I am the most beautiful rocker of the fatherland. Joke

Date of publication: 09. 2003
Sent by: Bochkareva Liza
Source A. Zhitinsky. Journey of a Rock Amateur (Leningrad, 1990)

Interview with Konstantin Kinchev (1989)

K. Kinchev (b. 1958) - leader, vocalist, author of lyrics and music of the popular group ALICE (Leningrad).
The ALISA group was born in April 1983, when bass guitarist S. Zaderiy, who had previously played in the Leningrad hard band CRYSTAL BALL, gathered around him young musicians committed to rock and roll and the “new wave”. The group made a program called “Crooked Mirror,” in which the motifs of Lewis Carroll’s famous book echoed the modern realities of public life. At that time, in addition to S. Zaderiy, ALICE included A. Shatalin (guitar), P. Kondratenko (keys), M. Nefedov (drums), B. Borisov (vocals, saxophone).
Real success came to ALICE in the spring of 1985 after a new singer and songwriter K. Kinchev, who moved to Leningrad from Moscow, appeared in the group. A little later, he created songs that essentially became youth anthems: “We Are Together " and "My Generation". ALICE became a laureate of traditional Leningrad rock festivals three times (1985 - 1987), at the beginning of 1986 the tape album "Energy" was released (two years later re-released by Melodiya), in June 1987 - the album "Block of Hell" , in February 1989 the group finished work on the album "The Sixth Forester".
There were a number of changes in the group's composition during this period. In 1986, S. Zaderiy left the group, creating a new group NATE! . He was replaced by bass guitarist N. Samoilov. In 1988, Muscovites I. Chumichkin (guitar) and V. Osinsky (keys) were invited to replace A, Shatalin and P. Kondratenko. Other musicians occasionally appeared in the group.
The rock amateur’s conversation with K. Kinchev took place in Moscow in February 1989.

Rock Amateur. Kostya, you and I met four years ago, after the Third Rock Festival. Do you remember, at the amateur performance center, I took you aside to talk. And you seem to have taken me for some big boss...
Konstantin Kinchev. Yes, it was like that...

RD. And then, when you found out that I was not from the district committee or from the KGB, how did you feel about my rock and roll activities?
Kinchev. Well, I knew that there was a certain writer whom I once read as a child. Such funny sea stories are about how hemp is collected in the field. And rock and roll is just a whim of a rich man who wants to help the boys.

RD. I think you're confusing me with Konetsky... Well, okay. I know less about you than about the Leningrad rockers. I wonder how it all started in Moscow and specifically with you?
Kinchev. In Moscow it began even more violently than in Leningrad. There were so many groups and concerts here that every day we left the party somewhere and got into it - by hook or by crook. RUBY ATTACK, LEAP SUMMER, LUCKY ACQUISITION, VOLUNTARY SOCIETY, something else... Well, and the CAR, of course... I myself started going to sessions in the seventy-third year, I was fourteen years old. There was a party with records, for me the main ones at that time were BLACK SABBATH. At the age of fourteen I learned how to pinch chords - they taught me in a pioneer camp. There was a hippie tent camp next to our pioneer camp. Well, and they were there with guitars, with tape recorders, with girls... So they taught me how to play, how to play the first chords. From there it went... Then the ensemble at school, then dancing...

RD. How did your parents and school react to this?
Kinchev. My parents thought I was a moron all my life.

RD. And now?
Kinchev. Not now. Now they are proud. When they started writing in the newspapers... And at school then they treated it that way too.

RD. They say you played at dances in Lyubertsy?
Kinchev. No, not in Lyubertsy - in Krasnogorsk. Also a city near Moscow, the same.

RD. On what team?
Kinchev. There were several teams: BROKEN AIR, GOLDEN MEAN, CIRCLE OF THE BLACK HALF... Some of them invited me to, some were mine...

RD. Does the GOLDEN MEAN still exist, it seems?
Kinchev. May be. It was a university team, I was invited there, but I hung out and left because they forced me to sing other people’s texts.

RD. And by that time they already had their own?
Kinchev. I had mine as soon as I started. But they were a la BLACK SABBATH - full of ghouls, witches, devils - just the end of the world! My whole room was painted with portraits of Ozzy Osbourne, cobwebs, all sorts of spiders, skulls... In general - pure Satanism.

RD. Where did you study after school?
Kinchev. At first I worked, then I entered the Institute of Technology. Then he left the institute. I mowed down the army, there was an article about residual effects of traumatic brain injury.

RD. What about the singing school at the Bolshoi Theater?
Kinchev. It was a funny story. We once drank beer; there was such a place at VDNKh, it was called “Parliament”. Now it is closed, unfortunately... They drank, sang, then one person came up to me: “Are you studying somewhere?” I said "No. He gave me the address. The next day I went there and passed the first round. Then I went again and entered. I sang then, as I remember now, “Shine, burn, my star...” and “Oh, it’s not evening, but it’s not evening...”. Under the piano.

