Viktor Tsoi
Encyclopedia
Viktor Robertovich Tsoi ; 21 June 1962 – 15 August 1990) was a Soviet
rock musician, leader of the band Kino
.
He is regarded as one of the pioneers of Russian rock
and has many devoted fans across the countries of the former Soviet Union even today. Few musicians in the history of Russian music have been more popular or have had more impact on their genre than Viktor Tsoi and his rock band Kino.
Tsoi contributed a plethora of musical and artistic works, including ten albums. He died in a car accident on August 15, 1990, aged 28.
, Soviet Union
, the only child of Valentina Vasilyevna Tsoi (8 January 1937 in Leningrad, Soviet Union - 28 November 2009 in St. Petersburg, Russia), a Russian schoolteacher, and Robert Maximovich Tsoi (born 5 May 1938 in Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan
), a Korean
engineer.
Tsoi attended the Serov Artistic Academy in Leningrad from 1974 to 1977. In 1977, when Tsoy was 18 years old, the academy expelled him. The academy said that he was expelled for poor grades. RT
said "it didn't help that he was heavily involved in the rock scene."
pop stars ruled the charts and received the most exposure from the media. However, rock music was not popular with the government. Thus rock bands received little or no funding, were not given any exposure by the media. By this time Tsoi had begun to perform the songs he wrote at parties.
Tsoi went to underground concerts of Leningrad rock musicians. After a Boris Grebenshchikov
solo concert he returned with Grebenshchikov on an elektrichka train
from Petergof to Leningrad and played two of his songs to him. Grebenshchikov, who was already a relatively established musician in the Leningrad underground scene, was very impressed by Tsoi's talent and took him under his wing and helped him start up his own band. This signaled the beginning of Tsoi's rock music career.
Before making it big, Tsoi said that the problem with music was that no one wanted to take chances. He wanted to experiment with lyrics and music in order to create something fresh that no one had ever heard before. Tsoi succeeded in his goal. Shortly after the concert he recruited other musicians and they formed Kino
, which in Russian means "cinema". They recorded a demo tape at Tsoi's apartment. This tape was quickly passed around Leningrad, then all over the country by rock enthusiasts. Kino began to gain a following.
In 1982, Tsoi met Marianna, who he married in 1985. She was a source of support and family for Tsoi, giving birth to their son Alexander (Sasha) on 5 August 1985.
Kino displayed more of their political views at the 2nd Leningrad Rock Club Concert. The band won the competition with Tsoi's anti-war song [a nuclear-free zone]" . The song's popularity was fueled by the ongoing Afghan War
which was claiming the lives of thousands of young Soviet citizens.
in 1985. His social and economic reforms, especially Glasnost
and Perestroika
, began exposing the social and economic problems of the Soviet Union and allowed open discussion of them in the media. Glasnost loosened the restrictions on the media and allowed rock bands to be written about and shown on television. In 1986 Tsoi used the open atmosphere and public sentiment to release a song titled "[We want/demand] Changes!" . The song called on the young generation to demand changes within the current system and spread Kino's name all over the nation.
(Gruppa Krovi) triggered what was then called "Kinomania". The open political climate under glasnost allowed Tsoi to make Blood Type his most political album yet it also allowed him to record a sound of music that no one before him was able to play. Most of the tracks on the album were directed at the youth of the Soviet Union, telling them to take control and make changes within the nation, some of the songs addressed the social problems crippling the nation. The sound and lyrics of the album made Tsoi a hero among Soviet youth and Kino the most popular rock band ever. In the diverse Soviet republics fans translated his originally Russian lyrics into their native languages as well. Over the next few years, Tsoi appeared in several successful movies and also traveled to the USA to promote his films at film festivals. Several more albums were released, their themes were once again mostly political, further fueling the band's popularity. Even though Tsoi was a huge star, he still lived a relatively ordinary life. He kept his old job in the boiler room of an apartment building, a fact that surprised many people. Tsoi said that he enjoyed the work and he also needed the money to support the band, as they still received no government support and their albums were copied and passed around the nation via samizdat
free of charge. This made Tsoi even more popular among the people because it showed that he was down to earth and they could relate to them. He also went on tour in 1988-1989 to Italy
, France
and Denmark
. Kino's finest hour came in 1990 with a concert at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium
. 62,000 fans filled the stands to celebrate the triumph of the USSR's most successful rock group.
bands) played his own part in Assa
(Асса), a film by Sergei Solovyov
.
