Boris Grebenshchikov: biography, personal life, discography. BG and his “Aquarium”: about the brightest musician of the Russian rock scene

Name: Boris Grebenshchikov

Age: 65 years old

Height: 182

Activity: musician, composer, poet

Family status: married

Boris Grebenshchikov: biography

Boris Grebenshchikov (BG) is a living legend, founder of Russian rock, idol of millions. The leader of the cult saw how the Russian musical community, priorities and authorities changed, and for so many years he did not lose inspiration.

“What interested me 20-30-40 years ago continues to do so now: the range of interest is simply wider and wider. The only thing in which, thank God, I am losing interest is my own self.”

The singer easily answers questions with quotes from sages, is friends with the Dalai Lama, and counters accusations of occultism with the statement that God is omnipresent and intermediaries between him and man are not needed.

Childhood and youth

On November 27, 1953, a boy appeared in the family of St. Petersburg intellectuals (an engineer and a lawyer), who years later was destined to become an entire era in the history of Russian music, a spiritual teacher and the author of songs beloved by millions. Boris Borisovich Grebenshchikov grew up in Leningrad, studied at a school with a mathematical bias and was terribly passionate about music from childhood. A number of sources claim that the singer is Jewish by nationality, and his last name is not Grebenshchikov, but they do not provide any evidence.

After school, he entered Leningrad University at the Faculty of Applied Mathematics. But the main thing is that at the same time Grebenshchikov decided to create his own musical group - “Aquarium”.

School friend Anatoly Gunitsky, who was nicknamed George for his amazing resemblance to him, kept Boris company in his long creative search and rehearsals in the university assembly hall. According to eyewitnesses, the guys were gifted poets and could not imagine greater joy in their lives than singing songs.

Brought up on the classics of rock and roll, in love with Marc Bolan, and, at first, the friends wrote and sang in English. But soon a firm decision was made: to perform songs only in their native language.

Music

The first album “Aquarium” was released in samizdat. “The Temptation of the Holy Aquarium” in 1973 was called by critics “the first attempt to create conceptual music in the USSR.”

In 1974, two more people appeared in the group - M. Fainstein and A. Romanov. Young people expand their creative horizons and create a theater club at their home faculty. Feinstein writes absurd plays, and Romanov and Grebenshchikov happily act in them. The only bad thing is that the guys get so carried away by the drama that they almost forget about the music. They leave the group, at the same time they are prohibited from rehearsing at the university, and the leader of the group is even threatened with expulsion.

There is only one warrior left in the “field” of the “Aquarium” - Grebenshchikov. But Boris does not become despondent: the universe begins to slowly but surely bring him together with musicians who will remain in the lineup for the next 15 years. The first sign was cellist Vsevolod Gekkel. At the same time, BG wrote true hits, which are still heard at concerts. These years there is absolutely no place for the band to rehearse and record songs - everything is very expensive and not approved in the necessary rooms.

Boris Grebenshchikov and the Aquarium group

Nevertheless, in 1976, Aquarium published the album “From the Other Side of the Mirror Glass,” and in 1978, in the open air, they recorded a duet with the album “Everyone is Brothers and Sisters.” Since 1981, things got a little more fun: Boris began collaborating with the legendary studio of Andrei Tropilo. The albums “Blue Album”, “Triangle”, “Acoustics”, “Taboo”, “Silver Day” and “Children of December” were recorded there.

The 1986 album “Ten Arrows” is dedicated to the tragically deceased group member Alexander Kussul. The album includes the band's calling card "Golden City", as well as "Plane Tree" and "Tram".

Boris Grebenshchikov and "Aquarium" - "Golden City"

The musician did not stop recording songs, although during this period his problems were “through the roof” - after performing at the Tbilisi rock festival in 1980, Boris was expelled from the Komsomol, fired from his position as a junior researcher and officially banned from performing.

Grebenshchikov is not lost again and gets a job as a janitor so as not to become a “parasite.” His concerts are turning into “apartment events” - a format when musicians and listeners gather at home and sing quietly with a guitar so that vigilant neighbors do not call the police. At the same time, the musician made acquaintance with the Leningrad avant-garde artist, with whose help he appeared in the TV show “Jolly Fellows”.

After this, invitations to television came to the singer more and more often. In 1981, Boris became a member of the Leningrad Rock Club, in 1982 he noticed and produced the first album and.

After several discs and years, Grebenshchikov recorded two English-language records at once in the USA - “Radio Silence” and “Radio London” were released in 1989. At the same time, the singer met foreign rock figures - Debbie Harry, Lou Reed.

In 1990, the Aquarium group officially ceased to exist. Grebenshchikov headed the BG-Band, but he did not last long - in 1993, Aquarium resumed its activities.

With perestroika, the musician came out of the “underground” onto quite decent stages of clubs, concert halls and stadiums. His albums are becoming more and more unusual in sound; he is called to write music for mass cinema. During the same period, he became seriously interested in Buddhism, became a student of Lama Ole Nydahl, and repeatedly visited the ashram of the Indian guru Sai Baba.

Grebenshchikov himself does not consider himself a convinced adherent of any religion, but is reputed to be a promoter of universal humanistic values.

Since the late 90s, the musician has been deservedly showered with awards: 1998 - Triumph Award, 2000 - People of Our City, 2001 - Fuzz Magazine Award, 2002 - OUR Radio Award, Tsarskoselskaya art prize, 2003 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree for significant contribution to the development of musical art.

From 2005 to the present day, Boris Borisovich has been hosting his own program “Aerostat” on Radio Russia. The program is always popular among the broad masses of the population - in it the leader of Aquarium freely raises issues of interest to him, talks about little-known foreign groups and plays the best, in his opinion, music. In 2006, Boris met a neo-Hindu guru, Sri Chinmoy, who gave the singer the name Purushottama. A new acquaintance helped organize Grebenshchikov’s concerts in London, at the Albert Hall. In 2007, the musician played a solo concert at the UN.

In 2013, there was a persistent rumor that Aquarium was finally ceasing to exist. The rumor turned out to be a newspaper "duck" - the group just once again updated its lineup and turned into "Aquarium International", taking on the Irish flutist Brian Finnigan.

