Yegor Letov

Yegor Letov (Russian Егор Летов; actually Игорь Фёдорович Летов / Igor Fyodorovich Letov, born September 10, 1964 in Omsk, USSR / Russia, † February 19, 2008 ) was an influential Siberian punk rock musician and poet. He was particularly known as the frontman of punk band Grazhdanskaya Oborona. He is the younger brother of the famous jazz musician Sergei Letov, with Yegor occasionally worked.

Life

Yegor Letov was born in the Siberian city of Omsk in 1964. By the age of 12 he experienced, by its own account, as a result of an undetected illness several times the clinical death. Since the early 1980s Letov was active as a rock musician. He himself wrote his uncompromising texts in which he avoided any political and social criticism, even vulgar language, which was an extraordinary provocation at this time. To this end, he himself played both acoustic and electric guitar. In 1984, he founded the band Grazhdanskaya Oborona and was in the next few years in addition also in other bands active.

In the 1980s Letov has been traced as a punk by the KGB and had to spend some time in a psychiatric hospital. Since his fate after admission to the psychiatric ward was unclear, he has recorded just before that in his home studio in just two weeks five albums of Grazhdanskaya Oborona. Letow played almost all the instruments alone. These five albums from 1987 to apply despite the lack of sound quality as prime examples of the Russian punk -rock and classic Grazhdanskaya Oborona. After his release, he took more albums with Grazhdanskaya Oborona and was with her until 1990 concerts in the USSR. During this time, Janka Djagilewa worked - another important figure in the Siberian underground rock movement - with the band together.

By 1990 disbanded Letow Grazhdanskaya Oborona, but actually transformed the band into another project named Yegor i Opisdenewschije ( Егор и Опизденевшие ) around. In this next Letow also the other main member of Grazhdanskaya Oborona worked - Konstantin " Kusja Uo " Rjabinow. Yegor i Opisdenewschije published in 1990 and 1992 two albums: Pryg - skok ( Прыг - скок ) and Sto let odinotschestwa ( Сто лет одиночества, German Hundred Years of Solitude ). Both albums are regarded as high points of artistic creation Letows. The style of music Letows transformed from that time in the direction of psychedelic rock.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he positioned himself in contrast to many other Russian rock musicians uncompromising towards the music industry and the establishment. He was regarded as " not for sale ".

In the 1990s Letov was as the owner of the party book No. 4 leading member of the National Bolshevik Party Eduard Limonov, using part of his fans had no understanding. After 1998, he became involved but very little for the party, declared in 2004 as no flow policy duly and described himself later as " World Christian."

In the mid-1990s Grazhdanskaya Oborona was revived and existed continuously thereafter until death Letows in February 2008. There have been less than in the 1980s, but still releases new albums the band again and again. The recordings from the 1980s have been restored and re-released on CD. In the 2000s, Yegor Letov joined both as a solo artist and with his band Grazhdanskaya Oborona several times in Germany.

In 2008 he died at his home in Omsk. First, heart failure was assumed to be the cause of death. A month after his death, however, the result of the investigation of the Russian Prosecutor was presented, after which Letovs died of respiratory failure due to alcohol poisoning.

Discography

See also: Grazhdanskaya Oborona

Solo albums

• Russkoje polje eksperimentow ( Русское поле экспериментов, Russian experimental field; acoustically; December 1988)
• Werschki i koreschki ( Вершки и корешки; 2 parts; September 1989 )
• Muzyka wesny ( Музыка весны, Spring music; 2 parts, acoustic, autumn 1989)
• Wosduschnyje rabotschije woiny ( Воздушные рабочие войны, workers Luftkriege; acoustically; own, folk and Soviet songs; 1992)
• Concert w gorode - geroje Lenin Grade ( Концерт в городе - герое Ленинграде, concert in the heroic city of Leningrad; acoustically, June 2, 1994, published 1996)
• Concert w rok - clubs " Poligon" ( Концерт в рок - клубе " Полигон " concert at the Rock Club " Poligon" Saint Petersburg in 1997 )
• Bratja Letowy ( Братья Летовы, The brothers Letow; concert of the project OGI ​​with Sergei Letov: Title of Yegor Letov, Communism, DK, 2002)
• Yegor Letov, GO, Lutschscheje ( Егор Летов, ГО, Лучшее, Yegor Letov, GO, Best, Concert Sampler from the concerts in the " Poligon" St. Petersburg, 2003)

Bootlegs

• Pesni w pustotu ( Песни в пустоту, songs in the void; acoustic, with more Filatov, . Autumn 1986)
• Yegor i Janka ( Егор и Янка, Yegor and Janka; house concert in Kharkiv, with Janka Djagilewa; February 1989)
• Prasdnik kontschilsja ( Праздник кончился, The feast is over; acoustically in Kiev, September 1990)
• Akustika w " Kosmonawte " ( Акустика в " Космонавте " acoustics "cosmonaut " Saint Petersburg; autumn 1995)
• Akustika w Karagande ( Акустика в Караганде, acoustics in Karaganda, 1998)

Videos

• Concert w gorode - geroje Lenin Grade ( Концерт в городе - герое Ленинграде, concert in the heroic city of Leningrad; acoustically; 1994)
• Concert wd / s " Krylia Sovetov " ( Концерт в д / с " Крылья Советов " concert at the Sports Palace " Krylia Sovetov ", Moscow, May 16, 1997 and Interview )