Is it true that the name Therr Maitz was coined from a stoner?

Well, in general yes... But I didn't smoke! Smoked all around. I've given up by now...

To be honest, the name looks like it was invented by a stoner. It is so special that it is difficult for people to pronounce.

This is evidence of our naivety in marketing at that time!

It would be more interesting only to change the name after each concert.

We did that, by the way, before Therr Maitz! They performed at some bikini party at the Vladivostok oligarchs. They ask us: “Well, what is the name of the group?” - "Well, let's say Marcus Aurelius, for example ..." - and everything is clear that the party is so ...

Orgy at the party, right?

Yes, yes ... Or, there, "Smiling AIchki."

How did you write it? "AI..."?

We didn't write, it's just one time! You just talk to the entertainer, that's all.

One of my favorite books is Our Band Could Be Your Life, a documentary about the American independent music scene of the 80s. They traveled across America ten of us in small minibuses and played not the most popular music in the most provincial clubs. Before The Voice made your face known everywhere, was your life the same?

Well actually yes. It's a situation where you, like, really want to work, but you... you just don't get offered anything. You have a lot of strength, but you also have to find a job. That is, call someone, or your wife should call and explain: “This is my husband playing electronics, you understand? Name? Well, then I’ll say, it doesn’t matter ... ”You don’t understand what to do with yourself. A musician without popularity - this causes some, it seems to me, dangerous rotting inside. It starts to feel like I'm still doing the right thing, but nothing changes! I don't have a response. But even now, of course, I think that maybe this is just a surge in popularity, because of the broadcast on Channel One, people suddenly thought that they might like it, but in fact we are doing complete shit - this thought is still spinning . But when there is not even a surge in popularity, you are generally in hell. And just every day you think: “No, do you really have to go to a cell phone store to work as a salesman?”

Looking into the sad eyes of his wife.

Yes. Taking, then, a loan for a laptop.

Only those who truly love the process itself can succeed with musicians.

Well, naturally.

For me, this is not so natural, because in our field, where you have to sit at a computer and write, very few people like the process of work itself. To sit down and write a text, many of us need to “roll in”: an hour, two hours to be stupid ...

All the same is happening with us.

But for musicians, it seems to me like this: if you don’t like to play the same guitar every day in front of new people, you won’t achieve success.

No, that's not entirely true. When you stand on stage, it's not a process, it's already a result. The process is what has been happening to me for the last four days. I know that I need to show new songs at the concert, and I kind of come up with them. But to structure them, to turn them into something that will reach you, my musicians, everyone else, is a process. For example, this phrase lacks a word, and the decision can no longer be left for later, because it still takes time for the musicians to learn and do it - and here is the process. I sat in the studio yesterday for twelve hours, squeezing out one minute of material. I already hate these songs, although I haven't even made them yet, but I already feel bad. That is, I know that in the end it will be good, I believe in it. But there are tasks that still routinely have to be solved, you can’t get anywhere. And on the stage it's already ...

Result.

Yes. It's already a thrill. But sometimes you get tired too. But it's all the same - this fatigue is not a routine. Routine - get to sleep.

We are, of course, about the same. I was hoping at least musicians don't procrastinate...

Unfortunately, it seems to me that people often try to reassure themselves: like, we have a special job. But in the end, when there are responsibilities, when it is necessary to fulfill some standards, we are all in the same situation.

It turns out that everyone has this hated moment of entering work, when you do anything, just not to start.

Yes Yes Yes.

And another cigarette.

Here's how Dima says - it can take a week to force himself to sit down for the text.

No, well, I'm not an example. I can force myself in general for months, and years, and in the end I can’t force it.

I think this is a sign of good things. You can just sit down, write [nonsense]...

And go home.

And say that you did everything you could. But, to put it bluntly, I don't want to stand on stage with a bad song. I want to stand with good. And I am ready to endure for this.

How many Russian-language songs have Therr Maitz released in five years?

Not at all.

Isn't it time to muster up the courage and write it down?

It's not about courage, it's about finding a formula. I perfectly understand that as soon as we record some successful music in understandable Russian, our regional halls will most likely turn into ice palaces. And I don’t have such a block that, God forbid, in Russian. I have already passed this stage. I am ready to sing in Russian. It is simply important for me that this be done for real, and not for the sake of ice palaces and more radio broadcasts. I have a sniper nature. I can't start trying, I need to aim accurately first.

It's just that this foreign polish that comes from the English language - it seems to me that the trend for it is starting to subside. There is still some sense in somehow making your way to the West, to a wider market. Any success in this?