Boris Grebenshchikov and “Aquarium” - “Come on, swords and glasses on the table”

Grebenshchikov's creativity is distinguished by the breadth of genres, styles and directions, as well as the use of unusual and sometimes exotic instruments. In one interview, Boris said that he would write lyrics exclusively on Celtic motifs, like “Glass” (“Come on, swords, glasses on the table”), because this music is beautiful and lively, which cannot be said about Russian.

Cinema and theater

Since 1981, BG has been acting as an actor in theatrical productions and films. Among them are “Thirst”, “The Long Road Home”, “Black Rose is the emblem of sadness, red rose is the emblem of love”, “Red on Red”, “Two Captains - 2”, “Tender Age”.

Boris Grebenshchikov in the film “A Tender Age”

In even more films, the music of the Aquarium group is heard: “Assa”, “House under the Starry Sky”, “Azazel”, “Peter FM”, “Rainy Season”, “Nightingale the Robber”.

In 2014, a musical based on Grebenshchikov’s songs was staged - “Music of Silver Knitting Needles”.

Books

Grebenshchikov created several works in prose: the story “The Forest” and the story “Ivan and Danilo”. In 2009, he took part in writing the book “The Book for Which Writers United, Whose It Is Impossible to Unite,” United. He is the author of translations of several Buddhist and Hindu treatises, including the Bhagavad Gita.

Published books by the musician: “Works in 2 volumes: “Songs”, “Non-Songs”, “Book of Songs”, “Two Poems about Apartment Number Six”, “Aerostat. Currents and lands”, “Aerostat. Aeronauts and artifacts", "Aerostat. Parallels and Meridians", "Aerostat. Variations on the theme of Adam and Eve”, “Grebenshchikov B.B. Tramontana: Author’s collection”.

Now Boris is working on the guidebook “The Sacred Geography of India” and is preparing - he doesn’t remember exactly which one - a translation of the work of Hindu philosophy “Bhagavad Gita”.

Anatoly George Gunitsky also became interested in writing and published the book “Caution! “Aquarium!” is playing, which contains interviews and memories of musicians and previously unreleased photographs, including the leader of the band in his youth.

Personal life

In 1976, Boris married Natalya Kozlovskaya. After 4 years, the couple divorced, leaving behind a daughter from the marriage - now a sought-after Russian actress. She also hosts her own music program “Own Studio” on Radio 1, and the video version is broadcast on Youtube.

The singer married for the second time in 1980 with artist Lyudmila Shulgina, previously the former common-law wife of Vsevolod Haeckel. On December 14, 1984, a boy was born into the family - Gleb, today known as DJ Gebe.

The end of my life together with Lyudmila was another divorce and another marriage.

In 1991, Boris walked down the aisle with Irina Titova, the ex-wife of Aquarium bass player Alexander Titov. From her previous marriage, Irina has two children - Mark and Vasilisa, who became Grebenshchikov’s adopted daughter. Mark Titov plays in several bands, writes electronic music under the pseudonym Bio C. Vasilisa Grebenshchikova is an artist.

Boris Grebenshchikov now

In the fall of 2018, BG celebrated its anniversary. The media burst out with all sorts of publications about this. Television played clips of Grebenshchikov’s compositions, and Channel One once again showed the studio concert “The Fire of Babylon.” Boris Borisovich performed the familiar “March of the Sacred Cows”, “Yellow Moon”, “Ivanova” and other songs.

In the same year, a new album, “Time N,” was released, in which musicians from the band King Crimson also participated. The record turned out to be harsh, with the presence of profanity. The Meduza portal presented a video for the song “Terrible Revenge” performed by Aquarium. The song was included in the soundtrack to the horror film "".

Album by Boris Grebenshchikov “Time N” (premiere 2018)

In the halls of the Yusupov Palace in St. Petersburg there was an exhibition of paintings made by Grebenshchikov himself using the technique of easel painting. Photos are also presented that capture moments of the creative biography and personal life of the cult performer and his immediate circle.

For true connoisseurs of Aquarium's creativity who love traditional sound, Solyd records and Bomba Music studios have released the group's albums on vinyl. Giant discs are sold in online stores.

Boris Grebenshchikov in the show “Evening Urgant” in 2018

In 2019, Aquarium and Boris Grebenshchikov plan to perform with the BG 65 program. A specific set is not prescribed, the main thing is unpredictability, so that one concert is not like another. In January, the singer is expected in St. Petersburg, in February the band travels to Kirov, Ufa, Chelyabinsk and a dozen other cities in central Russia.

Discography

1976 – “From the Other Side of the Mirror Glass”
1981 – “Triangle”
1984 – “Silver Day”
1989 - Radio Silence
1993 – “Library of Babylon”
1996 – “Snow Lion”
1999 – “Songs of Bulat Okudzhava”
2003 – “Songs of a Fisherman”
2010 – “Our life from the point of view of trees”
2012 – “The Secret History of Beekeeping”
2014 – “Salt”
2018 – “Time N”

Boris Grebenshchikov

Natalia Muschinkina

Boris Grebenshchikov stole the wives of his musicians

This spring, a formerly famous American singer. And rock idols suddenly appeared completely different than they had tried to appear for many years. So, Boris Grebenshchikov, this heavenly elf, soaring in other worlds, in many photographs - with a child in his arms, quite earthly and accessible. About the intricate matrimonial ties that connected BG with several musicians of his group “Aquarium” - in today’s investigation.

In one of his interviews, Boris Grebenshchikov, speaking about what prompted him to become a musician, honestly admitted: “I started playing to please girls. If there weren’t women, I wouldn’t do anything at all.” The leader of "Aquarium" was not deprived of the attention of the ladies. Whether in the old days or now, there are always plenty of fans around him, ready to follow him to the ends of the earth. But for some reason Grebenshchikov himself preferred girls from his inner circle. All three of his wives, before he officially legitimized relations with them, were companions of his best friends. An amazing fact: while taking away his wives, he managed to remain on good terms with their ex-husbands. Talent, nothing less.

