Viktor Tsoi is a legendary Soviet musician whose work changed the face of the entire Russian culture. This is due not only to the amazing musical abilities that the leader of the Kino group possessed, but also to the deep content of the texts.
In his lyrics, Viktor Tsoi called for changes not only in the USSR, but also in the minds of every individual citizen. And even now, so many years after the death of the rock musician, his compositions continue to remain relevant.
In this article, we propose to talk not so much about the musical achievements of Viktor Tsoi, but about his rich personal life. It was not as bright as that of our Western colleagues. But this does not mean that nothing intriguing happened in it. We bring to your attention a detailed biography that will allow you to create a more accurate portrait of the idol.
Personal life
Viktor Tsoi was a man whose fame came at a fairly young age. Having not yet reached thirty, he easily attracted audiences of thousands. Without blinking an eye, he went out in front of an impressive audience, performing his biggest hits.
It would seem that for a person with such a vast army of fans, the feeling of self-doubt should be completely atrophied. But according to contemporaries, Victor continued to remain shy throughout his life.
This character trait turned him into a modest guy who found it difficult to have affairs with girls. And while his friends kept changing girls like gloves, Viktor Tsoi preferred to devote himself to music.
At the age of nineteen, young Victor still managed to find a company of like-minded people, which included representatives of the entire Soviet underground. These were guys who dreamed of fame. They were fans of Western rock music, devoid of any prohibitions. And this incredible craving for freedom eventually became an integral part of Victor’s work.
Victor and Maryana Tsoi
During that period of time, an acquaintance occurred that changed the entire future life of Viktor Tsoi. The nineteen-year-old musician met Maryana Igorevna Rodovanskaya, who also hung out in the company.
The girl was four years older than Victor, and also had no desire to start relationships with carefree musicians. But even she could not resist the intensity and sincerity with which Victor sang his songs.
Wife and kids
Maryana and Victor began dating in 1982. At that time, the girl worked in a circus, which took up a lot of her free time. But as soon as her lover’s musical activity began to bear fruit, she left the circus and retrained as the personal manager of the Kino group, helping Victor achieve new heights.
Wedding photo of Viktor Tsoi
The wedding of the young couple took place in February 1984. The ceremony was attended by many famous rock musicians of the time.
For clarity, we present to you a small list of those who managed to catch the most joyful moment in the personal life of Viktor Tsoi:
Mike Naumenko Boris Grebenshchikov Alexander Titov Yuri Kasparian
Viktor Tsoi’s wife noted that about a hundred people squeezed into their cramped apartment. This emphasizes the incredible unity that reigned in the rock underground of the Soviet space. Creative units united into entire movements, supporting each other in all endeavors. They were like one big family.
Victor and Maryana Tsoi with their son Sasha
Just a year later, Maryana gave birth to her only son, who was named Alexander. These days, the young man is also involved in music, following in the footsteps of his famous father.
Alexander has his own group, called Para bellvm. The 33-year-old musician is also the author of video effects, achieving everything on his own.
The son did not rest on the laurels of the deceased, following his own path, which inspires respect.
Alexander Viktorovich
Tsoi Jr. spent most of his time next to his mother and grandmother. His father provided for him completely. As a result, the boy studied at a prestigious school, attended various clubs and sections. Sasha studied foreign languages, drew a lot, and was interested in programming, journalism, and design. His hobbies also influenced his future profession.
Today, 33-year-old Alexander lives in St. Petersburg. His activities are very diverse. The guy is engaged in design, performs in his own band - he sings and plays the guitar, and is the producer of several creative projects. Tsoi Jr.’s father’s inheritance also helps.
When Sasha grew up a little, his mother began to carefully hide the boy from journalists and his father’s fans. Maryana explained to the heir that nothing good would come from communicating with the press. Alexander listened to his mother and did not make contact with journalists for many years. The guy even changed his last name to “Molchanov” when he tried to promote his musical group.
Only recently did the young man begin to periodically give interviews. True, he usually answers all questions from journalists that he knew too little of his legendary father. Most likely, the guy is afraid that media representatives will turn his words around and put him in a negative light. He also refuses to show archival photos with his dad.
It’s interesting that during her lifetime, Maryana sued her husband’s group for the rights to all his songs. Now they belong to Alexander.
In 2005 and 2009, Tsoi Jr.’s mother and grandmother died. The guy was left alone, since he does not communicate with his own grandfather. Today, the artist’s heir is married and has a daughter. Alexander’s wife was a very extraordinary girl, Elena. She is also interested in music and hopes to become famous someday.
Separating from my wife
But let's return to the personal life of Viktor Tsoi. Despite the happy wedding and the birth of a son, the couple spent only three years in a relationship. In 1987, the family broke up, which seriously affected the musician’s creative activity. But Victor was not alone for long.
Viktor Tsoi and Natalya Razlogova
And very soon he began an affair with translator and film expert Natalya Razlogova, who became Viktor Tsoi’s second and last love. The man lived with her the rest of his life, which ended so unexpectedly.
