“STAR MAKER” IN THE AGE OF THE CONVEYOR

MUSICAL LIFE

He was a soloist of the Moscow Youth Pantomime Ensemble, a teacher at the All-Union Circus Variety School, and the chief administrator of Moscow circuses and the Obraztsov Theater. But for the vast majority of music lovers, Oleg NEPOMNYASHCHY - ...

He was a soloist of the Moscow Youth Pantomime Ensemble, a teacher at the All-Union Circus Variety School, and the chief administrator of Moscow circuses and the Obraztsov Theater. But for the vast majority of music lovers, Oleg NEPOMNYASHCHY is, first of all, the person who helped Alla Pugacheva become a superstar, working with her for many years as a permanent director and administrator. Then Kirkorov and Rotaru joined his “wards”, and then other times came, and Nepomniachtchi, giving way to people who began to be called producers, “tied up” with the star ex-family and past life.

Nepomniachtchi is over sixty, but he does not look like a pensioner at all. Denim suit, orange leather fingerless gloves, dark glasses. It turns out that he has a lot of things to do, so we talk on the go, driving around Moscow in his powerful jeep. In the area of ​​Kitay-gorod, Nepomniachtchi passes the turns he needs three times - he is so carried away by memories of the past and thoughts about the present of Russian music.

About daily bread

— In the first place for me now is teaching at the Moscow State University of Management. To be honest, I really like teaching, I have always been doing this - back in the 70s I taught choreography, pantomime, acting skills at the circus school. At the university, I teach the course "Management and production in the music business." I deliberately avoid the phrase "show business". Almost all of our artists the word "show" is contraindicated. From English, “show” is, roughly speaking, a spectacle. Well, who is in the entertainment business today? One, two and miscalculated! There was and is Philip Kirkorov, there was Pugacheva - “I Came and I Say”, “The Singer's Monologues”, “Christmas Meetings”. It was a colossal show program. Now a good show is very expensive, and not everyone is sure of its necessity.

But you can't earn a living by teaching alone.

“I have never been after money. While everyone was making money, I was making a name for myself. True, in Soviet times I did not receive anything from my name, the state took huge proceeds from our concerts. When the artists started making big money, I had already moved away from the big artists. However, today I do not complain about life - I organize various private events, and my name serves as a guarantee to customers.

Today, corporate holidays, festivals, days of cities, police, presidential administration, birthdays of an oligarch, circumcision of a Jewish boy, weddings are very much in vogue and in vogue ... All this has a certain price. It's good that people have money, it's good that they share it with artists. The same Leontiev or Kirkorov, earning money at these events, can make show programs on them. After all, many consider themselves eternal and do not save up for a rainy day.

- And who is most often ordered?

- “The Moral Code”, Antonov is very fond of, the same Kirkorov, Koroleva, Allegrova, Valery, they want Pugachev, but this is already more expensive, sometimes Rotaru. Almost everyone is ordered, it's an amateur. It all depends on what the corporate task is. If the wedding - then Serov, the same Allegrova, if for children - circus numbers, Smash, "Star Factory". Most often we are talking about pop music - so that people dance and sing to primitive melodies. Rockers are rarely invited. Comedians are now also ordered less often, oddly enough. Usually they invite you to one number, and even then not to a conversational one, but to a more pop one.

- Are there artists who categorically do not sing at such events?

- I know that Zemfira is not very fond of. Pugacheva too, speaking between us. Leontiev is cold. And yet, almost everyone agrees. Where else can most artists earn money today? Touring and concert activity gradually subsides, licensed discs are not sold. And on various days of prosecutors, justice, etc. artists run with such zeal, as if they are all criminals and, so that there are no problems, they try to work in front of these people. Although we have a problematic life, maybe they are doing the right thing. And as for the days of the cities, they pay very well there.

About legends

- Barbra Streisand, Faina Ranevskaya, Nonna Mordyukova, Ella Fitzgerald, Alla Pugacheva ... Such women are born once every hundred years. A person who is destined to become a legend must have powerful energy when people, with their mouths open, listen to everything they sing about, the actress says. They cannot tear themselves away, this energy attracts, they are in it.

- Remember the moments when you were convinced that you were really an outstanding person?