Don't cry, Alice

Boris Grebenshchikov got married for the first time in 1976. His wife was Natalya Kozlovskaya, whom BG stole from Aquarium bassist Misha Fainstein. The wedding was celebrated widely - in the Astoria restaurant, with the presence of a large number of guests. Both locals, St. Petersburg, and visitors remember that musicians of the friendly group “Time Machine” arrived from Moscow. They became friends precisely thanks to Natalya. “The acquaintance began with Makarevich trying to seduce my wife and take her to his room, but he had to take me along with her. There we got drunk, my wife remained untouched,” BG said in “Aquarium’s True Autobiography” about his first meeting with the leader of “Time Machine” at the Tallinn Rock Music Festival in 1976.

However, less than two years later, the relationship went wrong. And when the couple’s daughter Alice was born, BG almost stopped showing up at home. Therefore, the girl, although she bore her father’s famous surname, hardly saw him. In addition, her mother remarried, and her new husband, Dmitry Ovechkin, a practicing psychotherapist, raised Alice. It was the stepfather, and not the natural father, who was involved in the girl’s education. Noticing what interested her, he carefully directed her in the right direction. He advised Alice to try herself as an actress.

Natalia Gubernatorova

Her debut in the film “American” by Dmitry Meskhiev became noticeable. Although few people saw the film, almost all the media wrote about the leading actress (Alice was only a second-year student at the St. Petersburg Academy of Theater Arts). And precisely because of the big name: where did the rock guru’s daughter suddenly come from? It’s interesting, but Alice herself was ashamed of her last name for a long time. At the beginning of her acting career, she even planned to take a pseudonym - Alisa Elmaa. And I looked into the passport office and asked what needed to be done for this. But one day I read an interview with Liza Boyarskaya, who proudly talked about her family, and thought: why, in fact, should she be embarrassed that her father is a legendary musician?

Today Alisa Grebenshchikova is an independent creative person. She has more than fifty films to her credit, work in enterprises, Boyakov’s Polytheater and Praktika. Alisa doesn’t see her famous father, whom she forgave long ago, as often as she would like. Each of them has a busy life, and they also live in different cities. However, they are constantly in touch.

In the summer of 2008, Alice made Boris Grebenshchikov a grandfather. The actress is raising her son Alyosha without a husband. Relations with the child’s father, Sergei Dondurian, went wrong just at the moment when it became known that they would both soon become parents. When, during the next scandal, Sergei said “go away,” Alisa silently packed her things and - even though there was nowhere to go - left the house where she had once been happy. Now the actress carefully hides her personal life. But, apparently, she does not feel lonely: there are many loving people around her.

Mikhail Kovalev

Love on the roof

We can say that Alisa Grebenshchikova in some ways repeats the fate of her mother. After all, Natalya Kozlovskaya and Boris Grebenshchikov’s problems began when it became known about the imminent birth of an heiress. After Alice's birth, the couple almost did not live together. Boris then preferred to spend the night with his friend, cellist of the Aquarium group Vsevolod Gakkel. As it turned out later, Grebenshchikov fled to stay with Seva not only because of scandals at home, but also for another reason.

...Vsevolod Gakkel - “a thoroughbred brunette with blue eyes” - was also popular with women. But he was completely devoted to music. Even with his wife, the beautiful Lyudmila Shurygina, he met only from time to time. Seva devoted most of the day to rehearsals with Aquarium, which did not contribute to peace and harmony in the family. When Seva was not at home, Lyudmila fought with his mother (in the literal sense of the word), and when her beloved appeared, she blew his brains out.

For this reason, Lyuda was not favored in the group. And the leader of “Aquarium” had a poorly concealed dislike for her. He even dedicated the following lines to the quarrelsome wife of his cellist: “If you were sugar, I swear, I would make it rain... We will all be better off when you leave.”

But just as there is one step from love to hate, the path in the opposite direction can be very short. When Grebenshchikov, due to family problems, began to spend the night with Gakkel more and more often, at some point he suddenly discovered that his friend’s wife also had advantages... Their relationship was secret and vicious: Boris and Lyudmila (Bo and Liu, as they called themselves) climbed out onto the roof at night and, while Vsevolod slept peacefully in the room, indulged in passion. The husband, as often happens, was almost the last to know about everything. But not only did he not curse his wife and friend, but he continued to communicate with them further. As Lyudmila once joked, Seva simply always loved BG more than her, so he simply stepped aside.

Soon a new unit of society was born. Lyudmila and Boris lived together for nine years - from 1980 to 1989. According to Aquarium fans, these were the group’s “golden” years. Lyudmila took care of housekeeping, Boris took care of music. They had a son, Gleb, who looked like two peas in a pod like his beautiful mother.

...And then Lyudmila, a happy wife and mother, accidentally found out that her husband was having affairs on the side. That's right, in the plural. Her friends told her that Grebenshchikov has not one, but even several connections, and he doesn’t really hide them. “I loved my husband very much then, and even now I treat him warmly, but Grebenshchikov’s dog is first-class. He won’t let any woman pass by more or less. They say there was even one with a beard! In short, I like everything that moves. And this is nature. Maybe this is how he gets ideas for creativity? I don’t know,” Lyudmila said in an interview.

Having learned about the existence of rivals, Lyudmila even found out the name of one of them. Irina Titova, wife of Alexander Titov, bassist and friend of Grebenshchikov (she would later become the third wife of the rock musician). The deceived woman did not fight for her family and filed for divorce. And having received a divorce stamp, she fell into depression: there was no husband, no job (she never received an education and was only a housewife for all nine years of marriage). There is no meaning to life either.

And Lyudmila began to drink. A lot, often, thoughtlessly. The apartment turned into a real homeless area. Even the hostess herself did not know who all these people were, whom she found after another drinking session in different corners.

Friends and relatives tried to fight for her. They coded and took me to the best doctors. But when Lyudmila finally came to her senses, she was even more scared. She lost interest in life. She tried to commit suicide several times. Fortunately, it didn’t work out...

