early years
Pokrovsky Maxim Sergeevich was born on June 17, 1968 in Moscow. The musician’s father is a very famous sports journalist. The future musician studied at school 160, which has now changed its number to 138.
At some point, the boy realized that he really liked music and decided that it would be good to master some instrument. Therefore, little Max Pokrovsky persuaded his parents to buy him a guitar, after which he began to “impress” the neighbors with his loud playing.
The depth of his talent allowed him to independently make friends with the instrument, that is, to master the chords and playing technique. The guy did not receive an academic education, but this did not stop him from writing music on his own. Max Pokrovsky experienced his parents' divorce at the age of seven, so the guitar became a real consolation for him.
The future musician began to dream of becoming a celebrity in the future as a child. The biography of Max Pokrovsky says that, as a child, he dreamed of two professions:
- artist;
- pilot
However, in order to fly, you need to have the health of an astronaut, and Maxim had some heart problems. After graduating from school, young Pokrovsky submitted documents to the MAI (third faculty) and successfully graduated. But this profession was absolutely of no use to him, and his diploma is gathering dust somewhere on a shelf.
Maxim Pokrovsky: “Even cockroaches will soon be able to take photographs”
Fron Maxim Pokrovsky is a creative person to the core and it seemed very tempting to talk about photography with such an extraordinary personality. We met in one of the Moscow studios, where the group had a photo shoot scheduled. A striped shirt, a sporty green jumper over it, knee-length shorts with patch pockets, tousled hair - it’s immediately clear that this is a rock star. However, it turned out that Maxim is very picky about his image and this outfit was not intended to be caught by the camera: “I have a bunch of clothes with me, wait, I’ll put on something more decent.”
Maxim Pokrovsky - front. This article presents an interview with this very interesting and creative person.
— Maxim, it’s clear that you take photo sessions very seriously. Do you evaluate the result of the shooting just as strictly?
— I have a combination of pickiness, responsibility and carelessness. For example, what’s going on on my head is a figment of my fantasies five months ago and now I simply don’t have time to get a haircut. On the other hand, I’m clean shaven—I don’t really like myself overgrown. In the photographs I want to see myself as I am. Understanding at the same time that there are some subtleties in relation to the filming process. There are five of us in the group, we have different heights, faces - we are different people! And I don’t want to focus on the most popular method of arrangement when filming, when the team leader is in the center. Therefore, combinatorics are possible: first, second, third, etc. Or first, third, fifth, fourth... In addition, everyone has several sets of clothes with them. I’ve been on the go all summer and now I’ve returned from the dacha - I brought three hangers of clothes, a bag with T-shirts - not the most current, but it will be easier to figure out the color scheme: how much we match each other. Moreover, everyone has their own clothing style. It is clear that we are not fundamentally different - one is a dandy, another is a metalhead, the third is a sailor, the fourth is a professor, the fifth is a jazzman... But there is a difference. By the way, I have always been quite careless about color combinations. But recently I began to notice that some of them bring me discomfort. Probably, there is nothing too subjective about this on my part, there are simply combinations that live with each other and those that do not.
- It all depends on the circumstances. For example, on the beach the combination of yellow, blue, and red is very appropriate. The same combination in an office setting will cause confusion.
- Undoubtedly. But even if we abstract from this, take a sheet of paper and put three stripes on it, then with all my love for the Russian flag, white, blue, red does not appeal to me very much.
— As the famous photographer Alexander Nozdrin said in an interview with our publication, now many beginning photographers do not know the basics of fine art at all: the elementary laws of composition, color combination techniques. And you are a musician, and you focus on this!
— For me it happens intuitively. In addition, photography is to some extent on my list of interests, and I came to it in a completely natural way. As a child, I really liked the click of a camera and the process of making cards. I even managed to get a little involved in it: I developed the film myself, printed it, but I did it rarely and disgracefully poorly. Subsequently, I got decent cameras - non-professional ones - I didn’t allow myself any others, it didn’t correspond to my amateur goals and objectives. But I still keep my 50th Canon film. And now I shoot with the EOS 400D, floundering on the amateur/professional border.
—What is your camera lens aimed at?
