Igor (Garik) Ivanovich Sukachev (born 1959) is a Soviet and Russian rock musician, poet, composer, film actor, theater and film director, screenwriter, TV presenter. Front (1977-1983), “Postscript (PS)” (1982), “C Brigade” (1986-1994, since 2015) and “The Untouchables” (1994-2013). In 1992, he hosted his own program “Gazebo” on Channel One.
There are many interesting facts in Sukachev’s biography, which we will discuss in this article.
So, here is a short biography of Garik Sukachev.
Biography of Sukachev
Garik Sukachev was born on December 1, 1959 in the village of Myakinino (Moscow region). He grew up in a simple working-class family that had nothing to do with show business.
Childhood and youth
Garik Sukachev speaks with warmth and a certain nostalgia about his childhood.
His father, Ivan Fedorovich, worked as an engineer at a factory and also played tuba in the factory orchestra. He went through the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) from Moscow to Berlin, showing himself to be a brave warrior.
Sukachev’s mother, Valentina Eliseevna, ended up in a concentration camp during the war. A fragile 14-year-old girl had to build a road, carrying huge boulders.
Over time, Valentina fled the camp with her friend. During the escape, her friend died, while she managed to escape from the Germans. As a result, she ended up in a partisan detachment, where she mastered the profession of a miner.
Garik Sukachev with his father
Garik Sukachev was proud of his parents. During his school years, he had a complex about his last name, but did not want to change it out of great respect for his father.
In early childhood, Garik mastered playing the button accordion. Noticing talent in his son, Sukachev Sr. decided to make him a professional musician.
The head of the family sent Garik to a music school, and also forced him to devote several hours a day to rehearsals.
In one of his interviews, the musician admitted that at that period of his biography he looked with disgust at both the button accordion and the music school. However, it was only years later that he realized that he had received an excellent education.
After receiving his certificate, Garik entered the Moscow Technical School of Railway Transport. At that time, he studied quite well and even took part in the design of the Tushino railway station.
However, Sukachev was still most fascinated by music. As a result, he decided to continue studying at the Lipetsk Cultural and Educational School, which he graduated from in 1987.
Music
Garik founded his first team, Sunset by Hand, at the age of 18. After that, he, together with Evgeniy Khavtan, formed the rock band “Postscriptum (PS)”, releasing the album “Don’t be discouraged!”
While still studying at the Lipetsk school, Sukachev met Sergei Galanin. It was with him that he decided to create the famous group “Brigade S”.
In a fairly short period of time, the musicians gained a certain popularity. Such famous songs as “My Little Babe,” “Man in the Hat,” “Tramp,” and “Plumber” were written during that period.
In 1994, Brigada S disbanded, as a result of which each of its members continued their solo careers.
Soon Sukachev assembles a new team, which he calls “The Untouchables.” The most popular compositions are “Outside the Window, the Month of May” and “I Recognize My Darling by His Walk.”
In the period 1994-1999, the musicians recorded 3 albums, which included such hits as “I’m Staying,” “Walking, Wandering, Wandering” and “Give Me Water.”
The next 2 records will be released in 2002 and 2005. The team pleased its fans with the next hits, including “What the Guitar Sings About,” “My Grandmother Smoking a Pipe,” “The Smallest Sound” and “Freedom for Angela Davis.”
In 2005, Garik Sukachev’s solo album “Chimes” was released. In 2013, the rocker presented a new solo album, “Sudden Alarm Clock.”
Content
- 1 Biography
- 2 Family
- 3 Awards
- 4 Rock music 4.1 Sunset manually
- 4.2 Postscript (PS)
- 4.3 Brigade C
- 4.4 Solo albums
- 4.5 Singles
- 4.6 The Untouchables
- 4.7 Live albums
- 4.8 Collaborative albums
- 4.9 Tributes
- 5.1 Acting work
Movies
Garik first appeared in cinema in 1988. He got a cameo role in the Soviet-Japanese film “Step”. In the same year, the artist starred in the films “Defender Sedov” and “Lady with a Parrot,” continuing to play minor characters.