Third try

Today Lyudmila regrets that she spent her best years in a drunken stupor. About the fact that she couldn’t keep her husband. But most of all, she devoted little time to her son, who was born in a marriage with Grebenshchikov. After his parents' divorce, the boy was left to his own devices. He lived with his mother only on her rare days when she was coming out of her drinking bout. The rest of the time was spent with his father or (which happened more often) with his grandmother.

As a result, Gleb Grebenshchikov changed several schools; according to his mother, he had problems with drugs and alcohol. And when, after receiving the certificate, the question arose of where to go, the famous father had to connect all his connections. As a result, Gleb was admitted to the St. Petersburg representative office of the French University College, in the correspondence department. But he didn’t particularly strive to study. But he got married very early, giving his parents a granddaughter, Alice.

Today Gleb is a well-known DJ Gebe in narrow circles. At the age of thirty, he has not yet been able to achieve even a thousandth of the popularity that his father has. Will it break through?

Well, Boris Grebenshchikov, having married for the third time, apparently, found the ideal woman he had been looking for for so long. He and Irina, the ex-wife of his friend, Aquarium bassist Alexander Titov, have been together for a quarter of a century. Although ill-wishers try from time to time to separate this couple, this marriage has stood the test of time. Including because, as the musician’s entourage assures, Irina wisely turned a blind eye to her husband’s hobbies. And there were a lot of them. At least one of Grebenshchikov’s alleged mistresses, socialite Linda Jonnenberg, even published a scandalous book telling about sexual pleasures with the cult musician. BG appeared there under the name Krasin, and, according to Linda, she even practiced threesome sex with him.

This triple alliance lasted six months. Later, Linda and Boris, according to the girl, met together. Linda also claims that her wife Irina knew about the existence of rivals. But she took it for granted - she didn’t pretend that she didn’t know anything, but at the same time she didn’t ask unnecessary questions. However, no one from BG’s entourage has officially confirmed that the book is really about Grebenshchikov.

Vladimir Chistyakov

Affiliated undertaking

When Boris Borisych married Irina, she had a son from her marriage with Titov, Mark. Grebenshchikov adopted him and raised him as his own. Later, the couple had a common daughter, who was named Vasilisa. Unlike the older children of BG, she received full parental love.

“I think my parents did a great job teaching me to see the beauty around me and treat people the way you want to be treated. Thanks to this, I am absolutely happy today and I want to make other people happy - I recently realized that this is my goal in life,” the girl says about herself. At first, she also wanted to become an actress - like her older half-sister Alice. And she even played Mochalka in “West Side Story” at the Theater of Youth Creativity in the Anichkov Palace. However, then I decided to become a designer. This is her own choice. After finishing The Fly, she traveled around the world for another three years: trying to understand what exactly interests her in life. In Vienna, she studied German and worked as an assistant to an interior designer. In Paris, she mastered French and worked part-time as a stylist's assistant. And having returned to St. Petersburg - with new knowledge and experience - she helped the famous English stage designer Isabela Bywater, who staged the opera Faust at the Mariinsky Theater. In general, Vasilisa’s track record, despite her young age, is impressive. During the Manifesto Biennale, she was apprenticed to Thomas Hirschhorn, working with other assistants to build his gigantic ruins. I interviewed and took photos for Wolfgang Tillmans for an art project. As a result, the girl was even invited to one of the capital’s theaters as a set designer. Vasilisa was delighted with the offer and... without hesitation, refused it: “I don’t want to sit in Moscow. I want to live as I want, because there is only one life.” It seems that Grebenshchikov has a worthy replacement on the rise!

Family and school years of Boris Grebenshchikov

One of the “founding fathers” of Russian rock was born in Leningrad on November 27, 1953 into an intelligent family. Boris Aleksandrovich Grebenshchikov, the boy's father, was engaged in scientific research, and his mother, Lyudmila Kharitonovna, worked in the sociological research department of the Research Institute of Complex Social Research.

Borya lived all his childhood in Leningrad, in house No. 22 on Altaiskaya Street (Moskovskaya metro area). Until the eighth grade, Grebenshchikov studied at school No. 421, famous and prestigious among Leningraders, after which he completed his secondary education at school No. 239 with a mathematical bias. After graduating from school, Boris entered Leningrad University at the Faculty of Applied Mathematics. At the same time, Boris Grebenshchikov, who became interested in music from the last grades of school, organized a musical group together with his school friend Anatoly Gunitsky, whose rehearsals were held in the assembly hall of the university.

Boris Grebenshchikov - founder of Aquarium

Anatoly Gunitsky, who received the nickname “George” at school for his resemblance to J. Harrison, shared Boris Grebenshchikov’s belief that music is the most important thing in life. The guys were united not only by musical talent and interest in Western rock culture - both were gifted in the poetic sense. At first, the young people composed and performed English-language compositions, but soon came to the conclusion that the lyrics must be in Russian.

Although in those years Western culture, including musical culture, was not officially welcomed in the USSR, it is difficult to deny the influence on the work of Aquarium by such titans of the foreign rock scene as Marc Bolan, Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Jim Morrison. Boris Grebenshchikov, fluent in English, always set himself the highest standard for the quality of the music he listened to, and therefore was well versed in the latest trends in the world rock scene.

Latest interviews with Boris Grebenshchikov

"The Temptation of the Holy Aquarium"

The band's debut album, entitled "The Temptation of the Holy Aquarium", was released via samizdat in 1973. Music critics call the album almost the first experiment in creating conceptual music in the USSR. “Temptation...” differed favorably from the work of all Leningrad rock bands, who wrote Soviet-oriented songs that were as similar to each other as two peas in a pod. With the very first record, “Aquarium” declared itself as an organic part of world rock culture, without deviating from the Russian song and text tradition.

By 1974, Aquarium included A. Romanov and M. Fainstein. At the same time, a student theater group was organized at the Faculty of Applied Mathematics, the troupe of which also included “aquarists.” Gunitsky writes plays in the absurd genre; Grebenshchikov and Romanov play in these productions. Later, director Eric Goroshevsky joins the circle. The passion for the theater circle leads to the fact that “Aquarium” is on the verge of collapse - Boris’s associates are increasingly going into drama. Against the backdrop of the departure of the group members, Grebenshchikov conflicts with the university leadership, which prohibited rehearsals of “Aquarium” and threatened Boris with expulsion. In those years, Aquarium essentially consisted of one person - Boris Grebenshchikov.