- For a lot. For example, on the members of the ensemble, at the time of adjusting the sound before the concert, I take a couple of shots from the angle I like. Our guitarist, Igor Lapukhin, even once said: “You film, film, no one will film better than you anyway!” I don’t know how much his opinion corresponded to the truth, but the message and emotions were certainly sincere. This is primarily due to the fact that today the team “Nogu Svelo!” has a 20-year history. We are public people, we take pictures often and, at some point, for natural reasons, after suggestions like - make a grimace, jump, do something cool in the frame - I already wanted to punch you in the face. But you can’t do this with everyone: there are still more applicants than real opportunities. This was one of the reasons I started taking photographs. I don’t do this seriously, but I “see” it a little. In short, I have a love for photography based on some limited desire to find practical applications for it.
— When taking this or that photo, what goal do you set for yourself - to capture the moment, to create a beautiful, artistic photograph, or perhaps an unexpected one?
- To a greater extent - beautiful. I'm drawn to artistry, I don't have any reportage in me. As for the desire to “catch”, there are two directions - to catch a beautiful moment, for example, when a bird of prey pecks a horned victim, or, as is fashionable lately, to photograph when someone bends over, their skirt is lifted up, their panties are visible - this Not only the Internet, but the whole world in general is replete. I have no desire to shoot such stories.
— What about the emotionality in the frame?
— I’m not very good at capturing emotions, although I really want them to be present along with artistry: no stone faces! I have long been alien to the desire to photograph from the full face or three-quarters: a person is already visible and understandable, the photograph must be alive! The desire to perpetuate some historical moments is also practically absent. I consider the most popular and ugliest manifestation of “photographic skill” to be shooting on the theme “we hugged and did it like this” (Maxim demonstrates a “grin” and “V” on his fingers. - Author’s note). Fools are standing: “We are in Turkey”, “We are with scuba gear”, “We are after diving”, “We are on a boat”, “Here the Turks caught and are preparing fish for us”, “We are on camels in Egypt”, “We are the pyramids” ... At the same time, “we must definitely do this and that.” A saying starting with the word “we” is a product of some kind of collective mockery of the ensemble “Nogu Svelo!” over amateur photographs. On the other hand, I really love photographing my loved ones against the backdrop of architectural structures. One of my best achievements in this area is a photograph of my wife Tatiana against the backdrop of La Sagrada Familia Cathedral - one of the best buildings in Barcelona, architect Antoni Gaudi. I managed to capture almost everything in the frame: from the ground to the very top. At the same time, I took Tanya to the middle of the roadway, lay down on the ground, somewhere near the curb, and captured all this splendor on an old Canon film film.
— In your musical creativity you often show yourself as an experimenter. Does this quality have a place in the hobby of photography?
— My passion for photography at some point resulted in an extreme love for the city of London. I won’t boast about this affection of mine - now it’s irrelevant, there are more Russians in London than in Moscow. And whoever said or sang about it - on the one hand. On the other hand, I don’t see any point in hiding it either. Actually, the main thing I like there is the hatches in the pavements, sidewalks, on the roadway - there are a huge number of them! However, they are all different! I perceive them as certain creatures and even have a simple, rather ambitious idea to make a photo album where the hatches would be presented in the form of portraits. In the meantime, I have a specially prepared frame hanging on the wall at home, and as soon as I find the time, I will select three files, make a high-quality, expensive print and finally insert them into it.
— In the capital of Great Britain, like nowhere else, you can feel the close interweaving of thousands of years of history and the modern rhythm of life...
— In London, I am attracted by all the stone objects - pavements with wonderful masonry, brick walls - they are different there, as if alive. You can walk along residential buildings, in one of the alleys you will come across a low, human-sized wall, pull yourself up and see how trains go underground from the metro station. All this has a different design than in Moscow or St. Petersburg. I am interested in all combinations of pebbles, pieces of iron, industry and the service sector: when I started photographing hatches, I, in fact, abstracted myself a little from people, whereas before they were always present in the frame. If only I could find a week of free time, buy a couple of spare flash drives and head to London... In Jerusalem, which I love no less, I prefer to photograph the local population. For example, I have a picture of a “dude” in one of the tiny alleys carrying two wooden crosses, and two little Arab girls looking at it. Or a photo of two girls, I don’t know - Jewish or Arab. I myself get less and less into the frame - the costs of passion.
