Andrey Makarevich: “It’s time to turn the record over. New twist: scandals of Andrei Makarevich BG shoots in bursts, I shoot single shots
After the publication of an interview in the March issue of Caravan of Stories, which announced the release of my book dedicated to the anniversary of the Time Machine, acquaintances from the “guardian” camp attacked me. The essence of the reproaches was as follows: “How can you glorify a national traitor while positioning yourself as a convinced statist?”
About "glorification". “Makar” himself, reading the manuscript in front of me, grumbled jokingly (well, I still hope it’s joking): "You hate me..."
That is, here's the thing. I have known Andrei Vadimovich for many years. This time. And second: I was never ready to perceive the universe in monochrome: besides black & white, there are other colors. Including pink + yellow. I could execute the manuscript according to the templates of the yellow press, I know a lot about it. But why? However, I’m not ready to look at the half-century history of the most famous Russian rock band through rose-colored glasses.
And in many assessments, Andrey and I still agree.
And in relation to the journalistic workshop in general, and to individual representatives of it in particular (for example, to the beacon of liberal thought Aider Muzhdabaev, mentioned in the book).
And in love with the Beatles.
And in the "diagnosis" Alexandra.
And ready to use profanity.
And drink alcohol. True, he loves whiskey, but I prefer tequila...
Regarding Ukrainian Nazis and geopolitics, that’s a separate conversation: we have different educational backgrounds in terms of knowledge of geography + history.
But I always remember that Makarevich plowed the cultural landscape of our state more thoroughly than, say. Not to mention the others.
And another important point: it is necessary to separate the product from the creator (I once talked about this with Spivakov in the context of understanding Wagner’s work). Makarevich's journalistic escapades are one hypostasis. The half-century journey of the “Time Machine” is a completely different story. Even though many naturally equate the MB brand with the team leader.
But! But no one is equal to anything. And to no one. I can’t resist quoting Gradsky’s “Ballad of Faces”:
“Your faces and haris cannot be hidden behind veils,
You can't put an elegant frock coat on your face.
Which of you is more epoch-making, which is more brilliant?
You won’t recognize it right away, you won’t appreciate it suddenly.
But the faces of the great have different wrinkles,
And in other places and in other directions.
They threw a stone, we see them circle
We parted on the water - to live for all time.”
Something like this. The universe is capricious and much in assessments depends on the coordinate system.
Everyone has their own task. My goal as a chronicler is to collect the opinions of characters whose life trajectories over the past half century have coincided with the route of The Machine. Which is what I did in the book. Not everyone will like the result of the work, but after all, this is a manuscript, not a hundred-dollar bill.
Four men are traveling in a car from Moscow to Odessa. It would seem that there could be something interesting there. Yes, precisely the fact that “Quartet I” does not stop talking for a minute and does not allow you to catch your breath after another apt remark. They are forty years old and they have accumulated a lot of funny and sometimes sad questions about life. The title chose only a few, but I want to quote everything:
That's why it was so great as a child. Well, because it was clear what was good and what was bad. Well, it’s like this: you learned your lessons - well done, you took your grandmother across the road - and you’re a smart girl. I broke the glass with a ball - bad.
Logical.
And now? You did something good for one woman, but it made another woman feel bad.
In general, I did everything for the third, but she didn’t care.
For some time now this question has appeared: “Why?” Before they told you: “Listen, I met two girls, their apartment is available in Otradnoye, let’s sit and have a drink! Go!" You went straight away. If you were asked “Why?”, you would say: “Why? What are you, a fool? Two girls, separate apartment! Let’s sit and have a drink, okay?!” And now... they tell you “let’s go,” and you think: “Some two girls... leftists. Their apartment is in OT-RAD-NOM! Well, it’s going there, drinking with them... then either staying, or going home... tomorrow to work. For what?!"
Previously, my parents forbade me something, now my wife does. When will I grow up?
As long as you achieve it, it’s beautiful. But now you live together, she leaves for work in the morning and says: “You’re my unshaven little one” - or even like this: “You’re my sleepy Cheburashka”, no-no... Chebura-a-fka. And it seems so cute, but so disgusting.
And the fact that a sleepy unshaven man and a Cheburashka is a stretch.
No, Lesh, this is “natya-ya-fka.”
“And the toast in our restaurant is called croûton. It's the same toasted piece of bread, but a crouton can't cost $8, but a croûton can." And then you start looking for at least some taste that distinguishes this crouton from crouton. And you find it!
Tell the truth to everyone except fascists and aged classmates.