In 1988, Viktor Tsoi starred in a feature film
directed by Rashid Nugmanov
and written by Aleksandr Baranov and Bakhyt Kilibayev. It was entitled The Needle with Tsoi playing the movie's protagonist. The plot is centered around the character Moro, who returns to Almaty
, Kazakhstan
, to collect money owed to him. While waiting out an unexpected delay, he visits his former girlfriend Dina, and discovers she has become a morphine addict. He decides to help her kick the habit and fight the local drug mafia responsible for her condition. But Moro finds a deadly opponent in "the doctor," the mafia kingpin who is exploiting Dina.
The film's soundtrack, including original music by Tsoi's band Kino, contributes to the overall feeling of the movie, in addition to the film's use of post-modern twists and surreal scenes.
The movie was officially released in February 1989 in the Soviet Union.
, on 14 August 1990, Tsoi finished recording the vocals for Kino's next album. He was supposed to travel back to Leningrad so that his band mates could record its musical score. Early in the morning of 15 August, Viktor Tsoi was driving on the road Sloka - Talsi
from a fishing trip when his Aleko
collided with a bus outside Tukums
at high speed. Tsoi died instantly. His car was completely demolished to the point that one of its tires was never found. The investigation concluded that Tsoi had fallen asleep while driving
, possibly due to fatigue
.; he did not consume alcohol for at least 48 hours before his death. Tsoi had wanted to take his son, Alexander (Sasha) with him on the trip, but Sasha did not go. Tsoi was buried in a closed casket.
On 17 August, Komsomolskaya Pravda
, one of the main Soviet newspapers, had the following to say about Tsoi and his meaning to the youth of the nation:
The tape which contained the only recording of Tsoi's vocals for the next album was recovered and the surviving members of Kino recorded the music to the album, which was christened Black Album
as a sign of mourning for the fallen singer. The album became the band's most popular creation and solidified Kino's place at the top of Russian rock's history and Viktor Tsoi's as its greatest hero and legend.
in Moscow, where fans still gather to remember their hero. In 2000 some of the nation's top rock bands came together and released their interpretations of Kino's best songs as a tribute to Viktor Tsoi on what would have been his 38th birthday. Even though he is gone, Viktor Tsoi still lives in the minds of many Russian youths.
Most recently, Viktor Tsoi's "Gruppa krovi" is played through Grand Theft Auto 4s fictional radio station Vladivostok FM.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
rock musician, leader of the band Kino
Kino (band)
Kino was a Soviet rock band headed by Viktor Tsoi. It was one of the most famous Soviet rock groups of the 1980s.-History:The band was formed in the summer of 1981 in Leningrad, USSR Kino was a Soviet rock band headed by Viktor Tsoi. It was one of the most famous Soviet rock groups of the...
.
He is regarded as one of the pioneers of Russian rock
Russian rock
Russian rock refers to rock music made in Russia or in the Russian language. Rock and roll became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its western roots. According to many music critics, its "golden age" years were the 1980s , when the Soviet underground rock bands...
and has many devoted fans across the countries of the former Soviet Union even today. Few musicians in the history of Russian music have been more popular or have had more impact on their genre than Viktor Tsoi and his rock band Kino.
Tsoi contributed a plethora of musical and artistic works, including ten albums. He died in a car accident on August 15, 1990, aged 28.
Early life
Tsoi was born in LeningradLeningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the only child of Valentina Vasilyevna Tsoi (8 January 1937 in Leningrad, Soviet Union - 28 November 2009 in St. Petersburg, Russia), a Russian schoolteacher, and Robert Maximovich Tsoi (born 5 May 1938 in Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
), a Korean
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
engineer.