My Love Is Like - this is the first time we consciously open ourselves to the West.

That is, from this point of view - not in vain, right?

It is important to understand that when you are not in the process, it may seem that we are clinging to something, holding on tight and afraid to back off ... This is not so. For us it is still an experiment, a game. We don't know how it actually works. Nobody fucking knows how it works. We live inside this story and think: “Well, now it will definitely end.” We actually look forward to this every day. Each concert for us is a thought: “Probably, this is it.”

Are you going to be true to your image until the end of your days, like Elton John, or are you more Bono?

I'm not generally in such a special image ...

Come on! Black color, suit, these glasses - I just described Anton Belyaev.

No costume...

Well, black color and glasses. Sometimes the costume is added, sometimes it is subtracted. How is there no image? Here it is!

It's called ergonomics. I'm just comfortable. I don't like non-black things. I have funny shirts, you know, funny ones. But I eventually come to the conclusion that I need to be comfortable all the time. A concert, flying twenty cities and not being with black things - well, it’s just scary, because it’s not clear how they will be washed there ...

Why don't you wear contact lenses, because it's much more ergonomic?

I got it, okay. I don't wear contact lenses because I have good eyesight.

This is a man who says that he is not in character.

This is an artist. He can do everything!

Good answer!

I agree to everything.

In fact, I started wearing glasses not for the sake of the stage, but in life - because I was tired of the endless questions of the environment about why my eyes look so “killed”. At first he wore dark glasses, but when you wear dark glasses, you start to turn outwardly into such a [altered-conscious] rock star...

Now Grigory Leps hiccupped.

And so they are transparent. They seem to be so deceiving that everything is fine, but on the other hand, there is no bust.

Anton Belyaev on Therr Maitz's plans to conquer the West and his attitude to the new "Voice"

November 11 at the Bud Arena club will host a big concert by Therr Maitz. On the eve of the performance, the leader of the group, Anton Belyaev, met with HELLO.RU and spoke about his Napoleonic plans.

Anton, we do an interview with you once a year on average. And every time you talk about a new incredible idea - either you plan a concert with Bashmet in Crocus, or you shoot a video for 4.5 years. Now he has released a video for the song My Love Is Like, which can be safely awarded the title of the strangest video of the year...

An artist must constantly change, grow, develop. This is the basic rule of show business. There are musicians who have entered the profession at some level and continue to move on without changing their position, but this no longer “sticks” the viewer. And as a result, interest in them falls.

My Love Is Like has collected about 5 million views on YouTube in less than a month. At the same time, the clip is fundamentally different from everything that is present on Russian music television. But before this"sinned"only Cords.

The funny thing is that I didn’t watch Shnurov’s “Exhibit” clip, are we discussing it? I heard the song, but the video did not happen, this is a coincidence.

We shot a high-quality video not because we wanted to "beat" someone. We had abstract clips, and people got the impression that we are all so intellectual, romantic and clever. Those who have been to concerts know that this is not the case. (Laughs.) We have different songs - this is what we tried to show by recording My Love Is Like, and we wanted to make a bright and high-quality video, so that later there would be no thoughts that they hadn’t screwed it up, it could have been done better ... And so it happened, video happened.

We experienced the launch of the video while on tour, and it was not easy. We flew out at the beginning of October, the video came out on the 7th, and then I followed its progress. After all, it only seems that if the product is good, then it will become successful on its own. In fact, success is always the result of competent management. In order for the consumer to notice the product, it must be placed on the right shelf.

Anton, in an interview with HELLO! you said that in the song I "m Feeling Good Tonight you are so confident that you can perform it in any state and anywhere. Can you now say the same about My Love Is Like?

I "m Feeling Good Tonight is very popular with fans, it is always convenient to open concerts with it, but at the same time I realize that this song is the most stupid and primitive of all that I have written, and My Love Is Like is the same. But this is justified: to to stay with the audience, sometimes you have to do something simple.I love my slow and complex songs that no one likes.(Laughs.)

At the same time, both the song and the video are very"Western"in the good sense of the word.

And it's not just that either. With a new video, we want to open up to a foreign audience. We were often asked if we were planning to start conquering the West, since we sing in English, now I can say that we are ready for this.

Anton, Therr Maitz tours took place in different cities of Russia, including the Far East, Siberia. How do you relax after weeks spent on the road?