RD. Did the school prepare soloists?
Kinchev. No, this is for the choir. You had to study there for four years. I lasted there for a semester...

RD. How did you live?
Kinchev. He worked as a model at the Surikov School.

RD. Well, and then “Doctor Kinchev” appeared?
Kinchev. Yes. I have such a group - RECREATION ZONE. Panker in St. Petersburg helped us sign up.

RD. Is this what they call "Nervous Night"?
Kinchev. Yes. We recorded this at Panker's in one night.

RD. Did they already know you in Leningrad?
Kinchev. In very narrow circles. They brought me to Mike, I sang songs there. Mike said: "Well... That's interesting..."

RD. But finally you came to ALICE. It seems to me that before you, ALICE was something inexpressive. I judge by the festival in 1984.
Kinchev. And then I liked it. I even noted to myself that I would like to play in this team.

RD. But the vocalist, you must admit...
Kinchev. Borya Borisov? Yes, he did this with his hand and sang “The Strong Go Forward”...

RD. A year later, everything changed. For me, ALICE’s first appearance at the festival in 1985 with you still remains as something extremely cool and even shocking...
Kinchev. Yes, it was a fun program.

RD. Then you sang "I'm Beginning the Way." I can more or less imagine ALICE’s path further. Of course, one could assume that your way of existing on stage and ALICE’s music would attract many. But no one expected such super popularity. You know, I once walked onto the stage from behind at Yubileiny while you were singing to get a look at the party from above. The sight amazed me: a swaying sea of ​​faces turned to you, delight, happiness and at the same time some kind of stupidity... How do you feel about your fans?
Kinchev. Differently. Sometimes I hate them, sometimes I love them.

RD. But aren't you afraid?
Kinchev. I wasn't afraid before. Until one time he managed to jump off the stage into the crowd... He barely lost his legs and almost tore them.

RD. Is there such a stir everywhere or only in Leningrad and Moscow?
Kinchev. We have now traveled to Tashkent and Dnepropetrovsk. The reception was warm, but the audience... In Tashkent there is a hall for four thousand, and one and a half tickets were sold. In Dnepropetrovsk, at first the hall is also incomplete, and then it is already full.

RD. How did local authorities react?
Kinchev. In Tashkent I was fined fifty rubles. For statements from the stage.

RD. What did he say?
Kinchev. Well what can I say? Said something.

RD. What are the relations with the police in St. Petersburg?
Kinchev. Yes, they seem to have fallen behind now. The last time there were concerts at the JCC, there were no clashes.

RD. Please explain the latest changes in the lineup.
Kinchev. Shatalin didn’t want to play on the team. Well, if you didn’t want to, you don’t have to, what should you do with it? They tried to persuade him - he said “no” and left with Pasha.

RD. For creative reasons?
Kinchev. He explained it with creative reasons. He said that he wanted to play different music. And Pasha supported him. On our part, we parted extremely peacefully, and then they suddenly became offended and felt that they had been kicked out. In fact, no one kicked them out, and if Shatalin now says that he wants to return, for God’s sake, come back.

RD. And what kind of showdown was there with the name of the group?
Kinchev. They decided that they were "older" than us. They played longer as a team, so it seems like the name ALICE belongs to them. As for me, D))D I could have removed this name, but everyone else said “no”. I also talked with Zaderiy, and he first said that the name should be changed, and then I gave him the guys’ arguments, and he considered them reasonable.

RD. The question, of course, is a sensitive one, although according to common sense everything is clear: in the minds of amateurs, the name ALICE is welded to your name, although you did not create this team. Well, in your opinion, who today has, so to speak, the copyright to the name of the group?
Kinchev. I believe that our artist is Andrei Stolypin. He came up with the capital letter, the stage design, and the image. He came up with these stars.

RD. Now let's touch on the material side of the group's existence. Now the group is very popular, has tours, fees, etc. But there are fears that the wave of widespread passion for rock, the wave of excitement, has subsided. The mass public has already had enough of rock and turned to TENDER MAYS. Actually, this is how it should be, because rock is not mass culture, it is quite elitist. Are you worried about the decline in popularity of rock?
Kinchev. Honestly, I don't care about it. They won't come to stadiums - we'll play in smaller venues. They won’t come there - we’ll sit in the studio and write albums. We'll play again in N*Dapartments.

RD. And if there is less money, then to hell with it?
Kinchev. To hell with them. It doesn't matter at all.

RD. Very well. Then let's get back to creativity. Tell me what are you reading? What do you like about poetry, let’s say?
Kinchev. Gumilyov, Brodsky... But most of all now I love Khlebnikov, especially his prose.

RD. Kostya, it’s been a year since Sasha Bashlachev passed away. Tell about him. How did you meet?
Kinchev. He invited me to his birthday party. Well, I'm here.

