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10 июня 1997

"Zvuk"/"Sound"

We, reporters, have always been interested in what showmen, producers, managers and clip makers think of their work, their colleagues, about each other. If only we could find their diaries! Today our dream has come true. Here's the new heading where producers and showmen will tell us about everything. The first and the bravest one is the former manager of the "Bravo" group, the tour-manager of the "Gorky Park", Valery Meladze's producer at present - Yevgeny Fridland. These are his notes.

"Dialogue"

I took up music accidentally. I was working in the Youth Center of the Regional Komsomol committee, and was not thinking about music .In Kemerovo I had a company that was busy with providing hospitals and universities with computer networks. It was good business, but the situation in the country changed ,and influential people "helped" us to end up the business.

When I got money, I just wanted to help the musicians I knew. In Siberia we supported several interesting groups. A former keyboard player of the "Dialogue" started working for our company. That was something extraordinary, as for my generation the "Dialogue" was one of the first groups that introduced rock music. I asked the former musician to introduce me to the leader of the "Dialogue" Kim Brateburg. It was a pleasant meeting, and he suggested co-operation. I got involved, and my first task was to organize the 20-year festivities of the group in Kemerovo, Nikolayev and Moscow. Makarevitch, Glyzin, "Bravo", Chris Kelmi. To tell you the truth, I didn't mean to take up music seriously though by that time I had already had the equipment and the studio. It was a hobby. But half a year later I happened to leave Kemerovo for Moscow. Zhenya Havtan, who I got to know at the festivities of the "Dialogue", called me, and suggested taking over as a manager of the "Bravo", as he liked the way I had organized the concerts. That was the beginning of my career in show business.

"Bravo"

Sometimes I start thinking about the main events of my life. If I hadn't met Kim, I wouldn't be in show business now. Then there was Zhenya Havtan, who also contributed to my career. It might be called a chance, but I'm sure that such things happen only if you work hard. Once you relax,- and that's it, your career is over. It was at the banquet for 200 people after the "Dialogue" jubilee, that I thought about it for the first time. Everybody knew it was my desert. I also realized I was mighty in 1992, when I organized the concerts for the "Bravo" - the concert hall was full 6 evenings! When I came to "Bravo", there was a lot to do before the group became famous. But the group was very firm, and they kept on moving forward. I'm very sorry that it's all ended. I don't know who is guilty - me or Zhenya, or all of us. My work with the "Bravo" started with pure enthusiasm. You can't call what we earned - money. Then it turned into serious business, and everyone started counting what he did and how much he got for it. That was the stumbling block. Now I think that if "Bravo" hadn't split up and Valera Syutkin had stayed, the group could have been in the top charts for a long time. It was an excellent union: Havtan, a talented composer and musician, and Syutkin, who was good at writing texts .I cared about financial problems. But they split up, and today "Bravo" isn't as popular as it was two years ago. It's the same with Syutkin. Unfortunately, we couldn't stop - and that's the result.

I think Havtan won't find anyone to replace Syutkin. When I saw Lentz for the first time, I thought it would be nothing. Robert is a nice guy, and he sings nicely, but:The public loved "Bravo" not for their rock-n-roll. They loved them for artistic skill and a slight hint of nostalgia. Now that Syutkin has gone, there's only correct singing. I came to "Bravo" after Zhanna had left. But I had to work with her. That was the 10-year jubilee of the group, when I took Zhanna to Russia from America.

Zhanna.

Aguzarova is a very talented personality.. She's quite extraordinary. I wish there was a person who could help her find her way. Creative people are not quite common. They can't survive if they are alone. Zhanna might have become the most popular singer in our country. I tried to make such a person for Zhanna, but I was too young, inexperienced, and she had been in show business for 10 years. If I had had the experience I have now, I would have done something. I wasn't ready at that time, and she felt it.

Today it's late to change anything: Zhanna has overloaded the public, and now it's very difficult to bring the former attitude of the public back. And her views of music have changed dramatically.

Meladze.