In 1989, Sukachev, together with the group “Brigade S,” starred in the drama “Tragedy in Rock Style.”
This film is unique in that it was one of the first Soviet films to contain shocking naturalistic scenes of personal degradation under the influence of drugs.
After that, Garik almost every year starred in various television projects, including musicals. He got the most significant roles in the films “Fatal Eggs”, “Sky in Diamonds”, “Holiday” and “Attraction”.
In addition to acting, Sukachev reached certain heights in the directorial field.
His debut film was called "Midlife Crisis". It starred such famous actors as Ivan Okhlobystin, Dmitry Kharatyan, Mikhail Efremov, Fyodor Bondarchuk and Garik Sukachev himself.
In 2001, the director shot another film, “Holiday,” and 8 years later, the premiere of his third work, “House of the Sun,” took place.
Garik Sukachev: “Sometimes the cops tied us up, yes, the gopniks beat off our kidneys”
Leather jacket, John Varvatos; silk shirt, Celine; jeans, Dolce & Gabbana
© Vanya Berezkin; style: Tatyana Lisovskaya
“Okay, okay, guys,” Igor Ivanovich Sukachev paces the spacious toilet of the presidential suite of the St. Hotel. Regis. There is a cigarette in the ringed fingers. Heading to meet Garik in slowly freezing Moscow, I wondered what state of mind one of the most paradoxical Russian rock stars would be in. Everyone knows that Sukachev’s emotional range can change in a minute from a frantic Tushino punk to a sedate citizen, mournfully discussing his life against the backdrop of an era of great upheaval.
This time there was no trace left of the confused veteran of the battles near the White House. Sukachev stands under the spotlights - smart, cheerful and impudent, as in his best years.
During the shooting, the artist successfully gets into character and gives in to a little gopnik improvisation - in the spirit of a native of Myakinino, who came to the central party for the first time and aimed at not losing face. “You have a watch... Well, it’s a so-so watch,” Sukachev mutters, but dutifully adds another one to his bracelets. While Garik is bragging in front of the camera, they tell me that earlier today he had already forced me to buy him slippers with pink unicorns at Children’s World (he wanted one with bunnies, but they didn’t have them) and almost dragged the female part of the film crew into the pool chosen by one of the locations (“Girls, why are you without swimsuits?”).
Simply put, this fit hooligan in a cap (sorry, there is no other way to call this headdress) does not show his age, and Igor Ivanovich (let’s return to the ceremonial tone for a moment) will soon turn sixty. I suddenly remember how last year at The Rolling Stones concert in Warsaw, Mick Jagger addressed the audience with a speech about local pension reform (which torments not only citizens of the Russian Federation). The great musician spoke in the sense that he would gladly stand up for the workers, but cannot afford to do so, because, firstly, he is not aware of the legislation, and secondly, he belongs to a slightly different trade union. “So I’d rather sing,” Sir Mick concluded. The 74-year-old (at that time) Jagger had enough energy to not only finish the concert that lasted more than two hours, but also fly to Russia after it to attend several matches of the World Cup.
All these thoughts swarm in your head when you look at Sukachev, who energetically poses with a loudspeaker on the posters for the anniversary concert (although in this case the word “foul-mouthed” is much more relevant). Garik put together his first group in 1979, it was called “Manual Sunset” (a forgotten designation for masturbation). Then there were “Postscriptum”, “Brigade S” and “The Untouchables”, as well as many solo albums. Today Sukachev is his own director and at the same time a man-orchestra, who does not want to rest on his laurels and is still ready to perform on stage just as dangerously and irresponsibly as in the days when this happened under the influence of alcohol. It would seem that he should easily look back at the path he has traveled, but, lounging in front of me in a chair and freely stretching out his legs, Garik unexpectedly decides to try on the guise of not even a patriarch, but rather a venerable dinosaur of Russian rock.
