Chapter 29. CHAPTER OF EPIGRAPHES So this is the real connection with the mysterious world! What aching melancholy, What a misfortune has befallen! Mandelstam All evil cases have armed themselves against me!.. Sumarokov Sometimes you need to have embittered people against you. Gogol It is more profitable to have someone else among your enemies,

Chapter 30. CONSOLIATION IN TEARS The last chapter, farewell, forgiving and pitiful. I imagine that I will soon die: sometimes it seems to me that everything around me is saying goodbye to me. Turgenev Let's take a good look at all this, and instead of indignation our hearts will be filled with sincerity

Chapter 10. ABNORMALITY - 1969 (First chapter about Brodsky) The question of why IB poetry is not published here is not a question about IB, but about Russian culture, about its level. The fact that it is not published is not a tragedy for him, not only for him, but also for the reader - not in the sense that he will not read it yet

Chapter 47 UNTITLED CHAPTER What title should I give this chapter?.. I think out loud (I always talk loudly to myself out loud - people who don’t know me shy away). “Not my Bolshoi Theater”? Or: “How did the Bolshoi Ballet die?” Or maybe something like this, long: “Gentlemen, rulers, don’t

Joseph Kobzon is an iconic figure in Russian art. He, like no one else, managed in his songwriting to reflect the history of Russia, the soul of its people, the mood of people of different generations. After all, the main theme of his intimate conversation with the viewer is the fate of the human conscience, the truth of the human heart. The singer unobtrusively encourages his like-minded listener to think about what a person entering the new century can and should be like. Kobzon knows how to speak about the main thing so convincingly and with dignity that the civil is perceived as purely personal, suffered, experienced. How can one not recall the words of our famous artist Ilya Glazunov: “By Kobzon’s songs, descendants will judge our difficult and troubled times, our generation.”
The path that Joseph Kobzon took can probably serve as an example of civic integrity and professionalism of the highest standard. From childhood he loved the song. As for thousands and thousands of people, she was a faithful friend and companion of his life. Then the professional path began, which led the singer to the heights of pop Olympus. It’s no joke, Joseph Kobzon is a laureate of dozens of international and domestic song competitions and festivals, in different years he was a member of the presidium of the National Olympic Committee, a member of the presidium of the board of the Central House of Artists, deputy chairman and member of the presidium of the All-Union Musical Society, he is a laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize, laureate of the USSR State Prize, People's Artist of the USSR, professor, associate professor of the State Musical Pedagogical Institute named after. Gnesins, State Duma deputy, holder of many orders, medals and other insignia. And he is also a full member of the Academy of Humanities, advisor to the mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov on culture, president of the Shield and Lyra fund for helping the families of fallen police officers, president of the Moskovit joint-stock company.
And it all started in September 1937, when a boy named Joseph was born into the family of David Dunovich and Ida Isaakovna Kobzonov. This happened in Ukraine in the small town of Chasov Yar, Donetsk region, from where the whole family soon moved to Lviv. True, it was not possible to live in this beautiful city - the Great Patriotic War began, which forever divided, as it later turned out, the family of the future singer. David Kunovich went to fight, and his family was evacuated to Uzbekistan, near Tashkent.
“Strange as it may seem, I remember the first bombings,” recalls Joseph Davydovich, “I remember the hunger and cold of the evacuation. My generation didn’t have a childhood. From a very young age, we shared the concerns of adults, and adults’ songs sounded around us, like “Get up, huge country,” “Dugout,” “Dark Night,” “Blue Handkerchief.” And the end of the war is associated with completely different, joyful, major ones - “I was traveling from Berlin”, “Samovars-Samovars”, “Swallow the Killer Whale”.
We grew up and matured together with our country, we lived with its concerns. All this played a certain role in shaping my position in life.”
After the end of the war, Joseph's father did not return to the family because he fell in love with another woman. Soon Ida Isaakovna found her new love and married a former front-line soldier, the father of two children. The wedding took place in Ukraine, in the city of Kramatorsk, where the family returned from evacuation. So Joseph, in addition to two siblings, had two more brothers and then a common sister.
Joseph’s childhood “was the same as that of thousands of other boys caught up in the war and growing up without fatherly influence. All education then took place in the courtyards: favorite games of war, “Cossacks-robbers”, smoking on the sly, as well as tattoos that became copper in the middle of the courtyard punks. All this went through and our hero, who at the age of thirteen suddenly became addicted to boxing, became the second; after singing in school amateur performances, the hobby of the young man. Joseph, who has always been distinguished by good physical characteristics and enormous capacity for work, succeeded in this sport and even became the champion of Ukraine among youths.

