Tõnu Trubetsky
Encyclopedia
Tõnu Trubetsky also known as Tony Blackplait, is an Estonian
punk rock
/glam punk
musician
, film
and music video
director
, and individualist anarchist.
, Estonia
as the oldest son of Jaan Trubetsky, who was of Polish
and Ruthenian
heritage (See Trubetskoy family
) and Leili Rikk, an Estonian. Trubetsky was awarded the Silver Mark award by the Committee of Physical Culture and Sports near the Soviet Ministries of the U. S. S. R. in 1981. After graduating from theatre class at Tallinn's 32nd Secondary School in 1982, he served in the Soviet Army
.
punk rock. Following his discharge from the military in 1984, Tõnu Trubetsky appeared in the Eastern Europe
an punk
scene and formed the punk band Vennaskond
, which as of 2006 is the oldest continually active rock band in Estonia
.
In addition to being the lead singer for Vennaskond, he has been the lead singer for several other punk bands, including Felis Ultramarinus in 1986, Vürst Trubetsky & J.M.K.E. from 1986 to 2009, The Un Concern in 1988, and The Flowers of Romance (not to be confused with the original English Flowers of Romance
) since 1999. He was a guitar
ist for Operatsioon Õ in 1995.
In 1989, Vennaskond embarked upon a 5-gig concert tour in Finland
with Jim Arrow & the Anachrones. All the members of Vennaskond fled to Finland in the beginning of 1991. Their first album
came out in Estonia during this absence.
In 1993, Trubetsky and Vennaskond had their first Estonian Number 1 hit
song, "Insener Garini Hüperboloid", one of their only songs written by someone besides Trubetsky (Al Vainola).
ish film director
Pekka Karjalainen
asked him if he would appear in the film Hysteria. Trubetsky agreed, and sang the song "Riga My Love" in the film.
" in Hommikuleht
, and "Who Killed Sid Vicious
?" in Muusik in 1993.
Trubetsky's poetry
can be described as romantic and anarchist, reflecting his romantic views of punk, rocker
, new romantic
, teddy-boy, psychobilly
, and other subculture
s, all of which were quite unreachable in the former Soviet Union. Trubetsky's novel
s are usually co-written with his long-time friend, anarchist Anti Pathique, and can be described as naïve, over-the-edge science fiction
.
since 1992 and the Anarchist League of Estonia (M. A. L.) since 1995.
Trubetsky is a former member of the Estonian Greens
. He stood as a candidate in the Estonian parliamentary election
in 2007 and the European Parliament election
in 2009. On 5 August 2010, Trubetsky announced he had left the Greens for the Centre Party
.
Estonians
Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. They speak a Finnic language known as Estonian...
punk rock
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...
/glam punk
Glam punk
Glam Punk is a music genre that mixes elements of glam rock with protopunk or punk rock ....
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, and individualist anarchist.
Early life
Tõnu Trubetsky was born in TallinnTallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
as the oldest son of Jaan Trubetsky, who was of Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
and Ruthenian
Ruthenians
The name Ruthenian |Rus']]) is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used. Initially, it was the ethnonym used for the East Slavic peoples who lived in Rus'. Later it was used predominantly for Ukrainians...
heritage (See Trubetskoy family
Trubetskoy family
Trubetskoy , Трубецкой , Трубяцкі , Trubecki , Trubetsky , Трубецький , Troubetzkoy , Trubezkoi or Trubetzkoy , is a Ruthenian Gediminid gentry family of Black Ruthenian stock, like many other princely houses of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, later prominent in Russian...
) and Leili Rikk, an Estonian. Trubetsky was awarded the Silver Mark award by the Committee of Physical Culture and Sports near the Soviet Ministries of the U. S. S. R. in 1981. After graduating from theatre class at Tallinn's 32nd Secondary School in 1982, he served in the Soviet Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
.
Music career
Trubetsky's music is inspired by basic three-chordChord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
punk rock. Following his discharge from the military in 1984, Tõnu Trubetsky appeared in the Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an punk
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
scene and formed the punk band Vennaskond
Vennaskond
Vennaskond is an Estonian punk rock band founded in 1984. The band has toured in Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Romania, Sweden, Germany, France and the USA .-Members:...
, which as of 2006 is the oldest continually active rock band in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
.
In addition to being the lead singer for Vennaskond, he has been the lead singer for several other punk bands, including Felis Ultramarinus in 1986, Vürst Trubetsky & J.M.K.E. from 1986 to 2009, The Un Concern in 1988, and The Flowers of Romance (not to be confused with the original English Flowers of Romance
The Flowers of Romance (band)
The Flowers of Romance were an early punk band, formed in mid-1976 by Jo Faull and Sarah Hall. The band never played live or released any recordings, and, like London SS and Masters of the Backside, are more famed for the number of band members that later became well known, including: Sid Vicious...
) since 1999. He was a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist for Operatsioon Õ in 1995.
In 1989, Vennaskond embarked upon a 5-gig concert tour in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
with Jim Arrow & the Anachrones. All the members of Vennaskond fled to Finland in the beginning of 1991. Their first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
came out in Estonia during this absence.
