Yegor Letov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Egor Letov
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Letov in 2007
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Егор Летов
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| Birth name | Igor Fedorovich Letov |
| Also known as | Egor Letov |
| Born | 10 September 1964 Omsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 19 February 2008 (aged 43) Omsk, Russian Federation |
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| Years active | 1982–2008 |
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Igor Fedorovich "Egor" Letov (Russian: И́горь Фёдорович "Его́р" Ле́тов, IPA: [ˈiɡərʲ ˈfʲɵdərəvʲɪtɕ jɪˈɡor ˈlʲetəf]; 10 September 1964 – 19 February 2008) was a famous Russian poet, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the founder and leader of the post-punk and psychedelic rock band Grazhdanskaya Oborona. Egor Letov also started an art project called Kommunizm. He worked with other artists from Siberia, helping them record and produce their music.
Contents
Egor Letov: A Russian Musician
His Early Life and Music
Egor Letov was born in Omsk, a city in Siberia, Russia. His father, Fyodor Letov, was a military man and a veteran of World War II. His mother, Tamara Letova, was a doctor. The Letov family had different backgrounds, including Russian, Mordvin, Komi, and Turkic ancestors. Egor and his older brother Sergey had health issues when they were young.
In 1984, Egor Letov decided to focus on music. He had already started writing poems and short stories. At first, he listened to music styles like Rock in Opposition and free jazz. His early recordings were simple garage rock songs, where he even used suitcases as drums. He later called these early works "baby talk" and "talentless."
Soon, Egor found other musicians in Omsk who liked the same kind of music. This music was not very popular in the Soviet Union, especially in Siberia. They formed a garage rock band called Posev (which means "sowing" or "seeds" in Russian). A very important friend and bandmate was Konstantin Ryabinov, also known as Kuzya UO. He was a musician and poet who worked with Letov for many years. In November 1984, Posev changed its name to Grazhdanskaya Oborona.
Facing Challenges: His Time in a Hospital
In 1985, Egor Letov's songs often shared ideas that went against the government. This, along with his growing popularity, led to him being sent to a mental hospital by the KGB (the Soviet secret police). He stayed there for three months. After he was released, he bravely wrote a song that criticized the government.
His Later Life and Beliefs
Egor Letov was a very talked-about person in the Soviet Union. In the 1980s, he made fun of the Soviet system in his songs. He created a unique "Siberian punk" sound. After the Soviet Union ended, during a political crisis in Russia in 1993, Letov gained fans among people who supported nationalism and communism. This was because he strongly disagreed with the government of Boris Yeltsin.
Letov was one of the people who started the National Bolshevik Party. However, he stopped being involved with the party around 1999 and moved away from politics. In an interview in 2007, Letov said, "In fact, I have always been an anarchist—and I still am." He explained that he was more interested in "eco-anarchism," which focuses on environmental issues. In 1997, Egor Letov married Natalia Chumakova, who was the bass guitarist for Grazhdanskaya Oborona.
Egor Letov passed away from heart failure in his sleep on 19 February 2008, at his home in Omsk. He was 43 years old.
What Inspired Egor Letov?
Favorite Writers and Philosophies
Egor Letov was inspired by many different artists and thinkers. He said his favorite poets were Alexander Vvedensky and Russian Futurist poets like Vladimir Mayakovsky. Early in his poetry journey, he was influenced by the Austrian poet Erich Fried. Letov was also interested in Conceptualism, an art movement where the idea behind the art is more important than the finished product. He saw his own music and public image as a form of conceptual art.
Some of his favorite writers who greatly influenced his ideas and writing style included Andrei Platonov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Henry Miller, and Gabriel García Márquez. His way of seeing the world was also shaped by Existentialist philosophy, which explores the meaning of life, and magic realism, a style of writing where magical elements appear in a realistic setting.
Musical Inspirations
Letov loved psychedelic rock and garage rock from the 1960s. He often said that Love, led by Arthur Lee, was his favorite band. Other bands that influenced him included Butthole Surfers, Psychic TV, and The Residents. He also mentioned Sonic Youth, Ramones, The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, Joy Division, and Swans.
He also found inspiration in industrial music, ska, reggae, and experimental composers like John Cage. He even listened to medieval and baroque classical music, as well as Soviet pop bands and folk music. Letov believed that everything he listened to, in some way, influenced his own music.
Well, I can personally say that about 80% of what I've composed was incited by what I'd listened to. But there doesn't have to be a direct connection. I can listen to Dylan and then, influenced by his music, write a hardcore song. So, definitely, if I didn't listen to anything, I wouldn't write anything.
His Impact and Legacy
Egor Letov was always a figure who caused strong opinions. Some people thought he was a genius, while others did not like his work at all. For example, a famous music critic, Artemy Troitsky, felt that Letov's musical skills were "very mediocre." However, many modern critics see Letov as a very important person in Russian culture after the Soviet Union. They consider him one of the best Russian poets of the late 20th century.
Even with some disagreements about his strong political statements, the importance of his art is generally recognized. Letov himself often said that his personal views should not matter. He believed that only his art was important.
There is a certain stream of existence running through me, but what I am is something no one knows. No one should be interested in that, it's an idle curiosity. I, for example, don't care who Dostoyevsky was or what he thought—I'm interested in his books, but I would never give him a ring or pay him a visit.
More About Egor Letov
Discography
You can find a full list of Egor Letov's music recordings here:
Film
- I Don't Believe in Anarchy, a documentary from Russia/Switzerland made in 2015.
- Project Egor Letov, a documentary from Medusa made in 2019.