Why can only your wife or husband cheat on you? Why can't you cheat on your children? Just imagine, you were seen leaving McDonald's with someone else's child...
Why is Kyiv the mother of Russian cities? No, well, Russians are okay, understandable, but why is Kyiv the mother? He's the father...
And I'll tell you. This is because Moscow is a port of five seas.
And she doesn't call.
Then the forbidden technique: “You know, there are other beautiful women in Moscow besides you.” And still nothing. And so on for another hundred last SMS. And the very last thing: “Is it really impossible to be normal and answer once?!” That's all. I stopped writing, got tired of it, and then a year later an SMS came from her: “It’s snowing. Greetings on the first day of winter!"
Sasha! Go out into the yard for a walk! We're on a swing!
frame: Film company "Kvadrat"
Well, you compared! That Fanta and this one!
When I was 14 years old, I thought that 40 years was so far away that it would never happen. Or it will be, but not for me. But now I’m almost 40, and I understand: it really won’t happen... because I’m still 14.
ABOUT! Elders. This is where we will spend the night.
I can't!
I'm married... I can't go to Beldyazhki...
Why when she shouts from the next room: “Boo-boo-boo... Green slippers” - I ask her: “What?”, and she tells me: “Green slippers!”... Well, why does she repeat exactly these last two words, which I heard?! HOW does she manage to do this?!
At some point I found the exact answer to the question “Why?”. Do you know which one? "Because!"
Don't worry, you want to figure it out. Normal means everything. Because a crisis is when you don’t want anything. And then you start wanting to want something.
That's okay. When you don’t want to want to want something, that’s a crisis.
This is not a crisis, this is ***EEEEEEEEE!
frame: Film company "Kvadrat"
This is because there are no objective criteria in art. Everything in sports is objective. I ran the fastest 100-meter dash - that’s it, you’re great, a winner, a champion. And no one is interested in your running style, even backwards. “Somehow he ran non-conceptually.” Fuck you, run like that yourself! “Eh, no, what did he want to say with those nine and a half seconds?” Why the hell are you running like that! That's all.
Sanya, but there’s one thing you don’t know. How do you say Hungary in Ukrainian?
How?! I know, Hungary.
Nii, Sasha, Ugorshchina!
How do they live there?
Where in Ukraine or Hungary?
In Ugorshchina!
There was no future. Previously, in childhood, there was something bright and unknown ahead. Life... And now I know exactly what will happen next. The same as today. I will do the same things, go to the same restaurants, or the same ones. Driving a car is about the same. Instead of the future, it became the present. There is simply a present, which is now, and a present, which will be later. And the main thing is that I like my present. The cars are good, the restaurants are delicious - I just feel sorry for the future...
Clear! But know that I am going to dine with people who are poor in spirit!
So small!!! Dwarfs! Pygmies!! Cattle!!! Like this!
Agree! That's it, sit down.
And Lyosha settled in well, right? And he will devour and look like a highly spiritual person!
A film or performance can always be stopped at some good moment. What about life? If only she always had a happy ending. Not “died,” because “died” is a bad ending. For example, you’re walking along the embankment, it’s a beautiful day... and suddenly, over the horizon, the credits slowly begin to rise. You say: “What is this? Is that all? Wait, wait a second, who played me? Did you play well? Well, I hope you liked everything, because well, everything ended wonderfully...” That's how it would be. 
frame: Film company “Kvadrat” October 14, 2015
On Sunday, October 20, the legendary group “Time Machine” will celebrate its 50th anniversary in Tallinn. "Spectrum" publishes an interview with the permanent leader of "Machina" Andrei Makarevich, which he gave to RusDelfi. In the conversation, the musician admitted that he was tired of questions about politics and remembered his first visit to the capital of Estonia.
— What kind of program will there be in Tallinn? What will the audience hear?
“We specially made the program for the 50th anniversary; we understood perfectly well that it would be impossible to please everyone. People are of different ages, which means the songs are different. In any case, we took songs that were very ancient, ancient, but not very ancient, not at all ancient, and new ones. And they built this composition from them. Which, in my opinion, turned out to be successful. Because we have been playing this program all this year and it is being received very well.
- Very ancient - is it 40 or even 50 years ago?
- Hardly a 50-year-old. And 40 is whatever.
— Some songs in your repertoire have been preserved for several decades. How does it feel? Maybe they bring new meaning to them?
- You, as listeners, can see the new meaning. But for me this is a mystery. You play a song, it’s good, suddenly it stops bothering you, you somehow don’t enjoy it. And without saying a word, since we feel each other well, we stop playing it. But this one, for example, lives and lives. And it doesn’t get worse, like some kind of prayer. It happens, we say, let’s dig up this one, we haven’t played for a hundred years, we tried it and it doesn’t work. Well then, we won't. But this one went. This is the only way it happens, by feeling. I do not know why.