Private I. Kobzon. 1956

“.I have retained a sense of community since childhood. The ability to survive pain, recalls Joseph Davydovich. - I now understand how much the yard, the guys, my colleagues in
army. There was real sincerity in them, even if it was somewhat criminal, but they were open souls, they, without hiding anything, spoke without hiding their eyes. And we, the boys of the forties, could not look indifferently at the front-line soldiers, at the military uniform! I remember how we ran to the station to look at the trains going to the front, at the heated vehicles from which the soldiers smiled at us, at the platforms where the outlines of military equipment could be discerned under the tarpaulin.”
After graduating from the seven-year school, Joseph entered the Dnepropetrovsk Mining College, which he graduated in 1956. Just at this time, his term of service in the ranks of the Soviet Army approached. Kobzon was drafted into a unit aimed at developing virgin and fallow lands in the Kustanai region of Kazakhstan, and when the harvest season ended, he was transferred to the Transcaucasian Military District. The young soldier’s bright vocal abilities were so obvious that Joseph was enrolled in the district song and dance ensemble. There was a lot of work, and the young soloist was well received by the public. According to Kobzon, it was during this period that he had an irresistible desire to devote himself to vocal art and become a professional singer.
And so, returning from service - and this was in 1958 - he told his parents that he was going to go to Moscow to study. The brothers reacted extremely negatively to this statement. “What kind of singer are you? - they grumbled dissatisfied. - Better go work in your specialty. There you will receive normal money and get back on your feet.” However, these conversations did not change Kobzon's decision. To earn money for the journey, he got a job as a laboratory assistant. Soon the required amount was collected, and he went to the capital.
Amazingly, having appeared in Moscow, where he had not a single acquaintance and no support, Joseph managed to enroll in three educational institutions at once. The first of them was a school at the Moscow Conservatory, the second was GITIS, and the third was the Gnessin State Musical and Pedagogical Institute, where he remained. Today, apparently, few people know that Joseph Kobzon intensively prepared himself for a career as an opera singer. He succeeded in everything then. He enthusiastically prepared the roles of Yeletsky, Figaro, Valentin, Onegin, Don Juan and others intended for baritone, sang classical romances and chamber works, far from the pop genre.
But fate sometimes presents a person with amazing surprises. It so happened that Kobzon’s first performances in the capital took place not on the stage, not in the opera house, but in the famous circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. There is a version that a vocal student from Gnesinka was brought to the circus arena to participate in the extravaganza “Carnival in Cuba” by R. S. Shirman, a famous clown. It was there that young Joseph Kobzon first performed in front of the Moscow public with Alexandra Pakhmutova’s song “Cuba is my love.”
After a successful debut, Joseph began to be invited to national concerts, to patron performances, and to creative evenings of composers writing for the stage. It should be noted that Kobzon’s teacher, former accompanist of the famous tenor Georgy Vinogradov, Professor G. B. Orentlicher and the rector of the institute Yu. V. Muromtsev were categorically against the student of their prestigious university becoming interested in pop music. However, Joseph did not listen to their opinion, so he was soon expelled from the institute. Overcoming resentment for what happened, he nevertheless did not give in to panic, but persistently continued to work on the stage, improve his vocal skills in practice, and accumulate his own stage experience of communicating with the public in communication with stage luminaries.
It is no coincidence that in a short time Joseph Kobzon won the sympathy of not only the public, but also famous musicians, and therefore it was natural and quite fair that he returned in 1973 to Gnesinka, where at that time final exams were approaching, for which he had to prepare in full program. Joseph was supposed to sing Onegin's aria, Renato's aria from the opera Un ballo in maschera by G. Verdi, and Xerxes' aria from Handel's opera of the same name. In addition, romances by Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Rachmaninov. Remembering that time
Joseph admitted that he worked like a convict, not leaving the piano either during the day or in the evening. The day of the important exam arrived, which the famous television journalist Gleb Anatolyevich Skorokhodov remembered as follows: -
“On the state examination commission there are singers who have been seen and heard so many times in the famous performances of the Bolshoi Theater - Maria Petrovna Maksakova (chairman), Panteleimon Markovich Nortsov (what a Onegin he was!), Natalya Dmitrievna Shpiller. - all folk, each - an era! Everyone has stern faces, on which (or does it just seem?) there is excitement. Friends, composers who came to “cheer” on the graduate student, are also worried: M. Fradkin, A. Pakhmutova, O. Feltsman. The Gnessin students who filled the spacious auditorium, as well as some familiar and completely unfamiliar people, were in tense anticipation.
“Please begin,” Maria Petrovna nodded. Excitement prevented me from singing.
Whenever I wanted to limit my life to my home circle.
- the graduate student began a little hesitantly, and an involuntary chuckle ran through the hall - so unexpectedly did words from Tchaikovsky’s opera sound in Kobzon’s mouth. But this laugh made you pull yourself together, made you think about what you were eating, and not about those in front of you.
From the attention that was established in the hall, he understood: everything was going as it should, and this gave confidence and that same “courage” that always comes from the anticipation of success, and what a real artist performing on stage in an opera, in a concert, or before an examination commission, will do without this feeling!
The program is finished. Applause. The commission smiles and does not stop fans who disrupt the order. Maria Petrovna Maksakova says something to her colleagues, and then turns to Kobzon:
- You know what, my dear, while we are quietly conferring here, you will sing us modern songs!
And the composers-fans took turns sitting at the piano and accompanying the graduate student. Each song was met with applause - now the state commission, which had forgotten about the need to deliberate, also applauded.
The exam was pleasantly delayed, but the result made all the worries worth it: an “A”!
And then the path to the big stage lay before the young singer. On the eve of his sixtieth birthday, in a television program dedicated to this anniversary, Joseph Davydovich recalled that when he and Viktor Kokhno worked part-time in the circus (which we have already discussed), the popular Soviet composer Arkady Ilyich Ostrovsky came to one of the performances. He then brought several new works that he wanted to offer for a new circus program. Having met him, Joseph begged: “Arkady Ilyich, I beg you, take me to your concert.” Ostrovsky, of course, did not expect such impudence from the green student. But in the end, unable to withstand the pressure, he left the singer his home phone number. After that, there was not a day when Kobzon did not call him and repeat his tearful request: “Take me to the concert.”
It got to the point that the composer’s wife Matilda Efimovna, after each such call, shuddered and shouted to her husband: “Arkasha, it’s your student vocalist again! I'm so tired of him, I just don't have the strength! Pick up the phone!"
In the end, after several days of such a siege, Ostrovsky gave up and, once again picking up the phone, said: “I agree. Find a tenor as your partner, and I will try you in my original concerts.”
Joseph's choice fell on his fellow student Viktor Kokhno. Their first performance as a duet took place on December 27, 1959 at a creative evening by Arkady Ostrovsky in the Column Hall of the House of Unions.
The public liked the duet, and most importantly, other composers noticed it. As a result, the names of Joseph Kobzon and Viktor Kokhno began to appear more often on posters, and their repertoire included songs by Dolukhanyan, Blanter, Fradkin, and the very young Alexandra Pakhmutova. Now composers wrote some of their works with these talented guys in mind.
“.And the point is not only that Kobzon has an excellent voice and the ability to convey either sincerity and tenderness, or appeal and protest, but that he is a Citizen and the brightest exponent of the time,” composer Mark once said about the singer Fradkin.
In fact, the career of pop singer Joseph Kobzon began without sensations. He was criticized a lot, either for his statureness or for his inability to present an image; they believed that he had no pop charm. However, years of hard work, creative searches, mastering one’s own style and repertoire passed. All this was not in vain, and the talented artist will hear the opinion of the patriarch of our stage Leonid Osipovich Utesov about his work:
“For me today on the stage Kobzon is the number one singer from the younger generation. Why is he dear to me? I remember its beginning. Then I mentally sent him a lot of reproaches. Imagine my joy when I saw that the singer so clearly understood, felt life, and comprehended his role in art. Paradoxical as it may seem, he won real pop in the confrontation with his powerful voice.”
How did he “overcome his voice” and look for the figurative fullness of his performing style?
“Work,” Kobzon admits. - I learned to show not myself, my voice, but a song. I tried to penetrate into the essence of the song, worked on every stroke, intonation, emphasis, pause. The singer makes the song, but the song makes the singer. I attach great importance to the choice of songs for my repertoire. What doesn’t fit my character, my perception of life, I never do.”
Outwardly, Joseph Kobzon's performing style is restrained and strict. Speaking about the actor’s presentation of the song, Joseph Davidovich, with his characteristic humor, once remarked:
“No matter how much you swing the microphone, sooner or later you will have to bring it to your mouth. And there’s nothing to hide behind here. And even if you manage to do it, it won’t last long. I don’t know, and I couldn’t understand an artist who creates for himself. The interest of the audience, their passion, love - this is the main incentive in the work. The viewer senses any falsehood even subconsciously.”
What can I say, listeners have long appreciated and loved Kobzonov’s strong velvety baritone, the accuracy and filigree of his intonation palette, which allows the artist to convey the subtlest nuances of mental and emotional states.
The Kobzon phenomenon is being interpreted today by many outstanding artists who are trying to unravel the mystery of his unfading popularity.
“In my memory, so many pop idols and artists of all genres have changed,” wrote the chief director of the Sovremennik Theater Galina Volchek. “And it’s wonderful that pop music, perhaps faster than other types of art, reacts so instantly to the time, to the needs of the audience, to climate change outside the window, to today’s rhythms, to fashion, finally.
But in any genre of art there are artists - individuals who have stood the test of time.
Joseph Kobzon is not like anyone else, he is like Joseph Kobzon. He doesn’t ingratiate himself, doesn’t fuss, doesn’t “win” the audience, he believes in what he does and makes those who listen to him believe.
In the theater we often say: “This is a wonderful actor, he can justify everything on stage!” So, Joseph Kobzon can justify any thing he performs, and even if the viewer does not always share his literary choice, then through the artist’s conviction, his infectiousness and civic nerve, he always attaches the audience to what he does on stage.”
And here is the opinion of actress Marina Neelova:
“Someone’s authority has given this person a calling and a wonderful destiny - to have the talent of soul and heart. He never cheated on them, because first of all he never cheated on himself, which means one can envy this man who has not stopped loving his work, who is able to rejoice in the talent of others, who responds so worthily to the love of so many spectators and who has more to come so much enthusiastic applause.”
Many critics believe that the sixties were the period of especially enthusiastic “applause” for Joseph Kobzon. It was in 1962 that he released his first album with songs by Arkady Ostrovsky and Alexandra Pakhmutova. In the same year, the singer began performing solo concert programs, not only in the Soviet Union but also abroad.
In the early sixties, on a permit from the Central Committee of the Komsomol, Joseph Kobzon, together with composer Alexandra Pakhmutova, poets Sergei Grebennikov and Nikolai Dobronravov, made a creative trip to Komsomol and youth construction sites in Siberia. He was listened to in Bratsk, at the Krasnoyarsk and Ust-Ilimsk hydroelectric power stations, and in Irkutsk. In 1962, in the popular radio program “Good Morning” performed by I. Kobzon, the song “And in our yard” by Arkady Ostrovsky and Lev Oshanin was heard - the first of the famous “yard” cycle of songs. She, according to the singer’s own recollections, brought him all-Union fame.
In 1964, he took part in the International Song Competition, “held in the Polish city of Sopot, and became its laureate, a year later - in the international competition “Friendship”, held in six socialist countries. Kobzon did not let Russia down and took over; first places in Warsaw, Berlin and Budapest.

A year later he became a laureate of the All-Union Competition of Soviet Song Performers, and in 1968 - a laureate of the prestigious international competition “Golden Orpheus”. It should be added that during these years he participated in all World Festivals of Youth and Students, and also received his first title of Honored Artist of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

Joseph Kobzon with Irina Ponarovskaya and Dean Reed.
XI World Festival of Youth and Students in Havana. 1978

In November 1967, I. Kobzon prepared a large, three-part concert program dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution. The singer included forty songs in it, among which were the popular revolutionary “Boldly, comrades, in step”, “Across the seas, along the waves”, “Varshavyanka”, “We are the Red Cavalry”, as well as the best songs of Tikhon Khrennikov, Oscar Feltsman, Alexandra Pakhmutova, Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy, Boris Mokrousov, Anatoly Novikov and other authors.
The program was a great success and was warmly received not only by the audience, but also by critics, who then called Joseph Kobzon “plenipotentiary of Soviet song.”
Gleb Skorokhodov wrote about this concert:
“The hall is crowded. The audience warmly welcomes the singer, who, finishing the concert, performs one encore song after another. And suddenly, stopping the applause with his hand, Kobzon addresses those present:
- Dear friends! Today is an unusual day for me. I think you will understand my excitement when I tell you that our beloved Klavdia Ivanovna Shulzhenko is present here at this concert!
The light was turned on into the hall, and a flurry of applause shook its walls. The audience greeted the People's Artist standing. Suddenly, through the roar of applause, the sounds of the orchestra broke through - the melody of “The Blue Handkerchief” sounded from the stage like a hymn in honor of the singer. And then another surprise: Kobzon takes the microphone and in the instantly silent hall begins to sing a song that no one except Shulzhenko has ever sung. He sings in a low voice, softly, “without colors,” as if inviting him to remember words familiar from childhood. He goes down to the stalls, approaches Klavdia Ivanovna and hands the microphone to her. And now such a close, lively and warm voice fills the hall:

And often into battle
Your appearance accompanies me...

I feel close
With a loving look
You are always with me!