Returning home this time, slept for two days. I woke up, turned on the movie, ate broth and fell asleep again - I never finished watching a single movie. The road is always exhausting, so I can fall asleep anywhere: on an airplane, in the back seat of a car. I don’t drive a car myself - I realized that it wasn’t mine after I bought a car in my youth, which I owned for only 5 days. Now my driver or wife Yulia rides me, we have a Range Rover Evoque in bright orange. Yulia says that she feels like a rock star when she hits the road, everyone pays attention to her, because the car is quite rare and noticeable.

I can't ask about"Voice". The new season turned out to be very resonant due to the fact that among the participants there were several people from the musical party at once - Tatyana Shamanina, Alexander Panayotov, Katya Gordon. How do you feel about this?

I am loyal to the presence there, not all, but many. When a person is not intended for the stage, but he is a media person and for some reason climbs into the show, this is wrong. No offense. But "The Voice" is not a show about music, it's a show of emotions. Ratings are based on how the viewer reacts to what is happening, and if the participant causes a positive - it's good, if the negative is also good, otherwise it will be insipid. So even the appearance in the show of characters that do not coincide with our understanding of justice is justified in this situation.

Shamanina may or may not like it, but it is impossible not to recognize the fact that she is talented. She has been a member of the Guru Groove Foundation for a long time, but she did not have access to a large audience, so I think coming to the show was a logical decision in her case. And Panayotov is right there. For a long time after the "People's Artist" he was nowhere to be seen, he needs to remind the viewer of himself. We know that he is good, but let the audience remember this too. Let's see if he can choose the right material, present himself and gain a foothold.
Marina Savelyeva (HELLO.RU) and Anton BelyaevThis is just the most difficult - the show goes on for several seasons, and only Therr Maitz and Nargiz have become consistently popular. Why?

Because you need to understand: you can be as talented as you like, but if you do not offer the consumer something special, then you will not last long. This is marketing. When I came to Golos, I occupied a niche that was not occupied at that time. Non-template use of the resource - that's the way to the result. I was at the castings of the 3rd and 4th seasons and saw how five boys in glasses, sneakers and a jacket come a day, who sing - sometimes they even sing very well! - Chris Isaac. Someone uses the images created by others literally, others, who are smarter, use the same schemes and mechanisms. But it is useless and will never work again. Turn on your head, look for your niche, otherwise nothing. And surprise.

Ther Maitz's repertoire includes songs exclusively in English. Is it possible that someday the band will release a song in Russian and surprise us in this way?

I don't want to sing in Russian yet. I don't forbid myself from doing it, I just don't want to do it out of an urge to expand my audience. I will not write a song specifically for it to be taken to Russian Radio. Now, if someday I can figure out how to do it well, like "Friday", for example, or "Mumiy Troll", then it's possible.

Youwith Therr Maitz Are you making things complicated on purpose? Last year you performed with an orchestra, this year you are vainly looking towards the West.

We just want it to be interesting. When we first did a concert at Crocus, we understood that we were not quite in the segment of the usual show business. Therefore, it was decided to do something experimental musically. We brought an orchestra that wrote music for the films "Gravity", "Lord of the Rings", "Star Wars". It was funny - we "write" our garbage, and scores with the marks "Spectrum", "Star Wars" are lying around. They have left from yesterday, you know. (Laughs).

It's cool to hear your music from such hands... Real ones. Then a few more times they worked with the Voronezh orchestra, St. Petersburg. The process is laborious, but always yielding results. We did an acoustic program, then an electronic one.

Anton, during our last conversation a year ago, you said that in principle you are ready to do only what is interesting and close to you, even if the concerts will not be held in a huge " Crocus", and in a compact club"16 Tons"...

I changed my mind! (Laughs.)

This phrase is already quoted by other artists in interviews, but you changed your mind.

You get addicted to popularity and success, it's stupid to deny it. I do not retract what I said, but now I am ready to admit that I look at the situation more broadly.

Do you want your music to sound from all angles?

“Ours,” said Anton Belyaev, when the audience, without any conductor’s waves, signs and winks, continued instead of Anton, who suddenly fell silent, Bob-Marlev’s “No woman, no cry”. One of the brightest participants of the Voice project Anton Belyaev and Therr Maitz band gave their first concert in Petrozavodsk. And they promised to return.

Anton admitted that such a "philharmonic" format is new for Therr Maitz, but this is where the interest lies. He also said that he was very worried when he went to the “blind” audition in the “Voice”.

