Lectures on Tap - "Rock & Roll in the Cold War"

Join us for an engaging evening where professors, experts, and storytellers bring their thought-provoking lectures to your favorite bar!

Hosted by the Lectures on Tap team.

🗓️ Date: July 7th, 2025

🕡 Time: 6:30 PM

📍 Location: Carroll Gardens Brooklyn (exact address provided in confirmation email)

📚 Lecture: “Rock & Roll in the Cold War”

🎤 Speaker: Professor, Dr. Tom Rizzuto

During the Cold War, Rock and Roll was more than just music; it became a cultural phenomenon that challenged the status quo and created unease among many Americans. In the USSR, it symbolized the dangers of Western influence and inspired young Soviets to rebel against oppression. This lecture will explore how rock music was viewed as both a threat and a tool for propaganda on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

Discover how American operatives smuggled rock music into the USSR to subvert the Kremlin's power, and learn about Soviet teenagers who risked their lives to create illegal electric guitars. By the 1980s, the Berlin Wall itself served as the stage for some of the biggest rock concerts in history.

Dr. Tom Rizzuto is a passionate professor of music history and guitar at Molloy University, with expertise in the intersections of music and societal change. His research has been featured in various esteemed publications, and he frequently contributes to the Rock and Roll Archaeology podcast network.

Don’t miss this opportunity to understand the powerful role of rock music in shaping history!

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.

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