Boris Grebenshchikov in underground

Soon Boris meets cellist Vsevolod Gakkel and invites him to the Aquarium. From this moment on, the composition of “Aquarium” began to take shape, practically unchanged over the next fifteen years. At the same time, Boris created many hits performed by the group to this day. However, the activities of the group, which was finally banned from rehearsal and concert activities on the basis of the faculty, are becoming underground.

Such an important component of musical activity as sound recording was also closed to underground musicians. I had to write underground, in samizdat. The records were valued very dearly, were stored carefully and were copied dozens, or even hundreds of times. “Underground” Grebenshchikov’s team records the albums “From the Other Side of the Mirror Glass” (1976), “All Brothers and Sisters” (1978). The circulation of the latter, recorded together with Mike Naumenko outdoors, was only ten copies.

Later, when connections and a network of acquaintances allowed Aquarium to be recorded semi-legally in studios that allowed the use of their equipment, the quality of the records increased significantly, but it was impossible to record, say, a full-fledged electric album. Grebenshchikov collaborated with the famous Andrei Tropillo studio, which periodically gave shelter to such groups, like “Time Machine”, “Alice”, “Cinema”. “Triangle”, “Acoustics”, “Taboo”, “Day of Silver”, “Children of December” and “Blue Album” were recorded in this studio.

Apartments by Boris Grebenshchikov

Aquarium's concert activities in the seventies and early eighties were limited to apartments. Kvartirnik meant an acoustic format of performance in the apartment of one of the listeners. They played quietly so that the neighbors would not call the police. At that time, performing at an apartment show was no less dangerous than coming to it as a listener - and yet people supported “forbidden” music, despite all the dangers of getting themselves into trouble.

The basis of the repertoire of most apartment concerts of that time were songs from the album “Acoustics”, which managed to be distributed in samizdat throughout the Union. The group was officially banned, and the only way to convey their work to the listener was through apartment buildings.

Zolotoy city, Grebenshchikov

Since the end of 1977, Grebenshchikov founded the first Soviet rock magazine "Roxy", which existed until 1979. Relations with the authorities at that time were quite smooth; Grebenshchikov had practically no conflicts with government officials.

Festival activities of Boris Grebenshchikov. A television

In November 1980, the group officially announced itself for the first time with a performance at the All-Union Festival of Rock Bands “Spring Rhythms” in Tbilisi. The brave performance of the group entailed not only national recognition, but also problems with the authorities. At the same time, Grebenshchikov drew attention to the punk rock style, which was new even among the rock underground. Grebenshchikov meets Viktor Tsoi and the Kino group and speaks highly of their work.

For “Spring Rhythms,” Aquarium performed an acoustic program that the group rehearsed at the Tsyurupa Palace of Culture in Leningrad. However, at the festival itself, the group performed completely different songs - “Minus 30”, “Piece of Life”, “Heroes”. During the performance of “Aquarium” the jury defiantly left the hall in full force, and upon arrival in Leningrad the group lost its place for rehearsals. Grebenshchikov himself lost his job and was expelled from the Komsomol, and his wife soon left him.

Boris got a job as a watchman, and after a while he became a member of the playwrights' trade union committee, which allowed him not to work and to engage in creative activities without fear of being convicted of parasites.

Collaboration with a prominent representative of the Leningrad underground, Sergei Kuryokhin, contributed to the even greater popularity of the group. Soon Grebenshchikov appears on television for the first time - on the air of the “Jolly Fellows” program, the group “Aquarium” performs the song “Two Tractor Drivers” to the soundtrack.

After this, “Aquarium” repeatedly appears in the “Musical Ring” program and other television projects of Soviet television.

The era of glasnost and perestroika

In the mid-80s, a rock club was formed in Leningrad, in whose activities Aquarium also took an active part. The group comes out of the underground and actively tours, collecting full halls and stadiums. One by one, Grebenshchikov’s best albums are released - “Children of December”, “Ten Arrows”, “Equinox”. Cinema also does not ignore the group - Grebenshchikov’s songs are heard in the films “Assa”, “Black Rose - the Emblem of Sadness, Red Rose - the Emblem of Love”, “House under the Starry Sky”, “Mitki in Europe”, “City”. Grebenshchikov stars in the film “Two Captains-2”.

In 1986, the first single of “Aquarium” was released in the USA, and three years later two English-language albums were released at once - “Radio Silence” and “Radio London”. While abroad, Grebenshchikov met many famous representatives of the Western rock scene.

BG - Help (fuck you and me)

Boris Grebenshchikov Two thousandth

In 1999, the group released the album “?”, and in 2002 - “Sister Chaos”. Both records turn out to be tough and diverse, unlike the usual Aquarium style. Grebenshchikov does not hesitate to call a spade a spade in his songs, and this leads to a new round of popularity for the group. A little earlier, Grebenshchikov became the first and so far the only rock musician to receive the Triumph state prize in the field of literature and art. In 2003, Boris Borisovich was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree. On March 18, 2013, reports emerged that the group had ceased to exist, but these claims were soon refuted. How is the rating calculated?
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Biography, life story of Boris Grebenshchikov

