and anti-terrorism consultant Jeff Baxter, who once played guitar with The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan.” The account kindly omits Baxter’s nickname, “Skunk.” Baxter stated in his introductory remarks that “[t]here is a commonality to the music and freedom. To Andras, Western music was an open window of fresh air in a very repressive society.” The AP account of the event is “Rock music brought down Communist house, official says.”