Sing among strangers

In Russia, they massively recognize the “foreign agents” of the objectionable authorities of the artists - without regard to regalia. This does not cause tangible damage to the performers, but they will have to think about the future

Singer Zemfira is now a foreign agent. Musical critic Nikolai Ovchinnikov (“Wojs”), on this occasion, reflects on the prospects of new music and Russian -speaking culture as a whole objectionable to the authorities.

The list of “foreign agents” has a traditional Friday replenishment - Zemfira Talgatovna Ramazanova. The reason was opposed to the war and "promoted LGBT reasons." It seems wild: the super -popular performer is included in the dissident list - it was still difficult to imagine this 10 years ago. But in 2023, in the world of a large and popular culture, it is no longer surprised to be surprised at anything: you can throw Akhedzhakov from the theater, and to appoint an FSB officer in the main picture gallery to deal with art from the point of view of power - this is only from news in recent days.

However, Zemfira is not the first musical celebrity in the list of foreign agents. Who is already there now?

• Oximiron

• Face

• Andrey Makarevich

• Noize MC

• Monetka

• Ilya Prusikin from Little Big

• Well, Zemfira

The list resembles a line-up a good Moscow or St. Petersburg festival. On such tickets would have scattered very quickly. Like Oximiron's concerts in Russia, planned for the spring of 2022 and did not happen because of the war. Miron Fedorov is not the only box office artist in the list. It was steadily difficult to get tickets on the eve of the show - at least in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Little Big were headliners of mass festivals like “VK Fest” and collected a huge crowd there (the author of the text saw it with his own eyes). The rest of the heroes have not so stunning, but also high: they remain so even after their emigration - it is sometimes difficult to find tickets to many in Tbilisi, Riga and Yerevan.

A few obvious thoughts that should be spoke again. The state fights with the most popular artists of dissenters, but in the end creates not a black list, but a board of honor. Unlike many “simple” “foreign agents”, domestic difficulties associated with the stigma from the state are not threatened with such people - and the black mark from the state turns into a sign of quality for them.

The replenishment of the registry Zemfira is another warning to another disagree from music: there are no more untouchables.

Recent excavations in the archives of Roskomnadzor showed that the department is monitoring the most unexpected "leaders of public opinion." The list, for example, has the full composition of the Spleen or Tesla Boy groups - none of them were seen in obvious anti -war protests. Having achieved most of the independent media in the territory of the Russian Federation, having defeated the political opposition, the state took up cultural figures without analyzing the rank and title. The difference is only in the use of power: security forces can rape the poet for poetry at the Monument to Mayakovsky, and for a popular artist, just get the case. It seems so far.

Regarding many newly -minted foreign -agents from culture, many will have a desire to derive: they say, first you work next to the state, friends with its ideologists, ignore the difficult reality outside your cozy world - Nate, and sign up. It used to be said that "culture is a good medicine for protest moods." After 10 years, when the “protest moods” are almost at zero, the culture distracting from them is not needed. When the head is chopped with a headache, medicines are not required.

There is a rational grain in this criticism. The same Russian -speaking music - both pop, rap, and punk - basically winked at the listener, did not talk about what was happening directly and sometimes ignoring the flowering diversity of life in Russia. It was just to write beautiful speakers about the social component of these songs (and I myself am from these), but it was hard to look for it just like that. It was the music of convenient and safe protest. The boat sways slightly, but does not turn over, life is calm and unchanged. News of news separately - concerts separately. It is logical that now some authors began not only to criticize, but to trample our music of tenths for apathetic, apolitical and harmlessness.

Everything is so. Laziness, fear and carelessness generate real monsters. However, I will now continue to insist: the musician is not obliged to write about politics, call and overthrow idols if he does not want (and even if he wants, sometimes it’s better not to ). Yes, for this peace you sometimes have to pay by the fact that the nuts are twisted against you, but this is a personal choice of everyone. In the end, the desire for peace and immutability is normal for a person, no matter how you demand something else from him.

And the most interesting thing here is what will happen next with these black lists of musicians - and in addition to the “foreign” registry there are other papers with prohibitions - in Russia and Belarus .

He will certainly be wide. His defendants, most likely, will replenish the number of emigrants - and instead of Yekaterinburg and Moscow, they will perform in Riga and Tbilisi. Perhaps they will write down a few more wonderful albums about the heavy emigrant fate. They will perform with a dozen charity concerts and songs. It will remain in the tops of the streams for the time being - in our time it is difficult to erase a person from history in half a minute. But at some point the question will be in front of them: what's next? It is impossible to live exclusively with the train of the past.

You can build an emigrant scene for your own and not only - let it be difficult and expensive. Only this scene will not be in Russia - and more and more voices will sound that the stars left do not understand anything about the country that they left: it does not matter how really true these votes will be true. You can really put together the festival in the conditional Tbilisi - but it will be similar to an emigrant between the manner, and not the showcase of real music from Russia: all the more, again, such an event, like any similar ones , will cause a reciprocal misunderstanding of the remaining ones. You can simply dissolve in a new world for yourself, but sooner or later they will remind you of your citizenship. Such dilemmas faces everyone who is somehow attached mentally to Russian culture and had a privilege to leave. In short, all options are quite lousy.

But in addition to these options, there are others that do not contradict them in any way. To reflect your past and understand what was the error of interaction (or confrontation - who has as) artists and power - and maybe there were no mistakes, and the story could not go otherwise, no matter how hard you tried. To reflect your work and understand which songs in the new world are more or less appropriate. To reflect your potential (or real) privileges-for example, the possibility of emigration-and remember that many do not have them-and someone does not want to use them.

To remember about the country of origin and that people live there, and they do something and, perhaps, they need your help, and not just reflection in the songs-but perhaps they do not need it, and they wanted to spit on you, and this is also normal and must be accepted.

I know that many of these mental exercises perform already every day, but it is worth reminding him of this. Otherwise, you can pus out and continue to think that the yard is not 2022, but, say, 2010. And you can continue to look down and wink. No, you can't.