Tsoi attended the Serov Artistic Academy in Leningrad from 1974 to 1977. In 1977, when Tsoy was 18 years old, the academy expelled him. The academy said that he was expelled for poor grades. RT
RT (TV network)
RT, previously known as Russia Today, is a global multilingual television news network based in the Russian Federation run by the state-owned state-run RIA Novosti....
said "it didn't help that he was heavily involved in the rock scene."
Career
At the age of 17, Tsoi began writing songs. In the 1970s and the 1980s, rock was an underground movement limited mostly to Leningrad; MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
pop stars ruled the charts and received the most exposure from the media. However, rock music was not popular with the government. Thus rock bands received little or no funding, were not given any exposure by the media. By this time Tsoi had begun to perform the songs he wrote at parties.
Tsoi went to underground concerts of Leningrad rock musicians. After a Boris Grebenshchikov
Boris Grebenshchikov
Boris Borisovich Grebenshchikov also known as Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov, is one of the most prominent members of the generation which is widely considered the "founding fathers" of Russian rock music...
solo concert he returned with Grebenshchikov on an elektrichka train
Elektrichka
Elektrichka is an informal word for elektropoyezd , a Soviet or post-Soviet regional electrical multiple unit passenger train. Elektrichkas are widespread in Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union....
from Petergof to Leningrad and played two of his songs to him. Grebenshchikov, who was already a relatively established musician in the Leningrad underground scene, was very impressed by Tsoi's talent and took him under his wing and helped him start up his own band. This signaled the beginning of Tsoi's rock music career.
Beginnings of Kino
Leningrad's Rock Club was one of the few public places where rock bands were allowed to perform. It was there in 1982, at their first annual Rock Concert that Viktor Tsoi made his stage debut. He was playing as a solo artist supported by two Aquarium members. Tsoi's innovative lyrics and music impressed the crowd.Before making it big, Tsoi said that the problem with music was that no one wanted to take chances. He wanted to experiment with lyrics and music in order to create something fresh that no one had ever heard before. Tsoi succeeded in his goal. Shortly after the concert he recruited other musicians and they formed Kino
Kino (band)
Kino was a Soviet rock band headed by Viktor Tsoi. It was one of the most famous Soviet rock groups of the 1980s.-History:The band was formed in the summer of 1981 in Leningrad, USSR Kino was a Soviet rock band headed by Viktor Tsoi. It was one of the most famous Soviet rock groups of the...
, which in Russian means "cinema". They recorded a demo tape at Tsoi's apartment. This tape was quickly passed around Leningrad, then all over the country by rock enthusiasts. Kino began to gain a following.
First album
In 1982, Kino released their first album 45. This album first showed Tsoi's willingness to approach political topics in his music, something few other artists were willing to do. In his song "Suburban Electric Train" he discussed a man stuck in a train that was taking him where he didn't wish to go; this was clearly a metaphor for life in the Soviet Union, and the band was quickly banned from performing this song live. Regardless, the political message of the song made it popular among the youth of the anti-establishment movement that now began to look to Viktor Tsoi and Kino as their idols.In 1982, Tsoi met Marianna, who he married in 1985. She was a source of support and family for Tsoi, giving birth to their son Alexander (Sasha) on 5 August 1985.
Kino displayed more of their political views at the 2nd Leningrad Rock Club Concert. The band won the competition with Tsoi's anti-war song [a nuclear-free zone]" . The song's popularity was fueled by the ongoing Afghan War
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
which was claiming the lives of thousands of young Soviet citizens.
Gorbachev era
Kino was still not getting much mainstream attention due to the lack of government support, but that changed with the arrival of Mikhail GorbachevMikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
in 1985. His social and economic reforms, especially Glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
and Perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
, began exposing the social and economic problems of the Soviet Union and allowed open discussion of them in the media. Glasnost loosened the restrictions on the media and allowed rock bands to be written about and shown on television. In 1986 Tsoi used the open atmosphere and public sentiment to release a song titled "[We want/demand] Changes!" . The song called on the young generation to demand changes within the current system and spread Kino's name all over the nation.
Rise to fame
1987 was a breakthrough year for Kino. The release of their 7th album Blood TypeBlood Type (album)
Gruppa krovi , meaning "blood type", is an album of the Soviet rock group Kino, released in 1988. It was reissued in 1996 by MOROZ Records...