RD. Didn't you know each other before?
Kinchev. We spoke on the phone. He knew me, and I also knew him from the records. I listened and I liked it.

RD. What did you like about his songs?
Kinchev. Probably the same thing that was in him when we met. He taught me, first of all, to treat words differently than I did. It seemed to me: word and word - to hell with it. You can break it off and stuff it into a line. For him, the word was a piece of life.

RD. Did you see this in his poems or did you talk about it?
Kinchev. And they said, of course. I saw how he worked with words, it even broke me. Because he wrote with a bit of mathematics, or something: he built lines like this, here he wrote out words that should rhyme, here he rounded off with arrows... This with this, then with that - the chain turned out to be huge! And I wrote like this: I sat down and it was done...

RD. In the TV interview you said that it was clear to you how he would end.
Kinchev. I was just sure of it. He could not have had a different ending for everything - for his life, for the way he treated everything.

RD. Did he understand this himself?
Kinchev. Not that he understood - he knew it for sure. He has already made several attempts. And no one could stop it.

RD. Maybe it was connected with wine, with “weed”?
Kinchev. Yes, he didn’t drink at all! Didn't drink or smoke. Nothing... It’s like Hermann Hesse - there are people from the category of suicides. He was from this category. Another thing is that they may never reach this end. Sashka was simply suicidal from the very beginning. It was like a way out in reserve. It probably gives you some strength to overcome life's difficulties. You always know that there is a way out, the last one... Apparently, he had nothing else left except this forbidden chance.

RD. Finally, tell me, what is your relationship with God?
Kinchev. My relationship with God is tense: I love him, but he doesn’t love me.

Has your listenership changed over a quarter of a century? Is the energy of today’s hall different from the first “Alisomans” in vests and pioneer ties?

Throwing glances into the hall, I see practically no changes. These are, like 25 years ago, twenty-year-olds. The old ones are coming to the retrospective events... Then the police put a lot of pressure on the public - now relations are more tolerant. Apparently, through our long existence we have earned some kind of relief (laughs).

In the 80s, during the time of the Leningrad rock club, there was a feeling of unity of Russian rock. And then everything fell apart. Why?

It was a feeling of unity, like in prison. You know, everyone sits and dreams of freedom. When they receive it, someone takes the righteous path and ties up with their criminal past, while someone blows up the nearest store and sits down again. While we were in prison, everyone dreamed. And then, the rock club - it was a public phenomenon. We were visible. But they received freedom - and everyone went their own way.

Are you sorry?

It's a pity about this. I recently came across the “Nostalgia” channel, and the “Musical Ring” program was airing there... “Auktsion”, “Center”, “Sounds of Mu”, “Jungle”, “TV” - I remember all these groups well, I know and I love. Many of them are not close to me, but each was original and individual. And now everything is averaged by the format, the bright and talented are not encouraged. Everyone plays the same thing.

Have you, as the leader of Alice, changed much over the years?

In a professional sense, it is difficult for me to evaluate myself. Because I just live for myself and live, I make a bunch of mistakes, I find in myself the need to repent of them.

If we talk about the critics, I agree with them: we have become tougher and more musical. In the texts I did not abandon Aesopian language. It’s more interesting to put words into sentences this way.

During the Soviet years, Aesopian language performed a completely different function...

The meaning was veiled... But then the communist regime collapsed - and thank God. It became possible to express your thoughts without hesitation. And then many realized that they had nothing special to say.

Do you remember how you encrypted texts so that yours would be understood, but the authorities would not guess? Were there any collective classes in secret writing?

We acted more clumsily. In the days of the rock club, there was a department that “read” our texts: they stamped them “approved for performance.” To deceive them, it was necessary to come up with a move. Let’s say we dedicated the song “My Generation” to the struggle of the oppressed people of some republic against imperialism. They put fake epigraphs. If you delve into the state security archives, they are probably preserved there.

There is a stereotype that rock always exists in opposition to something. In the 60s in the United States, this “something” was the consumer society and the Vietnam War. The USSR has a state system. What does Russian rock need to fight against today, and is it necessary?

I would like to answer the question with a question. Do you think that rock is protest music or do you have a different attitude towards this genre?

I believe that rock is music.

Thank you! So I think this is music and an art form. This means that it is part of our culture. There is protest, of course. But this is not the main component of my songs.

What's the main thing?

And Shakespeare's stories: love, hate, life, death, truth and betrayal - everything is as usual.

You are talking about the eternal, and I am talking about the changeable. The rock crowd no longer has a common enemy. Who has it - pop music, who has it - power. You imprint glamor and the ideology of success in your songs. Do you have ideological enemies?

The enemies inside me are all concentrated. I fight with the help of the weapons that the Lord gave me - I write songs about what is bad in me and what I would like to cope with. Well, in life I try to live up to the song. Just don’t lie, no matter how pretentious it may sound.