- At “Nogu Svelo!” dense and varied tour schedule: Karaganda, Sochi, Tyumen, Kostroma, Novy Urengoy, Surgut, Nizhnevartovsk, Khanty-Mansiysk, etc. Do you take your camera with you on tour?
- Rarely. It’s a little heavy, cultural events on tour end very quickly, and from time to time they end in drunkenness. Therefore, there is no time for photos.
— This year, two significant events are planned in your creative life - the release of a solo album and the 20th anniversary of the group...
— The idea of doing a solo project has been brewing for a long time, but it’s too early to start talking about an album. So far, only the first solo single “Shopping” has been released. When they tell me that this composition is completely uncharacteristic of my work, I take it as the most welcome compliment. This is why everything was done, otherwise it would have been some kind of branch of “Nogu Svelo!” Now, collaborating with very talented people, I am working on a number of more songs. As for the ensemble’s anniversary, we plan to celebrate it by recording something original in the studio: new and not entirely new, very well-known, but with a completely new sound. It's a secret. I have already revealed half of it to you.
— And finally, your signature advice to our readers!
— The development of digital technology, inextricably linked with the reduction in cost and reduction in size of an elementary cell called a chip, has led to the fact that the inhabitants of planet Earth are taking wild photographs and recording some audio opuses on all kinds of digital devices. An abundance of programs and software allows you to create music and photos without leaving your home. Soon not only pets will start doing this, but even domestic insects - cockroaches! This is the path to global simplification. Therefore, my advice is to take less photographs!
- And deeper!
- Yes! Still, the presence of photographic lenses in almost every mobile phone is not a call to ignore basic rules of behavior and politeness. Now they will even get into your ass without permission. Therefore, if it were up to me, I would gladly kick someone who takes photographs without permission right in the jaw. I recently had an incident in Zaporozhye. We were participating in a fairly large concert, and a flock of young people made their way into the area in front of the stage, which was closed to people not directly related to the event. They approached me asking to take a photo. I would like to note that before the concert I can only communicate with representatives of the “Nogu Svelo!” team. If one of the organizers or sponsors approaches me, I have only one request - leave me alone. However, I treated the young people with respect. They settled around, and then I felt in the back of my head that they were making “horns” at me. The idiot with the camera managed to take one or two shots, I snatched the camera from his hands, and the equipment was relatively decent, I hit it hard on a wooden bench, tore apart the flash drive and sent these young people to hell... Subsequently, various nasty things were written about this incident on the Internet , they say I was drunk, etc., but such writings only benefit me. So there is only one conclusion: photography and education are interconnected things.
Maxim Pokrovsky - front. This article presents an interview with this very interesting and creative person.
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Group “My leg cramped!”
It was 1988, and third-year student Max Pokrovsky, together with his friend Anton Yakumolsky, decided to put together their own rock band. To draw attention to the group’s work, Maxim called it “My Leg Cramped!”, which sounded very extraordinary. The texts did not carry any semantic load, and some of them were composed of words invented by the author. Some songs were written in English. They were mainly aimed at making people laugh and detach themselves from routine problems.
All the songs were written by Max Pokrovsky, and initially they were created only in the punk style, and the famous “Haru Mamburu” became one of the first comic compositions “My leg cramped!” However, later the guys decided that by playing “rockopops” they could earn much more.
The fruits of popularity
Maxim does not like to look back, remembering his first career steps. He considers the only right thing to do is to boldly look into the eyes of the future and believe in a successful outcome. However, apparently, Pokrovsky did everything right, because “My leg cramped!” were very quickly noticed and accepted by the public. And the reason for this is their individual uniqueness and appearance, about which one can say “not of this world.”
When Max Pokrovsky's popularity gained enough momentum to gain influence in show business, he began working solo and tried his hand at acting. According to the musician himself, the path to fame through outrageousness was the shortest and most correct. And they didn’t pretend to be punks - it’s just that at the time they started their careers, this style was the most popular.
Like Max Pokrovsky’s “My leg cramped!”
