Max Ivanov

This material was published in the St. Petersburg magazine "Music Edition" in September last year. The magazine was distributed only on Peter, and even then only in specially designated places. Sorry for my work I present to your attention the interview with the leader of the Torb-on-Cruche group at the end of August last year before the release of the last album of the group "This does not happen."

There is a small state in Melanesia, which is already twenty -eight years of independence, local natives have called Vanuatu. In the dialect of the Bislam language, this word means "this earth forever." However, this country is so small and unknown that its name Microsoft Word emphasizes with red dotted line, and the residents of Vanuata drive an indestructible team of three people to the Olympic Games. With St. Petersburg, this small piece of Pacific land is connected only by the northern outback, called the Torba. In our Nordic province of Torba is much more significant, and, according to the Aborigines Vanuatu, we have “this land forever” is cooler .

Although it is extremely difficult to speak extremely about the belonging of the St. Petersburg “Torba-on-Cruche” to some specific land of the planet (with the exception of the 57th parallel!). Since this small nationality, at the moment, is five people, refers to nomadic tribes and is extremely rare in the same area. Upon the arrival of the group in St. Petersburg, we met with the invariable leader of the tribe Max Ivanov and spent a good clock with him in idle conversations and sometimes aimless wandering along the wide prospectuses of Peter. We talked about the new album, The Rolling Stones and Martina Scorsese, about strange Russian reality and format radio. Well, of course, they did not forget Mikhail Kozyrev and Radiohead. It seems that only the northern province of Vanuatu remains.

• About punctuality: Hello, I am

The meeting was scheduled at the exit from the Square metro station for exactly five. Without one minute of the fifth, a message came that Max would stay for fifteen minutes. After some half an hour, Ivanov emerged from the door of the subway.

“This is the plus of our music that we have an intellectual audience,” Max explained the choice of means of transportation while we walked to the nearest bookstore. “She never rages, even at concerts, and even more so in everyday life ... Let's go to the green ... come up for autographs or ask something. And then they will smear from afar at all with his hand. Therefore, it is simply convenient to ride the subway, especially when traffic jams. There is no need to think about your safety. And if you are to the question if I have a car, then it is not ...

After asking for a walk, we were already about to recognize the memorials for Peter’s place for the “Torba-on-Cruche” and in every possible way to promote Ivanov into a rendezvous into the past. But the weather endowed with the hope of a meager tan, driving out ordinary melancholy moods for the arrogant cultural city. And Max, surrounding his head with a smile of a Cheshire cat, destined us with a shopping.

• About books: Read me, leaf through me!

At the entrance to the unusually noisy book supermarket, the leader of Torba-on-Cruche immediately stumbled upon the "Store recommends" department, where a book with the best photos of Putin got into his hands. Maxim marveled at the quality of printing and fluently looked at the folio, after which, having said “it is necessary either something memoir or murakami”, succumbed to the thirst for literary search. Shelves with Pelevin and Dovlatov were subjected to thorough analysis.

-Read all the books, or is it bought for later, for the collection?

- I read everything, and even from my friends I take them! In general, I like to walk about bookstores when there is free time, ”Max laughs.

Meanwhile, the store guards, everyone like the selection similar to Larch from the Adams family, begin to look at a person with suspiciously, around whom two with cameras are spinning, and one constantly climbs with questions.

“Books very decently affect the music,” Ivanov thinks without noticing a fuss. - By secret, I will say that the line “Stopping and Snow Snow” from the song “Friend” was borrowed from the Murakami. She sunk into my soul very much, I literally hurt her. As a result, she became the leitmotif of the song, ”Maxim believes, already paying for two volumes with Murakami and“ kvakay-kvakay ”Aksyonov.

• About the apartment: one and a half kilowattai in a small hall sounds very cool

In mid-September, the third plate “doesn’t happen” in Torba-on-Cruce. The break between the albums, except for the last year’s release of the Minion “57th Parallel”, amounted to four years. However, the group gained so much material during this time that the next one, after “it doesn’t happen”, the record should be expected next year.