— There is an expression attributed to Konstantin Nikolsky, they say, new songs are written by those whose old ones are bad. Do you agree?
— I will not comment on Konstantin Nikolsky. He's a strange man. New songs are written by someone who writes new songs. And those who can’t write are forced to play the old ones. That's all.
— How do you compare as a poet and as a musician with yourself 20–30 years ago? Do you feel progress?
- Of course, I feel it. We learned a lot. We have much more experience. Both musical and poetic. And in general, musical opportunities have changed a lot, so today we do not exist in the same conditions as 50 years ago.
- Don't you regret it? If you were 30 years old...
“I can’t stand all kinds of maxims that begin with the words “if only.” There is no if or if. There is no need to waste time on this, but we need to live for today.
— In the film “What Men Talk About,” almost 10 years ago, you just said that there is only the present, and there is no future. Are the restaurants still the same, the cars the same, the house the same?
“I didn’t quote my own thoughts there, but acted as an actor.” No, restaurants change, cars change. But this is not a fundamental thing. The most important thing is when you didn’t have a car, and then one appeared. And when you have a car, it gets old, you buy a new one - this is not a fundamental change.
— And when did this fundamental change take place in your life?
— When did I buy the car? In 1979 or 1980. These were Zhiguli. What could have happened then?
— Vysotsky had a Mercedes, for example.
- Well, I’m not Vysotsky. I didn’t have Marina Vladi.
— Boris Grebenshchikov at a concert in Tallinn, when the audience was sitting decorously in their seats, approximately in the middle of the first part he said how obedient you are. Are the audiences different? There are some in Tallinn, others in Moscow and St. Petersburg, others in Chelyabinsk...
- They are different. In Siberia, in general, things are calmer. In Moscow and St. Petersburg they are more emotional. In the south they are even more emotional.
— Do they go out and dance?
- That also happens. Everyone shows their emotions differently. This is a personal matter for the audience. Everyone listens in a way that suits them. If people sit quietly, it doesn't mean they don't like it; if they don't like it, they leave.
- Which is more convenient for you?
- As I wish. It is convenient for me that the device is good. The light was good. And so that our performance looks the way it should look. Then it’s up to the audience, I don’t want to impose my behavior on them. Let them at least stand on their heads, if it’s more convenient for them to listen.
— The actors feel the impact from the audience...
- And I feel it. And when they sit very quietly, and no sighs are heard during the pause, this is also a return. And when they sing with us, this is also a return from the audience - it can be in different forms.
- 70s, a festival in Tallinn, from which it is believed that the story of friendship with the Aquarium group began. What was it?
“We just met there, he brought us to St. Petersburg, we brought him to Moscow. There were two such concerts when “Aquarium” was recognized in Moscow, and “Machine” in St. Petersburg. There was a student festival in Mustamäe, student groups from different cities, several Estonian groups, there was Gunnar Graps (Estonian musician, one of the pioneers of hard rock in the Soviet Union - Note by RusDelfi). I don’t remember well now. Everything was very nice; in Moscow at that time it was unthinkable to imagine such a thing.
- Why?
— Because there was no such thing in Moscow. The rock scene was very underground.
— That is, what Kirill Serebrennikov showed in the film “Summer” approximately corresponds to the truth? When Komsomol workers walked along the aisles of a rock club and kept order...
“He didn’t have the task of creating a historical manual. But the atmosphere is similar. But the mood of the film is very good.
— Russian rock, not only consciously, but still made efforts to collapse the USSR. Now in Russia the regime is also very authoritarian, and again the rockers, if they do not oppose it, then express a very tough position, participate in rallies, etc.
“I’m sick and tired of talking about politics.” Underground musicians in the Soviet Union don’t give a damn (all the same - Note by RusDelfi) about the Soviet Union. It will fall apart, it will not fall apart. He was in another life, we all lived in a capsule from the Beatles, from the Rolling Stones, from how to make amplifiers, we did not believe that anything would change. All this seemed unshakable and for centuries. That's why we learned to survive in this shit. And there is no need to make some kind of revolutionaries out of us. When all this happened, these were days of greatest miracle and joy. Thank God that all this happened during our lifetime and we were young enough.
- What about today?
“I’m not happy with a lot of things.” I talk about this openly. And I get hit on the head for it. But leading demonstrations is not my calling. I really don’t like it and I won’t do it.
