Egor Letov
Encyclopedia
Igor Fyodorovich "Yegor" Letov ' onMouseout='HidePop("85691")' href="/topics/Omsk">Omsk
– 19 February 2008, Omsk) was the creator and singer of the Russia
n punk
band Grazhdanskaya Oborona
(Civil Defense). He also formed the collective collage band "Communism", and played with female punk legend Yanka Dyagileva
. Yegor Letov was cofounder of National Bolshevik Party.
Certainly a prolific musician, Letov is a controversial figure. He was controversial in the mid-to-late 1980s
when he satirized the Soviet system, and helped develop a gritty Soviet punk sound with folk underpinnings. He may have become even more controversial after the fall of the USSR, seemingly turning nostalgic over the "good old days" and has made friends and fans out of nationalists and communists. In later years, Letov distanced himself from any political ideology, stating (in 2004) "We're patriots, but not Nazis. ... All the totalitarians - right, left, of all colors and stripes - fuck you."
In an interview, Letov expressed that his favorite poets are Alexander Vvedensky (1904–1941), one of the OBERIU
writers, and Vladimir Mayakovsky
. He also expressed his interest in Conceptualism, and spoke of his own work in punk music and in creating a public image as a work of conceptual performance art.
Since 1997 Letov was married to the bass guitarist of Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Natalya Chumakova; they had no children.
Yegor Letov died in his sleep on 19 February 2008 at his home in Omsk
. He was 43 years old.
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
– 19 February 2008, Omsk) was the creator and singer of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Grazhdanskaya Oborona is one of the earliest and most famous Russian punk bands and now maintains a huge army of fans, admirers, and followers. It inspired hundreds of subsequent Soviet and then Russian bands. The name of the band means "Civil Defence" in Russian...
(Civil Defense). He also formed the collective collage band "Communism", and played with female punk legend Yanka Dyagileva
Yanka Dyagileva
Yana "Yanka" Stanislavovna Dyagileva was a Russian poet and singer-songwriter.Dyagileva was born in Novosibirsk. She was one of the brightest figures in Russia's underground punk scene. She both played solo and performed with others, including Egor Letov and Velikiye Oktyabri , a rock band...
. Yegor Letov was cofounder of National Bolshevik Party.
Certainly a prolific musician, Letov is a controversial figure. He was controversial in the mid-to-late 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
when he satirized the Soviet system, and helped develop a gritty Soviet punk sound with folk underpinnings. He may have become even more controversial after the fall of the USSR, seemingly turning nostalgic over the "good old days" and has made friends and fans out of nationalists and communists. In later years, Letov distanced himself from any political ideology, stating (in 2004) "We're patriots, but not Nazis. ... All the totalitarians - right, left, of all colors and stripes - fuck you."
In an interview, Letov expressed that his favorite poets are Alexander Vvedensky (1904–1941), one of the OBERIU
Oberiu
OBERIU was a short-lived avant-garde collective of Russian Futurist writers, musicians, and artists in the 1920s and 1930s...
writers, and Vladimir Mayakovsky
Vladimir Mayakovsky
Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky was a Russian and Soviet poet and playwright, among the foremost representatives of early-20th century Russian Futurism.- Early life :...
. He also expressed his interest in Conceptualism, and spoke of his own work in punk music and in creating a public image as a work of conceptual performance art.
Since 1997 Letov was married to the bass guitarist of Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Grazhdanskaya Oborona is one of the earliest and most famous Russian punk bands and now maintains a huge army of fans, admirers, and followers. It inspired hundreds of subsequent Soviet and then Russian bands. The name of the band means "Civil Defence" in Russian...
Natalya Chumakova; they had no children.
Yegor Letov died in his sleep on 19 February 2008 at his home in Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
. He was 43 years old.