The singer gives Shulzhenko his hand, they go up to the stage, and it seems that the whole audience would have sung along with them if the sudden miracle of harmony and perfection that arose in this duet had not taken their breath away.
It’s hardly worth describing the ovation that broke out next. The audience applauded the singers, the song, the meeting of representatives of different generations, their joyful, unrehearsed unity, which suddenly became symbolic. They applauded without hesitating tears.
A few days later, recalling this concert, Klavdia Ivanovna said:
- Can you imagine, Kobzon sang forty-five songs then. Forty-five songs in one evening! Record "Tango, tango, tango." - he gave it to me - already a concert. Joseph goes beyond all generally accepted norms, and what a risk he takes! I'm talking about the burden that falls not only on the singer, but also on the audience. And if he managed not to lose the listener’s attention for a minute, that means a lot! He managed to find his own interpretation for almost every song. I believe that today, out of the entire male pop guard, he is: - the number one singer. And note, he is constantly changing, over the years he sings better and better - more heartfelt, more soulful, but his songs invariably have a courageous character!
In the sixties, Joseph’s personal life also changed - he fell in love with the already well-known at that time very beautiful pop singer Veronica Kruglova and married her. However, their life together was unsuccessful and short-lived. Soon Veronica became the wife of the popular performer Vadim Mulerman, and Kobzon married movie star Lyudmila Gurchenko.
This happened in Samara, under rather amusing circumstances, which Joseph Davydovich once recalled:
“.I was here in Samara on tour, and Lyudmila Gurchenko flew to me. We lived together then, but we didn’t have a schedule: somehow there wasn’t enough time, and we didn’t consider it obligatory. And so, after dinner at the restaurant, at one o’clock in the morning we went up to my hotel room (I think it was the Central Hotel), but the attendant wouldn’t let us in. I say: “I am Kobzon.” She says: “I see.” “And this,” I say, “is Lyudmila Gurchenko, a famous film actress, my wife.” “I know,” he says, “that she is an actress, but that she is a wife - there is no mark in the passport. I won't let you into one room. Let him rent separately and live there.” I see Lyudmila Markovna starting to get hysterical, tears streaming down her face. What to do? I called the director of the Philharmonic, Mark Viktorovich Blumin, at home in the middle of the night: so, they say, so, excuse me, we are going to the airport, the tour will have to be cancelled. He listened: “Come to me.” We spent the night with him. In the morning, after coffee, he takes us to the Philharmonic, leads us to his office, and there they are already waiting - the lady from the registry office, witnesses and all that. So he married Lyudmila Markovna and me. And two years later we broke up":
However, despite the breakup, Joseph Davydovich remembers this short union very warmly:
“I always remember her with great gratitude, because I believe that in the short period of our life together I received a lot of good things. Gurchenko is a talented person and, as a woman, excuse the details, she is far from being like anyone else. She is individual in everything. But it was impossible for us to be together, because apart from attraction, apart from love, there is life. By that time, my mother, father and sister had moved to Moscow and lived in my apartment on Mira Avenue, and I lived with Lyudmila. She didn't want to communicate with her parents. Of course, this was not the main reason for the divorce. I think we would have common creative interests or children together
(she already had a daughter, Masha, a charming girl), then. And so, she left for filming, I went on tour. “Good people” reported about some travel adventures, hobbies, novels. This caused irritation on both sides. But if we abstract from some life little things, then by and large I am very grateful to fate for the fact that the personality of Lyudmila Markovna passed through it so widely.
Unfortunately, we still don’t communicate with her. Not my fault. I was ready to maintain intelligent relations, but did not find understanding. I continue to bow stupidly at meetings, they don’t answer me. One day this caused a strong reaction: “I hate it!” “So you love me.” - turned and went.
In general, I am not without sin. I am a quick-tempered person and often insulted people. I got married three times and got divorced ugly. Gamzatov has the lines: “I offended those I loved. Darling, forgive me my sins."
And Joseph met his last love in 1971 at one of his friends’ parties. Nelya came to the capital from Leningrad. Her beauty captivated the artist, and he began to court the visiting beauty.
“I didn’t know that we would meet,” says Nelya. - It happened completely unexpectedly for me. Unexpected and accidental. And that’s why I didn’t recognize him right away. On the second day after our meeting, Joseph offered to show me the city. It was the end of March - beginning of April. Then he invited me to the Sovremennik Theater. There was “Own Island”, which was directed by Galina Borisovna Volchek. That's when the problems started. They didn't have a cassette tape, they didn't have sound engineers. Joseph ran around for half of the first squad, looking for some equipment. I sat alone, not understanding where my boyfriend was. But as it turned out, he did a lot to make the performance happen.

14.X.66 Moscow.
International Festival of Contemporary Pop Songs.

I didn’t set myself the task of becoming an artist’s wife. I won’t lie, I had a lot of fans. And Joseph by that time was already ready to get married quite consciously. He had certain requirements for his young wife, and not only from his family. Based on his previous mistakes, he already specifically understood what he wanted in this life. At that time I was young, very modest, very shy, it was assumed that I would have children because he really wanted them. He immediately proposed to me, and I agreed.”
They got married in November 1971. To be close to Joseph, Nelya, having parted with her profession as a catering technologist, graduated from a theater school and hosted her husband’s concerts for some time. But her artistic career stopped with the birth of her children, Andrei and Natasha.
When Joseph Davydovich took Nelya and Andrey from the maternity hospital, Vladimir Vysotsky drove up to them in his sparkling red Peugeot. I saw the baby and asked: “Let me hold it!” And, handing Andryusha over to Nele, he said: “The son will be either a genius or a bandit.”
In the seventies, the popularity of Joseph Kobzon increased incredibly. Especially after the release of the film “Seventeen Moments of Spring” on television. Two songs performed by Joseph Kobzon in this film were known and sung by the whole country. They have essentially become popular. But when the filmmakers - director, actors, composer - were awarded high government awards, I. Kobzon was not among those awarded, which was apparently unfair. I remember that in theater circles one could often hear Boris Brainin’s humorous quatrain:

If Kobzon had gotten like Robinson,
On an island after a shipwreck
He would have found fans there too
In a moment, in a moment, in a moment.

And indeed, such an organic, truly talented combination of Kobzon’s courageous, soulful voice, Tariverdiev’s magnificent music, and Tikhonov’s brilliant acting ensured the film a long life. And no matter how many times we watch it, no matter how many times we listen to the wonderful songs, they always excite us anew.
The voice of Joseph Kobzon can also be heard in the film “Renaissance” and other film works. And many of his songs, heard from the screen, became, in my opinion, a kind of call sign of courage.
An interesting opinion about the artist of the director of “Moments” Tatyana Lioznova:
“The happy combination of a voice gifted by nature, amazing beauty and strength, with extreme efficiency, hard work and endless love for life, for people - this is what made Joseph Davydovich a major singer, a real Master of his craft.
This voice, Kobzon's voice, goes straight to the heart. And in him there is courage, and kindness, and human reliability, and tenderness, and much, much more, and that is why, probably, so many wonderful Soviet composers found in Joseph Kobzon the best, most inspired performer of their songs.”
The memories of the famous actor and director Evgeny Matveev about his work dubbing songs for the film “Earthly Love” have been preserved:
“The recording of E. Ptichkin’s song “The Great Distance” has been scheduled.
We are waiting for Kobzon. The orchestra is skeptical: “In this weather, the singers don’t even talk, the stars know how to respect themselves.”
And the weather was really slushy.
Joseph Davydovich bursts into the sinkhole - wet, snow-covered and disheveled like Kobzon.
- Sorry, I had an accident!
- ?
- I would have come running earlier, it’s slippery - it’s terrible. But I'm ready. Can we have a rehearsal?
And right away, inspired, passionately and boldly, the singer filled the studio with his amazing voice. Tapping their bows on the instruments, the musicians expressed their admiration for the singer.
- Thank you! You can write! - I said.
- No no no! It's too early! - Kobzon did not agree. - Rehearsal!
“Record,” suggests the conductor.
- No! - the singer resists.
Rehearsal. The song truly takes on living flesh.
- Record!
- No!!!
I don’t remember how many of these “no” there were, but I remember that a miracle was happening before my eyes: the unity of talent and labor! After the recording, I asked the musician:
- Well, how?
“I told you, stars know how to respect themselves!”
At that time, Joseph’s creative life was developing very well, and he worked furiously, not sparing his strength. He toured with solo programs in the USA, Latin American countries, Cuba, Sweden, Finland, and all socialist countries. Once, when asked where he had performed recently, the singer jokingly replied: “Maybe I’d rather say where I haven’t been yet.”

My life is in the song

I. Kobzon is attracted not only by large cities and cultural centers, but also by remote corners, unexplored places, new buildings, and various “hot” spots. Over thirty years of service in the railway troops, I met with Joseph Davydovich at transport construction sites in Moldova, Crimea, Ukraine, in the Tyumen taiga, in Siberia, on the Baikal-Amur Mainline, many other places - you can’t remember everything. I know that he was warned more than once against such creative extravagance, to which he replied: “...the more you give, the more you have left.” In those years, the epigram of the famous poet-parodist Alexander Ivanov was popular:

How not to stop a running bison,
So you can’t stop the singing Kobzon.

These lines were written after one of the singer’s concerts at the Variety Theater, where the first part alone lasted two and a half hours, and thirty-seven songs were performed. Then many wondered how this was possible? To which Joseph Davydovich replied:
“Well, first of all, who and when set the traditional time frame for a recital? I don’t sing until the morning, really. And as for the “phenomenon”. This is not serious. I just force myself to work. I love my profession, I respect my work. I can't imagine the day when I won't have to sing anymore! Why do I need such a day? Songs are my thoughts, my feelings. I sing as I think. And I choose songs for myself that correspond to my understanding of a person, a citizen, an artist. There is no other way. You need to sing about what you believe in and what you love.”
When one day one of the young performers, shocked by the artist’s performance, asked if his vocal cords were getting tired from such a load? Joseph joked: “No, the ligaments don’t get tired, it’s the legs that get tired.”
Jokes aside, but even at that time not a single government or holiday concert was complete without Joseph Kobzon, his voice was heard in all music radio and television programs without exception. Recordings of his recordings were released in huge quantities. He was an indispensable participant in various song festivals and decades of art of the Russian Federation, held annually in the republics of the former Soviet Union. The artist’s annual trips with patronage concerts for rural workers, army and navy soldiers, and participants in Komsomol construction projects have also become traditional. It is no coincidence that in 1973 he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Russia.