“Everything has changed,” Max states. -We just acted as Buddhists, discarding everything that once did not like. In connection with the changes in our small family, they changed the approach, worked with different sound engineers, and they themselves were a lot of digging in the material. But, in the end, they discarded everything and on December 30 recorded drums and bass for completely different songs. And initially a rather serious Jin-jin rock album was preparing-when pronouncing Gene-Jin, Max imitates a drive game on the guitar. - But then they realized that they were a little tired of it. They took and rehearsed and arranged completely different songs. A kind of Light turned out, completely spring in mood, in the inner air ...

- Spring Light is the influence of the apartment?

- No, in any case. It’s just that five musicians are so lyrical attitude. All the songs in the album are fresh and written recently ... The apartments have nothing to do with it. We send it out into the street, falling into a multimedial stream of people in the same area of ​​the uprising. Someone from behind is sneezing, Ivanov says: “Be healthy!” Sneezes again, Maxim is repeated. We turn into a dirty lane, where the photourr is going to take a couple of portrait pictures.

- Many musicians often complain that it is very difficult to go to tours in Russia. It is problematic with your apparatus, otherwise you often have to play on the Soviet Rukhlyadi. Is the apartments a light exit from the situation?

- Again, no, there is simply a demand for them now. And the atmosphere is completely different, where the return is felt right away. The listener is not separated from you with a scene, you see your eyes, reaction. Here you listen, and there, on the stage, rock stars. Max throws a fleeting assessing view of how the interlocutor reacted to the word "rock star". The interlocutor smiles.

• About labels: I went to FIG! What do you know about me?

The shutters of the cameras are gently crunching, and this sound is echoing in a quiet alley in a little echo. Max Ivanov beat flashes in the eyes. He makes it clear that this does not bother him, and is waiting for questions.

- Often say “we”: we are a group, we composed. In Russian rock, the leadership egocentrism is more familiar. The leader plays, and the rest are dancing in the group ...

“This cannot be said about Torba-on-Crouss,” Ivanov appeals a little, frowning a little. - We have one figure writes songs, and the whole group comes up with music. That is, the song is words and chords. The music that sounds at concerts is something else that is very different from the original option.

- Can you take yourself to the category of "Russian rock"?

-Initially, we were attributed to British Pope. Naturally, we did not agree with this, because it was to which the dance style of guitar music. And we did not emphasize dancing. They just tried to arrange music in the Probitian style, because all this is much closer to us than anything else. Including those three -korda songs that were considered originally Russian. And this term ... "Russian rock" I mean, it itself sounds unpleasant. I like Russian-speaking rock music more.

Silence hangs in the air.

“And I’ll surprise now! ..” Max is awaiting intriguly. - We had an addition in the composition. Max Malitsky, guitarist of the Grimm Brothers, came to the group. Literally after three days, rehearsals will begin. So the presentation of the new album will be played with it. And if everything settles with our bass player, who has currently left for permanent residence in Chelyabinsk, then the composition will expand to six people!

-Will it somehow affect the group?

- There are many groups where there is a lot of people, and each is a lesson. At least some two notes to play is already good. Here is the film by Scorsese about Rolling was wonderful - "Let there be light." So there are only four of them, and a bunch of people who accompany them. And I do not think that Richards is now playing as much as labal in his youth. He will make two Gene-Jin by the guitar and-“Ah!”, Shows how Kaifovo shows him,-telling this, Max masterfully parodies the movements and facial expressions of the guitarist The Rolling Stones. - In the end, there are still many unused moments. After all, I picked up Alt in the history of Torba-on-Cruche (according to which Ivanov graduated from the conservatory-approx. Aut.), Two times from strength. But when there are two guitars, and my hands will be free, you can try to stick Alt anywhere, and it will be fine! ... Oh, healthy! - exclaims Max, looking at the opposite side of the street, where Andrei Samsonov is passing with a stroller loaded with two children. - How many years, how many winters!

The conversation takes 5-10 minutes, at this time we are modestly standing aside.

- Andrei brought us the song “Personal Life”! - explains Maxim on the return. - There was such a radiochite a couple of years ago ...

