"You need to reinvent your bike, try to find more than others"
One leather jacket and special vocals are not enough to become a real rocker. This music is based on deep emotional experiences, Sergey Bobunets is sure. The creator of Semantic Hallucinations knows what he's talking about, because his band was part of the Sverdlovsk Rock club. Bobunets recently joined the jury for the REN TV project "Salt. Legend", where he evaluates how popular artists perform rock classics. And on August 8, fans will be able to hear his performance at the Afisha Picnic in St. Petersburg. In an interview with Izvestia, the singer told how he would surprise the guests of the festival, why he changed the Urals to Sochi and why he took his son to Donbass.
"Bumping artists with their foreheads is not exactly my story"
— A new project "Salt. The legend." In this show, you act as an arbiter and evaluate the experiments of popular artists in rock music. Are they doing well?
— If earlier the Sol program was in the format of a live concert and an interview, now the audience is waiting for a real battle. Pop artists and rockers are singing rock hits, and it was really interesting to watch. It's really not easy for me to evaluate the performances. Bumping heads between artists is not exactly my story. But a show is a show. As ST said, the participants came to compete and were mentally prepared for it.
Member of the jury, musician Sergey Bobunets on the set of the show "Salt. The legend"
Of course, it's easier for rock musicians - they naturally exist in this genre. But pop artists had a harder time. A lot of people tried to play rock. But being a rocker and portraying a rocker are two different things. It seems that it is enough to put on a leather jacket, take a spectacular pose and sing with an effort. In fact, rock music is based on deep emotional experiences. They need to be lived for real, not just portrayed.
— Maybe because the purpose of pop music is primarily to entertain?
— Yes, exactly.
— Not everyone can become a rocker?
- of course. In general, I have a feeling that people don't come to rock music from a better life. A person quickly gets used to the good and stops noticing it. But the pain remains and returns from time to time. When a musician sincerely shares this experience, it becomes consonant with other people. They listen and understand, "Yes, it happened to me too."
Why, despite all the troubles, did I not stop writing songs? Because I just can't stop. At some point, I feel like words and music are literally pouring out from inside, and I urgently need to write everything down. The illumination really exists, the flow comes — images, thoughts, plots. And you just have time to record it in your notes.
— On August 8, you will perform for the first time at the Afisha Picnic. What attracted you to this festival?
— I've always followed him with great interest. I like his family format with different activities and good music. There is a feeling of childhood: as if you come to the Park of Culture and Recreation for the rides, and there are also interesting artists performing.
— What will your fans hear?
— All the golden hits should sound the best. People come for the holiday, so I'm a proponent of concerts that take place in one breath and are capable of surprising.
— This is the third year that the festival has been held in St. Petersburg, what does this city mean to you?
— St. Petersburg is an amazing city that it is impossible not to fall in love with. Although its old name is closer to me — Leningrad. It is not for nothing that the city is called the cultural capital of Russia. And yet — this is the birthplace of the underground. More bands and artists came out of the Leningrad rock club than from the Moscow one.
— The weather in St. Petersburg is changeable. Are you ready for extreme conditions?
"It's okay. On the contrary, natural disasters give the event a special atmosphere. Such situations happen. Once in Siberia, before our performance, the stage was demolished by a hurricane. We were ready to sing in the rain, we thought it would be a heroic performance. But it turned out that the structure was literally blown away. That was the only time we couldn't play.
Just as pilots don't take pictures before departure, so we shouldn't worry about the weather.
"We are the last to join the Sverdlovsk rock club"
— You were a part of the Sverdlovsk rock club, which turns 40 this year. Can we say that he influenced the culture of the region?
— Today, we would probably say that a real cultural cluster has emerged in Sverdlovsk — a community of creative people who created this legend. In fact, it was a very small company: two strong managers, two designers, two film directors — Vladimir Khotinenko and Alexey Balabanov — who worked with groups such as Nautilus Pompilius, Agatha Christie, and CHAIF. And we still enjoy listening to them. Our group "Semantic Hallucinations" was the last to join the Sverdlovsk rock club.
I always say: enthusiasts drive the world. A handful of people are capable of a lot. The Sverdlovsk rock club is a vivid example of how a small community is changing the cultural image of not only the city, but the whole country.
— You lived in Yekaterinburg and suddenly decided to radically change your life by moving to Sochi. This city is more associated with show business - the red—haired "Ivanushka" Andrey Grigoriev-Apollonov, Grigory Leps, Stas Mikhailov. Can Sochi inspire a rock musician?
— This is a story about how important it is to pursue your dream. I even tell people at concerts, "Guys, after the performance, try to come out a little bolder, more confident and happier. Take a step towards your dream."
All my life I dreamed of living by the sea. In Yekaterinburg, in fact, there is only a small river in the city center, and we went swimming in the Chelyabinsk region. I wanted the sea, ships, and space. And one day I found myself in Sochi, after the Olympics, when the city was incredibly transformed. A stunning combination of sea, mountains, modern architecture, Olympic Park and Sirius. I fell in love with this city and realized that I wanted to live here.
Singer Sergey Bobunets in Sochi
And you know, it felt like my energy was returning. It was like I was in my place. He began to implement projects that he had long forgotten about, and associates and like-minded people appeared nearby. And most importantly, I became calmer and more positive. I realized that I wanted to bring something kind and real. There is more warmth and love in creativity. Although, no matter where you are, you are still a man from the Urals.
"The song "Forever Young" created a whole movement"
— Probably, only you and Grigory Leps sang about alcohol in such a way that your songs became the anthems of the generation. He's talking about "A glass of vodka," you're talking about "Forever young, forever drunk." Don't you regret singing about bad habits?