The famous composer Oscar Feltsman once very accurately said that “... throughout his creative activity, the artist is an active participant in the cultural and social events of the country. There is probably no point on the map of our Motherland where Joseph Kobzon would not perform!
For me, the creative image of a singer is the ideal of a vocalist-artist, for whom the main thing is to reveal with utmost dedication the intention of the composer and poet, to emphasize the ideological essence of the work. It was not by chance that I said - in the work. Kobzon sings not only songs, but also romances, chamber works, and complex parts in vocal and symphonic works. He is a vocalist in the highest sense of the word. His voice has many colors - from sunny forte to the finest quiet and soulful nuances. The word in his pronunciation is always expressive. This fusion of music and words gave a wonderful, effective result. Monologues, ballads, poster songs, lyrical explanations, funny, playful songs - everything is under the artist’s control.
Nature endowed him with a phenomenal musical and poetic memory. His repertoire includes hundreds of works. Moreover, he can sing each of them, as they say, “from sight.”
He loves to sing, always feeling the mood of the audience and the needs of the listeners.”
Another popular composer, Ian Frenkel, formulated his own idea about the reasons for the nationwide popularity of Joseph Kobzon. He wrote:
“We are accustomed to the fact that the poet and composer are called the creators of a song. That's true. not this way. The fate of the song is happy, in my opinion, despite the fact that there is another creator - a performer.
We often call songs by their names: “Utesov’s songs”, “Bernes’ songs”, “Shulzhenko’s songs”.

Do you know what kind of guy he was?

“Kobzon’s songs” have been happily existing for many years now. A lot of them. Their creator - Joseph Kobzon - is one!
Once Joseph Davydovich turned to me with a request to provide him with discographies, or, in simple words, lists of works recorded on gramophone records and most accurately and fully reflecting the song repertoire of Pyotr Leshchenko, Lydia Ruslanova, Yuri Morfessi, Isabella Yuryeva, Konstantin Sokolsky, Vadim Kozin.
- Why do you need this? - I asked, handing over the prepared material.
- You know, I want to sing songs from the repertoire of these pop luminaries, I’ll record them on records or CDs and then end my singing career. I'll retire.
To be honest, I didn’t really believe Joseph Davydovich then. But in vain. After all, I soon became convinced of the seriousness of his intentions, having attended a concert at his invitation, where for the first time in his practice he devoted an entire section to Russian folk songs and ancient romances from the repertoire of the just listed masters of the Russian stage.
The concert became a real sensation in the world of pop, so much so that the magazine “Soviet Variety and Circus” dedicated a voluminous and, in my opinion, very smart and warm article to this event, written by the famous art critic, great connoisseur and connoisseur of the work of Joseph Kobzon, Natalya Smirnova:
“.Kobzon surprisingly knows how to accurately determine the genre of a song - to make it either an epic ballad, or a confession, or to put some wild recklessness into it.
The best, in my opinion, in this cycle were two songs: “Hey, let’s whoop” and “Coachman, don’t drive the horses,” interpreted in an original, psychologically subtle, unusually graceful way.
“How empty, foggy it is all around.” - the singer begins quietly, and immediately a feeling of melancholy and foreboding of grief is created. This spiritual melancholy is growing, and the words “I have nowhere else to rush” already sound almost like a renunciation from life. This is a monologue song, a quiet and sorrowful confession of the heart, the most hidden in this heart. In the orchestration one can hear the light clatter of hooves, the mournful echo of the road, the dispassionate indifference of the steppe. The voice floats in this deadening space with a sad and hopeless plea, and it already seems that there are no sounds, no song, there is only this all-consuming pain, the cry of a mortally wounded heart. And the fading of the song is like the mournful dying of the soul.
Quietly, but on a note of high and proud significance, the singer “Hey, let’s whoop” begins. At first, the performance is almost detached, emotions grow as if from memories, but then the song expands, grows, and a picture of hard barge hauler labor appears: the quiet rustle of water, the creaking of the scaffold, and the whole languid summer day ringing from the heat.
“We are walking along the bank.” “Within this breadth and enormity of sound, detachment suddenly arises again, the genre sketch is not yet finished, but notes of the author’s bitterness, pain for the fate of man, for the fate of the heroes, so briefly but so voluminously recreated in the song, can already be heard. And we are again interested in him himself, this reflective man, who remembered the old, old, eternally tormenting story of hard workers choking on their bitter song.
Complex, impressive images appear in the song “Because of the Island to the Core” - this is both the “author” who introduces us to the circle of events taking place on the “pointy-chested canoes”, and the ataman himself - proud, albeit beaten, but pure, honest, great personality.

This zaniness can be heard in the reckless chant of “Along along Piterskaya”, in the bright humor of short sketches of a merry festivities, in the daring of the carnival, when everything is boiling, humming, shining with carnival joy, and in surprise at the beauty of nature (“A blizzard is sweeping along the street”). , and before the beauty of a person, in a stunned spell, said three times, like a prayer, “Let me look at you, joy, at you,” and in a joyful anticipation of the holiday of love in “Peddlers.”
The image of the hero of the song “Dark Eyes” is sometimes painted with features of bitter, almost tragic suffering. The hero conjures, persuades himself, and in immeasurable grief, as if from the underworld of his soul, the sad sound sounds: “How afraid I am of you.” But this tragic hopelessness is not pity. The hero remains a bright personality. It is not for nothing that, for some reason, when performing this romance, one thinks about Dmitry Karamazov, about Protasov - strong, pure, courageous, who just as passionately loved Russian song, knew how to “sing with their soul” and enjoy listening to it.
In the songs of Joseph Kobzon, the image of a courageous and gentle hero, unusually generous and open to people, ready for sympathy, support, and protection, is often heard. In Russian songs and romances, he finds not only an even greater scale of the personality of his heroes, but also raises their enormous emotional intensity, their pride, and courageous tenderness to a certain standard.”
Less than a year had passed since that memorable evening when, at a meeting, our popular composer Grigory Fedorovich Ponomarenko proudly informed me that the main dream of his life had finally come true - he had completed a cycle of songs and romances based on poems by Sergei Yesenin and Alexander Blok. And what’s more, a studio stock recording of this entire cycle has already been completed, and all the works have been performed. Joseph Kobzon!

Well, how can one not be surprised at the artist’s creative performance and fertility. After all, very short periods of time separate his concert programs and recordings of songs, romances, tangos that once graced the repertoire of Pyotr Leshchenko, Konstantin Sokolsky, Vadim Kozin, Georgy Vinogradov, Yuri Morfessi. And now Blok and Yesenin. And what is especially valuable is that working with song and poetic material that has firmly entered the memory of several generations, the singer, in some inexplicable way, managed to give the classic texts a new, modern sound.
In this regard, I involuntarily remembered a comic dedication to Joseph Davydovich from Alexander Ivanov:

Don't think down on Kobzon,
The time will come, you yourself will probably understand
Kobzon Joseph - this is for centuries,
And a century is, in essence, a moment.
When Kobzon sings, you wait greedily,
Ordinary water flows from the eyes.

And he always sings - in the snow and in the rain,
When it's frosty and in hot moments.
Every moment has its own reason,
Its own bells, its own mark.
Kobzon - after all, he is Kobzon in Africa,
Give him vocal immortality!

“Kobzon really always sang a lot,” stated the magazine “Soviet Variety and Circus.” Composers brought him their songs. He took it and sang. Lyrical. Heroic. Pathetic. Retro. Lyrical-heroic. Serious" and playful. Tender, sincere, heartfelt. He sang all this as they sing about the most important thing in their own lives. Therefore, they believed him. It seems that he was the first on our stage to perform entire cycles of songs, he made each of them his , made us empathize with every verse sung, every word, every thought he expressed. In the ballad of O. Feltsman - R. Rozhdestvensky, for example, - remember? - this is sung differently each time: “Listen, it was in the world” - then softly, sometimes romantic, sometimes inviting, and as a conclusion - not from “The Ballad of the Banner,” but from one’s own heartfelt discoveries: “Listen, this banner is immortal” - in an excited, slightly trembling voice, but with such deep confidence.

With daughter Natasha

The actor is very precise in thought and feeling. Isn’t it amazing, for example, in his song the sadness of the graying man from the song “Farewell to Bratsk”, who gave his youth to construction sites and, at the turn of maturity, reflects on his life:
But who will come up with a new Taishet for me, Who will find another Angara?
Isn’t he specific in his everyday sketches: in his story-song you can clearly see Marchuk playing the guitar (how softly, with hidden humor, Kobzon slowly talks about him!), and the girls, sometimes dashingly, sometimes sadly dancing on the deck.