Recently, rockers have again actively started talking about their political beliefs. Is this a return to the public stage?

If we talk about Shevchuk’s concerts, then this is a vague position and pure populism. "Do not shoot!" — who is he addressing?

To the people.

That's it. To the people in general. And these people accept everything with jubilation. He doesn’t see that this is pure opportunism.

Shouldn't rock serve as a social conscience?

Rock musicians must play and sing their songs well. And it’s up to the state to listen or not notice.

Do you have old acquaintances to whom you will not shake hands because of a difference in views?

Perhaps there are none. Everyone has the right to their own view of life. I respect this right, although I may consider the man’s position to be an error harmful to my country. And this is a field for discussion, which can develop into a fight.

Outgrows?

Depends on the amount you drink. Since I am a non-drinker, I don’t outgrow it.

But is it necessary to convince someone who is mistaken?

No, let him make his own mistakes. Who are you to force a person to live in your own image and likeness? You yourself can be wrong. I am not a destroyer in spirit.

Speaking of spirit. You were baptized in 1992. What was the most difficult challenge for you after this?

People who do not take this path do not see temptations. It seems to them that they live wonderfully and deserve a better fate in another world. And many even consider this life to be the final phase of existence. But as soon as you take this path, you see your imperfection. The further you go, the clearer you see. A colossal field for work is opening up.

Things like creative block, pride, despondency, depression - they disappear from life. All sins are written down, and they all live in you. Remember and fight - that's all, that's enough. And as Elder Seraphim said, acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit, and thousands around you will be saved. That is, make yourself better and through yourself - the world around you.

In 2006, you, Yuri Shevchuk and Roman Neumoev went to see Metropolitan Kirill. Did this meeting give you something?

To be honest, I didn’t understand why we went at all: well, we just met and went our separate ways. Although later Shevchuk, together with his father Andrei Kuraev, went to Ukraine and traveled to 20 cities. This is a useful action, given the situation there - pressure from sectarians, attempts to fragment the Russian Orthodox Church. Whether this finds any response in the hearts of listeners is another matter.

So far, your statement that Crimea will be Russian has resonated with Ukrainian listeners. Are you receiving angry letters?

Not yet.

Your radical views and statements in general cause rejection by many. Ever since Orthodox and, let’s say, patriotic vocabulary appeared in your songs, they simply began to be removed from the radio.

My ideological position has always been quite rigid. Of course, the liberal public bristled, and a campaign of defamation began: I became a fascist, an obscurantist, a crazy old drug addict. The Internet was full of these statements in the early 2000s. I knew this would happen. But I don’t give a damn who says what. I know I'm going my own way. The dogs are barking around me and my car is moving. I’m not at all used to the label “fascist”: I was a “fascist” in 1985, under Soviet rule. I won’t and don’t want to make excuses. Let's leave these statements to the conscience of the liberal public.

I don't like liberals.

What do you think: does Russia always need to have some kind of “enemy” or should it be tolerant?

You see, the thing is - it’s very easy to wave a saber and express indignation when you don’t have the slightest responsibility, when your cross is a booth in the kitchen or at infighting rallies. I saw how there were 200 people at the “march of dissent”, and there were 500 television cameras around. My neighbor in the village says: it would be wonderful if St. Petersburg joined Finland! And liberals have a billion such opinions. Every cook knows how to run a state. And she herself can only chat and cook dumplings and cabbage soup. It’s very easy to find fault; building is much more difficult. And the state took on this responsibility. And he understands that we would be happy not to quarrel with anyone, but the geopolitical situation is such that we are threatened. Because we are rich in natural resources, occupy a huge territory, and our population is insignificant in comparison with the territory. We are a tasty morsel! Therefore, either we will defend our land and leave to our descendants what our ancestors conquered, or we will gradually turn into a useless Luxembourg. It’s easy for Luxembourg to be tolerant!

Do you think that we have obvious enemies?

It is absolutely clear to me that America considers us the enemy. We spent 16 long years trying to please her. We really wanted to be loved... No one will love us. Pragmatic rationalism is what guides them in their relations with us. It is more profitable, as our leadership says, to have a weak partner: it is convenient to manipulate him. And when we become stronger, this causes indignation among our overseas partner.

That is, in your opinion, “the bipolar world remains,” as Soviet announcers said.

We wanted to join NATO at the dawn of our reforms, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But they didn’t take us. And if they took it, it is unclear who NATO could resist. And they left the status of potential enemies to us, and not to some kind of international terrorism.

And you seem to have disagreed with Shevchuk on what happened in Ossetia?

My position is this: we protected the Ossetian people, for which I hope they will be grateful to us for centuries. We did not leave our friends in trouble. And for this act, other than gratitude to my country, my state, I have no other feelings. I, unlike the Ufa rockers - this applies to both Shevchuk and the Lumen group - do not oppose the country to the state. I like my state in its current state. I don't like the economic crisis, but it is a global problem. We will survive this too.