Suede jacket, cotton scarf and bandana, all John Varvatos; cotton T-shirt, Incanto
“My grandmother, who died in 1989, talked about how she lived under the tsar. I couldn’t wrap my head around it, it was very far away. Likewise, you will not be able to imagine the times of my youth. What happened was comparable to the explosion of an atomic bomb on Bikini Atoll. Or with the advent of miniskirts. No rock music existed before, and then it appeared in the middle of the twentieth century. It is impossible to describe the shock that then gripped us all. One example I always give is: how can you remember a toothache? You can talk about it, but it’s impossible to recall this feeling.”
“We were lucky, you are not so lucky,” Sukachev unexpectedly sums up his historical excursion. But he immediately softens: “You were born with our baggage. You had some other discoveries - Dandy, then Sega, but you didn’t see this.” Having dealt with world processes, Garik is still reluctant to move on to his own experience. He says that he wrote poetry since childhood, but could not imagine that they could be sung in the same way as foreign idols.
The breakthrough was the recordings of “Time Machine”: “I realized that all this was not in vain, that everything is possible.”
“We didn't think about money at all. We wanted to be cool, but they don’t pay for it,” the artist continues his teaching. In his opinion, it is in no way possible to explain what it means to be cool; you have to be born that way. He himself, according to him, always knew that he would be a famous person, the only question was how and what. The same applies to the unique image - “a cross between a hooligan proletarian and an old soldier who does not know words of love.” Sukachev did not carry out any special work on him. The style evolved chaotically - from the experience of life on the outskirts, magazines with the heroes of the “new wave” and a general keen desire to emphasize one’s individuality. According to Sukachev, in fact, this very individuality is the coolest thing that can be.
Speaking about how his idea of the artist’s appearance was formed, Garik does not skimp on bold comparisons. “Remember Yesenin and Mariengof, remember Mayakovsky’s yellow jacket - all these slaps in the face to public taste. There is another way. Some people allow themselves some antics, while others, on the contrary, address everyone as “you” and speak in the beautiful language of the late 19th century. That’s how Mike Naumenko was, and at some point I even adopted this style from him, it was cool.” Naumenko, resurrected in the public consciousness a year ago by Sererenikov’s “Summer,” is generally singled out separately by Sukachev. “Today, unfortunately, it is no longer clear, but Mike created the rock language. Makarevich showed that you can sing in Russian. And Mike, after Andrei, after Grebenshchikov’s translations of Dylan, showed that rock language can be rough, tough, and alive.” Garik pauses, lowers his voice and says: “You’re rubbish - only this word can offend.” We couldn’t even imagine that this was possible,” Sukachev can be heard gasping.
Wool jacket and vest, jeans, all Dolce & Gabbana; cotton shirt, silk tie, all Massimo Dutti
However, Garik obviously enjoys talking about the formation of culture, in which he took an active part. He throws out comparisons, says that in many ways it was all a sport, but at the same time claims that there was no pantheon. “This is original music, there could be no hierarchies by definition.” I understand that Sukachev seems to be deliberately creating from his memories the impression of a story about something like the “Mighty Handful” - a meeting of like-minded creative people who were engaged in more or less pure art. He seems to deliberately not say that the rockers of the eighties were in a semi-legal position and often came into confrontation with the Soviet regime. When I try to bring Garik into this conversation, he stops short and winces: “Many of my comrades in arms treat themselves like Che Guevara. I've never felt that way about myself.
Yes, sometimes the cops tied us up, yes, the gopniks beat off our kidneys. But there will always be someone who will take your kidneys away - this is not a sign of the times.
And perestroika certainly began without our participation - by decision of the Party Central Committee.”