• About St. Petersburg: an impudent cultural city

“My parents are actors,” says Ivanov, when we are already returning to the Square of the uprising in order to go to Nevsky Prospekt. - And I was occupied in two performances with children's roles. Once the theater had a touring trip to St. Petersburg for a whole month. And then I realized that I would definitely come to this city. Since then, the attitude towards him, of course, has changed, but it has gone worse. It was simply deformed, enriched, so to speak. And in the youth there was another reason that I wanted to live here - there were most of the favorite Russian -speaking groups.

- And what did you listen to in your youth?

- I started listening to rock with AC/DC, Accept and Iron Maiden. Later I learned that there is Aria and Black Coffee. And then there was a lyrics: Tsoi, Naumenko, rowers ...

• About format: We go as we go, we sing how to sing ...

The “57th Parallel” minion, released a year ago, “Torba-on-Croacha” released in a rather unusual way. The record could only be bought at concerts: not a single record-label, not a single official store had not taken a penny from the publication. With the circulation, the group had to tinker decently, but the disk paid off for two presentations in Moscow and St. Petersburg. This time the album will be officially released and will be available in stores.

-Is there any insidious plan for breaking through the information barrier?

- This is not an end in itself for a long time. It all depends on radio and television, ”says Max. - And there nothing changes. People are afraid to accept new music, because they were eaten by the concept of format. And apparently there are no more such figures as Misha Kozyrev, with their own censor inside.

• About nostalzhi

The conversation smoothly flows on the topic of food, and, passing by the Cafe-conjugation, everyone begins to reflexively turn their neck. We go down to one, we go to the other - the situation is everywhere extremely non -disposal. "And let's take bread, slices and drink in a store, and sit down somewhere!" - Max suggested with a spark in his eyes. Suddenly, a puffer appeared in the way.

- Pyshki is the taste of childhood! - Ivanov shares his memories, entering the institution with the smell of powdered sugar.

- In the kindergarten, I remember, they were given them, and even when I was a student, I often went into the puffy!

He takes four pyshki with coffee and goes into the next room while we wait for service. After some time, he comes for napkins, showing with all appearance that the chips are damn good. While Max is in memories, he once again, even during food, interferes with flashes.

- You only draw a red eye to me in the photographs, okay? He says. - And then the other day they performed in Samara, the concert was two and a half hours, and, apparently, the capillaries could not stand the load ...

• About God: only a few seconds we long long for ...

Having left the puffy, we pass by A2, Max stops briefly at the concert schedule. The conversation comes to piracy, Ivanov is quite scrupulous about this topic:

- In our country, it is useless to fight this. Even if people stop downloading music and buying unlicensed discs, producing companies will sin with hidden circulations. And downloading from the Internet, this, in my opinion, is a tribute to disrespect to groups. After all, people who value the performers and his work buy licensed discs, because they do not give a damn about quality.

-Do you buy wheels yourself? - We ask not without malice in the voice.

“No, I don’t buy at all,” Max is filled with a loud laugh. Nearly, we sit on the marble shop. After a few minutes we will disperse in different directions. Max smokes and talks about football. Then again about the new record: "I like the most with what sound is recorded by our first album." Then more about St. Petersburg and about religion.

- On the chain, a pendant with a guitar. What is the relationship with God?

- I believe, I adhere to Orthodoxy, since he is baptized since childhood. It was brought up taking into account the canons of this faith ... grandmother.

- That is, it is primarily connected with the roots ...

- Yes, sure. I even worked in the Orthodox Church for several years, Tenoril. Well, naturally, all this was close to me, important and not just like that. First I went for free, a student, and then like a job. I even received a salary. He knew all the voice - church, singing ...

-In life had to work somewhere without touching music? Maybe classically, a stoker ...

- No, I didn’t have to, I have my own in the army! - again poured with laughter Max.

• Afterword

Farewell to Max Ivanov, I wanted to notice:

- For all the time they did not impress a depressive person. Why are the songs always so sad?

“Oh, this is unintentionally done,” Max Ivanov exclaimed immediately. - Just sad songs are written better and more often. Even Viktor Tsoi was asked something similar, and he replied: “When I am joyful, I have fun with friends, and when it’s sad, I write songs” - and this is an absolutely fair statement. I also subscribe to it.

Photo of Roman Iskandirov.