I remember him! Around 1988, 89 - glasnost era, pre-Berlin Wall falling - these two Russians came to my middle school, 'cultural exchange' etc. (I remember they told some Brezhnev jokes that were amusing), and we were asking them questions afterward. I remember asking what they thought of Boris Grebenshekov (pro, I think) and if they'd seen Rambo and if there was a Russian variation of Rambo, only instead of winning the Vietnam War for America he was making sure America didn't win the Vietnam War.
― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 16 December 2002 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)
like, vow!? -- this'd be a great moment for any number of ILM-lurkers/ Grebenschikov's compatriots emerge from the woodwork, or wherever, and report how's BG, from their perspective....
(i for one would be rather interested)
...doesn't happen 'ere? or...?
this's the little i 'appen to know, from farther away:
releases wise in Russia he seems to be productive as a bunnyrabbit, constant recordings with his group, Akvarium, and various solo stuff;
the latest by Akvarium that i've heard are mid- to late 90s, and to my ears not nearly as engaging as some of the olden platters (eg the one that's known as "Treugolnik"="Triangle", which is just achingly surreal in places - well, knowing Russian would greatly help, the texts are certainly central -- and helluva 'peculiar' in content)
back in dem days the late Sergei Kuryokhin, pianist who also came from St Petersburg, performed with Akvarium live as well as on a few recordings, and GB & SK once made a duo alb on Leo Records (if memory serves...)
dunno quite know to what extent the personnel of today's Akvarium differs from the one that travelled to the US all those years ago to make a record -- that finally became GB's solo alb "Radio Silence" (a rather bland thing, generally) -- and when most of the band just had to return home (deemed 'unnecessary' by the rec company)...
BG himself these days continues to propagate some sorta individual brand of 'Slavonic Buddhism' ((no, don't ask *me*)),which might be the reason -- i'm only guessing here -- why some of the records give off the air of now-the-artist-gets-seriously-back-to-his-folk-roots-and-makes-the-music-so-very-sincere-and-simple...
one the other hand, i've seen a concert BG & Akvarium's recently on a cable channel and that was fairly okay
only once i met GB in person, and quite briefly at that, at a festival in 1991; we agreed to do an interview, and ...i failed to to turn up on time
(better won't tell you who was the other interviewee because of whom, etc)
as on recent music in da wild world, a coupla years back GB was very musch of the opinion that (") nothing of any worth has appeared after Portishead(")
― t\'\'t (t''t), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 00:37 (twenty-two years ago)