Emily Johnson
In May 1991, during the final days of the Soviet Union, a hoax was broadcast on Leningrad Television that Vladimir Lenin had turned into a mushroom. The hoax was the brainchild of musician-artist-performer Sergei Kuryokhin, who, impersonating a historian on the television program *Pyatoe Koleso* (The Fifth Wheel), claimed that Lenin had consumed large quantities of psychedelic mushrooms and eventually transformed into a mushroom and a radio wave. Kuryokhin supported his argument with a series of logical fallacies and appeals to various authorities, creating the illusion of a reasoned argument. The hoax was successful due to its timing during the glasnost period, when censorship in the Soviet Union was easing and many revelations about the communist regime were coming to light. The idea that Lenin was a mushroom also served as a form of stiob, a type of humour that parodies sacred aspects of Soviet culture, in this case, ridiculing the image of Lenin.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the hoax | 17 May 1991 |
| People involved | Sergey Kuryokhin, Sergey Sholokhov, Alexei Yurchak |
| Format | Interview on the television program Pyatoe Koleso (The Fifth Wheel) |
| Content | Lenin consumed large quantities of psychedelic mushrooms, became a mushroom and a radio wave |
| Purpose | To ridicule the image of Lenin, make visible the striking inversion that occurred at the end of Soviet history |
| Impact | Successful due to the timing during the glasnost period, sparked mushroom-themed jokes and puns |
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What You'll Learn
- The hoax was broadcast on 17 May 1991 on Leningrad Television
- Kuryokhin impersonated a historian and built a case that Lenin consumed psychedelic mushrooms
- Kuryokhin's conclusion: Lenin became a mushroom and a radio wave
- The hoax was a parody, ridiculing the image of Lenin
- The hoax was a work of absurdity, but it had a large impact on Soviet citizens
The hoax was broadcast on 17 May 1991 on Leningrad Television
Kuryokhin's argument was constructed through a series of logical fallacies and appeals to various authorities, including Carlos Castaneda and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also drew on real scholarly diagrams, scientific facts, and interviews with mycologists to support his claims. The hoax was made more convincing by the context of the time, with the ebbing of censorship in the Soviet Union leading to many revelations about the communist regime.
The programme caused a stir, with some viewers taking the claims seriously. Sholokhov, the host of 'The Fifth Wheel', noted that a group of party members even appealed to the Leningrad Regional Committee of the CPSU to verify the veracity of Kuryokhin's claims. The hoax had a significant impact, revealing the instability of the Soviet project and its foundational truths. It also sparked a wave of mushroom-themed jokes and puns among Soviet citizens, adding a whimsical touch to the serious business of revolution.
Kuryokhin's hoax was an example of ''stiob, a form of humour that emerged in the former Soviet Union during the early to mid-1990s. Stiob involves constructing a "playful parodic construction of parallel reality from an old cultural material that used to be sacred". It was often used as a mechanism of negative identification, allowing individuals to distance themselves from the cultural and political shifts they felt disconnected from.
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Kuryokhin impersonated a historian and built a case that Lenin consumed psychedelic mushrooms
In 1991, during the turbulent era of perestroika and glasnost in the Soviet Union, a hoax was perpetrated by musician-artist-performer Sergey Kuryokhin, in which he impersonated a historian and built a case that Vladimir Lenin consumed psychedelic mushrooms and eventually became a mushroom. This hoax was broadcast on Leningrad Television's investigative program "Pyatoe Koleso" (The Fifth Wheel) and gained a strong foothold in the popular consciousness of Soviet people.
Kuryokhin, playing the part of a verbally precise scholar, constructed a loosely logical argument that Lenin's steady consumption of psychedelic mushrooms over several years led to his transformation into a mushroom. He correlated the existence and use of hallucinogenic mushrooms in both Russia and Mexico and posited that these mushrooms altered people's personalities, effectively turning them into mushrooms. He supported his argument with scholarly diagrams, scientific facts, and interviews with real scientists and mycologists.
The timing of the hoax played a significant role in its success. The relaxed regulations during the glasnost period led to an opening up of Russian culture, and the television program was seen as a refreshing source of journalism and facts that had been previously hidden from the public. Additionally, the credibility and authority of the Soviet leaders had already been undermined by Gorbachev's policy of glasnost, making Lenin the last untouchable figure.
The hoax had a significant impact, with party members appealing to the Leningrad Regional Committee of the CPSU to clarify the veracity of Kuryokhin's claim. It also sparked a wave of mushroom-themed jokes and puns among Soviet citizens, adding a whimsical touch to the serious business of revolution. The hoax revealed the emptiness of the foundational truths of the Soviet project, making it both comic and tragic.
Kuryokhin's impersonation of a historian and his creative argument showcased his countercultural and political activism. His hoax served as a form of stiob, a type of humour that emerged in the former Soviet Union during the early to mid-1990s, involving the playful parodic construction of parallel realities from old cultural materials that were once considered sacred.
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Kuryokhin's conclusion: Lenin became a mushroom and a radio wave
In May 1991, during the turbulent era of perestroika and glasnost in the Soviet Union, musician-artist-performer Sergey Kuryokhin appeared on the Leningrad Television show Pyatoe Koleso (The Fifth Wheel). In the interview, Kuryokhin, impersonating a historian, presented his "findings" that Vladimir Lenin had consumed large quantities of psychedelic mushrooms and eventually transformed into a mushroom himself.