How do you feel about globalization?

This is the building of Babylon, which was destroyed by the Lord God. We are stepping on the same rake again. I am for the wild color of national sovereignties. I want all nationalities to live within the limits that God showed them and not to assimilate.

What then should we do with migrants from the former Soviet republics - should they assimilate in Russia or not?

Keep in mind that I am now thinking like that young lady in the kitchen: this is not a matter of my competence. But if you look at the problem seriously, there is no escape from the labor shortage. Therefore, labor migration is inevitable. And if it exists, there is also a movement of peoples back and forth in search of a better life. All of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the Caucasus are now working and living here. But it is important that they learn the Russian language, become familiar with our culture, and ultimately be able to assimilate once they have crossed the boundaries of their territory. And if this does not happen, we plant a time bomb. At the end of the century before last, Albanians began to populate the original Serbian territory - and how far did it come?

Should immigrants adopt their faith?

We have a multi-religious country. We have always managed to live peacefully with Muslims, and peace to their home. And God forbid, we continue to live just as peacefully.

But for us, this peaceful coexistence sometimes turns into severe hatred of people of other faiths.

This is due to the fault of sectarians. True Islam and our collective apostolic church are always centric. Only sects that break away from Christianity and Islam are totalitarian, radical and profess the destruction of infidels. This has nothing to do with real religion. But charismatic leaders group around themselves narrow-minded and offended people - and off they go. To manipulate this public, you need to look for an enemy. The enemy is found - the money is gone. Immediately, public funds from overseas begin to pour funds into these sects. Why is this being done? Again, so that the enemy country is weak. These are obvious things. And either a scoundrel or a fool may not see this. Who liberals consider themselves to be is their business.

Do you ever go to America, to visit your enemies?

I went to the USA a long time ago - after the bombing of Serbia, I refused to go there on tour, or just like that. I have no complaints against people, against Americans. People are pretty much the same everywhere. There are good ones and there are bad ones. But there is a system of power.

There are many precedents in contemporary art with anti-religious themes: trials are ongoing in cases of insulting the feelings of believers. Can the church prohibit or censor the self-expression of an artist?

Here's the thing. We are, of course, for freedom. But when someone else's freedom hurts you, you protest, right? This is a normal situation. That’s when blasphemous public biennales are allowed, or whatever words they use...

...performances...

Yes, performances! And they, these biennales and performances, hurt a lot of people, including me. It even physically hurts me. The wife believes that they, the artists, know about this. But I don’t think they know, I doubt they even think about it. They simply express themselves, not caring about everything around them. If there were an internal, heartfelt censor, every step of a person would be measured against the will of God and censorship would not be needed at all.

That is, the state or church should still intervene?

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The state has plenty of serious tasks without this. Bans can only achieve bitterness. But those who have gone too far must be put in their place. And for this we have a fairly radical organization, the Union of Orthodox Citizens, who come to exhibitions and destroy everything there. And they do it right.

Doesn't pop music cause you indignation?

None at all. If an artist has an audience, he has the right to exist. Another thing is that pop musicians are mostly busy servicing parties, birthdays and weddings. But that's how it's always been. Restaurant artists have returned to the restaurant and service industries. I have nothing to do with this genre.

I only come into contact with the market when I finish an album and sell it to a publisher. The tender begins. Many publishers say that the market is monstrous, terrible and everything is falling, falling, falling... And yet for some reason people are lining up to buy our album. And here a simple market mechanism operates: whoever offers the most money, we give the album to him. It’s not my problem to play songs and everything else on air. Broadcasts appear when a publisher needs to sell an album: he hires a PR agency, forces me to give interviews, like you are doing now. I obediently fulfill my obligations. And when the album comes out, everyone forgets about my existence. And I'm making music again. Actually, that's how it's always been. Even in difficult times, my family and I did not go hungry—music fed us.

What is the most important thing in music for you?

Energy. I can’t watch concerts on TV: they’re all dead, just like theater performances. That’s why you need to go to the theater and rock concerts. After the final chords, the art of music disappears into thin air, just like theater, which is why the latter is valuable to me. I don’t really like cinema... There are, of course, good films, but only theater can delight me.

Does the feeling of energy not go away with age? Or is energy a thing without age?

If I were tired of this business, I assure you, I would stop doing it. I like my job. I just read an article about the Rolling Stones. The author analyzes this phenomenon and comes to the conclusion that the Stones are great assholes. If all sorts of cynical speculations are possible about me - why I do music, then Jagger is a rich man and can do without concerts. But for some reason he plays at the age of sixty-four - he loves it! I'm one of those assholes who likes to go on stage. At this moment, time does not exist for me, it dissolves.

Photos: Fedor Savintsev for RR; Alexey Kudenko/Kommersant

Interview with the leader of the Alisa group Konstantin Kinchev, published onwebsite of the youth information resource of the Russian Orthodox Church MIR ROC .