“I always look like I’m sure of everything, but in reality everything is not so inside ... I assumed that Polya would simply recognize me and therefore turn around, but, you understand, that would be a fiasco for me. Not because of Polya, but because I just found out. And when everyone turned around ... I, honestly, did not expect this at all.

- What is happening in your life now?

- What you see. We are trying to sit on several chairs at once: that is, to deal with what happened after The Voice, and stay true to what we have been doing and are going to do next. This, of course, is not easy, because the schedule is tight, we even try to refuse open concerts in the near future, but there are concerts that cannot be refused - all sorts of intra-structural and financial stories. It turns out that we are still in the tour schedule, and we need to finish the record, for us it is very important.

- “Voice” helped a lot, thanks to this project, our song in Russian iTunes was the best-selling song for seven days. We were very surprised by this, however, as well as everything that is happening to us now. We came to the project for ourselves, we just wanted to plunge into it - it is clear that we hoped for some kind of response from the public, but what happened is very surprising for us. We, as musicians, have already stopped believing in people, but everything turns out to be wrong - everything is fine.

Are you used to popularity now?

“It's impossible to get used to it. I participated in various projects, in successful projects, but I was never the center, the "face" of something. Playing the role of “chief” is a big stress for me. People are always happy to see you - how can you get used to it? It's not very normal at all. Today, by the way, there was a wonderful note, but it didn’t fall into my hands, the guys hushed it up somewhere, and there was something like “Fear God, what are you singing at all, you need to go to the Paralympic Games.” And this is the note I want to keep, it's important. Knowing show business, I think that there should be more of this - this is normal, otherwise everything turns out painfully sweet.

- It seems to me that you are such a musician that it is difficult to even find fault with something ...

- It has nothing to do with it ... Well, how can I tell you ... I follow the forums, and there are people who are waiting for some superstar to rise on our stage. And then it turns out that the superstar is not at all what they imagined, and they begin to “drown” her. A normal process, we, in general, keep on this, because it is impossible to be “in chocolate” all the time and completely. When it all started, on the day I woke up and suddenly saw that both the janitor and the ice cream man began to smile at me, everyone started saying: “Yeah, dude, you’re just kind of a genius,” I realized that you can believe it and stop doing anything. This is my biggest fear. And there was no one who would spit on me with relish. Therefore, these sprouts (I'm talking about a note in which they ask to be afraid of God and not to sing) sober me up, and this is very good. It seems to me that the biggest danger of all this collapsed popularity is not photos with fans, autographs, flattering speeches. What makes a person a “goat” is that he begins to believe 100 percent in his own perfection - there are no questions left for himself, and that’s it.

- You really came to music at the age of five, when your mother said: they say, decide everything yourself, son?

“Well, yes, it really is. I went to track and field, to boxing and somewhere else, but in a two-workout mode. At the skating rink I was afraid that before becoming a figure skater, you first need to learn how to fall, in boxing I lasted until the first hit in the nose, in the pool it was scary to sink into the depths of the water, in gymnastics I saw how a girl made a bridge, and realized: no, I didn’t I'll make it even scarier. In general, somehow everywhere something did not go well. Then, apparently, the music school was next in line, and everything was decided there. In general, I wanted to play the drums, but they took me there only from the age of eight, so they told me: they say, study the piano for now, and then transfer to the drums. But the drums remained a dream.

- And you immediately liked learning music?

- You know ... There is a lyrical or cosmic part, I don’t know how to say it, but if it comes, then you, in general, are in enjoyment. But in order to own and manage this part, you just need to “pump your muscles”, just work, and this is a routine. It’s hard to practice every day, and you can’t like it - you want to play football, walk the dog, go sledding ... I ended up with the guys in the yard asking my mom if my dog ​​would come out for a walk, not me - everyone just stopped believe that I can go out for a walk.

- You went into jazz at the age of 13. Why jazz?

- Something banged - I don’t know ... Dislike, probably, for the system.

- They write that you were just an uncontrollable teenager, a bully - is that true?

- I'm still a bully. And as a child, it was just self-affirmation.

- Is it important for you where to perform - in such, let's say, academic halls or in clubs?

- Important, but not essential. What happened in Petrozavodsk is a new format for us, we are just mastering it. A large hall, spectators in armchairs, such a philharmonic atmosphere is new to us, but very interesting.

How do you like our audience?

- I think it's beautiful! Especially considering that we don’t know each other yet - most of them know three or four songs that they heard in The Voice. And those who continued on heard a few more of our compositions - we do not have a fresh record, and it is still difficult for the listener to form any idea about us, about our music.