In 1988, Maxim met Anton Yakumolsky (drummer), they thought about creating a group, the name for which was invented by Pokrovsky. It was unusual and memorable - “My leg cramped!” The lyrics sung by the group were humorous. Some songs were performed in English, while others were performed in a language no one understood. The main author of both songs and music for the group was Pokrovsky. At first their music was punk rock, later they switched to light pop rock. The musician does not like to remember exactly how he started his career. Maxim prefers to look to the future and hopes that in going his own way, he did everything right.
Maxim Pokrovsky created a group with the unusual name Nogu Svelo
“My leg cramped!” very quickly won the sympathy and popularity of the audience, since this group was absolutely unlike all the others, and, in addition, was distinguished by its originality. Being popular, Pokrovsky became an influential person in show business in Russia.
The musician himself believes that at that time the musical group took the shortest path to achieve success - the path of outrageousness. This does not mean at all that they were pretending, it was just in fashion in those years.
Acting
Like any creatively gifted person, Maxim decided to try his hand at theater and cinema. The musician liked acting, and his first job was participation in Valentin Gneushev’s project. Then Pokrovsky starred in such films as:
- “Time is Money” by Evgeny Lungin;
- “To Baikal” - Sergei Nikonov and Mikhail Kozlov;
- Treasure Hunters by Brent Hiff.
Moreover, the musician played one of the supporting roles in the series called “In the Rhythm of Tango,” which also starred the well-known Natalia Oreiro. In addition, Max Pokrovsky took part in the play Cleanset by Sarah Kane. Before going on stage, an artist is always noticeably nervous, but for a real creative person this phenomenon is quite normal.
Filming on TV
One day Max wanted to try some extreme sports and he went to “survive” on the popular Russian TV show “The Last Hero”. Apparently Pokrovsky liked it so much that he took part in it twice - in 2003 and 2004. Being outside his comfort zone, Maxim wrote a song about the difficult conditions and hard work on the island. Composition “I am not the last hero!” became the “anthem” of that season. Such popular personalities as Vlad Stashevsky, Irakliy Pirtskhalava, Maria Butyrskaya and Ekaterina Semenova “survived” in Pokrovsky’s team.
In 2005, the musician worked at TVC, where he hosted the TV show “Hello, TV!” In addition, he managed to participate in the Ford Boyard program three times.
Childhood and family
Maxim's hometown is Moscow.
His father is a famous sports journalist. When he was only seven years old, his parents divorced. The boy taught himself to play the guitar by simply picking out melodies. He did not study at music school. As a child, Maxim dreamed of becoming a musician or civil aviation pilot. He liked the beauty of passenger planes as a child.
Having matured, Maxim realized that he could not become a pilot. After all, in order to fly, you need to have excellent health, and he had some heart problems since childhood. His doctors literally tortured him with many medical examinations and examinations.
Pokrovsky decided to become a student at the Aviation Institute. It so happened that in the future he did not work even a day in his specialty.
Pokrovsky's solo project
Recently, Maxim has moved somewhat away from the group, recording his own albums. The first single, which was released in 2007, was the song “Shopping”. And two years later, Max Pokrovsky’s video for this composition was released. The single became a real hit in English nightclubs, because the musician collaborates with famous British DJs.
Max Inc’s solo career does not in any way affect the life of “Nok All!”, so the group continues to write songs and give concerts. In addition, Maxim Pokrovsky has been friends with Mikhail Gutseriev for many years and writes music based on his poems. The creative union has long found its admirers on Russian radio. The fruits of their creativity are called: “Yellow Glasses” and “Asia-80” (2012); "Eyes of Love" and "Crocodile People" (2013). Soon after the songs were released, Max shot videos for them.
In addition, Pokrovsky is the author of soundtracks for the films “Time is Money” (the song “Moscow - Shaverma”); “Turkish Gambit” (“Let's go to the East!”); “Dumb Fat Hare” (“Haru Mamburu”) and songs for the Moscow Circus show on Tsvetnoy Boulevard.
About personal
Like many public people, Maxim does not like to talk about his private life, but something is known. The musician met his future wife, Tatyana, at one of the rock parties that the young student often attended.
