Poslednyi Geroi, The Last Hero: Viktor Tsoi

as close as it gets (Tsoi version)

24Mar08

For those anxious for more Kino to justify my pathetic plea to help recover that lost guitar, something to keep you going till I get more of a handle on all that material.

This was about as close as I got to Viktor Tsoi: too close, as you can see, for my camera to focus on him properly. As Iwan pointed out a good resource that archives a lot of the tracks online, here is some music to finish off the long Easter weekend (in the UK at least). Ironically entitled Poslednyi Geroi (The Last Hero), it was my favourite track from the album Noch’ (Night), released shortly after I met Viktor, Yuri etc.

I have not had time to select a good translation — that will remain a work-in-progress. As there is a lot of music I enjoy in English without understanding the words (even as a native English speaker) and I was singing uncomprehendingly in Latin over the weekend, I hope you won’t mind too much.

The Last Hero, Kino – Press Play

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406Commentsas+close+as+it+gets+%28Tsoi+version%292008-03-24+23%3A34%3A16knackeredhack to “as close as it gets (Tsoi version)”

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1 Iwan on Mar 25th, 2008 said:

Tim

Thanks for the article above, and thank you for the inserted clip. Very sophisticated.

My interest in things Russian continues to grow thanks to your blog.

I shared your website with a colleague with whom I’d enjoyed a recent business trip to Moscow. I’d been lamenting the fact that I was becoming more aware of post-WWII Russian music, but knew little of their literature. I said I was searching for a digestable equivalent to “Strangers and Brothers” and he recommended Life and Fate by Grossman. It is astounding. I’m in the early pages but have already become engrossed.

Perhaps, at a latter date and if interested, you might also give your perspective on the literary and film equivalents to Tsoi?
2 knackeredhack on Mar 25th, 2008 said:

Iwan

I’d have to crowdsource some of that, as I am not sufficiently erudite. But one place I would start if you can find a copy would be Children of the Arbat by Anatoli Rybakov. It tells the story of the area around Arbat Street in Moscow, where Rybakov himself grew up, and the precarious life of Soviet youth under Stalin, and what happened even to those who were “well-behaved”. It is 20 years since I read it. It is out of print in the UK. Until a few months ago, I had two copies – one bought in Toronto airport by the Knackered Hackette in 1989. So you might be lucky in the second hand bookshops if Amazon.ca can’t help.

The reason I like it most, is that it was translated by my tutor Harry Shukman — a great man, wonderful teacher, and the reason these Kino pics exist at all.

Tim
3 Olga on Nov 15th, 2008 said:

Its nice to realize that my Favourite singer Viktor is known in different foreign countries. I hope that someone remember him. He lived in my city.
4 knackeredhack on Nov 17th, 2008 said:

Olga, I sense the appreciation of Viktor is growing. Hopefully we’ll see more of his music played in the west.
5 Olga on Nov 18th, 2008 said:

I know that in the US Sergey Kuzmenko play his music. Do you know hom? Sorry for mistakes in previous message
6 Olga on Nov 18th, 2008 said:

I mean hom = him ))) its a mistake again )))
7 Olga on Nov 18th, 2008 said:

Do you understand the meaning of his songs? It really imoprtant. So Viktor thought that non-russian people cant like his music cause they dont understand the meaning, though he sang one song in english – Blood type
8 knackeredhack on Nov 19th, 2008 said:

Olga,

my Russian is a little rusty, so I confess I probably don’t pick up all the nuances. But that is one of my mid-life goals!

Tim
9 150890 on Feb 26th, 2010 said:

Tsoy JIV !