Putin Can’t Get No Respect

But no matter how much you’re loved or reviled, regardless of your accomplishments or disasters, there’s always someone judging you by your … music.

Such is the case with Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The former Russia president and ex KGB chief has been making headlines lately, but not so much for his actions but for a song he inspired as well as whether he attended a performance by a ‘70s band tribute act.

The act that came up with the ditty, “We Don’t Wanna Put In,” is called 3G and Stephane, and it’s clear by the singer’s pronunciation, that the word is “Putin,” instead of “Put In.”

Or, as the chorus goes: “We don’t want to put in / the negative mood / it’s killing the groove.”

Now, if you think this is just a Russian band that will never rise to any great heights, think again. The band is Georgia’s entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, a move that is sure to spread those lyrics far and wide.

And for Putin (the PM, not the song), the band’s number is a reminder that things haven’t been so good between Mother Russia and the former Soviet Republic country.

Georgia and Russia broke off diplomatic relations last summer after Russia took control of two separatists regions in the country.

“At first, the decision was taken not to take part in Eurovision in Moscow,” said Ratia Uznadze, director of international projects for Georgia’s Channel One Television. “But then we received letters from representatives of virtually all the countries that take part in this prestigious competition; they all asked us to change our decision and send our singers.”

According to Associated Press, 3G is made up of three girls in hot pants while Stephane’s look and moves resemble “Groucho Marx imitating John Travolta.”

But Putin’s unfavorable mention in a song is only one of two musical mishaps to hassle the prime minister.

Earlier this month there were claims that Putin recently attended a private concert by ABBA tribute band Bjorn Again.

But spending the night shaking it to renditions of “Dancing Queen” and “Waterloo” isn’t exactly the image the man who holds a judo black belt and once ran the Soviet Union’s spy agency wants to cultivate.

So Putin did what every politician does when facing an embarrassing moment. He denied everything.

But Bjorn Again members beg to differ, saying the private event was obviously held for a high-ranking Russian politician. Members of the band even went on the BBC to talk about their experience, claiming Putin was not only at the show, which was held about 200 miles north of Moscow in a tiny theatre on Lake Valdai, but he was sitting next to a “glamorous” looking woman, and “had a great” time, according to The Independent.

Was Putin really at the Bjorn Again concert? Right now it looks as if any evidence outside Bjorn Again’s claims has gone down the same Russian memory hole that swallowed the investigation into the radiation poisoning death of Russian author and former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko. Putin has been accused of being responsible for Litvinenko’s murder.

But lately the press has focused on Putin’s music connections. Maybe after his stint as that country’s prime minister, he can start a new career hosting a pop music TV show. And we have just the title for it. They could call it Putin On The Hits.

For the Associated Press report, click here.

Bjorn Again’s BBC appearance can be viewed here.

The Independent’s article can be read here.