(Gruppa Krovi) triggered what was then called "Kinomania". The open political climate under glasnost allowed Tsoi to make Blood Type his most political album yet it also allowed him to record a sound of music that no one before him was able to play. Most of the tracks on the album were directed at the youth of the Soviet Union, telling them to take control and make changes within the nation, some of the songs addressed the social problems crippling the nation. The sound and lyrics of the album made Tsoi a hero among Soviet youth and Kino the most popular rock band ever. In the diverse Soviet republics fans translated his originally Russian lyrics into their native languages as well. Over the next few years, Tsoi appeared in several successful movies and also traveled to the USA to promote his films at film festivals. Several more albums were released, their themes were once again mostly political, further fueling the band's popularity. Even though Tsoi was a huge star, he still lived a relatively ordinary life. He kept his old job in the boiler room of an apartment building, a fact that surprised many people. Tsoi said that he enjoyed the work and he also needed the money to support the band, as they still received no government support and their albums were copied and passed around the nation via samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
free of charge. This made Tsoi even more popular among the people because it showed that he was down to earth and they could relate to them. He also went on tour in 1988-1989 to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Kino's finest hour came in 1990 with a concert at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium
Luzhniki Stadium
The Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow, or briefly Luzhniki Stadium , is the biggest sports stadium in Russia. Its total seating capacity is 78,360 seats, all covered. The stadium is a part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, previously called the Central Lenin Stadium...
. 62,000 fans filled the stands to celebrate the triumph of the USSR's most successful rock group.
Film appearances
In 1987, the band Kino (amongst other Russian rockRussian rock
Russian rock refers to rock music made in Russia or in the Russian language. Rock and roll became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its western roots. According to many music critics, its "golden age" years were the 1980s , when the Soviet underground rock bands...
bands) played his own part in Assa
Assa (film)
Assa is a Soviet film directed by Sergei Solovyov and released in 1987. It became a cult film, mostly thanks to the fact that it was one of the films that brought Russian rock music from the underground into the mainstream.-Plot:...
(Асса), a film by Sergei Solovyov
Sergei Solovyov
Sergei Alexandrovich Solovyov is a Russian director, producer, writer and actor. He was awarded by the Russian SFSR People's Artist title.-Biography:...
.
In 1988, Viktor Tsoi starred in a feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
directed by Rashid Nugmanov
Rashid Nugmanov
Rashid Nugmanov is a Kazakh film director, dissident, political activist and founder of the Kazakh New Wave cinema movement.- Film career :...
and written by Aleksandr Baranov and Bakhyt Kilibayev. It was entitled The Needle with Tsoi playing the movie's protagonist. The plot is centered around the character Moro, who returns to Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, to collect money owed to him. While waiting out an unexpected delay, he visits his former girlfriend Dina, and discovers she has become a morphine addict. He decides to help her kick the habit and fight the local drug mafia responsible for her condition. But Moro finds a deadly opponent in "the doctor," the mafia kingpin who is exploiting Dina.
The film's soundtrack, including original music by Tsoi's band Kino, contributes to the overall feeling of the movie, in addition to the film's use of post-modern twists and surreal scenes.
The movie was officially released in February 1989 in the Soviet Union.
Death and aftermath
While in LatviaLatvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, on 14 August 1990, Tsoi finished recording the vocals for Kino's next album. He was supposed to travel back to Leningrad so that his band mates could record its musical score. Early in the morning of 15 August, Viktor Tsoi was driving on the road Sloka - Talsi
Talsi
Talsi is a town in Latvia. It is the center of Talsi municipality.-Talsi:Talsi - known as 'The Town of Nine Hills' - perches above two lakes...
from a fishing trip when his Aleko
Aleko
The Moskvitch 2141, commonly referred to as simply Aleko , is a Russian small class, third group hatchback car that was first announced in 1985 and...
collided with a bus outside Tukums
Tukums
Tukums is a town in Latvia. Three regions of Latvia meet in the vicinity of Tukums – Vidzeme, Zemgale and Courland. The city was host to the Cold War facility Tukums air base.- History :...
at high speed. Tsoi died instantly. His car was completely demolished to the point that one of its tires was never found. The investigation concluded that Tsoi had fallen asleep while driving
Sleep deprived driving
Sleep-deprived driving is the operation of a motor vehicle while being cognitively impaired by a lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation is a major cause of motor vehicle accidents, and it can impair the human brain as much as alcohol can. According to a 1998 survey, 23% of adults have fallen asleep while...