The thoughtful lyricism of “The Smolensk Road” gave way to the tragic, sung *like a ballad, song “How Yura saw us off on our flight.” The singer began easily, with a soft smile:
We will remember again about him, About our affectionate friend.
- and then - almost a cry, like a groan:
Yura accompanied us on the flight: "
An unexpected change: a quiet, calm song-memory, and again - an unexpectedly strict, very serious repetition of the words of the refrain of the Song, etched in the memory. The third time he sang it again in a new way: hysterically, but somehow almost weightlessly. And the last, final time - intimately, almost everyday, as they say about a beloved friend who has just left the room.
The song “You know what kind of guy he was” was sung by several singers immediately after Kobzon performed it. I don’t presume to say that Kobzon’s interpretation was the best. It seems to me that she more fully embodied the intention of the composer and poet.
Yes, Joseph Kobzon chose a civically significant repertoire for himself. His civic spirit lies in the choice of the themes of the songs, their plots, and in the very nature of their interpretation.
The tireless Joseph Kobzon is constantly in creative search. In one of his many interviews, the artist very precisely formulated the basic principles of these quests.
- Just as an actor is always looking for new roles, a singer is looking for new songs and, most likely, images. If you carry only one topic all the time, you can reach a dead end. Many of my colleagues feel sorry for me, saying that I work a lot. But I don’t understand at all how an actor can live by the concepts of “a lot, a little”? There is a job you love, giving back out of necessity, out of demand, at the behest of your calling, if you want. You need search, experimentation on your own, I would say, efficiency and sometimes even risk. That’s why I tried to work on ancient romances, recorded tangos and marches, and now I’m thinking about a large form.
Only a few months passed after this interview, and the singer once again delighted his fans by recording a cycle of lyrical songs by Soviet composers on a long-playing disc from the Melodiya recording studio, accompanied by the Bolshoi Theater violin ensemble, headed by Yuli Reentovich. In my archive I discovered a letter from the Lomanovich family, which came from Census, which, in my opinion, perfectly reflects the feelings of the listeners:
“Joseph Kobzon and the Bolshoi Theater Violin Ensemble, artistic director Yuliy Reentovich,” reads the title page of the “Tender Song” album, unusually lyrical in plot and colors. This is probably the only way to imagine this serious work of a pop master and a renowned musical group.
Violin and modern song. - we never imagined that it was so beautiful. “Why is your heart so disturbed?”, “Don’t disappear”, “Song about a distant homeland”, “Melody”, “How young we were”, “Winter love” - completely different songs in content and emotional intensity, and therefore in musical expression, but both the singer and the violin feel it very accurately and sing. And how they sing! The song by O. Feltsman and R. Gamzatov “Beloved” is literally a duet of voice and instrument, and it’s hard to say who complements whom.”
To these lines we can add the words of Irina Arkhipova that “Joseph Kobzon is a tireless propagandist of Soviet song and its best interpreter. with a big heart and subtle spiritual participation, delving into the affairs and problems of musical art. knight” who cares about the world!”
Irina Konstantinovna was then supported by Vladimir Spivakov, noting that Joseph Kobzon “...is one of the few singers who raised the song to the genre of high art, and he preserved it for people as an integral part of their lives.”
Now there is simply no way to count the number of songs that Joseph Kobzon gave life to. Many of them became a kind of illustration of historical events that took place in the country.
“Kobzon is dear to us for his ardent commitment to Soviet song. He knows it thoroughly, and this encyclopedic nature cannot but captivate,” said the poet Evgeny Dolmatovsky. - I could name more than one case when a singer, without any rehearsal, without warning in advance about the program, went on stage and a whole department sang on the occasion of someone’s creative evening. It could have been Matusovsky, Dolmatovsky, Oshanin or Dementyev.”
The poet Lev Oshanin gave an equally high assessment of I. Kobzon’s work in one of his interviews:
“Deep humanity and professional rigor are characteristic, in my opinion, of Joseph Kobzon. Even today, without losing that life-affirming emotional charge that once captivated the audience in a beginning artist, Kobzon over the years has grown into a mature master, whose work is marked by intelligence, great musical culture, and heartfelt sincerity. I am pleased with his constant, tireless work and persistent search for something new. Kobzon can rightfully be called a singer of high civic thoughts and feelings.”
Kobzon's creative style is dictated primarily by the personality of the singer and the themes of his repertoire. Hence the lack of “hit” performance style, inner dignity and sophistication of behavior on stage. But who knows how many mental “volts” the “arc” of psychological tension costs, when behind the external stage restraint, behind the seeming evenness of emotions, there are human characters and destinies glorified by the singer!
Composer-lyricist Evgeniy Doga once recalled an unexpected encounter with such a “characteristic” Kobzon song, which suddenly fluttered out of an old transistor:
“On that beautiful spring morning, I stood on a high hill among the endless Moldavian codru, where fearless haiduks had found shelter for centuries. The echo of their beautiful ballads and doinas has long flown. Only nightingales and turtle doves never stop singing that, like the world, their song is eternal.
And suddenly, like an alarm bell, some force, either from space, or from the bowels of the earth, or from the core of mighty centuries-old oak trees, set in motion all the fibers of my being, filled everything that connected heaven and earth. The nightingales and doves became silent. And it seems that the greenery has become greener, and the sky is bluer, and the earth has become firmer under me, And I am drawn upward, as if I had grown wings. And only a little shepherd lies on the grass, with his hands under his head and his face directed at the endless sky, and a song flows from the transistor, the one that I remember forever, the one with which I felt so good, the one that Joseph Kobzon once created.”
And the well-known comedian expressed his admiration for Kobzon quite succinctly:
M.!!!
Gennady Khazanov
The portrait of Joseph Davydovich Kobzon will, of course, be incomplete if we limit ourselves to describing only his creative activities. Anyone who likes to listen to Kobzon the singer is undoubtedly interested in Kobzon the man. In order not to be unfounded, it is better to turn to the facts. To begin with, I will cite two little-known episodes from the life of Joseph Davydovich, recently “declassified” by the writer Fyodor Razzakov.

“When I was in the States,” says Joseph Kobzon, “I was informed that Frank Sinatra had expressed a desire to perform in the Soviet Union, that he really liked Gorbachev and perestroika. And that he is ready to come and give one or two charity performances, but only if he receives a personal invitation from Mikhail Sergeevich. I returned to Moscow and met with Gorbachev. And he even lied a little: he said that Frank Sinatra wanted to perform in Moscow for charity. You know, I ask, are you this singer? He says: “I know him as a friend of Reagan, I know him as a friend of the American mafiosi, and I even know his song.” After which Gorbachev sang “Travelers in the Night” tolerably. I say: “You see, he has never been to a socialist country in his life. Sinatra is already old, his career is ending, but imagine how important it is now, in your nascent relationship with Reagan, that you treat his intention to visit the Soviet Union democratically.” Gorbachev says: “No problem.” Chernyaev (this is his assistant) adds: “You will compose the text of the letter.” We composed (I may be wrong about the exact wording): “Dear Mr. Sinatra. Your name, a wonderful film and pop artist, the most popular person in the USA, is widely known in our country. And we would be very glad if you found the opportunity to visit our country in this interesting revolutionary-perestroika time.” They sent him away. At that time, the Soviet ambassador to the United States was Yuri Dubinin. He invited Frank to a cocktail party and formally presented him with the invitation. And since I was the initiator of this invitation, on my next visit to the USA I turned to impresario Steve and asked: “Well, when?” He said: “I will now connect you with him directly, and we will have such a conference conversation. You, me and him." We contacted the singer's headquarters. And the following became clear. Frank Sinatra has a whole museum hall in his villa in California, where invitations from the presidents of all the countries where he performed hang on the wall. But they are written by hand! And so he wanted Gorbachev to do the same. Wrote it with my own hand. And second: Sinatra is ready to come, but only for one concert, only on Red Square. He asks for a separate air corridor for his personal plane, a red carpet from the ramp to the premises. And the guaranteed presence of Mikhail Sergeevich and Raisa Maksimovna at this concert. I replied: “I am very sorry that in many countries abroad, in order to introduce listeners to me, they often used the “title” - “Soviet Frank Sinatra.” I am very sorry that I smiled shyly, but did not refuse this comparison. From now on I will consider it an insult. I also regret that my favorite artist was so poorly brought up. And I don’t regret that my Soviet listener won’t get to know him.”
At the meeting, I said to Gorbachev: “Mikhail Sergeevich, I’m afraid to upset you, but he is not worthy of your invitation.”
And here is another story that I heard from the poet Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko at one of his creative evenings. However, Joseph Kobzon himself, a participant in the conflict, will better tell about a major quarrel with the first cosmonaut of the planet, Yuri Gagarin:
“Yura was a very serviceable person. He was very sociable, very funny. Despite his complete lack of hearing, he loved to sing. He was friends with Sergei Pavlov, at that time a Komsomol leader. My relationship with Yura deteriorated in 1964. Although before that I visited his family. And he, despite the fact that I lived in a communal apartment, allowed it to amaze all my neighbors, often coming to see me. And Gagarin, and Titov, and Valya Tereshkova. I was friends with all of them. And Yura and I quarreled like this.
An unpleasant incident occurred involving Yevtushenko, who was then a disgraced poet after the famous exhibition at the Manege and an interview with a French newspaper. Eugene was banned. And then one day Yevtushenko told me that he was writing the poem “Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station”. And, knowing about my friendship with the astronauts, he asked me to give him the opportunity to communicate with them directly. I turned to Gagarin. He said: “Let it be.” Zhenya is a very nervous person. And he, preparing for the performance, walked behind the scenes. They noticed him from the hall. One of the representatives of the Central Committee turned to Gagarin: “Why is Yevtushenko here? Is he going to perform?” - “Yes, we invited him.” - “No need for total.” Gagarin told me backstage to inform Yevtushenko that the performance was undesirable. I replied: “I’m speechless.” And then some major came up to the poet and told him this. Yevtushenko was furious. Left. I waited until the end of that evening and, when everyone moved to the table, I told Gagarin that this was not like a man. That he is, after all, free from the conjuncture. Yura snapped: “If you are so unhappy, you don’t have to come to us anymore.” The relationship was later restored, but there was no such sincerity. Although, of course, I, like everyone else, was acutely worried about his death.”

