Where was Yegor Letov born? Letov Egor: biography, photos and interesting facts

Yegor Letov (Igor Fedorovich Letov) is a Soviet and Russian rock musician, founder of the Civil Defense group. He remained the leader of this team until his death.

Biography

Igor Fedorovich Letov was born on September 10, 1964 in Omsk, in the family of a military man and a nurse. He received his secondary education in Omsk general education school No. 45. In 1980 he graduated from ten classes. Shortly thereafter, Letov's musical activity began. His first team was "Sowing", created with like-minded friends. And in 1984, the "Civil Defense" appeared, in which Yegor Letov later became famous.

Naturally, at that time the authorities did not really like rock musicians, so Letov's group recorded material in apartment studios. At first, there were simply no other options. And later, when they appeared, the group decided to continue recording in such simple and familiar home studios. At the dawn of its activity, GO was famous in Omsk, then in Siberia, and later throughout the country. In parallel with the growth of popularity, the confrontation with the authorities is also intensifying. Most serious problems were in 1985, when Letov happened to become a victim of punitive psychiatry. He was in the hospital from December 8, 1985 to March 7, 1986. As Letov later recalled, he almost went crazy because of the potent drugs that the doctors heavily stuffed him with.

In 1987, Letov, together with friends from " Civil Defense"Records the albums "Good!!", "Red Album", "Totalitarianism", "Necrophilia", "Mousetrap". By the end of the 1980s, a number of albums were released. By this time, literally practically "Civil Defense" was known throughout the Soviet Union.

In 1990, Yegor suspended his performances as part of the "GO" and created new project"Egor and the Opizdenevshie". In 1993, Letov returned to Civil Defense, continued his studio and concert activities. Active touring continued until the end of the 1990s. In 1994, Letov entered into a civil marriage with Anna Volkova, with whom he lived until 1997. In the same 1997, Letov became the husband of Natalya Chumakova (bassist of Civil Defense).

In the early 2000s, interest in Letov's work declined somewhat, but rose again in 2004, after the release of the album "Long Happy Life". Then there are several other albums, reissues of old records. In 2007, the album "Why dream?" was released. It was the last album of the "Civil Defense", and Letov called it the best for all the time of his creative activity.

On February 19, 2008, at the age of 43, Yegor Letov died suddenly at his home in Omsk. Initially, the cause of death was called cardiac arrest, which was confirmed by Letov's relatives.

Letov's main achievements

In total, Letov in the composition different groups and independently recorded over a thousand compositions. The texts of most of them were also created by him. In particular, eight studio albums were recorded.

It is generally accepted that Yegor Letov and his group "Civil Defense" became the people who laid the foundations for the formation of the punk direction "Siberian Underground". In addition, Letov's lyrics had a great influence on the development of a number of groups outside Siberia. In particular, these are the groups "Teplyaya Trassa", "Gang of Four", "Sugroby" and a number of others.

Important dates in Letov's biography

• September 10, 1964 - birth in Omsk.
• 1977 - survived clinical death.
• 1980 - the end of the 10th grade school.
• 1982 - the formation of the "Posev" group.
• 1984 - Creation of the Civil Defense team.
• 1985-1986 - compulsory treatment in a psychiatric hospital due to persecution by the authorities.
• 1987 - acquaintance with Yanka Diaghileva.
• 1990-1993 - work as part of the project "Egor and the Opizdenevshie".
• 1994 - joining the National Bolshevik Party.
• 1994-1997 - civil marriage with Anna Volkova, a friend of Yanka Diaghileva.
• 1997 - official marriage with Natalia Chumakova.
• 2007 - the album “Why dream?” is released, later called Letov the best in his life.
• February 9, 2008 - the last concert of "Civil Defense".
• February 19, 2008 - Yegor Letov died suddenly in Omsk.

• The text of the song "Overdose" from the album "One Hundred Years of Solitude" was written by Yegor Letov after his cat died, who lived for 11 years.
• Several times Letov was banned from entering Estonia and Latvia.
• Yegor himself said that he wrote almost all the songs from the albums "Resuscitation" and "Long, happy life", being in a state of drug intoxication.
• At the first major Civil Defense concert in 1988, Letov took the stage in bell-bottoms and a pea jacket, singing not too respectful songs about Lenin.
• When the KGB began taking a serious interest in Letov in 1985, he was even accused of planning an explosion at an oil refinery.
• From the moment he left the "psychiatric hospital" and until 1988, Yegor was forced to wander around Soviet Union. At that time, he was even forced to steal food from time to time.
• Yegor's brother, Sergei Letov, is a well-known jazz saxophonist.