- You were not offered to become a showman on television - after all, you have already tried yourself in this role.

- Well, yes, it was such an experimental entry, and this story will continue, but it will be in a slightly different format: less pop music - more talk about music.

- How do you feel about comparing you with Sting?

- It didn't happen three months ago - I'm used to it already. I once “opened my mouth” for the first time simply because my colleagues did not come to work and I had to get out in front of the hall - it was Sting. Naturally, I like Sting, and I listened to it a lot as a child - probably the manner was postponed. Quietly, in general, I'm on it.

- Do you communicate with any of the members of the "Voice"?

- We are not friends - it's just that no one has time for this yet. But when we suddenly meet, it is always noisy and emotional. There are people who offered to participate in their projects, write arrangements, and I will try to find time for this.

- Do you plan any joint project with Leonid Agutin?

- There is a proposal, but I don't know yet how it might look like. It is not a shame to do something within the framework of the show, but separately it is completely different. Not ready to say if it will work.

The editors are grateful for the help in organizing the interview Concert Agency "ART-Prestige"

Viktor Belyaev

From 1975 to 2008, he worked at the Kremlevsky catering plant, where he worked his way up from a cook to a general director. Today he is the President of the Russian Culinary Association

About working in the main kitchen of the country

“Most often I think of Richard Nixon”

Both kitchens were located literally behind the wall from each other. Where did this division come from? The fact is that the Council of People's Commissars has traditionally been in the Kremlin. So it was under Lenin. And the party power was in another place.

In the Kremlin, I immediately ended up not in an ordinary canteen for employees, but in a special kitchen, where I worked for 14 years. We fed members of the government - the Council of Ministers of the USSR and deputy chairmen. And the members of the Politburo were served by a special kitchen, where personal employees worked - cooks assigned to a specific leader.

The Council of Ministers met in the first building of the Kremlin. And the special kitchen, which served both the Council of Ministers and the Presidium, was located in the 20th building. We prepared lunch, which was then taken to the first building in special vehicles. We joined with a special cuisine only at large events with the participation of the first persons of the state. The special kitchen held all the receptions on the territory of the Kremlin, and the special kitchen cooked only for members of the Politburo - in the Kremlin, in apartments and dachas. Somehow I happened to work a little side by side with Stalin's personal. At one time, he miraculously escaped execution - on the day of the death of the leader of the peoples, it was not his shift. He arrived in Kuntsevo on the evening of March 5, 1953, when everything had already happened. He turned around on the threshold, rushed to Moscow, took his family and fled to Saratov. There were such times. He taught me how to cook dough. He was a great master, he gained experience from pre-revolutionary cooks. This is how the tradition continued.

In a special kitchen there was a severe selection, people were checked inside and out. And if they were allowed to work, they immediately assigned the title. There was strict discipline. If you went on vacation, then you certainly had to inform the competent authorities where exactly you went and where to look for you in case of something. There were no cell phones. They could call at any moment. Therefore, personal workers often came to work with suitcases containing everything they needed: a change of linen, a razor, a toothbrush. I was invited to work there, but I didn’t go - I just returned from the army and didn’t want to salute again. Therefore, I don’t know to which of the first persons I should have been attached.

When I first got to the special kitchen, I was amazed by its size, vaulted ceilings and huge slabs of 12 meters in length. There were 48 burners alone. If you look closely, it became clear that initially they were heated with firewood, then they were converted to gas and, finally, to electricity. In fact, it was a combat trophy. Once these plates stood at Goebbels' personal dacha.

We also had a giant beater capable of kneading up to 100 kg of dough at a time. She was also German, made in 1911. Can you imagine? And I came to the Kremlin in 1975! Everything worked.
From time to time I was sent to serve distinguished foreign guests, who were usually accommodated in mansions on the Lenin Hills. I treated a lot of people there - Margaret Thatcher, Valerie Giscard d'Estaing, Fidel Castro, Jimmy Carter, Arab sheikhs.

Among other things, it was also useful for me personally, because I could get acquainted with the traditions of different national cuisines of the world. The Arabs, for example, did not eat our soups, the Chinese also have their own troubles, and we cooked for them together with the embassy cooks. Where else would I have such an opportunity? But there were a lot of funny stories too.

