– “Friday!” The second season of the TV channel “Evgenich” started with your participation. Tell us what drew you to this project and why you agreed to take part in it.
Honestly, I didn’t watch the first season. But when Seryozha (Sergey Zhukov – socialbites.ca) called me, I agreed without any financial interests. Not all artists would agree to act for free like me but Serezha and I have been friends for 30 years and it is impossible to imagine that I would ask her for money to participate. “Come to the second season, let’s have fun together, we have a cool, friendly team,” said Seryozha. I came … We are still laughing because my role and song turned out great.
What role do you play in the show?
– I’m playing in my own hut, which was broken by two people who fled the area. This is Serezha with her friend. And I am a fisherman. About this song and video of our series: I fish and teach children.
– In one of the interviews, you mentioned that you repeatedly refused to shoot despite being offered high fees. If this is not a secret why and what were those projects? Well, then what can Sergey Zhukov interest you?
– I refused not only to shoot films, but also to performances where I was offered to play for big money. As funny as it may sound, learning prose is very difficult for me. I can learn poetry, but not prose! It was very difficult for me, even though I got an “A” in Russian language and literature.
I still have a 15-centimeter folder – a large script from the great Eldar Ryazanov, who offered to shoot with it. If he hadn’t left us so soon, I would have played Kikimora in his movie. I studied the text for a year: it is difficult for me, if not much.
– Seryozha convinced me, he said that we will write “Evgenich” in parts. Actually, I have a lot of work right now, but I will retire, then I will start filming. I will play Kikimor, grandparents.
– “Evgenich” – a series about the adventures of a producer from the nineties. Do you remember your “flashy” 90s? With warmth and awe or otherwise?
I do not forget them. I live in the meantime and at the same time I do not live in the past. But the good memories are with me, because I loved the 90s and still do. Then there were hard times, sometimes with guns, sometimes with knives – but we won’t show it in our drama, everything will be positive.
– Together with you, IOWA and Vanya Dmitrienko starred in Evgenich, who never found the era of the nineties. Do you see yourself in the younger generation of artists or are they completely different?
– They are completely different, and thank God. They did not experiment much: they did not see empty stalls, they did not put on a jacket for the whole family and a hat with ear flaps for five. However, they should not be criticized for this. Of course, they find many things on a gold platter, including the Internet. We didn’t have anything like that, we borrowed “kopeck pieces” from each other to make phone calls. But it was with us, and now it’s their time. Everything is great, let them draw conclusions, learn from our experience. I love the new generation.
Of course, not all of them are talented. We didn’t have this many mediocre people in the 90s because we had to survive. If you sing badly at that time and open your mouth to a phonogram, you will not be invited anywhere and are not likely to earn a penny. Today this is not even discussed. We’ve had tougher times, so we’re stronger ourselves.
– Why are the songs of the 90s and 2000s still tearing up the dance floors, and modern youth know them by heart?
– Because there were texts and not now – they collected all the fashionable phrases or words in English, and a very cheap symbiosis of shit and gingerbread appeared. And everything was simple for us: we didn’t sing “walk around the apartment naked”, we sang “barbecue with cognac – it’s delicious”. But there are definitely talented ones among the new generation, I’m friends with many of them and I love most of them.
– Today you continue to write songs and perform at concerts, participate in various TV shows (“Fantastic”, “Mask”, “Superstar”, etc.), act in films. Not all the stars of the 90s can survive like you. How would you describe your success?
– I never tried to lie, try to find something, for this I was loved by the cool bands of the 90s. I’d rather tell the truth, it better be obscene, but I’m not going to invent something and try to disguise it. I think I am loved for my intimacy. Why would we lie if it will open sooner or later anyway? Then you will justify yourself like a fool and lie again.
– In an interview, you accused Philip Kirkorov of spending spectacularly on clothes. Do you have the biggest wardrobe? How often do you shop?
– I didn’t criticize Philip for this, I just said that people don’t need to know that he paid $250,000 for a bathrobe. We argued with him. Philip said that I was wrong because he earned this money honestly. And I said that it is wrong to say that when our people have a pension of 17 thousand rubles!
I’m not jealous. Of course, I don’t earn like Philip, but I don’t desire that. What should I do with all this money? Enough for butter and buckwheat – already good. Cut the dog’s nails – also excellent. But I love and respect Phil, he’s still a hard worker! We are good friends with him.
– On New Year’s Eve, it is customary to summarize the results of the outgoing year. How was 2022?
“I had a crazy good year. And most importantly, stay healthy. A lot of new songs were recorded, Evgenich was shot, a wonderful song that Seryozha gave me, a video clip will be released. Everyone is healthy, no one around me got sick. A relative of mine had joint replacement surgery: I replaced the joint myself and I know how painful it is. Now I called him and everything is fine with him. That’s why I smile and rejoice.
By the way, how do you plan to celebrate 2023?
– I do not know yet. I have offers in 4 cities, I choose. But I will definitely meet you at work. Only once in my 30 years of creative activity I decided to stay at home … so I almost killed myself! I love watching Blue Lights, but it’s better on tape. And sitting on New Year’s Eve, eating salad and drinking vodka – no. I’m used to being on stage. I don’t understand artists who complain, “We sing, the audience eats”. I’ve been going to restaurants since I was three and I love when someone sings on stage and people eat. I understand this very well, it’s a thrill for me. Eat, bon appetit everyone, I’ll sing! We ate, wiped our mouths with a napkin, and went dancing. It will be the same this year.
– Remember, have you ever had a funny case of New Year’s celebration? Or maybe curiosities at New Year’s corporate parties?
I was supposed to give 12 performances in St. Petersburg during the 1996 holidays, but only passed 10 because the bridges were opened. I sang 2-4 songs at each club and we drove around in four police cars with flashing lights. That was the excitement for me that year.
I won $380,000, then carried a bag of money in a train car with a handshake. I thought I’d tape it to myself so no one would take it from me. But if this money was useful to me and only if I lost my health because of them!
That night, when there was the last concert, I was sitting in the dressing room getting myself in order, and my director came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder, and said, “Sasha, we’re done with this, this is the last concert.” Then I fell on the table and fell asleep from exhaustion – I was so exhausted. But people still remember those performances. Then they came up to me and they remembered: “So you ran to the next one after the show, but you stopped for us to take pictures.”