The future "patriarch of Siberian rock" Igor Letov (Egor is a pseudonym) was born on September 10, 1964 in Omsk, in an ordinary Soviet family. Yegor's father was a military man, then he served as secretary of the city district committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, his mother worked as a doctor. According to rumors, in childhood, Letov suffered clinical death 14 times.

From childhood, the boy had before his eyes a living example of an inexhaustible love for music: Yegor's older brother Sergey is a famous saxophonist, a musician working in different styles. Yegor studied at high school No. 45 of the city of Omsk, which he successfully graduated in 1982. After graduating from school, Letov went to his brother in the Moscow region. There, Yegor entered a construction vocational school, but a year later he was expelled for poor progress.

Returning to Omsk, Letov continued to work on a project called "Sowing", which he founded in 1982. Since then, the biography and life of the pioneer of "Russian punk rock" has been inextricably linked with music and creativity.

In those years, Yegor Letov worked at the tire and motor-building plants in Omsk. As an artist, the musician painted portraits of Ilyich and propaganda posters for communist rallies and meetings, later worked as a janitor and plasterer.

Music

The group "Posev" recorded their songs on magnetic albums. This process took place in ordinary apartments on primitive equipment, due to which the sound turned out to be deaf, rattling and fuzzy. Subsequently, even having access to normal recording equipment, Letov did not abandon the "apartment" method, making the "garage sound" his corporate style.

The uniqueness of the artisanal sound, which was also characteristic of the later "Civil Defense", was largely due to the musical preferences of the leader of both groups. In an interview, Letov mentioned more than once that his songs were influenced by American garage rock of the 1960s and the work of performers working in the spirit of experimental, punk, psychedelic rock.

The Posev group ended its existence in 1984. Around the same time, the legendary "Civil Defense", also known as "G.O." or "Grob". Letov continued to work in his favorite "garage" style, at the same time opening an independent recording studio "Grob-records".

The studio was located in an ordinary Omsk Khrushchev apartment. With the money raised from the concerts, Yegor published the albums "G.O." and other groups related to Siberian punk rock.

Released albums, underground concerts, hand-held recordings and a completely unique performance style along with obscene lyrics performed by deep meaning, brought "Civil Defense" deafening popularity among Soviet youth. Letov's songs are distinguished by unprecedented energy, recognizable rhythm and original sound.

According to his colleagues in the workshop, Yegor was able to prove that it is possible to play rock without even knowing how to masterfully take complex chords or brilliantly use a drum kit. Surprisingly, Letov himself never considered himself a member of the punk movement, he was simply always "against". Against the order, the system, established stereotypes, against himself. And this nihilism, along with the criticality of the lyrics, was taken as a model by subsequent Soviet and Russian punk bands.

Intelligence agencies and psychiatric hospital

At the dawn of his musical career leader of "G.O." was a staunch opponent of communism and the established system, although he never spoke out against Soviet power itself. However, the political and philosophical context of his songs was so clearly visible through the affected punk indifference that the relevant authorities could not help but be interested in the group and its creator.

Yegor was repeatedly made suggestions by the KGB officers. They demanded to stop the activities of the group. Since Letov refused, in 1985 he was placed in a psychiatric hospital. Violent methods of treatment were used to the musician, pumping him with the strongest antipsychotics. Such drugs were used to completely change the psyche of the "patient", and Letov himself compared their effect with a lobotomy.

Fortunately, the conclusion lasted only 4 months. Egor was helped out of the psychiatric hospital by his brother Sergei, who threatened to publish in the Western media a story about how in the USSR they were fighting objectionable musicians.

Creation

In the period from 1987 to 1988, Yegor returned to the Civil Defense project and recorded several albums, including Mousetrap, Everything Goes According to Plan, and others. He himself performs songs, plays instruments, acts as a sound engineer and sound producer. In 1988, the bootleg "Russian Field of Experiment" was recorded at Firsov's studio.

