25 years without Bashlachev

Russian rocker SashBash, Alexander Bashlachev, died on February 17, 1988 - already 25 years ago. When he fell (or jumped - whether it was suicide is not known for certain) from a window in Leningrad, he was 27 years old. During his short creative life, he wrote no more than 60 songs, but he is considered a great poet - one of the brightest in Russian rock.

Bashlachev was born on May 27 in Cherepovets. He graduated from Sverdlovsk State University, received a diploma in journalism and worked by profession - in the Cherepovets newspaper "Communist". He began composing poems and songs for the local ensemble "Rock-September". In 1984, while visiting Leonid Parfenov, he met music critic Artemy Troitsky and, on his advice, set off to conquer Leningrad.

This is how Troitsky recalls that meeting:

“In total, he sang fifteen songs - and I can’t say that all of them were masterpieces. Mostly they were ironic or lyrical sketches “from youth life”, slightly reminiscent of his texts for “Rock September”. Written in beautiful language and accurate observations, they could decorate the repertoire of any rock bard. There were also several “narrative” ballads, completely traditional, but built on brilliant metaphors, revealed, as in O’Henry’s stories, in the last lines...

To Sasha’s great surprise, I liked the music too; it was both gracefully melodic and terribly passionate - in short, not boring overkill...

I said that he needed to quickly go with his guitar to Moscow and Leningrad: the songs there would be received with a bang... Bashlachev listened to all this with a childish, joyfully incredulous expression on his face. Lenya Parfenov, not without irony, encouraged him... A couple of years later, Sasha told me that he was returning home in the dead of night, singing songs, jumping up and dancing - as in the movies sometimes they show very happy people..."

Journalist and blogger Andrei Malgin was also introduced to Bashlachev by Artemy Troitsky:

"As soon as he picked up the guitar, he transformed from a shy, frozen provincial into an extremely expressive performer. I immediately thought that he would break the strings on the guitar. Actually, he broke it right there. And he didn’t sing, but screamed. Where am I-" I read that sometimes after concerts his guitar was spattered with blood - he hit the strings so hard that he injured his fingers...

In principle, the cult of Bashlachev began only after his death. This often happens in our country. I don't think he even knew his own worth.

Many remembered him as explosive, unbalanced, and generally a psycho. The first meeting with Gradsky, whom he came to meet at Mosfilmovskaya, ended with Gradsky almost kicking him out of the apartment. Well, this doesn’t mean anything, Vysotsky almost sent me down the stairs too. But I never saw Bashlachev mad, only modest and very shy. Probably I just didn’t communicate with him much.”

Bashlachev worked in the famous boiler room "Kamchatka" together with Viktor Tsoi, and among the musical groups he loved most of all "Aquarium" (which, embarrassed, he admitted to Troitsky at the first meeting) and The Doors (following its vocalist Jim Morrison, he joined the club 27 -year-olds - became one of the musicians who died at the age of 27 under strange circumstances).

Bashlachev's last apartment concert took place on January 29, 1988.