One day I came to cook breakfast for German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. He was a very large man and, apparently, not quite healthy - age and workload made themselves felt. His wife put him on a strict diet. So, I lay out the products and suddenly I hear footsteps. I turned around, and in front of me was the chancellor - in a dressing gown and slippers. He shows me with gestures: fry, they say, scrambled eggs with sausages and don’t worry, I’ll sit here on a high chair. I quickly prepared everything, Kohl ate with appetite, did not leave a crumb. He thanked me and returned to his room. And after a while - already officially - he went down to breakfast, clean-shaven, in a suit. And he says to his wife - I, perhaps, will not eat today, I will arrange a fasting day for myself.

Another time, together with Indira Gandhi, they cooked noodles on duck yolks - according to an old recipe that I had tried out from my grandmother. It was difficult to work with Indians in general. They have a specific cuisine, many products cannot be used. Each member of the delegation was prepared personally, and it was impossible to repeat, and they sometimes lived for two weeks. Well, when my imagination was already pretty poor, I remembered my grandmother's recipe and cooked noodles for Indira. After about fifteen minutes, she herself went down to the kitchen and asked me to show how I did it. She and I stood shoulder to shoulder and cooked - we rolled out the dough, this and that. At some point, she began to add water without permission. I quite reflexively lightly hit her on the arm: what, they say, are you doing something? And only then I realized that I was grumbling at the Prime Minister!

Some time later, Gandhi again came to Moscow. She called me and told me that she cooked noodles according to my recipe at home for a family celebration. Everyone was delighted. She thanked me and gave me a little god. It is still in my possession to this day.

So that I don’t suddenly sit in a puddle now, I’ll clarify right away what is the most stupid or awkward question you were asked?
The stupidest question has already become a question about a toy donkey, my talisman, which I bought during the first date with my future wife Yulia. I don't know what to answer anymore, the story remains the same all the time. I continue to tell and come up with new details. As for embarrassing questions, it’s quite difficult to put me in an awkward position.

How did you meet summer?
On the road. We have almost no holidays. I spent nine days of my recent vacation in the Maldives. And now there is definitely no vacation in the summer - only work.

As for work, this year Therr Maitz will perform for the third time at the Usadba Jazz festival in Tsaritsyno. Where do you like to perform more: festivals, small concerts, stadiums?
Completely different pleasure, and these performances do not replace each other. Feelings are very different, but pleasant in any case.

Still nervous before going on stage?
The jitters are always felt, it does not depend on how many concerts there were. All the artists I know feel fear, because experience does not always save you from all possible troubles.

Scandal when these very troubles happen?
Scandal is not my job, my managers do it. Although I myself raise my voice - three days ago, for example. I swore at the organizers of our tour to the Far East, who had completely lost touch with reality. The tour was wonderful, but the nerves were spent ... Therefore, I lost my temper. But all within the bounds of decency! There were no swear words, and no one broke his nose.

Advice from Anton Belyaev: how to deal with nerves?
Yes, my nerves are fine. It happens that I can be unpleasant inside the team, but in general people do not suffer from my nervousness, because I do not allow myself to let out irritation.

Your wife Julia helps you in your work. Is it difficult to work with your loved one?
Not difficult. There are some nuances, and it’s not very good when we can’t disconnect from work at home. For example, instead of watching a movie, we switch to correcting the rider, fixing errors on the site, checking mail. Stuck - and three hours instead of rest doing business. But in general, working with your wife helps more than it hinders.

Do you often quarrel with her about work issues?
With each other, no. We are in conflict with the outside world because we have an idea of ​​how we want to do our work, how beautiful it should be, what conditions should be met. We are always in the process of negotiations, but this is work, part of our life, there is no force majeure in this.

Do you often go home to Magadan?
Rarely. A month ago there was a concert in Magadan and now I won’t get there for another year until the next performance, because, as I said, by myself I very rarely go anywhere - only for work.

What pros and cons of popularity have you discovered over the past couple of years?
I will not reveal any secrets and secrets - I live an ordinary life in which a large number of people know you. Sometimes it's nice, sometimes it's not. Invitations to free buffets have not changed my life much, because I do not like it: I am neither an active party goer, nor a user of discount cards. And complaining that you can’t leave the house unwashed, drunk, in a dressing gown on the main street and pay for the phone (as I used to do) is stupid. You just have to be more modest now.

You visited the show of the illusionist brothers Safronov. Can you tell me some magical secrets?
I was taught to do one trick - with fake eggs that turn into real ones.

And how is this possible?
Well, it's a secret! How can I reveal the secret!

Do you believe in ghosts?
In general, I believe in everything magical, in mysticism, but I’m calm about ghosts: somehow they don’t bother me much. I have more faith in Luke Skywalker. I think Star Wars was filmed on location somewhere.