Continuing to introduce our readers to famous people of modern Russia who combine secular and religious vocations, we invited Konstantin Kinchev, the leader of the rock group “Alice”, a parishioner of one of the Moscow churches. What attracts young people to his work? Is it only hard rhythms? Or is it a search for inner truth, the meaning of life? Was it by chance that the ranks of Alisomaniac fans thinned out after Konstantin began to seriously touch on the topic of spiritual choice? But those who remained - what did they hear in his new poems? And how did he come to faith? We talk to him about this.

— In 2003, “Alice” celebrated its twentieth anniversary. Tell us about the beginning of the path that led the group to this anniversary. How did you, a Muscovite, end up in Leningrad at that time?

“It was impossible to play rock music in Moscow,” they were clearing it of the “corruptive influence of the West,” but in St. Petersburg there was at least some outlet, there was a club. Accordingly, I moved there and slowly joined in... I was invited to “Alice” and we are still together. I hope another album will be released in the fall for our anniversary; it will include songs dedicated to religious themes - “My Bright Rus'” and others.

— What has St. Petersburg become for you?

— Three cities played a special role in my life: Moscow, St. Petersburg and Jerusalem. We can say that these are my three homelands: physical - Moscow, spiritual - St. Petersburg and spiritual - Jerusalem. But it was Peter who made me who I am.

— For the army of Alisomaniacs, Kinchev is a person who says about himself: “I am Orthodox.” But it was not always so. Where did it all start?

— The first impulse appeared in my heart thanks to my grandmother. When I was 16-17 years old, she gave me the Gospel, since I grew up in a completely atheistic family. This book left a very serious mark.

— She didn’t seem incomprehensible?

- Partly. Of course, something flew past consciousness, but there were three moments that became revelations: the parables of the prodigal son and the sower and the story of the thief crucified on the right side of Christ.

— How was life after?

— It was spent in search of God and spiritual wanderings. He overestimated the life around him: he paid too much attention to himself and betrayed importance to himself. Tried to change the world. I searched, rushed about, studied various kinds of dubious literature, like Blavatsky. As a result, I got stuck in drug addiction.

- Yes, this is a disaster for Russia. It is enough to walk through any city cemetery to be convinced that every year more and more young people are buried. Many of them were overcome by drug addiction. What prompted you to do this?

— I felt in my heart the injustice of the world. But when you try to resist alone, you always fall into a gloomy depression. No one can fight alone.

- Who came to the rescue?

- A miracle happened. In 1992, when I was already 32 years old, Stas Namin called and said that friendship days of cities - its sister cities - were being held in Jerusalem - either St. Petersburg or Moscow, I don’t remember, and there was a cultural program. Let's go...

— And before that, as far as I remember, you were in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery?

— This happened earlier, in 1986-87. I really liked Pechery...

“Then Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) and other elders received him there.

- No, I didn’t go anywhere. We came there as a whole group, having previously performed in Pskov. They were in disgraceful condition. So it seemed to me that I came like this with an open heart, but I was not greeted like that, they covered me with censer.

“The monks came out with censers and blessed the area around us. Now everything is clear, but then it was offensive.

— Didn’t you also get into the famous caves “created by God,” where about ten thousand monks and warriors lie and there is no smell of decay?

“They didn’t let us go anywhere like that.” But I came into contact with grace, although I did not understand what it was. I stood on the bridge in front of the governor’s chambers, and I had a feeling of bright joy. Right to tears. But we walked around, stood for a while, and again it was a party...

And so I ended up in Jerusalem. There I visited the church for the first time for the liturgy. He didn’t just come in, he stood up for the entire service. I, like a blind kitten, “peeped” - watched how everyone was doing and repeated after them.

—Have you performed a lot in Jerusalem?

— We had one concert there and a week of free time. In a week we covered the entire Holy City up and down. It’s interesting that we performed the concert in the place where Gehenna used to be...

And right there in Jerusalem I realized that I needed to be baptized. I just met a nun in a monastery. She told me: “You will return home and be baptized.” Then this nun came to the city to talk with me, and at night I accompanied her to the monastery, which is located above the Garden of Gethsemane. It was well after midnight, I was walking alone, jumped over the fence and sat down in the garden. I looked at the sky, imagined what was happening here... And one thought: now I wish I could die here and that’s it, I don’t need anything else; that would be happiness.

With this feeling I returned to Moscow.

In addition, I returned from Jerusalem with a sense of my nationality; I returned as a Russian, and not a cosmopolitan. On one excursion I almost got into a fight with the guide. He said that Peter took out a sword and cut off the ear of one of the guards, which supposedly proves that Jesus Christ led troops to Jerusalem to overthrow the legitimate government. After that I climbed...

I returned home with a feeling of my native people, my native land and came to the temple where my school friend labored - now he is Priest Vladimir, but then he was an altar boy...