In 1989, albums of Yegor's new project "Communism" were recorded, a little earlier he met and began working with an outstanding rock singer, songwriter, whose life was tragically cut short in 1991. After the death of Yanka, Yegor completed and released her last album, Shame and Shame.

In 1990, Letov disbanded Civil Defense by playing a concert in Tallinn. Deciding that his project was turning into pop music, the musician became interested in psychedelic rock. The result of this hobby was the next project "Egor and O ... Zdenevshie", within the framework of which two albums were released. In 1993, Letov revived Civil Defense, continuing to work as part of both musical groups.

In subsequent years, the musician released several albums, some of which were composed of re-recorded old songs. The last concert of "GO" took place in Yekaterinburg on February 9, 2008.

At the turn of the century, Letov became interested in politics, was a member of the NBP, made friends with Limonov, Anpilov, Dugin. In 2004, Yegor Letov officially renounced politics.

Personal life

The personal life of such an extraordinary person as Letov was quite stormy. Friends described him as a very versatile person. Egor was able to repeatedly change his views. His opinion could easily be influenced by a film, a book, while he was a born leader, next to whom all the rest faded.

On rare photos the musician is depicted during concerts, with friends or with colleagues in rock bands, and at home - exclusively with cats, but this does not mean that there were no women in his life. Letov was officially married once, unofficially - twice, the musician had no children.

Late 80s civil wife The leader of the "Civil Defense" was Yanka Diaghileva, Letov's lover, muse and colleague. Together they recorded several albums and played a lot of home concerts.

After the tragic and mysterious death Yankee wife of the musician was Diaghileva's friend Anna Volkova, who also took part in the recording of some of the G.O. albums. In 1997, Letov married Natalya Chumakova, who is also a bass player in the band.

Death

Yegor had many creative ideas, including a film project based on Cortazar's novel "The Hopscotch Game" and alternative musical projects. However, these plans were not destined to materialize.

On February 19, 2008, the musician and singer passed away. The cause of Letov's death was officially named cardiac arrest, but an alternative version was subsequently made public: acute respiratory failure as a result of ethanol poisoning.

The funeral, which was attended by many people, including from both capitals, was accompanied by a civil memorial service. Yegor Letov was buried in Omsk next to his mother's grave.

Discography

Solo albums:

• « Russian field experiment”, 1988;
• "Concert in the hero city of Leningrad", 1994;
• "Egor Letov, concert at the rock club "Polygon"", 1997;
• The Letov Brothers (with Sergei Letov), ​​2002;
• "Egor Letov, GO, The Best" (collection of St. Petersburg concerts), 2003;
• "Tops and Roots", 2005;
• "Everything is like with people", 2005;
• "Orange. Acoustics", 2011.

Other projects:

• "Songs to the Void" (acoustics with E. Filatov), ​​1986;
• "Music of Spring" (pirated collection), 1990-1993;
• "Border detachment of civil defense", 1988.

Best songs:

• "Russian field of experiments";
• "Eternal Spring";
• "About the fool";
• "Everything goes according to plan";
• "I will always be against";
• "Zoo";
• "My defense" and others.

Egor Letov (real name: Igor Fedorovich Letov; September 10, 1964 in Omsk - February 19, 2008 in the same place) - Russian rock musician, poet, leader of the rock group Civil Defense. The younger brother of the famous saxophonist Sergei Letov, with whom he also collaborated creatively.

He began his musical activity in the early 1980s in Omsk, having formed, together with like-minded people (the most famous of them, who is a constant associate of Letov, Konstantin Ryabinov (Kuzya Uo)) the rock group "Posev" (1982), and later the rock band group "Civil Defense" (1984). At the dawn of their activity, the musicians of "Civil Defense" due to political persecution by the authorities were forced to record their musical works in semi-underground apartment conditions.

After all, soldiers are not born, soldiers die.

Letov Egor

In 1987-1989, Letov and his associates recorded a number of Civil Defense albums: Red Album, Good!, Mousetrap, Totalitarianism, Necrophilia, This is how the steel was tempered, Combat Stimulus", "Everything goes according to plan", "Songs of Joy and Happiness", "War", "Armageddon Pops", "Healthy and Forever", "Russian Field of Experiments". In the same years, albums of the Communism project were recorded (Yegor Letov, Konstantin Ryabinov, Oleg Sudakov (Manager)), cooperation between Letov and Yanka Diaghileva began.