— What do you think about Boris Grebenshchikov’s song “Evening Mudzvon”?
— An ordinary song by Grebenshchikov. Four years ago I had a song called “Four Inseparable Cockroaches and a Cricket.” Exactly about these same workers on the ideological front. No less evil, and maybe even angrier. It’s just that at that time, apparently, they got me alone, but now they got all of them.
It's hard to believe, but the Time Machine group recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. During its existence, the team experienced several ups and downs. Only Andrei Makarevich's leadership remained unchanged.
The future idol of the generation realized at the age of 12 that he wanted to devote his life to music. He independently played the melodies of songs by Bulat Okudzhava and Vladimir Vysotsky on the guitar, and in 1966 he first heard the compositions of The Beatles. The work of the British group became a professional reference for Makarevich, but, like his idol John Lennon, Andrei Vadimovich too often found himself at the epicenter of scandals.
Marriages and divorces
Andrei Makarevich became a father quite early: already in 1975, his daughter Dana was born. True, the musician was never able to build a relationship with the heiress’s mother: at that time he was only interested in music.
But true love came to Makarevich a little later. In 1976, he married Elena Glazova, whose father, the famous international journalist Igor Fesunenko, greatly helped “Time Machine” in its formation. Then Andrei Vadimovich was still young, but was already considered a prominent figure among Moscow rockers. The popularity of the group was very high, so in 1979 the artists signed a contract with Soyuzconcert, which became an important milestone in the history of the group.
Musicians who collaborated with Soyuzconcert could legally perform at large venues and tour. For Makarevich and his comrades, this contract became a chance to break out of the underground world and reach a new level. But at this stage there was no room for personal life: in 1979, Andrei Vadimovich divorced his wife. Due to being so busy, he simply did not have enough time for family life.
True, Makarevich did not grieve alone for long. At that time, he was surrounded by fans, but the artist was in no hurry to get married. The next time he went to the registry office only in 1986, when he was already considered one of the main stars of the Soviet Union. His chosen one was the ex-wife of another Time Machine participant, Alexei Romanov. Then there were rumors that Andrei Vadimovich stole Alla from a friend, and this negatively affected their friendship.
Makarevich himself did not like to comment on these speculations. He was much more worried about the fact that in 1987 he became a father again: his son Ivan was born. Due to constant touring and recording albums, the musician did not have time to communicate with his child, and his marriage with Alla was rapidly crumbling. Already in 1989, Andrei Vadimovich’s next marriage came to an end. In his book “The Sheep Himself,” Makarevich sincerely regretted that he could not become a good family man.
“I don’t understand why I never found any happiness with the women I loved most in the world? And I don’t understand why we are sometimes so ruthless towards the people closest to us?” - the artist shared his experiences.
In the early 90s, Makarevich had a high-profile affair with Ksenia Strizh, which almost ended in a wedding. Later, the presenter admitted that Andrei Vadimovich appeared in her life suddenly and just as quickly disappeared from her without explanation.
Perhaps it was the creative nature of the musician, who could not resist passions and emotions. In 2000, Makarevich became a father again, but broke up with the mother of his daughter Anna almost immediately after the girl’s birth. Then there was a marriage with Natalya Golub, which ended in divorce in 2010, and an affair with singer Maria Katz, which Andrei Vadimovich carefully concealed.
The constant change of muses confused many of Makarevich’s fans, although he himself did not see anything strange in such instability.
“A bachelor’s life for me is a more comfortable state than a family life. We all imagine some kind of ideal cohabitation, when nothing bothers you or her. But in practice this is impossible. I did not live with some women because the love was not mutual. He was married to some. All my women were incredibly different. But they had one thing in common - they all turned out to be a little crazy, with an unbalanced psyche,” said Makarevich.
Last year, the musician admitted that he does not have a beloved woman. After three unsuccessful marriages and several long novels, Andrei Vadimovich became disillusioned with love, leaving room in his life only for creativity.
Relationships with colleagues
“Time Machine” is considered a strong team. The composition of the group did not change for years, and each of the participants could boast of a bright creative individuality: Kutikov, Margulis, Podgorodetsky. And yet, rotation sometimes occurred, and each personnel change caused a sharply negative reaction from fans.
At first, fans discussed for decades the enmity between the two most prominent artists of the group - Andrei Makarevich and Evgeniy Margulis. There were rumors that the leader of “Time Machine” was afraid of competition from his comrade and did not approve of his passion for a solo project. When Margulis left the group in 2012, there was talk of an open war between the musicians, but they themselves denied the conflict. Evgeniy Shulimovich explained that he left the team of his own free will and considered Makarevich a friend, but even after these words, rumors of enmity did not cease.