, possibly due to fatigue
Fatigue (safety)
Fatigue is a major safety concern in many fields, but especially in transportation, because fatigue can result in disastrous accidents. Fatigue is considered an internal precondition for unsafe acts because it negatively affects the human operator's internal state...
.; he did not consume alcohol for at least 48 hours before his death. Tsoi had wanted to take his son, Alexander (Sasha) with him on the trip, but Sasha did not go. Tsoi was buried in a closed casket.
On 17 August, Komsomolskaya Pravda
Komsomolskaya Pravda
Komsomolskaya Pravda is a daily Russian tabloid newspaper, founded on March 13th, 1925. It is published by "Izdatelsky Dom Komsomolskaya Pravda" .- History :...
, one of the main Soviet newspapers, had the following to say about Tsoi and his meaning to the youth of the nation:
Tsoi means more to the young people of our nation than any politician, celebrity or writer. This is because Tsoi never lied and never sold out. He was and remains himself. It's impossible not to believe him... Tsoi is the only rocker who has no difference between his image and his real life, he lived the way he sang... Tsoi is the last hero of rock.
The tape which contained the only recording of Tsoi's vocals for the next album was recovered and the surviving members of Kino recorded the music to the album, which was christened Black Album
The Black Album (Kino album)
Chyorny albom is the seventh and final studio album of the Soviet rock group Kino. It was released in December 1990 by Moroz Records and recorded in the Latvian village Plieņciems shortly before the death of the frontman Viktor Tsoi...
as a sign of mourning for the fallen singer. The album became the band's most popular creation and solidified Kino's place at the top of Russian rock's history and Viktor Tsoi's as its greatest hero and legend.
Cultural impact
Kino's impact on Soviet music and society was huge. The group introduced a sound and lyrics that no other Soviet artist before them was able or willing to produce. Kino opened the doors for modern Russian rock bands. It's displayed today in many places around Russia, from graffiti on the fences of St. Petersburg to an entire wall dedicated to Viktor Tsoi in a bylane of the famous Arbat streetArbat Street
The Arbat is an approximately one-kilometer long pedestrian street in the historical centre of Moscow. The Arbat has existed at least since the 15th century, thus laying claim to being one of the oldest surviving streets of the Russian capital. It forms the heart of the Arbat District of Moscow...
in Moscow, where fans still gather to remember their hero. In 2000 some of the nation's top rock bands came together and released their interpretations of Kino's best songs as a tribute to Viktor Tsoi on what would have been his 38th birthday. Even though he is gone, Viktor Tsoi still lives in the minds of many Russian youths.
Most recently, Viktor Tsoi's "Gruppa krovi" is played through Grand Theft Auto 4s fictional radio station Vladivostok FM.
See also
- Koryo-saramKoryo-saramKoryo-saram is the name which ethnic Koreans in the post-Soviet states use to refer to themselves. Approximately 500,000 ethnic Koreans reside in the former Soviet Union, primarily in the now-independent states of Central Asia. There are also large Korean communities in southern Russia , the...
, regarding the history and culture of Koreans in Post-Soviet statesPost-Soviet statesThe post-Soviet states, also commonly known as the Former Soviet Union or former Soviet republics, are the 15 independent states that split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in its dissolution in December 1991... - Cui JianCui JianCui Jian is a Beijing-based Chinese singer-songwriter, trumpeter and guitarist. Affectionately called "Old Cui" , he is considered to be a pioneer in Chinese rock music and one of the first Chinese artists to write rock songs...
, an ethnic Korean in China who had a major influence on the development of the Chinese rock scene, coincidentally sharing the same family name
External links
- a Tsoy Fan site, with lyrics and english translations
- an other Tsoi fan site, in Russian