Born on November 27, 1953 in Leningrad. Father - Boris Alexandrovich was a scientist. Mother, Lyudmila Kharitonovna, worked for a long time as an artist at the Leningrad House of Models, and then as a sociologist at the Research Institute of Complex Social Research at Leningrad University. Wife – Irina. Children: Alisa, Gleb, Vasilisa.
Boris Grebenshchikov spent his childhood in Leningrad, on Altaiskaya Street, at house 22. After completing the 8th grade at the famous school No. 421, he moved to mathematics school No. 239, then entered the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Management Processes of Leningrad State University. It was there - in the room behind the stage of the faculty assembly hall - that the first rehearsals of the new Leningrad rock band began, founded by Boris Grebenshchikov together with his school friend Anatoly Gunitsky, nicknamed George, which he received because of his resemblance to George Harrison. The young people were united by a passionate interest in Western rock culture, poetic talent and an attitude towards music as the main thing in life. Already in 1969, Boris composed and sang songs in English in a school ensemble. He soon became convinced that the lyrics should be Russian.
Despite the “official” isolation of the inhabitants of the USSR from Western culture, Western music has always had a very significant influence on Aquarium. The musicians were inspired by the works of Marc Bolan, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Bob Marley, Jim Morrison. In the early 1970s, Boris Grebenshchikov was one of those people whose new records appeared instantly. Thanks to his good knowledge of English, the leader of Aquarium was well versed in it, and the bar he set for himself was always at the world level of quality.
The first album, “The Temptation of the Holy Aquarium,” which was sold in samizdat in 1973, became perhaps the first attempt at creating a conceptual musical work in Soviet Russia. This music had nothing in common with the work of Leningrad rock groups of that time, who performed highly specialized Soviet songs. “Aquarium” organically became part of world rock culture, assimilating it into the Soviet musical space.