After the change of regime, Sukachev fully demonstrated his characteristic paradoxical nature. First he became a director, making his debut with the film “Midlife Crisis,” a picture as wild as it was bright. We can guarantee that the scene of an acid trip to the song “Telephone Boys” is still capable of impressing even those who are familiar with the psychedelic film poems of Gaspar Noe by heart. Then he suddenly took a turn towards chanson, as if he had calmed down - songs like “Man of Habit” or “And outside the window is the month of May” had little in common with the wild and dangerous performances of “Brigade S” of the eighties.
However, today everything has returned to normal - if in the case of my changeable interlocutor one can even speak in such terms. “Considering that we are the guys who started it all in this country, I, of course, consider myself a rock musician. But in general I define myself as a nobody. Or Mister X,” Garik chuckles. The upcoming date, according to him, made him mobilize his old love for his foreign colleagues: “You watch the performances of The Rolling Stones or Ozzy Osbourne and you understand that this is just the way it should be. I understand that now is the time to be naughty again. I want to die on stage - this is cool, this is the most masculine thing that can happen. In general, I look at them and think: “I’ll do some physical education,” Sukachev laughs, informing him that he swims and works a little with the hardware to maintain his strength. “I used to do boxing, but that’s in the distant past.”
According to him, alcoholic drinkers are also a thing of the past: “If I drank like I did 30 years ago, I wouldn’t be sitting in front of you now. Serezha Galanin knows his norm and knows how to drink beautifully. Volodya Shakhrin is the same. But I can’t, well, that means there’s no need.” This statement somewhat contradicts the video of a half-naked Garik demanding wine at the hotel reception that appeared several years ago, but for Sukachev himself there is again no contradiction. “Well, some asshole filmed me in my favorite Sovetskaya.” What, am I going to think about him? I’m cool, but who is he?” There is no way to argue with the artist in this case. And if anyone is still confused by the fact that Mr. X seems to be confused in his testimony, the ideal explanation for this would be one of the best old Sukachev compositions with the telling title “Werewolf with a Guitar.” We can only wait to see who else Igor Ivanovich will turn out to be, once again hitting the ground.
Probably,
Personal life
Despite the image of a hooligan and rowdy, Garik Sukachev is an exemplary family man. He met his future wife, Olga Koroleva, in his youth.
Since then, the young people have never parted. In his interviews, Sukachev repeatedly admitted that he married very successfully.
Garik Sukachev with his wife
Garik is so happy with Olga that during the years of his married life, he never wanted to cheat on her or even allow himself to flirt with the opposite sex.
In this marriage, the couple had a girl, Anastasia, and a boy, Alexander, who today works as a director.
Few people know the fact that Sukachev is an avid yachtsman. He once practiced boxing and scuba diving.
Strong Sukachev family
Olga and Garik have two children: son Alexander (born in 1985) and daughter Nastya (born in 2004). The children bear their mother's maiden name, the Queen. The decision to give the children Olga's surname was based on the fact that Garik did not want his offspring to bear the burden of his famous surname.
The successes and achievements of children are largely the merit of their parents. And if Garik himself says that he often disappears on tours and rehearsals, then it is clear that Olga is mainly involved in raising the children.
Alexander chose a creative profession - he is a director, studied in England and has a bachelor's degree in film studies. Daughter Nastya is still in school. Since Olga almost never gives interviews, we have to rely on Garik’s opinion: he told reporters that the birth of their daughter was a surprise for them, and a very pleasant one at that. The age difference between the children is 19 years. This serves as further proof of the harmonious relationship of this couple.
Garik Sukachev today
Garik still actively tours and takes part in various rock projects. In 2020, the artist’s new solo album entitled “246” was released.
In the same year, Sukachev began hosting the program “USSR. Quality Mark" on the Zvezda channel.
Not long ago, the biographical film “Garik Sukachev” was shown on Russian TV. Rhinoceros without skin."
The musician has an official account on Instagram. As of 2020, about 100,000 people have subscribed to his page.