Well, in 2017 several sudden changes occurred at once. First, keyboard player Andrei Derzhavin left the group, who, as fans claimed, had a conflict with Makarevich due to different political views. At the same time, representatives of the team claimed that the breakup occurred peacefully and by mutual consent.
“Everyone parted in a completely peaceful manner. Moreover, the only song by Derzhavin, “These Rivers Flow Nowhere,” remains in the Time Machine concert program. Makarevich now sings it, and Derzhavin receives royalties. It’s just that everyone likes it, they sang it and still sing it. Songs written by Margulis and Podgorodetsky are sung in the same way. “Machine” did not lose any songs when the members left,” said the group’s press secretary.
But the director of the group, Vladimir Sapunov, did not hide the fact that he was fired due to a conflict with Makarevich: colleagues had disputes due to different views and beliefs. “I was simply told: “Vladimir Borisovich, we are no longer working with you,” the ex-member of the team said then.
Sapunov’s dismissal happened in 2017, when he was already struggling with a dangerous disease - a spinal cord tumor. Just six months after leaving the Time Machine, Vladimir Borisovich died, which is why Makarevich was again criticized. Fans accused the group leader of depriving an already suffering man of his life’s work. Andrei Vadimovich himself was one of the first to express condolences to the relatives of his ex-colleague.
Now there are three musicians in “Time Machine”, and so far there are no conflicts. Of course, the departure of several talented artists from the group at once affected Makarevich’s image, cementing his reputation as not the most accommodating person.
Scandalous concerts
In some amazing way, Andrei Makarevich manages to get into the epicenter of scandals even if there were no prerequisites for this initially. On April 3, 2017, a tragedy occurred in St. Petersburg: 16 people died during a terrorist attack in the metro. This event shocked the whole country, but suddenly the emphasis shifted from the victims of the explosion to Makarevich’s concert.
It was on April 3 that the musician was scheduled to perform with the “Yiddish Jazz” program. Fans assumed that after the tragedy, Makarevich would cancel the event, but he immediately announced that he would go on stage and not let the audience down. This reaction caused a storm of negativity: deputy Vitaly Milonov demanded that the city authorities prohibit Andrei Vadimovich from working in a mournful hour for the entire country, and Alexander Sklyar stated that Makarevich was obliged to transfer all the money he earned to the families of the victims.
After the scandalous performance, the leader of the Time Machine made an official statement. He noted that he did not want to offend anyone and respects the grief of others.
“There was a lot of stink on the Internet. So, we started with a minute of silence; in general, the Yiddish Jazz program does not provide for any fun. And most importantly: today no one can feel safe. Places with large crowds of people are targeted. You can cancel all concerts, close all train stations and supermarkets. It will probably be safer, but it will mean that they have won. Here’s to hell,” said Makarevich.
A couple of years before the tragedy in St. Petersburg, Andrei Vadimovich was criticized because of another of his speeches. Then the artist sang several songs at a charity concert organized by Dr. Lisa. Nothing foreshadowed trouble, but blogger Alexander Gubanov, who got behind the scenes, said that Makarevich received a substantial fee for work that should have been free. The author of the scandalous note on the social network said that the leader of the “Time Machine” was counting five thousand banknotes in front of his eyes.
Of course, there was a fuss, but Makarevich hastened to declare that he did not know or see any Alexander Gubanov. The artist emphasized that he worked for free, and the note that worried fans was just part of the aggressive persecution directed against him.
One way or another, Makarevich’s concerts are too often shrouded in negative discussions, which affects not only the reputation of the artist himself, but also his creative image.
“My grandchildren don’t know Russian”
We mentioned earlier that Andrei Makarevich is a father of many children. The artist also has grandchildren from his eldest daughter Dana. The musician’s heirs were born and raised in the USA, but for some reason this fact confused many fans. In one of the interviews, the leader of the Time Machine admitted that his grandchildren do not speak Russian, which once again provoked a scandal.
“They like our music. But they hear everything in their own way. They don't know Russian. They will come to our anniversary concert,” the musician emphasized then.
Andrei Vadimovich was immediately accused of promoting Western values, lack of patriotism and almost betraying the Motherland. At the same time, Makarevich himself never hid the fact that his daughter and grandchildren live in Philadelphia and work for a local company. The artist meets with his heirs only during tours in the United States and does not yet plan to move to another country.