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In 1974, the group included Andrei Romanov and Mikhail Fainstein. At the Faculty of Applied Mathematics of Leningrad State University, a theater was organized in which A. Gunitsky and other members of the group wrote and staged plays in the absurdist genre. Later they were joined by professional director Eric Goroshevsky. The university management threatened Boris with expulsion and prohibited rehearsals. Soon we had to make a choice between music and theater, since the passion for drama began to largely determine the direction of the creative activity of the group. There was a period when Boris Grebenshchikov remained practically alone in the group, but with the appearance of cellist Vsevolod Gakkel, a composition began to form that lasted for the next 15 years. Songs appear that will remain in the Aquarium repertoire for many years.
Sound recording for an underground rock musician was also underground at that time. The recordings were of the greatest value, they were copied dozens of times and carefully stored, thanks to which the modern listener now has the opportunity to hear the recordings of Vysotsky, early Okudzhava, and Galich. Boris Grebenshchikov and the Aquarium group at this time were recording the albums “From the Other Side of the Mirror Glass” (1976), “All Brothers and Sisters” (1978), created in collaboration with Mike Naumenko. The recording of this album took place in a clearing between the Neva and Smolny - in the open air. This was the first album with a cover. Its circulation was 10 copies and instantly sold out.
The possibilities for professional sound recording were limited; for example, it was difficult to record a full-length electric album, but there were studios that produced fairly high quality. One of the most famous is the studio of Andrei Tropillo, the future sound engineer of Aquarium, who also made the first recordings of the groups Time Machine, Alisa, and Kino, which was originally located in the House of Young Technicians on Okhta. Since the fall of 1980, the group had the opportunity to record. The first studio recording, “The Blue Album,” was distributed throughout the country in samizdat. The photographs for the homemade cover, as for many subsequent albums, were taken by photographer Andrei Usov. Subsequently, other Aquarium albums were recorded within the studio: “Triangle”, “Acoustics”, the studio side of “Electricity”, “Taboo”, “Silver Day”, “Children of December”.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Aquarium constantly played apartment shows. This is a concert in an apartment, usually at the home of one of the listeners. The group performed in a small acoustic lineup - it was impossible to play loudly, as the neighbors could call the police (such concerts were, of course, prohibited). The atmosphere is intimate, the audience sits very close to the artists, listens with bated breath, someone may be recording the concert on a tape recorder. But despite the danger of getting into trouble by supporting officially banned music even by simply coming to the “apartment”, people listened to “Aquarium”, and the number of those who loved these songs was increasing.
The basis of apartment concerts in the late 1970s and mid-1980s were songs from the album “Acoustics,” which managed to spread throughout the country as illegal recordings. The group was officially banned. The underground rock concerts that were able to be held completely changed the idea of Russian rock music.
In October 1977, Boris Grebenshchikov, together with other well-known figures of the underground subculture, began publishing the first samizdat rock magazine in the USSR, Roxy, and published articles in this publication until 1979. Aquarium's relations with the authorities at this time were relatively smooth, with the exception of a few minor clashes. One day, musicians who had gathered on the steps of the Engineering Castle for a small concert were detained by the police, who were looking for hooligans who had broken statues in a nearby park. Somewhat later, the BBC reported that this was the first Russian rock festival where more than a thousand people were arrested.
Boris Grebenshchikov and “Aquarium” gained national fame after participating in the All-Union Festival of VIA and rock groups “Spring Rhythms”, held in Tbilisi in November 1980, where the musicians’ performance, bold for those times, had the effect of a bomb exploding and entailed a large number of complaints from the authorities.
At this time, the punk style was not yet recognized even among the rock underground, and almost no one foresaw the impact it would have on modern music, painting, and literature. Boris Grebenshchikov and his entourage were among the first to pay attention to this new musical direction. There was an acquaintance with Viktor Tsoi and the Kino group, then still “punks in law”. “Our equivalent of punk is the liberation of our consciousness from the habitual thought that there is a large apparatus above us,” Grebenshchikov believed at that time.
Artemy Troitsky invited musicians to the festival in Tbilisi with an acoustic program, which they rehearsed at the Tsyurupa Palace of Culture in Leningrad. But without the knowledge of the festival organizers, this program was changed. For the first time, songs such as “Minus 30”, “Piece of Life”, “Heroes” were performed in front of the general public. During the performance of “Aquarium,” the full jury defiantly left the hall. Returning to Leningrad, the musicians lost their rehearsal space in the cultural center. For Boris Grebenshchikov himself, this ended in the deprivation of his Komsomol card and a place of work at the Research Institute of Complex Social Research of Leningrad State University, where he had previously worked for several years as a junior researcher, and as a result, the acquisition of favorable conditions for free creativity.
Then, until the mid-1980s, Boris Grebenshchikov worked in different places, for example, like other “aquariumists” at different times, in a team of watchmen under the command of A. Romanov. Having become a member of the trade union committee of playwrights (a kind of surrogate creative organization that accepted unofficial cultural figures who, for various reasons, did not have the right and opportunity to join the official creative union, which gave the right not to work and be considered a creative worker), I got the opportunity not to work anywhere.
In subsequent years, the bright pages of the creativity of Boris Grebenshchikov and the Aquarium group were projects created in collaboration with the Leningrad avant-garde musician Sergei Kuryokhin. An excellent pianist, a person with an absolutely unique, vibrant musical worldview, S. Kuryokhin periodically appeared at the Aquarium and had a great influence on what was happening.
Also working with Boris Grebenshchikov at this time were virtuoso electric guitarist Alexander Lyapin, high-class bassist Alexander Titov, violinist Alexander Kussul, whose violin took music to other dimensions, and many, many others...
The first fruits of this creative union were the albums “Triangle” and “Taboo”. Soon after the recording of “Triangle”, the group’s first show on television took place: in the program “Jolly Fellows”, where B. Grebenshchikov, V. Gakkel and M. Fainstein performed the song “Two Tractor Drivers”, while the strings of Grebenshchikov’s guitar were intercepted by a capadastre in the middle of the neck, to show that the song is performed to a soundtrack.
In the fall of 1981, Boris Grebenshchikov brought the album to Moscow - 10 tape reels, hand-designed. As critic A. Troitsky suggested then, the album did not arouse interest in the capital. However, it is the songs from this album, such as “Mochalkin Blues”, “Old Man Kozlodoev”, that are now well known not only to fans of “Aquarium”.
In 1984, and then in 1986, “Aquarium” appears on television in the “Musical Ring” program. Then there are more and more programs, interviews with television and the press.
With the opening of the rock club in Leningrad, Grebenshchikov took an active part in its activities. In the mid-1980s, with the advent of the era of "glasnost and perestroika", the group emerged from the underground state; by this time its popularity was already very great. Fans constantly stood on the stairs at the entrance of Grebenshchikov's house in Leningrad, dreaming of seeing their favorite musician. "Aquarium" toured a lot. The concerts became larger and larger. “Since the fall of ’86, we moved from stadium to stadium to such stormy applause, as if we had personally abolished Soviet power.” (B.G.). Brilliant albums are being released one after another: “Silver Day”, “Children of December”, “Ten Arrows”. In 1987, the album “Equinox” was recorded.
The songs of “Aquarium” were heard in films - in Sergei Solovyov’s trilogy “Three Songs about the Motherland”: “Assa”, “Black Rose - the Emblem of Sadness, Red Rose - the Emblem of Love”, “House Under the Starry Sky”, in the documentary film by Alexei Uchitel “ Mitki in Europe”, in the film by Alexander Burtsev “City”. Boris Borisovich Grebenshchikov himself acted as a composer and actor in the film “Two Captains-2”.
In 1986, a double album “Red Wave – 4 underground bands from the USSR” was released in the USA. This record includes 6 songs from Aquarium. In 1989, the English-language album “Radio Silence” was recorded with high-quality musicians, mainly Eurythmics musicians participated in the recording.
In 1990, another English-language album, Radio London, was recorded in London. While he was abroad, Grebenshchikov met many famous Western musicians and would later record some of his CDs with foreign musicians.
Returning to Russia, Boris Grebenshchikov assembles a new team. The group was named "BG-Band". It included, in addition to Grebenshchikov, multi-instrumentalist, musicologist Oleg Sakmarov, excellent accordionist Sergei Shchurakov, guitarist Alexei Zubarev, violinist Andrei Reshetin, drummer Pyotr Troshchenkov and others. Most of the songs of this period that made up the “Russian Album” became, on the one hand, an expression of the changes taking place in Russia, and on the other hand, they conveyed that deep Russian atmosphere that has existed for many centuries.
At the end of the 1980s, mainly under the influence of communication with the group of artists “Mitka”, Boris Grebenshchikov began to paint pictures, mainly of a primitivist plan. In 1989–1992, as an actor and composer, together with Sergei Kuryokhin, he took part in the filming of Sergei Debizhev’s film “Two Captains-2”.
In 1993, Boris Grebenshchikov's group regained its former name. The albums “Favorite Songs of Ramses IV”, “Kostroma mon amour”, “Navigator”, “Snow Lion” are released. There are a lot of waltzes in them - typically Russian melodic and melodious. The eclecticism so beloved by Aquarium reappears, and the great influence of oriental music and philosophy is felt. In 1997, the albums “Hyperborea” and “Lilith” were released, recorded with Western musicians - this time with the group “The Band”.
Boris Grebenshchikov records not only his songs. In 1994, a disc of songs by Alexander Vertinsky was released, performed by him, in 1999 - by Bulat Okudzhava. Both of these records are authentic, conveying the original spirit of the songs, but at the same time completely individual. Other projects are also being carried out, such as recording instrumental albums, as well as the album “Refuge” - Tibetan mantras recorded with Gabriela Roth and the group “The Mirrors”, and in 2002 - the album “Bardo” with them. In 2001, an album of songs based on poems by Anatoly Gunitsky “Pentagonal Sin” was released.
In 1999, “?” was released, completely different from previous albums; in 2002, in the year of the 30th anniversary of “Aquarium,” “Sister Chaos” was released - a tough, diverse album that called many things happening today by their proper names. In 2003, Aquarium released the album “Songs of a Fisherman,” which was recorded in Russia and India, with the participation of Indian musicians.
Over more than 30 years of continuous creative activity, Boris Grebenshchikov wrote more than 500 songs and created more than 40 music albums. His work had a great influence on the integration of Russian cultural thought into the world cultural space. He is widely known and adequately represented abroad, as evidenced by the musical works he created published in many countries.
Musicians of the highest class are now playing with Boris Grebenshchikov: Boris Rubekin - keys, Andrey Surotdinov - violin, Vladimir Kudryavtsev - bass, Albert Potapkin - drums, Oleg Shar - percussion, Alexander Berenson - trumpet, Igor Timofeev - saxophone, flute, Fedor Kuvaytsev - clarinet .
In 1998, Boris Grebenshchikov became the first and only rock musician to receive the Russian Triumph Prize for encouraging the highest achievements in literature and art. In 2003, he was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree.
Lives and works in St. Petersburg.