“Strong people can predict. Alla is a strong psychic. She could not only logically calculate what would happen next, but feel it. I remember we came on tour to Vladivostok. Then we were all part of the ideological front, and laying wreaths at the Eternal Flame was an obligatory ritual in many cities. Pugacheva did not consider it right that young girls in short skirts were standing near the Eternal Flame, talking about something among themselves, laughing. She did not like theatricality, unnaturalness. Not because she does not honor the memory - she herself went to Volgograd and laid a wreath at the Motherland. And so I persuaded her in Vladivostok, persuaded her: they say, the city leadership insists. She says: "Well, look, so that there are no problems later." As soon as Pugacheva laid the bouquet, the fire went out. And in general, she predicts a tsunami, then a chatter on an airplane, there were many such moments.

Was Pugacheva a difficult artist for the director?

- In no case! In order to work normally with an artist, the director must only love him. Alla was one of my closest people. It was interesting to work with her. And I worked with great pleasure, because I was involved in great art. The same can be said about Kirkorov.

- Why, then, did they stop working with the star family?

- I “stopped” working with Pugacheva for a long time: working with Presnyakov, Kirkorov is the same work with Pugacheva, she has always been an artistic director and chief boss. But it was no longer possible to work directly with her. Nerves were on edge - after all, they spent a quarter of a century together, and she no longer needed the director's services. We rarely talk now. Well, what kind of relationship can we have? If he asks for something, although this is rare, of course, I am always ready to help in whatever I can. The question is, does she need it.

About times and musical mores

- In the Soviet Union, the producer was the state. It gave money, equipment, but also took all the profits. Then, indeed, great artists made themselves. We, the administrators or directors of the artist, worked to make his life as easy as possible. They helped in creating programs, in advertising, and they thought about their health, and bought outfits together. The concerts on the tour were sold by the Philharmonic, which was in every city, and the director made sure that the artist was comfortable, at the same time there was no rider. We went through the authorities - for the show "I Came and I Say" how much we punched through various scenery with Boldin, the floor was plastic! "Yamaha" could only be obtained after the signature of the Minister of Culture. Today you can get everything, if you have money.

Today there are two types of producers - financial and musical. The financial one must have money to promote the project - take Friedland, who created projects with his own money. Musical - should be a composer, like Drobysh, Krutoy, Nikolaev. Ideally, a good financial producer is looking for a composer for his project who, using his own connections, can “break through”. It is no coincidence that Katya Lel so wanted to sing the songs of Fadeev, who enjoys the respect of Channel One.

The producer can be television, which has huge opportunities for promotion. An example is "Star Factory". Stars of the first magnitude can be producers for themselves, everything else around them is administrative workers: give it, bring it, get out.

How do you see the future of contemporary music?

- It shouldn't be like this! Now there is complete chaos in touring and concert activities. There must be a state organization designed to regulate the cultural life of cities. The impresar's offices in the city do not know what the competitors are doing, they invite Kirkorov, and the next day another company is carrying Leontiev. If there is no single organization, there must be licenses for the right to operate a particular rental company.

Something needs to be done about the absolutely perverted way of promoting talent - not every good aspiring artist today will fall for this or that producer. Everything is decided by money. Today, any boy or girl, being the program director of a radio or TV channel, has the right to refuse any young person the development of talent, saying the following phrase: "You are not in the format." This word is terrible. Well, it cannot be that one person could ruin a talent - this is taste.

Finally, this crazy primitive pop that filled everything. Artists do not follow the heart, but fashion, otherwise they will not be bought. But I am optimistic. When some people got rich, this pop was the basis for them, but today's youth will need other music in the very near future.

Will they be ready to listen to other music? Do you think their eyes and ears are not completely blinded by pop music?

— Blinded, but not at all. Recently, Eurovision was discussed at one of the serious radio stations. And almost everyone agreed: Dima Bilan is normal, but cool - provocative Finns, cool Lithuanians.

I believe: a new rock and roll will come, every 20-30 years a new direction appears. And we will have the rock and roll that is needed now for the people living hard in Russia. Rock and roll is an outlet for a person, a help in life. In our country, it has always been a protest against today. People always don't like something, but they like the word "protest", they like to protest. But themselves - who is afraid, who does not want. And at the concert they hands up - and off we go! The main thing is to find a person who will again ask the people to raise their hands.