I hope that this is not a canard, and not a joke. I'm sure that even if this is a good joke, it's certainly not a stupidity. No, Tatu didn't receive a medal yet. They were just nominated for it, and besides, the DUMA (Russian Parliament, rem. forre) committee didn't support the initiative, because when this item will be declared, the people will have questions "To whom?" and "What for?" Medal of friendship between whom? Lena's and Yulia's friendship?
We got used that the holder of order is a man in a suit, usually, not very young, some kind of political, or so-called social activist. Generally, this is a solid and positive man.
The only exception it's the sportsmen, but even they get dressed up for visit the Kremlin, and look a bit awkward, but still solid. And the words they say, also awkward and solid, thanking the leader of the nation, and the nation itself, and promising to "exonerate the honor, and to stive for new horizons…", and in the future "to recognize the high responsibility - for the benefit of, and in the name of..." Speaking shortly, governmental reward is a serious thing- just as the government itself.
In that matter, I'm afraid that Tatu- girls don't match any of the demands, which are laid on the holders of honor. They aren't "activist", not elderly, and not sportsmen, they're not solid, and they won't enter the Kremlin in the stupid women-costumes (they certainly won't show up anyway) and won't say these ridiculous official speeches, reading it from a slip of paper. And the president would look a bit strange in that ceremony. Definitely, not as cool as in a destroyer, or a submarine. And I can hardly imagine how all the needed formalities over offering the order‘s holders. As the procedure, there should be "photo three on four, excerpt from the protocol of the laborer collective assemblage, a list of concert tours of the artists for the last five years, a reference from the taxes police". Oh, I would gladly attempt the general meeting of this collective!
Yes, it's truly hard to believe, that the experts, presented by (the list brought from the newspaper "labor") Yuriy Solomin, the director of historical library Michail Afanas'ev, the rector of literature institute Yesin, general director Tret'yakovka Rodionova, the rector of Gnesinskiy academy Sayamov - all these people will approve to reward a "pop band". And speaking the truth, For what? For a train of scandals, an insolent behavior, for propaganda of lesbian way of life in the teenagers sphere, for platitude of the lyrics, and the primitive music? Just as said Iosif Kobzon – "You can reward "Via Gra" and "Blestiashie" as well".
But here's where Iosif Davidovich mistaken! "Blestiashie", Kirkorov, Pugacheva, Baskov, and even Kobzon himself, no one knows them in the world! This is the situation, it doesn't make them worse artists, or less loved in their homeland in the sphere of their admirers. But the thing that every artist is longing to- worldwide fame, no one of our artists hadn't achieved that. "Kalinka-Malinka", "Ochi chernye" and "Poliushko-pole" – that's all the Russian hits known worldwide. That's not too fresh compositions, speaking gently.
And here, two Russian girls became real pop-stars on the worldwide scale. And not from the words of the artists themselves, like it happened before, when our "titans" were coming back from tours abroad, and telling about the "fantastic reception" they got. And not in the sphere of immigrants, but by selling millions of CD-copies, by filling up whole stadiums, taking first places in charts. I said it many times, and I'll say it again: We're not creating competitive productions, no one knows our stars, and we live like in a foreign planet, detached from the world. Except vodka and the frost, a common foreigner knows nothing more about Russia. Perhaps, except the sportsmen, once again. So every success should be appreciated, or at least not to be disgusted about this.
Pop-music is a giant industry, with a terrible competition, and more over it's all English-speaking. To receive a success in that area for Russia is just the same as to start to win "Formula 1" races, to make Mercedes' instead of Zhiguli (a domestic Russian car brend, rem. forre). I realize, that for the other, much more famous and loved in the homeland, much more deserved, and talented artists, it's hard to take the fact that these two singers achieved much more than they, aurochs and monsters, even dreamed of. It's hard to just understand and explain that.
Then all talks about the low level, the tricks of the producer, and the banal luck begin. But why there was no one else with such luck? Where were all the other producers? Why your higher level and talent didn't help you? And you can't do millions of sales just on imitation of adolescent lechery. For this, it's possible to find personnel much closer, than in Russia.
No, the thing is, that the group Tatu was the first to create a pure commercial product considering the world-wide standards. I don't judge now this standard, I don't count how far it is from Mozart and Tchaikovsky, and how low can this world get, to a depth of which lack of spirituality it goes. They made a good pop. Our pop can be easily differed from "their", from the first notes. But Tatu doesn't sound like the Soyuz rehashes. Of course, this is not for too long, groups like that takes the top for a season or two, and then disappears, there's hundreds of that kind. But there were no Russians among them, and I don't know when will be.
Millions of people bought their CDs, attended their performances, saw them on TV, and now they all know, that Russian – it's not necessarily big old-women on a posters and men in black-grey coats with gloomy faces and unkind gaze. The Russian can be also young, free, cool, scandalous, and last but not least, also sexy, and not sexless creatures from an endless crowd. Those, who got to know Tatu - got to know about Russia also. They didn't comprehend the depth of our history, the height pf our culture, but they started to think better about us- that's for sure. And what we can say for sure also, is that people who have nothing to do with politics, does more for their country, and bring much more use, than some presidents.
In London, thanks to Abramovich, everything Russian became very trendy. In Washington, people walking in the streets, wearing shirts with number 8, painting 8's on their faces or makes something like eight right on their head! Because the hokey-player Ovechkin plays in Washington and makes new record after another, and the public who come to see the game, they come mostly just for watch the playing of the Russian, player number eight.
So if there is a reward should be given to Tatu, it has to be a medal of friendship. And it could be useful for the image of the nation- it would show that it also have sense of humor, and that we're not only hypocrites, that we also normal buddies. When the Beatles got a reward of the British empire, it also caused a lot of indignation and incomprehension- to whom? For what? As a sign of protest, the chevaliers started to send the medal back to the queen. People said, that the Beatles also smoke grass in the toilet of Buckingham palace. But now, the day when they were rewarded, listed as an historical moment for the British and the worldwide music. And Kobzon says- how can you compare Tatu with the Beatles? 40 years ago they thought the same, that there's no place for comparison.
By Anton Orech
The Daily Journal, Russia
Translation: Ev (tatu.ru)
30.03.2006 |
