Uriah Heep’s Bernie Shaw Recalls The Fan Used Him To Escape Russia

Uriah Heep was recently guested on Louder Sound to speak about the times they realized Russian fans were being sent to prison just for owning their records.

Back in the 1980s, rock music was not familiar in the country, and although not banned, the fans of rock music had to get their records through the black market. During their first show in Russia in 1987, Uriah Heep faced many obstacles, including helping a fan escape Russia.

The frontman, Bernie Shaw, recalled that fan who used him to try to escape the country. The rocker described the first time he met the fan and recalled spending time with her:

“It was not uncommon to meet girls who would ask you to marry them so they could get out of Russia. I was introduced to a ballerina called Maria, and she invited me back to her tiny one-bedroom apartment. I lost my heart to her. In the morning, she went out to the market to buy some fresh fruit, and when I told her I couldn’t eat it, she broke down in tears. They just didn’t have anything of decent quality.”

Shaw was surprised to see how Russia differed from the United Kingdom. He continued:

“It opened my eyes to how the other half of the planet was living. We, however, were treated very well. After each show, we’d go back to our hotel where we had these beautiful old-fashioned suites.”

Despite being treated well, there was one thing that left the band shocked to learn. The frontman revealed:

“But when one of the crew phoned his girlfriend in England and told her how cold, grey and awful everything was, suddenly there’s a click and a Russian voice says: ‘Please do not discuss such matters on the international telephone.’ They were bugging our phones, listening to everything.”

After returning to the United Kingdom and trying to help Maria leave Russia, he realized she was only using him to get off and lost interest after she had found out Shaw was not a millionaire. The rocker revealed what he decided to do after:

“She was taking me for a ride. All she really wanted was a ticket to the West. Once she realised I wasn’t a millionaire rock star, she lost interest, and spent hours on the phone at my expense calling up her friends in Russia. I spent another six months trying to send her back.”

Despite the obstacles, the rocker recalled their first show in Moscow as fantastic and even released an album from the shows in 1988, entitled ‘Live In Moscow.’ Below, you can watch the whole 1987 set.