An anecdote from the old clown Roman Shirman

It is indisputable that one would then sacrifice friendship with the legendary
Gagarin, defending the poet disliked by the authorities, could only be an extraordinary person. Someone who is always ready to help if
someone is in dire need of it. A
It was precisely this trait of Joseph Kobzon that Mikhail Ulyanov probably had in mind when he wrote about him like this:
“The fact that Joseph Kobzon is an excellent modern singer is known throughout the country. But not everyone knows that Kobzon is a remarkably faithful, kind, amazingly sincere person.
Now, I witness this and admire and deeply respect the hundred for this. These qualities are as rare as a good voice. He has both a voice and a soul.”
How many times have I heard about how a singer, having learned that his friend or stage comrade was in the hospital, hurried to him, offered his help, and gave concerts for medical personnel. Let us remember how the whole country gasped when, during a tour in Germany, our favorite Vladimir Vinokur got into a car accident and was seriously injured. We gasped, but no one really could do anything. Joseph Kobzon, who, as I was told, interrupted an important tour in America and urgently flew out to save his comrade, did so. And he did a lot: he achieved a separate room for Vladimir, attracted the best doctors in Germany, even organized a direct telephone connection between Russia and Vinokuru’s hospital bed. Others followed Kobzon's example. In the end, the efforts of doctors and friends defeated the disease, and viewers again saw Vladimir Vinokur on the screen alive and well.

At the grave of Vladimir Vysotsky

I remember how I was struck by the memories of Vladimir Vysotsky’s first wife. She talked about how the future legendary bard of Russia, who had already begun to compose songs, wandered behind the scenes, offering his compositions to the then popular performers Maya Kristalinskaya, Djordja Marjanovic, Mark Bernes and others. But no one, I repeat, no one was able to understand that Vysotsky was in great need at that moment, lived without an apartment, and had a tiny son in his arms. And only one Kobzon, who at that time received three rubles for a concert, took out the 25 rubles he had earned from his wallet and gave it to Vladimir with the words: “If you get rich, you’ll give it back.”
“Oh, how that quarter helped us then,” recalled Vysotsky’s wife.
In 1980, Vladimir Vysotsky, then already a popularly beloved artist, passed away. Since he did not acquire any titles, awards or distinctions during his lifetime, it was planned to bury him in some provincial cemetery. And while there was a phone call about this, Joseph Kobzon got down to business. He, according to eyewitnesses, came to the director of the Vagankovsky cemetery and was ready to pay any money if only his colleague would find a place next to Sergei Yesenin and other Russian celebrities. The director flatly refused to take the money, and Vladimir Vysotsky found his last refuge in the most convenient place of the Vagankovsky cemetery.
Later, paying tribute to the talent of Vladimir Vysotsky, Joseph Davydovich included a song triptych dedicated to his beloved bard in the program of his concerts. It included “Song about a Friend” by Georgy Movsesyan and Robert Rozhdestvensky, the ballad “Black Swan” by Vladimir Miguly and Andrei Dementyev, as well as Vysotsky’s song “Sons Going to Battle.” It was then that the poet Andrei Dementyev said about Kobzon:
“Joseph Kobzon is an independent state on the pop planet, because he never curried favor with either the years or the audience. He sang what he wanted to sing, what he personally liked. And it has always been like this. Success is always with him, because he whines not for its sake, but for the sake of establishing the truth.”

Concert at the Central House of Arts

And the poet Robert Rozhdestvensky, developing this idea, added that “for Joseph Kobzon, the stage has always been equivalent to a high platform. Therefore, in each new song he manages to reveal not only the intention of the composer and poet, to express not only himself, but also the time in which we live.”
Readers of the older generation probably remember the wonderful entertainer Emil Radov, Honored Artist of Russia. Bright. Musical. Humorous. How much joy he brought to millions of viewers with his sunny talent! After all, he hosted the most prestigious concerts, worked with the best pop stars - Bernes, Rosner, Obodzinsky, Kristalivskaya and many others.
But trouble came. Unexpected as always. The idol ended up in a psychiatric hospital with very slim prospects for a full recovery. Having assessed the situation, his wife and other relatives sold the apartment and, abandoning their former breadwinner to the mercy of fate, left for the cordon forever. In the confusion of this “flight” information flashed that Emil Radov had also emigrated - many fled then.
Meanwhile, the artist was slowly dying in terrible agony and complete oblivion. The head physician, who was a fan of Radov, wrote letters to all the Moscow, State and Rosconcerts, to the Ministry of Culture of the USSR, but as in V. Vysotsky’s song “... and in response - silence.”
Emil Radov died. He was buried in that “mass grave” where homeless people and other unidentified subjects are buried. And only after some time, one of the letters from the chief doctor of that hospital somehow got to Nikolai Gubenko, who headed the Ministry of Culture, and, having received publicity in the press, reached I. Kobzon. Joseph Davydovich did not look for those responsible for this wild, inhumane story. He acted as his sense of duty told him, the feeling of a decent man who wished, albeit in retrospect, to restore the good name and memory of his colleague in the pop arts. He achieved exhumation and, at his own expense, organized, with all the honors accrued in this case, the reburial of the public's favorite, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Emil Radov.

A very rare shot: Kobzon as a spectator. Evening in memory of L. O. Utesov

This is Kobzon. And if you try to remember to whom Joseph Davydovich at different times and in different forms provided his friendly help and support, then the rest of this book will be occupied by the names of these people and organizations. The newspaper “Moskovskaya Pravda” once very accurately wrote “...that his kindness and responsiveness truly have no boundaries. How many good, useful undertakings were carried out thanks to his active, effective support, how many people he helped in trouble. Loaded with creative work, he is unusually obligatory in relation to his many public affairs.”
I remember how much work it cost me to “break through” the title of People’s Artist of Russia for the formerly famous performer of songs and romances, the “white gypsy” Isabella Yuryeva. She had not sung for more than forty years and had no titles. No one believed in the success of the business, including Isabella Danilovna herself. I knocked on different doors, to different celebrities, hoping to get support. But at best, I received a polite refusal. Only two people supported me at that moment - Ivan Semenovich Kozlovsky and Joseph Davydovich Kobzon.
When I arrived at Joseph Davydovich’s home, he carefully looked through all the collected documents and immediately wrote a letter to the Moscow Committee for Cultural Affairs on his letterhead as a People’s Artist and winner of many awards.
“There will probably be difficulties with this title, don’t be shy, call at any time,” Joseph Davydovich admonished me, providing me with all his phone numbers for quick communication. When Isabella Yurieva was awarded the title of People's Artist of Russia by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, I remember he was no less happy than me and never missed an opportunity to help the legendary singer, always inviting her to her concerts. And if it weren’t for Kobzon with his initiative and financial support, it is unlikely that the Moscow theater community would have been able to so beautifully and warmly celebrate the centenary of the “white gypsy” on the stage of the Rossiya concert hall and at the Variety Theater.
His voice sounded on five continents, Everywhere people greeted the singer with love. His songs fought for peace and truth and poured into hearts with lyrical secrets.
What is he like?
Words don't play a role here
I will call his simple actions -
How many times did he break away from prestigious tours,
To visit a friend in Moscow for the evening.
His singing voice grew brighter every day. How many holidays, thoughts and hopes it awakens. This voice - rich, familiar, soulful - has been sounding for a quarter of a century, and is still fresh.
I brought you a fragment from a long-standing poetic dedication by Lev Oshanin, dear readers, for the sake of the line “. to visit a friend in Moscow for the evening.” For me it has not only a poetic, but also a purely practical meaning.
I remember my wife and I were invited to the birthday party of People’s Artist of Russia Kapitolina Lazarenko. As is customary in this case, a day and hour for the gathering of guests was appointed. However, literally the day before, Kapitolina Andreevna called and, apologizing, announced the postponement of friendly gatherings to the next day, since Joseph Davydovich Kobzon, her old and faithful friend, would not be able to make it from America at the previously appointed time.
And then the guests began to arrive. Boris Vrunov was already making fun of his friend Semyon, the father of Vladimir Vysotsky. Isabella Yuryeva was preening herself at the mirror, the birthday girl was rattling dishes in the kitchen, and suddenly the phone rang. A minute later, the hostess said that it was Kobzon calling from the plane landing at Sheremetyevo and that it was already possible to pour the first glass. Soon Joseph Davydovich arrived, tired, but very pleased that he was in time for the anniversary. There was a lot of conversation, jokes and songs at the table, but my memory retained almost nothing. I remember only a sad story, presented with Kobzon-like humor, about the plight of Russian artists touring abroad, who receive such pitiful handouts for high-quality work that they are forced to carry canned food with them and eat meager food cooked in their room on their own electric stove. This often led to conflicts with the administration.
“On the very first day of the foreign tour, the hotel that sheltered our troupe was without electricity,” Joseph Davidovich recalled then. - The reason is known to me - the artists turned on the electric stoves and are trying to cook food. The electricians' efforts to light the hotel have temporary success. The director, whom we have known for a long time, invites me. He always treated us Soviets with great respect.
“Mr. Kobzon,” he turned to me with his Odessa accent, “you know how much I love Russian artists and their art.” But I ask you to remind your comrades that I only have a hotel, and not the Bratsk hydroelectric power station.”
The evening was wonderful, fun and uninteresting. D Kapitolina Lazarenko then said the following words:
“I consider myself amazingly lucky. life, I witnessed the “era” of Klavdia Ivanovna Shulzhenko; was involved in the “era” of Leonid Osipovich Utesov and became a contemporary of the “era” of Joseph Kobzon.

