Rocking Toward a Free World: When the Stratocaster Beat the Kalashnikov

Former Hungarian diplomat Simonyi recalls his rock-and-roll youth in this uninspiring memoir set in the “strange gray zone of isolation” of Cold War–era Hungary. Simonyi is less interested in describing Iron Curtain authoritarian monoculture than in contrasting it with the Technicolor fantasia swirling in his head as a 1960s teenager obsessed with rock-and-roll (or “beat music”). This makes for an odd narrative, with Simonyi—who was more aware of the West than most, thanks to his father whose career as an engineer allowed the family to travel—flipping from discussing the secret police to the debate his teen self really cared about: “You were either with the Beatles or with the Stones.” The book ripples with ardent love for Western culture (New Music Express, Jimi Hendrix, Radio Luxembourg, Levi’s jeans) that he and his friends treated like rare talismans. A 1968 Traffic concert is rendered with the awe of a religious experience, especially after Simonyi meets Steve Winwood. Even though his obsessions as a fanboy and later musician signaled something born of conformist communist oppression, Simonyi doesn’t make those moments truly come alive. This flat account of an explosive time ultimately disappoints. [em](June) [/em]