In 1993, Trubetsky and Vennaskond had their first Estonian Number 1 hit
Hit parade
A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined by sales and/or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936...
song, "Insener Garini Hüperboloid", one of their only songs written by someone besides Trubetsky (Al Vainola).
Film career
In 1992, after returning to Estonia from Finland, Trubetsky was working as a guard for the production association ETKVL Kooperaator when FinnDemographics of Finland
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Finland, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
ish film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Pekka Karjalainen
Pekka Karjalainen
Pekka Karjalainen is a Finnish film director and sound producer. He gained worldwide fame by producing the movie Hysteria. It won the Grand Prix at the Stockholm International Film Festival in 1993 and was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category in 1994.-...
asked him if he would appear in the film Hysteria. Trubetsky agreed, and sang the song "Riga My Love" in the film.
Writing career
As a journalist, Trubetsky considers his most interesting newspaper articles to be "Interview with Suzi QuatroSuzi Quatro
Susan Kay "Suzi" Quatro is an American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor.She scored a string of hit singles in the 1970s that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, and had a recurring role on the popular American sitcom Happy Days.-Music:Quatro began her...
" in Hommikuleht
Hommikuleht
Hommikuleht was a newspaper published in Estonia between 1992 and 1995....
, and "Who Killed Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
?" in Muusik in 1993.
Trubetsky's poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
can be described as romantic and anarchist, reflecting his romantic views of punk, rocker
Rocker (subculture)
Rockers, leather boys or ton-up boys are a biker subculture that originated in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. It was mainly centered around British cafe racer motorcycles and rock and roll music....
, new romantic
New Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
, teddy-boy, psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
, and other subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
s, all of which were quite unreachable in the former Soviet Union. Trubetsky's novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s are usually co-written with his long-time friend, anarchist Anti Pathique, and can be described as naïve, over-the-edge science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
.
Political activity
Trubetsky has been a member of Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
since 1992 and the Anarchist League of Estonia (M. A. L.) since 1995.
Trubetsky is a former member of the Estonian Greens
Estonian Greens
Estonian Greens is an Estonian green political party. Valdur Lahtvee, an organizer, reported that on 2006-11-01, more than 1000 members had been recruited for the Green Party Initiative Group to register as a political party under Estonian law, opening doors for running at the coming parliament...
. He stood as a candidate in the Estonian parliamentary election
Estonian parliamentary election, 2007
Parliamentary elections took place in Estonia on Sunday, March 4, 2007 to elect members of the Riigikogu. The electoral system was a two-tier semi-open list proportional representation system with a 5% election threshold...
in 2007 and the European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2009 (Estonia)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in Estonia was the election of the delegation from Estonia to the European Parliament in 2009.The election day was 7 June 2009. Turnout was 43.9% – about 17.1% higher than during the previous election five years before...
in 2009. On 5 August 2010, Trubetsky announced he had left the Greens for the Centre Party
Estonian Centre Party
The Estonian Centre Party is a centrist, social liberal party in Estonia. Keskerakond is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. It has the largest membership of an Estonian party, with over 12 000 members....
.
Vürst Trubetsky & J. M. K. E.
- Rotipüüdja (2000, MC, CD, Melodija/Kaljukotkas)
The Flowers of Romance
- Sue Catwoman (2004, CDEP, MFM Records)
- Sue Catwoman (2004, CD, The Flowers of Romance)
- Paris (2006, CD, Līgo)
Compilation including The Flowers of Romance
- Punk Occupation 12 (2006, CD, Feńka R'n'R/Crazy Rat) - Girl in Black
As director
- Millennium (1998, VHS, 90 min., Faama Film/Trubetsky Pictures)
- Ma armastan Ameerikat (2001, VHS, 140 min., DayDream Productions/Trubetsky Pictures)
- Sügis Ida-Euroopas (2004, 2DVD, 185 min., DayDream/Trubetsky Pictures)
- New York (2006, DVD, 140 min., Trubetsky Pictures)
- Pirates of Destiny (2007, DVD, 150 min., Trubetsky Pictures)
As actor
- Serenade (dir. Rao Heidmets, 1987)
- The Sweet Planet (dir. Aarne Ahi, 1987)
- War (dir. Hardi VolmerHardi VolmerHardi Volmer is an Estonian film director, puppet theatre set decorator and musician. Volmer is the singer in the Estonian punkrockband Singer Vinger.- Animated cartoons :*"Imeline nääriöö"...
& Riho Unt, 1987) - Hysteria (dir. Pekka KarjalainenPekka KarjalainenPekka Karjalainen is a Finnish film director and sound producer. He gained worldwide fame by producing the movie Hysteria. It won the Grand Prix at the Stockholm International Film Festival in 1993 and was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category in 1994.-...
, 1992) - Moguchi (music by Vennaskond, dir. Toomas Griin & Jaak Eelmets, 2004)
- Punklaulupidu (dir. Erle Veber, 2008)