— Did spiritual life begin for you immediately after baptism?

- Yes. And this drug addiction was sent to me as the first and necessary scolding. After all, I was simply a drug addict.

— How to get rid of addiction?

- Yes, just ask God for help. You can cleanse yourself, pump the blood, but this won’t last long. But only God can not heal, but only God can heal. The Lord protected me from this demon. All you need to do is sincerely wish for it and pray.

— You became Orthodox—how did this affect your work? How does your confessor look at this?

“Any priest looks with pain in his heart at the profession that I have chosen for myself, as, indeed, at any other public profession associated with passions. It is difficult to keep a person from falling or collapsing, so I understand the priests who warn against this kind of activity. How does my confessor, Father Vladislav Sveshnikov, look? That's how he looks. He takes pity on me and prays, but what else can be done? Judging by the fact that our most rabid fans have migrated to the ranks of fans of the “King and the Jester” group, we are changing for the better.

- And that group are the Beyonders?

“They are good guys, and I love them, but... just like Father Vladislav loves me.” I hope that over time they will also look up and see the Sky.

— Alice is popular. Do they write to you a lot?

- It would be immodest. Visit www.alisa.net. there you can find the answer.

— The rejection of rock is caused, in particular, by the dark mysticism of a number of groups. But rock is first and foremost a protest, and therefore rock is different depending on what it rebels against. In the West in the 1960s, this was a reaction to the ongoing secularization of Christian civilization. A well-fed, prosperous existence of the “middle class” was presented as an ideal for the younger generation,” and an ideal supported by commandments, the fulfillment of which guaranteed success in life. The rejection of this idyll of comfort and prosperity largely determined the conversion of the leaders of a number of rock groups to extra- and anti-Christian religiosity. Rock was born in a completely different way in the USSR. It was a protest against ideology. Therefore, during the years of party-Komsomol hypocrisy, the “wooden temples of Rus'”, about which “Aria” sang, united everyone who was suffocating in this emptiness. Search and discovery are the themes of both Russian rock and Russian religious thought of that time. But now the West with all its values ​​is in Russia. Whose side is Russian rock on?

“It really was easier then.” There was a single and obvious enemy who was strangling society, and we were all on the barricades. And now everyone chooses for themselves. Let's say Makarevich chose the current system and considers it the only correct one. I think that it is worse than what it was, because we went from one captivity to another. America won the war of ideologies on all fronts and continues to impose on us its way of life, its system of relations between people.

—Protesting, and perhaps even supporting this expansion, some rock musicians became adherents of Satanism. But still, we probably shouldn’t extend our attitude towards groups like “Black Sabbat” to the entire Western rock culture. Rock as a phenomenon is more of a diagnosis, a litmus test that reveals the crisis that has gripped the world.

“I think Marilyn Manson is much closer to understanding Christianity than a million American preachers.” He opposes this replication of faith (!) in a monstrous image of shockingness. People like him, like Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain are lonely and therefore always unhappy. They are alien to this system and cannot break out of it.

— How do you feel about Protestant transcriptions of the Good News to popular rhythms?

— Protestants follow this path, believing that it is serious, that this is how they engage in missionary work. But when I see on TV how people in churches begin to dance, stamp their feet and sing psalms to the melodies of modern performers, then in my opinion, this is wild and blasphemous. On the other hand, if it is outside the walls of the temple and bears fruit, why not? Buffoonery is for the stage, not for the temple. I don’t really believe that people will listen to this, but if this happens... God willing.

— Your songs are also heard outside the walls of the temple. Who are they addressed to?

- First of all, not to those who are already in the temple and partake of the Sacraments. My word is addressed to the Gentiles. I hope that thanks to the song, someone will think, someone will turn their gaze to Heaven. This concludes my mission.

“The point is not only that the girl, who had long had health problems, completely lost it there. The point is a forever crippled soul. No one will give back to a man several months locked up on an absurd charge.” Nun Evgenia (Senchukova) - about why she calls for prayer for Anya Pavlikova.

How Christ was lost in the liturgical production process, what are the advantages of “godless” Europe, how do we solve our problems without God and what to do if it is impossible to change the world and the country - says the rector of the home church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg, archpriest Georgy Mitrofanov.

The famous Russian director Alexander Sokurov gave Sofiko Shevardnadze a long interview and talked about his vision of history. The screenwriter, who created a number of cult films, answered questions about his attitude towards Joseph Stalin, perestroika, the Bolsheviks and Soviet power.

Russian President Vladimir Putin compared communism with Christianity, and the mausoleum of Vladimir Lenin with the veneration of the relics of saints. The author of the book “On the Scales of Faith: From Communist Religion to the New “Saints” of Post-Communist Russia”, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of St. Petersburg State University Sergei Lvovich Firsov, talks about what communist teaching took from Christianity using the example of the Communist Party of the USSR.