Since then, a lot of water has passed under the bridge, and at the moment there are two children in the Pokrovsky family - Taisiya and Ilya. Maxim loves horses and horseback riding, and his loved ones actively support him in this.
Personal life
Maxim does not like to communicate with journalists about his personal life. Having experienced his parents' divorce in childhood, the boy was already sure that his biography would contain only one marriage. He met his future wife Tatyana at a rock concert in the early 90s. In her youth, the girl was a rock fan and attended concerts in her free time. The marriage produced two children - daughter Taisiya and son Ilya.
Maxim Pokrovsky and his wife Tatyana
Maxim’s wife is a non-public person and rarely communicates with representatives of the press. Everyone who knows the Pokrovsky family notes that they are surprisingly friendly and united. Tatyana devoted her life to children and family, she does not work. The woman dreamed that Ilya and Taisiya would grow up at home, so she did not send the kids to either a nursery or after-school school. Maxim is responsible for family finances, Tatyana is responsible for education and home.
Spouses with children often relax in a country house that Maxim built in the village of Tabolovo near Moscow. Not far from the wooden cottage there is a forest and two reservoirs. On the territory, in addition to the playground, they installed a pink Barbie-style house for Taisiya: inside there was a table, a sofa and a toy kitchen stove. On the plot there are trees planted by Maxim and flowers grown by Tatyana.
Maxim Pokrovsky with his family
In 2011, Timur Kizyakov visited the Pokrovskys with the program “While everyone is at home.” Four family members gathered at the table. Tatyana and Maxim showed the house to the guests and told the story of how they met. Children were active participants in the conversation, especially the youngest Taisiya - the girl helped Kizyakov ask his parents questions.
Maxim twice participated in the project “The Last Hero” - in 2003 and 2004. During the reality show, Pokrovsky made fire, participated in difficult tests and even managed to earn $11 dollars for his hat by singing a duet with Decl in one of the villages of Latin America. Especially for the project, Maxim wrote the song “I am not the last hero,” which became the soundtrack to television episodes.
Maxim Pokrovsky in the show “The Last Hero”
For his family, Maxim chooses a more relaxing holiday; the Pokrovskys periodically fly abroad. They prefer apartments to hotels, and a rented car to excursions.
The singer, although far from politics, periodically speaks out about the situation in the country and society. For example, on the radio “Komsomolskaya Pravda” in October 2020, he stated that he is tolerant of LGBT people, and also that he allows the adoption of children by same-sex couples. His views on these topics are progressive: Pokrovsky believes that first the country needs to overcome corruption, and then fight gays.
Political Views
- When the presidential elections of the Russian Federation were held in 2006, Pokrovsky voted for Yeltsin, because he values stability and does not like change.
- In 2011, mass actions of citizens dissatisfied with the situation in the country began, and the musician was on their side. He accused government officials of corruption and bribery.
- He advocated tolerance towards the LGBT community, believing that they have the same rights as other people. He is also in favor of allowing same-sex couples to adopt children.
- He said that he was upset by the unfair treatment of people who differ from the mainstream, and offered to either help them or not touch them at all.
- With the group “Nogu cramped!” gave a performance in Crimea, for which he was included in the “Peacemaker” program.
Well, everyone has the right to their own opinion, so you shouldn’t attach much importance to the positions of Maxim Pokrovsky. He is undoubtedly a talented person, so you just need to respect Maxim’s courage in expressing his opinion and enjoy his work. Let's hope that Maxim will give the world more than one good song and will not abandon his group “Nogu cramped!”
Maxim Pokrovsky now
Maxim works a lot, especially at night. He admits that the profession of a musician is the only thing that feeds him and his family. Judging by recent photos, Pokrovsky looks younger than his passport age. The singer himself says that this is due to his thirst for life, plus his thinness and height of 177 cm.
Maxim Pokrovsky in 2020
In addition to music, Maxim develops his own channel on YouTube - “SUDACK TV”. In his video blog he posts excerpts from concerts and rehearsals, and sketches from everyday life. The episodes certainly contain the unique humor of “My leg cramped.”
“The Leg Cramped” will spend 2018 under the motto “30 years in spite of show business.” With an updated program, the band will go on an anniversary tour on the eve of the group's thirtieth anniversary.