Speaking too loudly
From everything said above, it becomes obvious that Andrei Makarevich does not know how to restrain his emotions and says whatever he thinks. On his social networks, he often accuses his colleagues of insincerity and lack of professionalism, and sometimes all the inhabitants of the planet become victims of the musician’s criticism.
“Being an enemy of all kinds of prohibitions, I would nevertheless ask for one restriction: let’s ban yelling on TV. Because it simply cripples people's psyches. Forgive me, but in general, 80 percent of the world's population are idiots. We must take this for granted,” the musician said in an interview.
Of course, after such loud words, Makarevich was again criticized. He was accused of arrogance and inflated self-esteem, because Andrei Vadimovich considered himself to be among the remaining 20%. At the same time, the musician does not pay attention to criticism of his harsh statements: he is sure that only bots leave angry comments under his posts.
The singer has his own opinion on almost any topical issue. Thus, he harshly criticized the Kalashnikov monument, and a few years later he ridiculed the book by the American author Joanna Stingray about the legendary rock club of St. Petersburg.
Makarevich believes that on social networks he can not hide behind any masks and speak frankly about what worries him. He often gets into polemics with both fans and haters, and sometimes devotes separate posts to Internet conflicts.
Yes, Makarevich has never been a musician with an impeccable reputation. He was criticized for his creative experiments in the Soviet Union, condemned for his too turbulent personal life in the 2000s, and continues to be hated due to his too active public position now. But Andrei Vadimovich emphasized in an interview that he never wanted to please everyone, because then he would simply become uninteresting as a creative unit.
Based on materials from “KP”, “7 days”, "Arguments and Facts", "Lenta.ru"
Photo: Legion-Media, Instagram, Alexander Blotnitsky/PhotoXPress.ru, PhotoXPress.ru
Akhmatova said: “I experienced the greatest glory and the greatest infamy and was convinced that they were one and the same.” Most Russian cultural figures periodically fall under the rink of bullying and can say the same about themselves - even if their scale is far from Akhmatovian. This test broke some, and some, like Makarevich, only become stronger.
Now, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of The Time Machine, he agreed to several meetings with the audience, one of which I led, so most of the questions here are not mine. They are, as they say, from the audience. Mine are only at the very beginning and at the very end.
- 1953 - born in Moscow
- 1974 - expelled from the Moscow Architectural Institute for rock music
- 1991 - spoke at the barricade near the White House
- 2012 - Putin expelled from the Council for Culture and Arts
- 2014 - became the target of persecution because of his independent position “on Ukraine”
- 2020 - signed a letter in support of members of the Network organization banned in Russia
No one owes nothing to nobody
Here is a question to which I myself do not have an answer: earlier, in the seventies and eighties, the border was quite clear - talented people were in opposition or at least distanced themselves from power, untalented people clung to it. What happened now, why was this border blurred?
I'm afraid that in the seventies, due to our youth and radicalism - or naivety, if you like - we invented this border ourselves. In reality there was none. What, Sergei Bondarchuk was not talented?
- He still wasn't 100% loyal.
One hundred percent. The maximum opposition that the then artist could afford was reading pre-revolutionary philosophy. Was Khrennikov a bad composer or a secret anti-adviser? Nikita Bogoslovsky with all his jokes, which by today's standards are quite innocent? No, you just don’t want to destroy the bright world of your childhood and admit that talent has almost nothing to do with political views or morality.
We readily recall Pushkin’s words about “genius and villainy,” omitting the fact that these are the words of a character, and we forget something else: “Poetry is higher than morality - or at least a completely different matter.” This is already on my own behalf.
- But you must admit, it is difficult to imagine an artist supporting the satraps.
Can. Easily. Dozens of examples.
-That is, a genius does not have to have a civic position?
Is it obligatory for the common man?
- For the common man, let's say, there is less demand.
Who will ask?
- Other people.
Then no one owes anyone anything. I have a certain idiosyncrasy with the word “should” since Soviet times. Everyone constantly has to, there is no time to breathe. In any case, in relation to others, I try not to use this word.
-Then where is the line between a good person and a bad one for you?
The simplest things are the most difficult to implement, and I will not undertake to determine this. A good person is usually interesting and has depth. That's why I'm drawn to him. Well, plus reliability - it won’t let you down and won’t give you up.
I noticed that my circle of friends was dominated by professionals: some were the best musicians, some were the best journalists... That is, I became interested in how they did it, and I was drawn to them.
- In general, I thought at one time that professionalism was a pseudonym for conscience.
Not really. Professionalism is not an end in itself. A person just has such an attitude towards business and, accordingly, towards people. I can't think of any other criterion.