Kuryokhin supported his argument by correlating the existence and use of hallucinogenic mushrooms in both Russia and Mexico. He claimed that the successful propaganda of the Russian Revolution of October 1917 was inspired by the mind-altering effects of these mushrooms, which led to a displacement of personalities among those who consumed them. According to Kuryokhin, this transformation may have sparked the Bolshevik Revolution that brought Lenin to power.
To make his case seem more plausible, Kuryokhin employed a series of logical fallacies and appealed to various authorities, such as Carlos Castaneda, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. He also quoted from philosophical treatises, presented scholarly diagrams, and mentioned scientific facts, both real and fabricated. Additionally, he included pre-recorded interviews with real scientists and excerpts from historical documentaries about Lenin.
Kuryokhin's conclusion, delivered with a straight face, was that Lenin had indeed become a mushroom, and by extension, a radio wave. This idea of Lenin's transformation into a mushroom and his ability to communicate through a network of underground mycelium threads became a closely guarded secret, known only to his closest comrades.
Kuryokhin's hoax was successful due to the timing of its release. The Soviet Union was undergoing significant cultural and political changes, and the credibility of Soviet leaders had already been shaken by Gorbachev's policy of glasnost. The hoax exposed the emptiness of Lenin's voice and the artificial construction of his image, allowing for a questioning of the foundational truths of the Soviet project.
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The hoax was a parody, ridiculing the image of Lenin
The "Lenin was a mushroom" hoax was a parody that poked fun at the image of Lenin, the last untouchable figure among the Soviet leaders. The hoax was orchestrated by musician-artist-performer Sergei Kuryokhin and reporter Sergei Sholokhov. It was broadcast on Leningrad Television on the investigative journalism show "Pyatoe Koleso" (The Fifth Wheel) on May 17, 1991.
Kuryokhin, playing the role of a historian, presented a seemingly logical argument that Lenin had consumed large quantities of psychedelic mushrooms, which eventually transformed him into a mushroom and a radio wave. He supported his claim with references to various authorities, creating the illusion of a rational argument. The hoax took advantage of the cultural and political shifts occurring in the Soviet Union at the time, such as Gorbachev's policy of glasnost, which had revealed previously unknown information about the communist regime.
The parody was not just a ridicule of Lenin but also of Soviet history and the audience. It exposed the constructed nature of Lenin's image and the emptiness of his words, which could only be seen as true if they were distorted. The hoax revealed the absurdity of the foundational truths of the Soviet project, making everything that was once unquestionable open to question.
The "Lenin was a mushroom" hoax had a significant impact, with some party members even appealing to the Leningrad Regional Committee of the CPSU to verify the claim. It sparked a wave of mushroom-themed jokes and puns among Soviet citizens, adding a whimsical element to the serious business of revolution. The hoax is a testament to the power of stiob, a form of humour that emerged in the former Soviet Union during the early to mid-1990s, which involves constructing a playful parodic parallel reality from old cultural material that was once considered sacred.
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The hoax was a work of absurdity, but it had a large impact on Soviet citizens
In the waning days of the Soviet Union, its citizens were introduced to one of the most absurd theories ever proposed: that Vladimir Lenin had turned into a mushroom. This hoax was the brainchild of Soviet musician and performance artist Sergey Kuryokhin and reporter Sergey Sholokhov, who, on May 17, 1991, presented it on Leningrad Television's investigative program "Pyatoe Koleso" (The Fifth Wheel). During the show, Kuryokhin, impersonating a historian, claimed that Lenin had consumed large quantities of psychedelic mushrooms, resulting in his transformation into a mushroom and a radio wave.
The hoax was a work of absurdity, but it had a significant impact on Soviet citizens. It tapped into the growing interest in Lenin's medical condition and nature during the glasnost period, when censorship was easing and previously hidden information was being revealed. The timing of the hoax was crucial to its success and impact. This period of cultural change and relaxed regulations allowed for a more receptive audience, eager for investigative journalism and hidden truths.
Kuryokhin's performance was meticulously crafted, employing a series of logical fallacies and appeals to authority to create the illusion of a plausible argument. He quoted from philosophical treatises, presented scholarly diagrams, and cited various sources, including Carlos Castaneda and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This combination of fact and fiction lent an air of credibility to the outlandish claim.
The hoax had a lasting impact on Soviet citizens, as it not only ridiculed the image of Lenin but also exposed the emptiness of the foundational truths of the Soviet project. It demonstrated that even the most revered figures and ideologies could be questioned and satirized. The idea of Lenin as a mushroom sparked a wave of mushroom-themed jokes and puns, adding a whimsical touch to the serious business of revolution.
The hoax also had a deeper impact, revealing the fragile nature of long-held beliefs and the potential for their subversion during a time of cultural and political upheaval. It served as a reflection of the societal changes occurring in the Soviet Union and the shifting relationship between its citizens and their leaders.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Lenin was not a mushroom. This rumour was the result of a hoax by musician Sergey Kuryokhin and reporter Sergey Sholokhov, broadcast on Leningrad Television in May 1991.
Kuryokhin, impersonating a historian, claimed that Lenin had consumed large quantities of psychedelic mushrooms and eventually became a mushroom and a radio wave.
The hoax was well-timed to take advantage of the glasnost period in the Soviet Union, during which censorship was relaxed and many revelations about the communist regime were made public. The hoax also used a long series of logical fallacies and appeals to authority to create the illusion of a reasoned argument.
The hoax sparked a flurry of mushroom-themed jokes and puns among Soviet citizens, adding a whimsical touch to the serious business of revolution. It also had a deeper impact, revealing the "striking inversion" that occurred at the end of Soviet history and making it apparent that the foundational "'Truth'" of the Soviet project was empty.