For the first time the name of Archpriest Dionisy Pozdnyaev was heard in 1995. Then the priest, having learned about the Russian pilots who ended up in an Indian prison and that they were facing the death penalty, turned to the head of the DECR MP (then still Metropolitan) Kirill (Gundyaev) and human rights activists. Father Dionysius baptized the pilots right in prison, and in 2000, thanks to common efforts, they were released.

The Federation Council sent a school history textbook for grades 10-11 for examination, since when describing the events in Ukraine in 2014, the authors used language that did not suit the senators. History, that is, continues to be written and rewritten, based on momentary needs or what is considered to be these needs.

“Communist ideology is very similar to Christianity,” Vladimir Putin said in the film “Valaam,” which was shown last Sunday on the Rossiya 1 TV channel. The rector of the Moscow Trinity Church in Khokhly, Father Alexei Uminsky, at the request of MBKh Media, told what he thinks about this and other statements of the president.

How 100 years ago the church was separated from the state

2017 was a year of difficult centenary anniversaries. They remembered the two Russian revolutions, afraid to say something unnecessary: ​​so much of our modern life is determined by the events of those years that sometimes it is easier to remain silent.

For thirty years, historian Anatoly Razumov has been searching for the names of those repressed and collecting bits and pieces of their biographies. He has been doing this for exactly as long as people have been talking about repressions in the modern history of Russia - since 1987. His “Leningrad Martyrology” is a collection of 16 volumes, containing 50 thousand names and biographies of executed Leningraders alone. He is one of the creators of the Levashovskaya Pustosh memorial on the site of the former NKVD execution range.

Nikita Petrov, a specialist in the history of Soviet intelligence services, reads an interview with FSB head Alexander Bortnikov, finds in it old myths, manipulated figures, non-existent documents, and explains why he should not be taken seriously.

- I have the opinion that “Alice” has the most devoted fans. Why do you think?

Probably my fans also don’t like to “keep up with the times,” so they walk with me, confirming the well-known thesis “We are together!”, which I am very happy about.

- Can you remember the craziest pranks of fans and how you deal with them?

The craziest thing in recent times was committed by two people with the nicknames Trout and Ham: they followed us to Khabarovsk, Ussuriysk and Vladivostok, spending a huge amount of money that they had earned! I in no way fight the movement called “traveling”, but, on the contrary, I welcome it in every possible way, because I myself love to travel. And if I were 17–20 years old now, I would gladly go on tour with the group “Alice”! But I am deprived of this opportunity, since I am already 42 years old and I play in this group.

- What do you think is happening today with the generation of rock musicians, your peers (I mean Shakhrin, Grebenshchikov, Shevchuk, Sukachev, Butusov and others like them)?

They grow old, they grumble, they get fat... What I can’t say about myself - the most handsome rocker of the fatherland (just kidding), and about Boris Borisovich Grebenshchikov - the most graceful and profound person on our rock stage.

I get reproached all the time

- It seemed to me that your new album was not topical. It is timeless both in sound and content (lyrics). It seems to me that any musician (whether he is a believer or not) tries to keep up with the times, catch musical trends, and be, if not fashionable, then at least in demand. Moreover, you are working for the same audience that simply needs the feeling of today.

It’s an amazing thing (!), on the one hand, having recorded a global work like “Sabbath” or “Solstice”, I constantly hear reproaches for being too “topical” or that rock as “protest music” (a well-known journalistic cliche) is already sick of everyone! On the other hand, if you make a lyrical album, be it “Jazz” or “Dance,” I run into accusations of “timelessness,” although this is more of a compliment. And then, what does it mean to “keep up with the times”? It seems to me that movement in time has a different direction for everyone... And as for the audience of “Alice”, I cannot help but notice that throughout the life of the group, and she is almost 20 years old, the age limit does not increase in the direction of “aging” , but is only replenished by children, for which I am also constantly reproached (!), like “I’m an adult, and you have crazy young fans!” In connection with all this, I have a question: why do I always displease someone? Perhaps in my old age I should write a song about Alice in order to be known as a harmonious person who keeps up with the times?

Best of the day

- What do you think about the popular opinion: if a person is religious and devout, it is difficult for him to write a popular song?

I am quite wary of “conventional wisdom.” It seems to me that it is still better to base your attitude to this or that issue on your own. And the topic of “hits” is of little interest to me at all. The last thing I want is to be “doomed to success” and “hungry for recognition.”

- Although the new album is named like that, it is, naturally, non-dance. Still, how do you feel about good dance music?

Again, maybe I'm not keeping up with the times, but it seems to me that "good dance music" had already experienced its boom in 1997-1998, fashion is fleeting and changeable. Therefore, everything returns to normal, and those who sincerely and sincerely want to drink, eat, and dance, go to station restaurants, where they use karaoke to splurge, accompanied by the cheerful “Hands Up” and the ageless “Ivanushki”.