Over the years, I began to notice that my social circle had sharply decreased, that somehow I no longer needed it: is this my personal problem or a pattern?
When we're young we communicate randomly in every sense, over the years it becomes part of the system, and by fifty you need very little at all: it's biology, I think...
In one film of “Quartet I” I uttered a line - not my own, the author’s, but quite close to me: in my youth it seems that there is a present - and there will be a future. And over the years you understand that there is a present - and there will be a present.
- Well, no, I haven't gotten to that point yet.
So, still young. And I already know that I will communicate with this circle, compose this music and drive this car.
- And live in this country.
Sometimes leaving, but in general - yes.
Makarevich has been riding the Time Machine since 1973 // photo: Global Look Press - Can you communicate with a person of opposite beliefs?
I'm not at that age to quarrel with people because of my beliefs. Politics is generally not the main thing in human beliefs. If a friend and I agree on eighteen points out of twenty, we simply do not touch these two points.
Forgive me, but if I find out that my smart and talented friend eats children... and he is a charming person, he cooks well... those same children...
Yes, the majority of people’s beliefs do not reach the point of cannibalism. That's the thing - they hardly show up at all. Normal people, ready to help, it just seems to them that we have the best president in the world and everyone should be afraid of us.
I have such a friend, a wonderful artist, a sincere imperial - he has his own reasons for this, his father was a high-ranking military man, these genes woke up in old age. I just don’t talk to him about Putin.
- Do you have a feeling that things will get worse after Putin?
I try not to waste mental energy on problems whose solution is completely beyond my control. If something depends, I will act, of course. But now we cannot influence in any way what will happen after Putin.
But aren’t you disappointed that Russian fascism can’t take shape? It seemed that in the fourteenth we were one step away from him - but he dissolved again...
Russian fascism is generally problematic because the memory of the war is fresh. There are similar movements, on purely local grounds, they exist all over the world and are now greatly intensified; The peculiarity of Russia is precisely that here they are controlled from above. Well, to scare them, or to make spoilers out of them, or to lead them in time, if necessary - you never know...
And this habit of being regulated from above is so strong in them that they themselves are in no way capable of independent rebellion. They need funding, PR, this, that... So if there is a risk of fascisation somewhere, it’s not here.
BG shoots in bursts, I shoot single shots
- Did you know Bashlachev?
We talked for several hours, one night, when Kinchev brought him to me. They had a tape that was nowhere to be seen, and they came to me.
I loved his songs, he gave the impression of an absolutely normal person, only before leaving he suddenly asked: don’t you ever feel like you want to send everything to such a mother? I say: apparently not. He: but it happens to me. And that's the last I heard from him.
- Question from the audience: “Can you not write?” In parentheses: “This is not a request!”
Sure I can. I have many friends who are terribly afraid that the songs will stop coming. There will be no reason to live. This possibility doesn’t scare me at all: I can draw - by the way, here I’m more confident in myself than in music, because I’m a self-taught musician and didn’t really know how to play until I was seventy-three. And my schedule includes a good school. I can write prose if I want, I can do television projects, travel, after all...
And the songs... Well, they come - I record them, if they stop coming - I’ll survive. I've written enough, it seems to me.
- BG once said: to write a good song, I need to write bad ones for a week. What do you need?
One friend noticed that Bob shoots in bursts, and I shoot single shots. I apparently write my bad ones in my head or pronounce them in prose, and when I feel that something is working out, then I begin to write seriously.
In your opinion, was it easier to break through in Soviet times? Is it even possible for a situation where a person is clearly talented and remains in obscurity?
Easily. Today it is extremely difficult to break through; many circumstances must come together, because the information environment is much more aggressive than twenty years ago.
Today everyone walks around as if wearing a helmet, constantly defending themselves from this aggression, and it is almost impossible to get through to a person from the other side, to reach out with some of your poems or music. You need either colossal luck or extreme energy. And if you consider that transcendental energy is usually inherent in people with little talent and you close yourself off from them in advance, all that remains is a miracle.
- How was your relationship with Tsoi - lifetime and posthumous?
There were no posthumous people, I’m not a mystic. And the lifetime ones are very good, I liked the exceptional simplicity of his internally complex songs, the ancient roots of his motives... And then - I completely agree with Troitsky: he was the only sex hero on the Russian rock and roll scene. For some reason, Russian rock was exclusively asexual.
- Did you like the movie "Summer"?
A wonderful film, and it’s unclear how Roma the Beast felt Mike so. He had never seen him, and there was no filming left, but somehow he managed to play his intonations, the tilt of his head... No, this is a cool movie about the cool Mike, who so diligently enlightened me, collected cassettes of his favorite rock for me. ..