The legendary Grebenshchikov is considered to be the founding father of Russian rock. Thanks to his talent, listeners enjoyed stunning compositions and became acquainted with a completely unusual genre of music.

Biography

Boris Borisovich is a hereditary Leningrader, born into an intelligent family on November 27, 1953. Dad, Boris Alexandrovich, is a university researcher, mother is a mathematics teacher. The family lived near the Moskovskaya metro station. This is where the future legend of the Russian rock movement spent his childhood. At first he studied in a regular school, and in middle school he moved to a school with a mathematical bias. The boy successfully passed the exams and entered the university, choosing a mathematical specialty. At the same time, he organizes the first musical ensemble in his life, and his friend Anatoly Gunitsky becomes his assistant. The opening rehearsals took place in the university assembly building. In their youth, Boris Grebenshchikov and Gunitsky, like all young people, listened to Western music. The idols of millions were the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, etc. The genre chosen by young performers was influenced by the work of Morrison, Dylan, Marley. Having an excellent command of English, Grebenshchikov could easily translate any composition. In 1973, the first vinyl of “The Temptation of the Holy Aquarium” was released. The audience heard something unusual, not similar to the compositions of the Soviet stage - familiar and of the same type.

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In 1974, the ensemble was replenished with Fainstein and Romanov. In parallel with the creation of the group, the guys organized a theater group at the institute and take part in productions. Gunitsky became the author of plays, Grebenshchikov and Romanov tried on the roles of actors. But the constant busyness on stage negatively affects the rehearsals of Aquarium, and the group finds itself on the verge of collapse. At the same time, the faculty leadership forbids the children to perform, and Grebenshchikov comes into conflict with the dean’s office. The ensemble is reduced to one person. A few months later, Grebenshchikov met Seva Gakkel, a talented cellist. Without hesitation, he invites him to perform together and writes compositions that are included in the golden list of Aquarium hits. The group's performances are completely prohibited by the university leadership, and the guys begin to perform underground. For some period, Boris Grebenshchikov and his colleagues played in apartments where fans of Russian rock gathered. To prevent the neighbors from calling the law enforcement officers, it was necessary to sing and play instruments very quietly. But for “closed” musicians in those years there was another problem: they could not record their songs, recording studios did not work with them. I had to look for illegal ways in samizdat, and in 1976 the album “Mirror Glass” was recorded, two years later - “All Brothers and Sisters”. Despite the fact that the last disc had a circulation of 10 copies, listeners began to pass the disc from hand to hand and rewrite the hit at home. Thanks to their growing popularity, the guys acquired useful connections and already worked semi-legally in the studio. Boris began collaborating with Andrei Tropillo. With his help, the albums “Triangle”, “Silver Day” and several others were released. For the first time, the Aquarium group publicly announced itself at a rock festival in Tbilisi. The audience received the performance with a bang, but the nomenklatura jury was dissatisfied with the guys’ success. During the concert, Grebenshchikov met Viktor Tsoi and said flattering words about his work. The management was also outraged by the fact that Aquarium performed a different composition than it had previously announced. Instead of an acoustic performance, the musicians performed the songs “Heroes”, “Piece of Life” and “Minus 30”. The jury left the concert, the rehearsal hall in Leningrad was sealed. Boris Grebenshchikov was expelled from the Komsomol, his family broke up. An educated man had to get a job as an ordinary watchman. In order to engage in creativity, he agreed to join the trade union committee of playwrights and continued to work at Aquarium. Sergei Kuryokhin, who has repeatedly come to the aid of underground performers, begins to promote Aquarium. Soon the group was invited to broadcast the program “Jolly Guys”. Then they become participants in the popular “Musical Ring”. This is how the television career of the legendary “Aquarium” began.

At the end of the 80s, Aquarium completely came out of hiding. The guys consistently give concerts at the best venues in the country. Popularity has become the key to packed stadiums and halls, the compositions are heard in the cult films “ASSA”, “Black Rose - the emblem of sadness, the red rose - the emblem of love”, “City”, etc. Listeners can safely enjoy the songs “Equinox”, “ Golden City", "Ten Arrows". Boris Grebenshchikov travels around the world, in the 90s he joined the legendary British group “U-Rhythmix” and soloed with the unsurpassed Anne Lennox. In 1986, the ensemble released a single in the USA, then two discs, “Radio London” and “Radio Silence”. In 2003, the talented musician was awarded the 4th degree Order of Merit for the Fatherland, as well as the Triumph award for his contribution to art.

Personal life

The leader of Aquarium was officially married several times. The musician's first wife was Natalya Kozlovskaya. The young people met while still very young; Natasha had just graduated from college. The wedding celebrations were magnificent, they took place in the legendary Astoria restaurant, and friends and relatives were invited. The family idyll did not last long. After the birth of his daughter Alisa, Boris left the family. He never stopped communicating with his daughter, helping in everything, including supporting her when she announced that she wanted to become an actress. After leaving the family, the leader of Aquarium asked to live with his friend Gakkel. His wife, Lyudmila Shurygina, was a woman of dazzling beauty. Grebenshchikov got so carried away that he not only took up useful space, but also took his wife away from a close friend. Surprisingly, Seva reacted calmly to such news and did not enter into conflict with his friend. The friends still maintain excellent relations. The young people left Leningrad for a small village in Valdai and settled in a former cultural center. There, a newly married couple rented a plot of land and started farming. At first, the artist liked the peace and tranquility. They lived like this for nine years, and the boy Gleb was born. The musician had long dreamed of a country house, but the son of intellectuals, accustomed to city life, soon tired of village life. Soon he left his wife and child and left for St. Petersburg. The second wife remained in the village and began to drown her loneliness with alcohol. In 1991, our hero met the wife of the lead singer of the group “Earthlings” Alexander Titov, Irina. Boris fell in love at first sight, felt a kindred spirit in the woman and took her away from her legal husband. The wedding took place that same year. Irina has a son, Mark, from her first marriage, and a little later she gave birth to the performer of “City of Gold” daughter Vasilisa. The couple is still together and, apparently, has no plans to separate.