Viktor Tsoi is known primarily as the leader of the cult musical group "Kino", which gained immense popularity in the USSR in the late 1980s. And a couple of decades later, fans still leave the inscription "Choi is alive" wherever possible, and not only in the post-Soviet space. What is its phenomenon?
Group "Kino" appeared in 1981, when the trio "Garin and Hyperboloids" was renamed. The trio then became a duet, which included Viktor Tsoi and Alexei Rybin. Their debut took place on the stage of the Leningrad Rock Club. Soon the group recorded the album "Forty-five".
In 1984, the group already included four members: bassist Alexander Titov, drummer Georgy Guryanov and guitarist Yuri Kasparyan, who replaced Rybin, joined. With their new program at the 11th Leningrad rock festival "Kino" became a sensation, a discovery. The composition of the group was finally formed in the same 1984, when the bass player Igor Tikhomirov replaced Titov.
The real popularity of the group and Viktor Tsoi came in 1988 after the release of the album "Blood Type". Rock music in those years was still new for the USSR, and new things tend to attract attention. People liked the feeling of belonging to the so-called "underground" and the spirit of protest. Music has never been so commercially oriented. To young people, Choi seemed like "their boyfriend" because of his external modesty and simplicity, sincerity.
The listeners note that the songs of "Kino" were relevant for that time and in many respects retain their relevance after years. The texts that Tsoi wrote were both romantic and realistic, melodic. People recognized themselves in them.
The personality of Tsoi himself played an important role in the popularity of the collective. In an interview, he revealed his position to the audience. For example, he said that the main thing is inner freedom and inner comfort, and not outer. People could be impressed by this, given the not always simple living conditions. The lyrics of his songs also raised complex issues, including social and political ones.
Thus, at the 1984 festival, the song “I declare my home a nuclear-free zone” became the best anti-war song. The political significance of the band's music is evidenced by the fact that the KGB included "Kino" in the list of the most ideologically harmful groups. At the same time, Tsoi never campaigned and did not actively call for anything, but only talked about raising the level of consciousness. He believed that a person carries the solution to his problems, first of all, in himself. And in order to change the world, you first need to make changes in yourself. According to the famous musician Igor Talkov, Tsoi had the ability to put all the necessary meaning in one line.
Some critics note that the group was not distinguished by any high level of performance, and Victor was not a brilliant vocalist. The Kino group is an example of how the semantic fullness of music combined with the simplicity of the lyrics, the general energy of the songs and the charisma of musicians bring popularity.
During his life, the leader of "Kino" also managed to star in several films. The film "Needle" even took the second place in the distribution of Soviet films. Thus, Tsoi spread his influence through this sphere of culture.
In 1990, Victor's life ended in a car accident. The fact that the musician died young, as often happens, made him even more popular. His ideal image remains in the minds of fans of old and new.