After "Bravo" had split, I couldn't find a perfect solution ,though by that time I had been working with Valery Meladze for quite a long time. When we went on tours I used to say to the managers, "If you want to have "Bravo", agree to take Meladze as well".
Havtan didn't mind, because he didn't believe in Valera's music. It was favourable for Meladze, when I left "Bravo". For a certain period of time I worked with the "Gorky Park", realizing that it was temporary for both them and me. At the same time I started serious work with Meladze, though no one believed in him. It occurs to me again, that everything happens by chance. The percussionist from the "Dialogue" happened to go to the disco at the Nikolayev shipbuilding university. Meladze brothers were playing in the students' band. That was hobby - neither Valera, nor Kostya thought they would take up music professionally. They studied science at that time. Kim came to see the boys, and realized that something should be done. One of the best studios was situated in Lvov, and the first joint songs of Meladze and the "Dialogue" were recorded in there. Soon I met Kim, and he introduced Valery to me. Meladze's music of that period resembled new art-rock, and I realized it was non-commercial music. That's why they stayed in our studio for two years and composed music. Then there appeared "Romance", "Limbo", "Christmas Eve". It was 1992.

The first clip "Don't Touch My Soul, You Violin" appeared at the end of 1993. It was then that Valera got to the "Christmas Parties" .I took the cassette to Alla Pugatchova ,and called back a week later - to ask her opinion.
-Is it the cassette with the Georgian?, she asked.
-Yes, -I said.
-I didn't very much like your Georgian,-she said.
I was greatly surprised, as I thought it was she who could appreciate Meladze. I decided not to tell Valera anything about our talk - why distress the man. At that moment it was very painful. It is now that we don't care who says what, because we know perfectly well, what we are. But at that time the distance was enormous. And the news could hurt Valera.

But the next day, it was Saturday, about 9 in the morning, there was a call, and I heard the voice in the answerphone, v "Yevgeny, that's Alla Borisovna speaking.
v You know, I mistook your Georgian for another one.
v I liked yours very much. Could you bring me some of his photos and more songs?"
I rushed to her studio - she was recording "Christmas Parties"


Before I addressed Alla Borisovna, I had tried everything. I had visited Krutoy, Lotkov /Lisovsky's assistant/, Demidov. They laughed at me and said this would never make hits. Pugatchyova was the last one. I didn't hope she would take up the promotion or anything; I wanted him to get to the "Christmas Parties". It was like a starting point, it was similar to taking part in the "Song of the Year "final. I knew perfectly well, that Valera's image was complete. So, he started work with professional psychologists, image-makers and choreographers. However, Meladze became what he wanted to be as a result.. We also worked with mass media. The initial legend of a singer is of great importance in promotion. Every musician has his own past, but why should the public know that his parents were, say, engineers, or caretakers, or secretaries of the party committees.
It's very important that there was as much as possible connecting the beginner with the music in his "previous" life. The closer a musician is to ordinary people, the more common he is, but stars should tower above the rest. The main idea of American life is "the American Dream". In our country they don't like successful people coming from nowhere. That's why in Russia we should say, "Well, I was born a talented child, I've been singing since early childhood." That's why you should add something special to every story - a mystery, a legend. At present Valera doesn't keep to the idea any more, but I think, a piece of mystery won't do any bad to anyone.


I hate the widely discussed topic - who pays and who takes. This is not the point. This is the way our show business and our TV are organized. TV doesn't pay to the producers of programmes, because those have to take money from the musicians. If I had suggested money to Krutoy or whoever, I would have looked funny, as I had too little money. Nobody believed, nobody wanted to get involved. They even didn't want to listen to me. The arrangements were serious, the vocalism was unusual - "Nobody will listen to it," they used to say. It was much easier to work with Andrey Derzhavin, Vadim Kazatchenko, Zhenya Belousov - they were the favourites.
It was a year or two ago that Demidov confessed he had been wrong. I didn't insist, it was he, who admitted it. Krutoy also admitted I was right, and at present there's a joint project - we promote Nikolay Trubatch. I like the way Krutoy runs his business. Everyone involved in serious show business knows - if there is the "ARS" company, there's quality.


Someone may disagree: if it were not for Pugatchyova, Valera wouldn't have starred. Rubbish! The fact that the colleagues saw Valera, changed nothing. Nothing happened, until we started serious investments into the project. We started with tiny sums of money. I had about $25,000 - Valera's friends gave the money. They can be called "new Ukrainians". They had known Valera since they studied at the University, and they wanted to help, but they needed a man to take response for the money. The money was enough for three months. We shot a clip, had some broadcasting time and bought a concert suit for Valera. Then I went on the concert tour with "Gorky Park" to earn money for Valera. I didn't manage to earn millions or even tens of thousands, so I had to take risks and borrow the money. It was a large sum, but, after I had spent about $30 - 40 thousand, I felt we were on the right way ,and borrowed more. If I began now, it would cost about half a million dollars to promote a new project with professional psychologists, film directors, image -makers, choreographers. This is the starting sum.

Anton Pomeshchikov"Zvuk"/"Sound" magazine #6 1997