It has come to my attention that Stalin had a record collection of 2,700.
Do you think he is attributed to be one of history's most notorious dictators because he was a collector scum, or do you think he was a collector scum because he ordered so many murders and purges?

Even Stalin liked to dance a little....one can't Dictator 24/7

Maybe Weird Al will do a Morrissey/Stalin Stretch out and Dictate parody

classic chicken or the egg scenario. I believe collector scum came first

Heard he was a Most Vertical Primate on Termbo.

"Stalin didn't let anyone in to see him for days at a time. He listened to the radio a lot. Once Stalin called the Radio Committee, where the administration was, and asked if they had a record of Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 23, which had been heard on the radio the day before. "Played by Yudina," he added. They told Stalin that of course they had. Actually, there was no record, the concert had been live. But they were afraid to say no to Stalin, no one ever knew what the consequences might be.
Stalin demanded that they send the record with Yudina's performance of the Mozart to his dacha. The committee panicked, but they had to do something. They called in Yudina and an orchestra and recorded that night. The record was ready by morning. They made one single copy and sent it to Stalin. " (Testimony, 193-4)

    i mean just look at him.

    3 months later

    Been listening to David Remnick's Stalin's Tomb on and off. It is a collection of writings 88-91 by Remnick when he was in Russia for the Washington Post. Don't love it but it is a fascinating time. So, what can you do?

    There is an essay or article or whatever they are where he talks about this one dissident in Leningrad who tells him a story (during the Brezhnev years 64-82) of cutting records on xrays.

    took a hot second but here is the section from the audiobook

    I don't know much about music in the Soviet Union, but under Stalin pretty much everything that was considered bourgeois or avant-garde was considered in bad taste and was repressed. Maybe his personal collection was a different story. I'd be interested to know.