- More from the audience: “Is it worth bending to a changing world?”
Guys, not all the advice of the lyrical hero should be taken literally. What is natural for me may be impossible for someone else. And I don’t want to be responsible for the fact that someone didn’t succeed.
And this song... I wrote it in completely unheroic circumstances, although, of course, depending on how you look at it. My eldest daughter was finishing college in the States - Franklin Marshall. And so she called me and said: the day after tomorrow is the graduation party, everyone is in robes, everything is solemn. Everyone’s relatives will come to visit, but I will be completely alone. Then I remembered that I had a visa, had two free days, and an hour later I was at the airport. I bought the ticket there. And when I arrived and boarded the train going from the airport to the city, I composed this song right on the train. It was about my modest victory over circumstances, and what large-scale conclusions you draw from it is your business.
- How do you pull yourself out of creative or personal crises?
I can't afford to fall into them. You have to do something all the time, there is more and more work, less and less time. When I was young, I dreamed: when I have time, I’ll be able to sit back, go fishing... Nothing like that. Workaholics do not have crises, they have their own addiction, which, according to some, is worse than alcoholism.
- What is your relationship with alcohol now?
Friendly. Even friendly ones. Due to good genetics, I am a stranger to hangovers, I only don’t like cognac - simply because in the eighties, too much of it - or what was passed off as it - was drunk.
In general, in relation to alcohol, I had only one observation. I’m just wondering if I’m going to fall into the category of anti-Semites... or Russophobes... I noticed that when Russians get drunk they become angrier, and Jews become kinder.
- If Jews drink with Russians, they are probably just trying to appease them in this way?
Interesting, accepted.
Bastards play at independence while being dependent
- Does fame bother you?
Of course not. It’s painful to be tactless if someone from behind grabs you by the shoulder: “Andryukha, let’s take a photo!” Here I know how to say no. In general, fame has huge advantages. One girl once said to me: “You probably think that everyone in this store smiles like that?”
- “Does she smile at everyone? No, only for you."
I haven’t sung this song for twenty years, it has a life of its own, but I’m tired of it.
- Are you getting dumber or smarter because of love?
Everyone becomes stupid from love, I am no exception.
- And I am, apparently, an exception. I'm starting to understand more...
Understanding more - yes, definitely. And to behave more stupidly is a direct paradox.
- Who is closer to you - dogs, cats or horses?
Dogs, because they lived with me more often. With horses, for all their beauty, I keep a respectful distance, and I often draw cats... but I understand that, in general, they are bastards. They play at independence, being completely dependent on you: they are groomed, cherished, fed, given shelter, and they defiantly look down on you. I don't like this.
In general, snakes are closest to me - due to beauty, intelligence and my year of the Snake.
- Have you ever thought about what kind of memory you will leave behind?
A person who thinks a lot about this is at least a narcissistic m...k.
- By the way, this is not the worst memory you can leave behind.
Certainly! Sometimes they don’t remember at all...
- Do you ever feel the need to go to church?
No. Somehow I don’t need intermediaries.
- Did communication happen without intermediaries?
Well, I went through an Indian ritual with the name “Ayahuasca,” which is soothing to the Russian ear. The opportunity to ask a question to the Supreme Being was promised.
- And you asked?
The world was shown to me in the form of a continuous movement of an infinite number of films. I remember precisely the acute feeling of fragility. And I asked: “Lord, how does everything hold up, because it’s all very fragile?” To which he replied: “Don’t worry, everything is very reliable.”
He choked me for a long time, hugging me:
Old man, how many years, how many winters!
I play old songs and cry -
You are simply irresistible!
I heard that you
trampled and kneaded,
It must have been hard
But here you stand alive and beautiful -
I'm glad everything turned out okay.
And he shouted: brother,
made a fuss - and it will be,
Let's stop sabotaging
After all, all decent people know
That Crimea is historically ours.
There are enemies all around, we are alone
on the planet,
It's time to start a war,
And then there are these liberals
They dream of selling the country.
I said: yes, of course, what are you talking about...
And he shouted: “Let’s extinguish the freaks,
Andryukha, there is no doubt.
After all, you are not from this
Jewish breed,
I’ve known you for a hundred years!”
I said: yes, of course, what are you talking about...
Sorry, I'm in a hurry
I'm glad beyond words
But today I'm all about business...
And then I took out my phone
from the pocket
And I erased his number...
The material was published in the Sobesednik publication No. 07-2020 under the title “Andrei Makarevich: The world is not as fragile as I thought.”