A true intellectual finds it easy anywhere, but a snob finds it difficult.
Six years ago, Sergey Shnurov suddenly announced the dissolution of his band 'Leningrad'. But he hasn’t completely disappeared from the radar - he has been giving concerts from time to time and has appeared as a mentor on music television shows. Last year, Sergey Shnurov made a definitive return to the stage with a new album 'Blue Goddess'. Recently, he recorded another one - 'Foam Wedding'.
- Sergey, you are, as always, going against the rules. You dissolve the band at the peak of success and release an album every year, while musicians nowadays come out with major releases once in a century. Is this a business plan?
- I release albums precisely because a certain number of songs accumulate, and I understand that if I follow the strategy that all other musicians follow - releasing one song a month - that’s only 12 songs a year. And in my productivity, that’s nothing; I can write 12 songs in a week. So I have to, so to speak, annoy the listeners.
- The dissolution of 'Leningrad' was unexpected for everyone. What was the last straw after which you said: 'That's it, I don’t want to anymore'?
- I realized that if I continued the same intense concert activity, I would just go crazy. When I entered the dressing room, I looked at the people around me and understood that I no longer wanted to drink with them. And that’s when I put a period.
- You said that you might reunite 'Leningrad' if there was an enticing financial offer: 'A million dollars is not the amount for which I would go on stage. I will wait.' Did you wait long enough?
- You understand that this was bravado. I could have said 10 or 100 million, but that’s all nonsense. What drives me is more the feeling of the necessity of my performance.
- Is it possible to predict in advance which song will become a hit?
- The formula for a hit can be discovered, but a song may become one, or it may not. It all depends on the moment of release, the mood of the people, what is generally happening, I don’t know, in Uganda. If we are talking about a hit as a track that occupies the top spots, that’s exactly how it is. But if we are talking about a timeless hit that people can turn to years later, as happened, for example, with Kadysheva, that’s a different story. Kadysheva had timeless hits. And sooner or later, such songs start to work. I try to create that.
- It really is an amazing time now when a song can become a hit years later. Bulanova is also a new star of social media.
Take some modern performers and listen to the quality of their musical material. It is much weaker than that of Tanya Bulanova. Bulanova's work is solid. She has polyphony, and interesting melodic lines. And all the words are clear. You don’t have to listen closely.
- Igor Krutoy recently said that now is the time of insignificant personalities in music.
- Well, I wouldn’t say that. It’s a multiplication effect. First, there was radio, then television appeared. And there was a certain number of stars, not very many, because entry was not for everyone. Now anyone can become a star if they post something timely on social media, catch a trend. Because of this, the number of stars increases, but the sky - it remains the same, your attention - it is limited. Therefore, this number of tiny stars occupies all the space.
- Is it the same in world music?
- Probably. In principle, we shouldn’t make music a sacred phenomenon. It’s just popular songs that are nice to whistle in the bathroom before going to bed.
- You probably experienced a lot in the 90s?
- Oh, come on. It’s all greatly exaggerated. I don’t like it when people who lived in the 90s suddenly create the impression that they went through World War II.
- Many complain that there was no money, there was a deficit...
- Incredible! My grandmother was a blockade survivor. That’s hard. If you couldn’t afford to buy a pastry and instead bought pasta, that’s not a blockade.
- 'Leningrad' already existed then, and you had to perform in front of different audiences. Was it difficult for you as an intellectual? On stage, you are a hooligan, but in life, you are completely different.
- A true intellectual finds it easy anywhere, but a snob finds it difficult. Snobbery should be driven out of oneself.
- 'Leningrad' was one of the first in the 2000s to set records for attendance at stadiums. You made it into the 'Forbes' rankings...
- I haven’t left this 'Forbes' since 2001. You see, 'Forbes' is not far from the magazine 'Spletnik'. Where they get these numbers from is unclear. From the ceiling! I understand if they collaborated with the tax office; probably, from the taxes, one could roughly understand how much a person earns. But they don’t have such data.
- What was the highest fee 'Leningrad' received in the history of the band?
- Gentlemen don’t talk about money. Let me put it this way: my biggest fee is still ahead.
- What did you spend your first fee on when you became popular?
- It was a case of beer.