Concert for artist friends

Everything about Kobzon is beautiful: wisdom, kindness towards people, but above all, his songs.”,
Joseph Davydovich once said: “I am constantly reproached by my family, relatives and people close to me for wasting myself so thoughtlessly, devoting a lot of time to my friends, colleagues and just strangers. But I don’t regret it, I’m proud that I can do something, that I have this opportunity that, unfortunately, others are deprived of. My older comrades have helped me all my life, and therefore, when I can respond to society in the same way, I try to do it. And I find satisfaction and spiritual joy in this. I came to Moscow to study in a soldier’s uniform, I didn’t know anyone. I entered and worked from the first year. And they - Muradeli, Novikov, Ostrovsky - took me, a boy from Dnepropetrovsk, taught me, fed me. Now it’s my turn to help people - good for good. But don’t imagine me as some kind of magician who just walks around the world and looks for where to do good. I live a normal life, I am just as indignant, I hate just as much and, naturally, I try to do good, although I don’t always succeed.”
I would like to note that all of Joseph Davydovich’s charitable activities are never advertised in any way, so we don’t know about a lot, and will we ever find out? For example, I found out quite by accident that, it turns out, for many years the singer has been financing the activities of orphanages in Tula and Yasnaya Polyana and helping the Pokrovsky Chamber Theater.
Truly, “there are countless diamonds.” in the soul of this person and citizen.
In the early 80s, Joseph Kobzon was the first pop singer to travel to Afghanistan, where, practically in a combat situation, he gave a series of patronage concerts for our soldiers, embassy workers and residents of Kabul. The concert program was carefully prepared taking into account the situation and the specifics of the audience. After one of the front-line performances, the first responses appeared in the army circulation, where it was rightly noted that “...these songs cannot just be sung. The deep pain contained in them, the heroic pathos must be conveyed to every listener. This is where Joseph Kobzon’s innate musicality, excellent professional school, soldier’s discipline, endurance acquired over the years of service in the army, and most importantly, the best features of his own nature - purposefulness and true civic integrity - were able to manifest themselves in full force.
“Cranes” by Y. Frenkel and R. Gamzatov is one of the most popular songs of today. The song is wonderful. And for
Joseph Kobzon, it became one of the programmatic ones in his work, giving the singer the opportunity to show a valuable quality - the poetry of his citizenship.
Listening to “Cranes” performed by I. Kobzon, you think about what pop artistry is. The ability to dance with a microphone in hand, dashingly jumping over the cord and conducting the audience? Or maybe true artistry is like Kobzon’s now:<<ни одного лишнего жеста, сдержанность, ничто не отвлекает от песни, от смысла того, зачем певец вышел на эстраду. Все эмоции певца - в голосе и его окраске.»
To make it clear to readers why the journalist singled out “Cranes” from the entire three-hour concert program, I will say that when he sang this Bernes song, the soldiers stood up! Every single one! Without saying a word. And when the song finished, there was dead silence. And she, this silence, was like an oath of allegiance to a soldier's duty and honor.
Academician N. Blokhin, who highly appreciates the singer’s artistic work, wrote:
“Having traveled a lot around our country, I know about Joseph Davydovich’s performances in many cities of Siberia, at BAM, in Chernobyl. He appeared and lifted the spirits of our people with his concerts in difficult times and in those places where it was really needed.”
Of course, many years have passed since then, but even now it is impossible to read without excitement the lines written in hot pursuit by one of the “Afghans,” the ubiquitous front-line journalist Mikhail Leshchinsky:

“Remember, comrade, we are Afghanistan.

These words from the song, which was first heard on Afghan soil by tens of thousands of Soviet people, dear Joseph, became their password for the rest of their lives.
Together with us - both military and civilian - you can rightfully be proud that with honor and courage you have passed, more than once, through the deadly trials that this land has prepared for us.
Your voice, your heart warmed the pilot in Bagram after a combat mission, the soldier in a hospital bed in Kabul, and the adviser in Jalalabad.
It has always been the voice of the Motherland. Don’t forget this!”

As for Joseph Kobzon’s concerts at BAM, in the seventies I had to accompany his concert team along the Eastern section of the highway under construction, where my colleagues - soldiers of the railway troops - worked. To be honest, it was not easy even for us, who are only responsible for organizing concerts in military units. I remember that our working day almost always lasted sixteen, eighteen, and sometimes twenty hours. Joseph Kobzon was, as always, tireless and constantly determined to work. Every day there were several performances, the last of which, as a rule, ended well after midnight. But how much joy these concerts brought to young builders in soldier’s uniform, to members of the families of military railway workers, how many grateful tears were shed and kind words were said to the truly national singer Joseph Kobzon!

CDRI. Conference on problems of pop art.

I cannot help but say about the reverent attitude with which Joseph Davydovich treated and treats those whom he considered his mentors and, to some extent, teachers.
It's no secret that Kobzon called Leonid Osipovich Utesov his favorite pop performer, his mentor, whom he idolized until the end of his days. I remember how at one of the concerts at the Variety Theater, Joseph Davydovich ended the program with Dunaevsky’s song “Dear Muscovites.” At the same time, he went down into the hall and went to Utesov, who was sitting as a spectator, who, taking the microphone from Kobzon, as in his best years, sang “... I’m lying, what should I say to you, Muscovites, goodbye?” The audience rose in unison, and when two eminent ladies joined the singing men - Lyudmila Zykina and Alla Pugacheva, forming a kind of quartet of folk artists, the delight of the public knew no bounds.
In my memory, there was not a single case where Joseph Kobzon missed creative evenings of his favorite composers and poets, whose songs graced his repertoire over the years. And how many of them there were, these musical holidays in honor of A. Ostrovsky, I. Dunaevsky, B. Mokrousov, R. Rozhdestvensky, V. Solovyov-Sedogo, A. Pakhmutova, M. Fradkin, A. Novikov, Y. Frenkel, N. Bogoslovsky, E. Evtushenko, L. Oshanin, O. Feltsman, I. Luchenok, M. Blanter, V. Levashov, "R. Gamzatov, who at one time spoke of Kobzon like this:
“He is from the most vital region of our musical art, he is one who quickly responds to the pain and celebrations of our song age and world. But he was never a shadow of time and events. On the contrary, we can say that he and his songs illuminated the events.
I listened to him in large halls in Moscow, and at youth festivals, and in distant villages, and in the family circle, and in a group of troops. He is tireless. And it is not surprising that he has many friends everywhere, in all republics and regions. I belong to them too. And the singer, artist, person Joseph Kobzon gives me great joy.”

Before the concert. N. Babkina, I. Kobzoy, S. Shakurov, Nelya, S. Morgunova, V. Yudashkin.

Of course, Kobzon’s amazing kindness, his attentive, friendly and even, I’m not afraid of this word, brotherly attitude towards his colleagues on stage cannot but evoke reciprocal feelings. There is a great deal of evidence of this. I will give just one friendly dedication with the permission of its author, my good friend Ben Nikolaevich Benzianov:

Don't think down on the stage.
Hear Kobzon's young singing.
Kobzon is already ahead of the centuries,
He is a pioneer of the era of acceleration...

He always looked for something new in songs,
An ardent opponent of dullness and inertia.
He performed in all the “hot spots”,
And he will be the very first to sing in space.

He is entering his second half-century
In the prime of life, and wisdom, and clarity.
Great singer and kind person,
Kobzon's songs are hymns of publicity!

He rebuilt himself before anyone else,
He built his repertoire anew.
May health and success await you!
Take a bow from Ben Benzianov!

By the way, in the variety program “Faces of Friends” one
Ben Bentsianov dedicated from the pages of his vivid solo confession to Joseph Kobzon along with song short stories about Aram Khachaturian, Klavdia Shulzhenko, Mark Bernes, Leonid Utesov.
This song dedication by Benzianov takes several minutes, but Nikolai Slichenko, it seems to me, is close to the record for brevity and clarity in expressing his friendly feelings for Joseph Kobzon:
“I’m ready to go on reconnaissance with you! I love you - artist, brother, person! Yours N. Slichenko.”
The greatest actor of the twentieth century, Innokenty Smoktunovsky, who is also a great miser with compliments, said this about Kobzon:
“Industriousness, spirituality, simplicity and kindness in themselves are not common. When you find these qualities in one creative person, you are surprised.
Joseph, you are a rarity!”

Benefit by G. Velikanova. Song greeting by I. Kobzon

Joseph Kobzon has a great friendship with the corps of our legendary cosmonauts. It all, of course, began with Yuri Gagarin, who introduced the singer to German Titov, Valentina Tereshkova, Georgy Beregov, Evgeny Leonov - in a word, with everyone who was among the very first to pave the way to the stars. Kobzon's performances in Star City have become traditional. His songs traveled with the cosmonauts over our blue planet, he was the first to “voice” the famous “Star Cycle” of Alexandra Pakhmutova’s songs about space and its heroes. He accompanied his cosmonaut friends into space, and he was among the first to meet them on their home planet called Earth. I greeted them with new songs and entire concert programs.
“Love for song, spiritual generosity, and determination allow Joseph Davydovich to open up widely and completely devote himself to creativity. Joseph Kobzon’s songs fill my life with joy and inspiration,” admitted twice-hero Peter Klimuk. And General Georgy Beregovoy noted that “...the creativity of Joseph Kobzon was brightly revealed during the period of rapid development of Soviet cosmonautics and great discoveries. All this shaped him as an artist - a great master of the stage.
“The unique songs of our long-time good friend awaken high feelings in thoughts and deeds among cosmonauts and creators of space technology.”
Congratulating his beloved singer on his anniversary, Pavel Popovich said:
"Well done! "".
And Joseph is not busy with human weaving. After all, he responds to any invitation!
In general, I love and respect Joseph in all human respects.”
Many people know that the singer’s long-standing and true love is sport and its “convicts” - athletes. A former successful boxer himself, the singer perhaps knows better than others that the most effective doping for any athlete has always been, is and will be the fierce support of loyal fans and the firm elbow of a friend. That is why no one is surprised when they see Joseph Davydovich at a football match or at a chess tournament. Looking through old photographs, I see him next to the legendary Valery Brumel and Valery Kharlamov, in artistic support groups performing in front of national teams at many championships and Olympiads.

