"Beatles" or death

The founder of the temple named after John Lennon died. What happened to the main bitloman country of Kolya Vasin?

This happened on August 29 at the Moscow Station in St. Petersburg in a huge shopping center. Fastfood, fashion shops. A 73-year-old man falls from the third floor of the gallery. According to the investigation - suicide. Probably, it is, but all that we know about Nikolai Ivanovich Vasina (born in 1945) resists this version.

Kolya Vasin heard the Beatles in 1963, when not everyone appreciated their music in the West. And for the Soviet man, they immediately became much more than just a musical ensemble: the personification of light, good, freedom. All that was missing at home. It is not strange therefore that the love of the Beatles carried the nature of religious worship in him (and millions of people).

He organized the first rock concerts. He arranged the semi -underground birthdays of the Beatles, for which the best musicians of Peter gathered. I sent a letter to John Lennon and - a miracle! - I received a response from him: a record with an autograph. This record is the exhibit of the home museum of Kolya Vasin, which he began to collect back in the 1970s. Books, posters, discs. And the images of the Beatles made by him personally. Vasin is a professional artist, the themes of his works are almost exclusively bital: portraits, illustrations for songs.

Gradually, the idea of ​​the temple arose. The present, with the chapel, with the iconostasis. When the Soviet government collapsed (and the songs of the Beatles and the Western culture in general have undermined it in many ways), it seemed that the idea was feasible. They began to collect money for the construction of the temple, but they did not collect in thirty years.

Over the years, Vasin himself has become a symbol of faith. After all, the point is not only and not so much in the Beatles whom he loved so much. The full name of the temple is the temple of love, peace and music named after John Lennon. And if there is a person in the world who earnestly believes that such a temple is possible, then not everything is still lost, not everything is reduced to money, abuse on social networks and dirty political games. And if even Kolya Vasin is disappointed in this, then nothing shines for us, you can extinguish the light and drain the water. Then only a haze, hatred and aggression.

It so coincided that it was these days that the Beatles monument was dismantled in Donetsk. Against the background of what is happening there - nonsense, trifle. There is a war, everything is seriously, and then there are some "Beatles". But the very presence of these four gives hope, and the absence - deprives hope.

And one more coincidence. Just on these days, the new album of the 76-year-old Paul McCartney was released (he is three years older than Vasin). One of the songs is called PEOPLE WANT PEACE ("People want peace"). It is a pity that Nikolai Ivanovich will not hear her.

Vladimir Rekshan

Writer, leader of the St. Petersburg group,

Friend Vasin

- This is suicide, there is no doubt. There is a video from surveillance cameras, there is a suicide note - about the darkness that steps on the country, about officials who do not want to build a temple. Why he did this, I don’t know, you can’t get into another person, but I can guess.

I have known him since the spring of 1971. More relatively recently, in the nineties, Nikolai was at the center of public attention. Interviews for newspapers and television, speech at big concerts. It seemed to him that humanity in the vast territory of the former union heard him and was about to join him. Remember the then mass searches of faith. Psychics charged water. In Ukraine, everyone was the White Brotherhood. And Kolya invited humanity to the images of Beatles for religious worship. "Peace and Love! - he called out, referring to Lennon, father, son and the Holy Spirit. "Peace and love!"

In 1990, a public organization was created-the "Committee for the Promotion of the Construction of the Temple of Peace and Love in St. Petersburg." Nikolai was elected president, I became vice president. The first tour of Beatles Alan Williams was appointed governor of the committee in England. But time passed, but nothing happened. The project of the temple building heights in the current Gazprom Tower, remained in the form of a layout. The uncompromising of Vasin increasingly led to excesses with their neighbors, he excommunicated more and more people from the Church, church holidays became increasingly massive. In the end, he was left almost alone.

What could push him, provoke? I think the same Lennon, whom he loved all his life. Kolya died on August 29. And after forty days it comes on October 9 - Lennon's birthday. And his soul will connect with John's soul. Vasin, who believed in the rituals and magic of numbers, could not help but think about it.

Dmitry Shagin

Artist

- I do not believe in suicide. I met Kolya shortly before his death near my workshop on Marat, he was in a raised mood. He said that he began to write a book about the history of rock and roll, that he had a lot of plans. He invited on October 9 to the main Beatle holiday, the birthday of Lennon, Johnny, as he called him. No depression. There was a feeling that a person, despite his age (still 73), cheerful, cheerful, happy.

I tried to figure out what kind of note that was called dying. It turned out that it was written on the form of the temple and is a certificate of the state of affairs. There are no farewell words there. There is a regret and statement of the fact that the temple, despite all efforts, could not be built. But he does not write: I'm leaving. Although he is called blessed, he adequately perceived the situation. He understood that in our consumer times, when everything is tied on a dough, idealistic projects are not very popular. The museum on Pushkinskaya, 10, in his workshop - is actually a temple, a small temple.

Allegedly in the Neva found a Passport of Kolya. Firstly, from his house to the Neva, quite far. Secondly, why should he throw a passport? This is usually done by thieves: they leave the wallet, and the documents are thrown away. In the shopping center "Gallery", where he died, thieves' teams are operating, a criminal place.

And the dangerous one can easily be able to get out: the third floor (in height, like the fifth), the railing is flimsy, the nets below, which would insure from the falls. Either he was pushed, or he became ill, and he fell.

And the last argument: Nikolai was a believer, for real. And suicide, as you know, sin. No, he could not commit suicide, it contradicts everything that he did, his whole life.

I have a mug, donated by Kolya, on my table. It says: "All you need is love." And he carried this love to people.

PS

Farewell to Nikolai Vasin will take place on Wednesday September 12 at 11.00 in the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg crematorium.