initially, mark yoffe was planning to write his doctoral dissertation on “holy fool stylistics” found in the 17th century religious polemist's archpriest avvakum writings. in 1989, though, yoffe suddenly changed his plans and embarked on working on his groundbreaking dissertation dedicated to soviet youth counterculture, ethnography of soviet hippies and traditions and stylistics on which soviet rock music was based. what prompted him to change his scholarly focus was his acquaintance with works of soviet rock of the time of perestroika, particularly an album titled red wave published in the west by joanna stingray in 1986, album of music by moscow band zvuki mu produced in uk and usa by brian eno in 1989 and the album radio silence by leningrad musician boris grebenshchikov and his band, aquarium, produced in the uk and usa by david a. stewart.