Benefit performance of Capitolina Lazarenko

“Joseph Kobzon is not only an outstanding master of the Soviet stage, but also a person who did a lot for Soviet sports, for all of us.” Such an assessment from the outstanding sports commentator Nikolai Ozerov could only be earned through practical actions. And, apparently, it was no coincidence that singer I. Kobzon was elected a member of the presidium of the National Olympic Committee.
In Soviet times, the creative work of Joseph Kobzon was noted very highly: in 1980 - the title of People's Artist of Russia, in 1983 - laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize, a year later - laureate of the USSR State Prize (by the way, he immediately donated it to the Peace Foundation). In 1987, Joseph Davydovich received the title of People's Artist of the USSR.
With the beginning of perestroika, Joseph Kobzon began to pay more attention to politics, and his social activities intensified. At the same time, he had his own, very firm position. We remember well how he was one of the few brave souls to support Boris Yeltsin, who criticized M. S. Gorbachev and his reforms at the Plenum of the CPSU Central Committee in October 1987.
The singer himself recalled this period as follows: “On November 7 there was a folk festival on Sovetskaya Square. I'm performing. Yeltsin approached me surrounded by his colleagues. And I asked the people to greet Boris Nikolaevich. He was very moved. He came to me backstage and thanked me for my support. Moreover, that same evening there was a reception in the Kremlin. On the occasion of the anniversary. And at the banquet Yeltsin was already localized. No people crowded around him. After the speech, I went downstairs, approached Boris Nikolaevich and wished him courage. He said that if my participation is needed, I am always ready to be there.”

With Yuri Gulyaev and Mark Lisyansky. Creative evening of I. Kobzon.

At the same time, Joseph Davydovich maintained good relations with the Gorbachev family - Mikhail Sergeevich and Raisa Maksimovna.

In 1989, Joseph Kobzon was elected as a people's deputy, and thus his political activities were officially legitimized.
Changes in the Kobzon family came unnoticed. In January 1997, Joseph Davydovich’s 22-year-old son, Andrei, got married. In this happy way, Andrei’s two-year acquaintance with a Moscow State University student, the famous fashion model of the Red Stars company Katya Polyanskaya, ended. The wedding, which took place in the Mirror and Red Halls of the Metropol Hotel, brought together many guests, including very famous ones, such as Yuri Luzhkov, the hero of Afghanistan General Boris Gromov, artists Mikhail Ulyanov, Lyudmila Zykina, Boris Brunov, Makhmud Esambaev, Nadezhda Babkina, Evgeny Petrosyan, Larisa Dolina, Alexander Rosenbaum and many others. Patriarch Alexy II could not be at this celebration, but sent his blessing to the newlyweds.
When asked by curious people about how much money was spent on such a wedding, Kobzon answered frankly:
“The wedding was given to us by friends. The money that the guests presented to the young people amounted to an amount that made it possible to practically recoup all costs. I wanted to leave the gift to the guys, but they preferred to compensate me for the expenses. Andrey said: “Dad, the holiday is the best thing you could do for us.”
As for Kobzon’s daughter Natasha, her fate also turned out well. She managed to study in America, graduated from 9th grade in Moscow, and from 10th to 11th grade in Belgium. Then she returned to her homeland. For some time she worked as a press secretary for Yudashkin, preparing to enter Moscow State University to study law. But at the last moment she changed her mind and decided to study in America. True, she got there with difficulty, because due to her father’s persecution she was not given an entry visa. But then everything settled down.
Two years ago, Natasha also arranged her family life. Her husband Yuri is a talented international lawyer.

I. Kobzon - “soloist” of the Gypsy theater “Romen”

“Yes, the troubles were pleasant,” Joseph Davydovich shared his joy. - Immediately after the wedding, we invited Yura to join our holding company, elected him chairman of the board of directors, he is a wonderful lawyer, he works usefully and is generally a very decent guy. Natasha and Yura continue their romantic relationship, God willing, for a long time: But I’m waiting for the main result.”
In 1996, Joseph Kobzon made a sensational statement in the press that, having celebrated his 60th birthday, he would stop performing concerts. Well, besides, there were so many conversations about this, so many regrets.

But before leaving the stage, Joseph Kobzon made his farewell super tour with the concert show “I Gave Everything to the Song.”

Since television, radio and other media covered this, frankly speaking, extraordinary event in detail, it is enough to recall that on his farewell tour the birthday boy visited 14 republics of the former Soviet Union, giving concerts in more than fifty cities; The leaders of free and independent Uzbekistan made everyone laugh very much when they did not allow the famous singer to visit them due to the simultaneous renovation of all existing concert venues. No one in Russia paid much attention to this little detail. Only Joseph Davydovich was upset - he so wanted to say goodbye kindly to his fans, the inhabitants of the republic, which gave shelter to him and his family during the terrible times of war.
But Joseph Davydovich was greeted very warmly by his old friend, trainer, director of the Sochi Circus Stanislav Zapashny. He not only provided the singer with a circus arena for farewell concerts, but also, to the horror of the assembled audience, gave the opportunity to sing one of the songs in the program about a trainer right in a cage with tigers. It was difficult to determine what the audience applauded more, the masterful performance or the fact that I. Kobzon emerged from the cage with predators unharmed.

30.X.90 Evening in memory of L. A. Ruslanova

The final point in this Kobzon pop marathon was a grandiose concert in Moscow in the Rossiya concert hall. It began, as expected, on the evening of the 11th, and ended ten days later!!! o'clock, September 12, 1997. Thanks to the efforts of domestic television, the whole country saw it, and the concert was broadcast on intervision. At the anniversary evening of everyone’s favorite people’s artist, not only the cultural, but also the political elite gathered, and honored guests from abroad arrived.
In a word, it was a good holiday, full of goodness and light, which Joseph Davydovich Kobzon honestly deserved with truly knightly service to the art of the national stage!
On the eve of one of his previous anniversaries, Joseph Kobzon expressed his attitude towards the past years:
“.This is essentially not much, this is essentially a trifle.” This is what Robert Rozhdestvensky reasoned. And Yevgeny Yevtushenko objects: “And, apparently, life is not such a trivial thing when nothing seems like just a trifle.”
The years flew by like moments, but how much joy they gave. Unforgettable meetings with Lydia Ruslanova, Klavdiya Shulzhenko, Leonid Utesov, Mark Bernes. Joint performances and constant learning from these masters. So many joyful meetings with composers and poets. Exhausting and happy work on new songs. Author's Concerts of composers and poets. Trips to the Far East, the Arctic, north, south and west. Meetings with builders of Bratsk, Ust-Ilim, BAM and Norilsk, Zeyskaya and Vilyuiskaya state district power plants. Annual meetings with village workers.
How beautiful my homeland is. What beautiful and courageous people live in our country.
Meetings with soldiers in Damansky, with sailors in Severomorsk and Vladivostok, with internationalist soldiers in Afghanistan. Komsomol congresses and World festivals - this remains in the memory for a lifetime. Meetings with song lovers
abroad. And, of course, meetings with those whose fate is firmly connected with space. What beautiful people created this miracle of the twentieth century!
Thank you, Motherland, thank you, people, thank you, fate!
Much remains to be done to be worthy of our time, worthy of the respect of these people.”
What else can you add to these words? Is it possible to wish with all my heart and soul: Be happy, dear Joseph Davydovich!” And also to remind you of the welcoming words of the great Raikin:
“Please live long. The stage is always with you. Work with talent and heart as always!”

Valery Safoshki. April 2000, village, Volodino, Vladimir region

In the Insider publication, Troitsky recalls the history of his relationship with the artist, which stretches back to the 70s of the last century. The apotheosis was an episode from the early 90s.

“Lenya Parfenov in the early 90s filmed a series of programs “Portrait on the Background”, and I sometimes helped him,” writes Troitsky. “One of the “Portraits” was dedicated to Lyudmila Zykina, and there, without any hesitation, I said to the camera something like the following: “In the Soviet pop elite there was a funny division of labor: Zykina, as a purely Russian woman, sang songs about her native land, about Russia, about the Volga and birch trees - while Kobzon, being a Jew, specialized in compositions of a “supranational” nature - about Lenin, the Party, communism..." Calmly, objectively - isn't it? But the internationalist singer was so offended by this that he... “What kind of process" Joseph K. launched, I found out a couple of years later, being the editor-in-chief of the Playboy publication. We held one of our parties with bunnies at the Beijing restaurant, where I met the director - a huge man of southern appearance... Omitting the touching details of the conversation, I will briefly summarize: this sweet man was part of a team of killers for three days was waiting for me at the entrance of my house in Zyuzino until he was transferred to more important business. And I, almost a corpse, was blithely playing around somewhere on the side all this time... Fortune smiled and winked. “I’m very glad that we didn’t meet then,” he sincerely told me at parting, shaking my hand firmly. A few years later he himself was shot. Yes, the main thing: Arthur (I’ll call him that) told me that he received the order for my murder directly from the head of the Moscow mafia, Otari Kvantrishvili, and that it came from - surprise, surprise - Joseph Kobzon. With an explanation - “for the film about Zykina.” (I must say that after this story I was not afraid of Kobzon and told it many times - including on TV. It’s interesting that no one in the so-called law enforcement agencies was interested in it. Didn’t they really believe it?!).”