— An interesting topic. I haven't been drinking alcohol for a very long time. And, by the way, Viktor Sukhorukov, who played in the video for the song, also quit a long time ago. And he explained the secret of youth simply: to be in love with life. Years later, I realize that this is indeed the case.
— What was the movie "Brother 2" for you, in which your songs are played?
— "Brother 2" and the song "Forever Young" are a kind of foundation on which many things are based. The film contains moral principles that help people make choices in difficult moments. As Sergei Bodrov used to say: "What is the power, brother? The power lies in the truth." And it seems to me that these words are still relevant.
We recently visited the Tavrida, where we unveiled a sculpture by Sergei Bodrov. Talking to the guys, I said: it's not enough just to stand in line next to someone - you need to take a step forward and get out of it. It seems to me that this is exactly what the sculptor conveyed: Bodrov seems to be striving forward, destroying the wall. You definitely need to reinvent your own bike, try to find more than the others have found.
— The official website of the artist Sergey Bobunets is called "Forever young". Are you a longevity advocate?
— Now that I'm over 50, you feel the value of every day especially keenly. Time is the most important thing we have. And I'm grateful to the people who spend part of their lives coming to my concerts. Did you know that the song spawned the whole "Forever Young" movement? People with our flag climbed Elbrus and made a group parachute jump. The "Forever Young" flag even went to the ISS. As Yuri Gagarin said when he flew into space: "Is it possible to dream of more?". I agree with him.
Singer Sergey Bobunets
— Have you found a "Makropoulos remedy" that allows you to stay young forever?
— I have such a recipe. I practice qigong breathing exercises. No matter how hard it is— lack of sleep, jet lag, fatigue— forty minutes of practice literally brings me back to life.
— Your first broadcast on the radio took place ten years after the creation of Semantic Hallucinations. Now, thanks to social media, you can become popular in a week. What is the value of such music? Is there a chance to stay in history?
— The problem is something else: perhaps many of them will simply stop being artists. The scariest thing is when you were a star, and then people stopped recognizing you. Yes, it's much easier to promote today, and because of this, there are too many stars. Even 25-30 years ago, you could count them on your fingers, but now there are hundreds. As a result, the value of the artist decreases and the quality suffers.
Many people come to music for money: to take a tick-tock, record a beat, collect millions of listens that will turn into millions of rubles, and then drive expensive cars. When we started, we didn't even think that we could make money with music. We just wanted to express ourselves, to bring something into this world.
Sometimes, at meetings with young people, I see a slight condescension in their eyes: they say that you old people understand modern music. Although I used to be the same myself. Trends will change — and a lot of it will disappear. As it happened in China now. They started deleting the accounts of bloggers who popularized a luxurious lifestyle — expensive cars, resorts, endless consumption.
- why?
— Because they decided to form other value orientations in society, another guideline appeared — a man of work. In a way, it resembles the history of the USSR. I think that over time, similar processes will reach us.
"In a difficult moment, you need to stay with your own"
— The apologists of the "easy life" left Russia with the beginning of their independence. But it turned out that no one needed them abroad. Now they want to come back, but they can't. Should we take them back?
— They made their choice and determined their fate. Many of them have already faced a difficult reality — someone works as a taxi driver, someone as a waiter or courier. For people accustomed to status and popularity, this is a serious blow. In a difficult moment, you need to stay with your own people.
Some people here like to talk about rights and freedoms. But all the conversations disappear by themselves when you find yourself in Donetsk. From there, the person returns to others. Crossing the border is like entering a space where the words "honor," "dignity," and "brotherhood" regain their meaning. Then there is only one desire left — to help.
Singer Sergey Bobunets in Donetsk
— When did you have this desire?
— It didn't disappear anywhere. My relatives come from Shakhtersk. We went there periodically and saw how the mood of the locals was changing. At first, in 2014, they were enthusiastic, then they were tired and anxious when, after 2018, Ukraine began to arm itself. I thought: will Donbass really remain a hotspot forever, like Karabakh or Chechnya once did? Are these people really going to be left alone in trouble? But when Russia decided to support Donbass, I took it as an inevitable step. And victory will happen when we stop looking at the West as our only reference point and learn to appreciate our own culture and achievements.
The poet Vlad Malenko has a wonderful poem "Russian Lighthouses". When he lists the names — Pushkin, Tolstoy, Gagarin, Zhukov, Tsiolkovsky, Kurchatov, Korolev, Skobelev and Stolypin — you involuntarily straighten your back and feel the scale of your country. Recently, Vlad and I recorded the song "Ships" based on his poems. The music video will be released soon.
— Do you understand people who do not want to leave their native Donbass?
— I worship them. To those who remain, continue to live, work, and create. Donetsk has an amazing philharmonic society, a strong academic orchestra, and a good video studio. There, together with Alexey Poddubny (Django) and Mikhail Barkov, we mounted
A shot from the video for the song "At the edge of the abyss"
lip to the song "At the edge of the abyss", which was filmed under a charcoal burner. It turned out, in my opinion, very strongly.
— Did you get hurt for your patriotic position?
- of course. And still gets it. They regularly write insults on social networks and wish for death. But I stopped paying attention to it a long time ago. Moreover, there is less negativity.
Even before I was born, I was often called a quilted jacket. Back then, some perceived love of the motherland almost as a sign of limitation. And I believe that this is exactly what the inner core of a person is.
By the way, my son's peers still say that his father "supports the war." But he himself was in Donbas, traveled with me to Syria and saw a lot with his own eyes. When a person finds himself there, he begins to perceive what is happening differently.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
