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How Punk Rock Led To Revolution, The Fall Of The Berlin Wall

Isle Ruppert/Intertopics Agency
East Berlin punks on Lenin Platz, in Friedrichshain circa 1982. An image featured in "Burning Down The Haus"

A secret history of the punk rock scene in East Germany is unveiled by author Tim Mohr, who began his exploration as a DJ in Berlin during the 1990s, after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Self-proclaimed punk musicians in East Berlin were scrutinized, attacked or imprisoned for artistic attempts at peaceful protests and criticizing authority in a failing German Democratic Republic.

How did underground music influence a reunifying social and political movement? What are the untold stories and what lessons can be learned? 

Guests: Tim Mohr, award-winning translator and author of "Burning Down the Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall"

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Jan Ross Piedad Sakian is TPR’s News Operations Producer. In this role, she develops strategy on collaborative and digital initiatives for the station. Since 2016, Jan Ross has served in a coordinating capacity for TPR’s state and national partners, including The Texas Newsroom.