Despite the semi-underground existence of musicians and their so-called. GrOb studios, by the end of the 1980s and, especially, in the early 1990s, they became widely known in the USSR, mainly in youth circles. Letov's songs are distinguished by powerful energy, lively, simple, energetic rhythm, non-standard, sometimes shocking lyrics, a kind of rough and, at the same time, refined poetry. At the heart of Letov's lyrics is the incorrectness of everything around him, and he expresses his position not directly, but through the image of this irregularity.

In the early 1990s, Letov - who by that time had stopped the concert activity of the Civil Defense - as part of the psychedelic project Egor and the Opizdenevshie, recorded the albums Jump-jump (1990) and One Hundred Years of Solitude (1992), which are among of his most popular and loved by the people of his albums. In 1994, Letov became one of the leaders of the national communist rock movement "Russian Breakthrough", and was actively touring. In 1994-1998, Yegor Letov supported the National Bolshevik Party and had a party card with number 4.

In a meaningless kaleidoscope of days
My fate is just an episode
After all, what is a person - a set of molecules
The code embedded in proteins by nature.

Letov Egor

In 1995-1996, Letov recorded two more albums, Solstice and The Unbearable Lightness of Being. His group is again called Civil Defense. The music in these albums becomes more refined, "faceted", the lyrics lose their excessive rudeness, becoming more poetic, each song resembles an anthem, acquiring at the same time psychedelic. Both albums were released in 1997.

In February 2004, Letov officially disowned any, including nationalist, political forces. Until recent years, interest in the work of Yegor Letov weakened, until in 2004-2005 2 new albums of the group “Long Happy life and Resuscitation, as well as reissues of the albums Solstice and The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which were remixed and released under the new names Lunar Revolution and Tolerable severity non-existence" respectively. In May 2007, the album “Why Dreams Are Dreaming” was released, later named by Yegor as the best and, possibly, the last album of the group.

The last concert of Civil Defense took place on February 9, 2008 in Yekaterinburg. It is known that the concert was filmed by a local television company.

Everyone is some kind of species, or an individual, the main thing is to figure out in time and not be mistaken who you are. And live according to the laws of the kind of beast that you are.

Letov Egor

Yegor Letov's grave at the Staro-Vostochny Cemetery in Omsk, July 2008 Yegor Letov died at the age of 43 on February 19, 2008 at his home in Omsk, at about 4 pm local time. He was buried on February 21, 2008 at the Staro-Vostochny cemetery in the city of Omsk, next to the graves of his mother and grandmother. A wooden cross was placed on the grave. Before the funeral, a farewell ceremony was held, which was attended by several thousand people, including those who came from Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities.

Egor Letov - photo

Egor Letov - quotes

You don't have to study poetry to be a good poet. The education system is needed for those who are specifically going to work, for example, as a doctor. I studied normally at school, and if I had to, I would have entered anywhere. At least Oxford. I achieve what I want, and there are no such obstacles to achieve any goal at all, and this is about everyone. And so everyone gets exactly what he needs. What is called, "so he needs it."

Yegor Letov was a passionate football fan. He said about himself that he "grew out of football, played all his childhood, as a midfielder-dispatcher." Throughout his life, his passions changed, but he always “sick” professionally. He understood football tactics, he could describe with fervor the advantages and disadvantages of a particular team.

Letov's passion for CSKA lasted the longest. It must have been the influence of his military father. IN last years started rooting for Chelsea. Oddly enough, he associated his sympathy for this club with the name of Abramovich: “Firstly, I was struck by the very fact that for the first time in history Russian business a person did not spend money on shit, but created something really great almost from scratch and immediately. And secondly, I like the way Chelsea plays, even now, this is the most all-out war in the Premier League. Maybe it's not as beautiful and sweeping as Manchester, but it's more violent and uncompromising. And thirdly, I really like players like Terry, Lampard, Cech, Drogba."

In football, Letov saw more than just a game. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he admitted: “In general, football for me is not a sport, it’s rock and roll, punk rock, extreme art, philosophy and politics.”