Viktor Tsoi - Music
Acquaintance with Alexey Rybin marked the beginning of Viktor Tsoi’s creative path - together the guys will create the group “Garin and the Hyperboloids”. Then they will rename it “KINO” due to its simplicity. The musicians will write several songs and perform with them at the Leningrad rock club, where they will be accepted at the personal request of Boris Grebenshchikov. He will also help the newly minted rockers record their first album - “45”. The album gets this name because of the length of the recordings - about 45 minutes. The songwriter will be Viktor Tsoi.
The first work “KINO” will become popular in narrow musical circles and children will begin to be invited to apartment parties both in Leningrad and in Moscow. Due to disagreements regarding the recording of the second album, Alexey Rybin left the group. In his place, Victor will invite Yuri Kasparyan. With the support of Alexander Titov on bass and Georgy Guryanov on drums, in 1984 KINO recorded its second album, “Chief of Kamchatka,” named after the boiler room where Victor worked. In the same year, the group became a laureate at the second Leningrad rock festival and received recognition from listeners.
Next year, the musicians begin recording a new album, “Night,” at Andrei Tropillo’s studio. The recording will drag on, Victor will begin to get nervous, and in order to somehow distract himself, the group will simultaneously begin recording another album at Alexey Vishny’s studio - “This is not love.” The latter will be released before “Night” and will become a new word in Russian rock music.
Alexander Titov will be torn on two fronts between Aquarium, where he initially played, and KINO. The result of this will be his departure from the latter. The new bassist of the group will be Igor Tikhomirov, a technical and experienced musician. In this composition the group will exist until the very end. “Night” will be released in 1986 and will become even more popular than the album “This is not love.”
Viktor Tsoi - “Blood Type”
Then, in 1988, the album “Blood Type” was released, the concept of “Movie Mania” appeared among the people, and Viktor Tsoi became a sought-after artist both on the screen and at concert venues. The group performs outside the USSR: France, Denmark, Italy. “Blood Type” differs sharply from all previous work of “KINO”. It was completely different music, views, philosophy and poetry. The album changed the vector of development of the group’s creativity, and Viktor Tsoi was very pleased with the result.
Victor Tsoi - “A Star Called the Sun”
A year later, KINO will present an album recorded at Valery Leontyev’s professional studio - “A Star Called the Sun”. The song of the same name from the album will become the calling card of the group, and the album itself will be recognized as the best album in its history. From this moment on, “packing a stadium” is no longer a problem for the group.
Third Party Activities
As you know, Viktor Tsoi’s musical activity brought him his main income. Together with the Kino group, the rocker traveled to many cities of the USSR, invariably attracting full houses. His songs were sung by hundreds of thousands of fans who supported the revolutionary views of their idol. But according to the laws in force, every citizen of the Soviet Union had to have an official job.
Thus, the rock musician also had to try his hand at other areas of activity in order to have a certificate of employment. For example, Viktor Tsoi at one time held the post of cleaner in a bathhouse, which took the musician only an hour of time. The work allowed him not to be distracted from his main activity, and also not to be charged with the ill-fated article for “parasitism.”
Viktor Tsoi at work
Tsoi’s biography is also marked by his work as a fireman. The man worked in the boiler room until 1988. A club-museum dedicated to the musician is currently based in the boiler room.
last years of life
In the last years of his life, Viktor Tsoi actively performed in concerts and recorded videos and albums. But in the second half of the 80s, the rock musician also revealed his acting potential, taking part in several cult films at once.
Victor’s first work was the film “The End of Vacation,” which was a collection of clips united by one common plot.
Still from the film “Assa”
But this was only a taste of the pen, since real fame came to the musician later. In 1987, the legendary dramatic film “Assa” by Sergei Solovyov was released, in the creation of which many cinema stars took part. And despite the fact that Victor’s role turned out to be insignificant, it was thanks to the film “Assa” that his popularity increased.
Still from the film “Needle”
The pinnacle of the cinematic activity of the leader of the Kino group can be confidently considered the film “Igla”, which premiered in 1989. Together with another outstanding musician Pyotr Mamonov, Tsoi created one of the key masterpieces of Soviet cinema, which to this day excites the hearts of millions of viewers.
Film "Tsoi - "Cinema""
Almost Alexander’s only public activity was participation in the filming and editing of the film “Tsoi - “Kino”,” which was commissioned by Channel One. The idea of the painting belonged to Natalya Razlogova, she is known in the press as the last love of Viktor Tsoi. Without Alexander the film would have been incomplete. Some shots were filmed at his club, then he went to Moscow for three weeks.
In addition, it was the son of the great rocker who was the art director of the film and managed the creation of graphics. At the same time, he participated in the recording of music for the film, which was based on the group’s songs. In the last days before the release of the film, Alexander (son of Viktor Tsoi) took an active part in editing and directing the final version of the film. Thus, we can say that he made a tangible contribution to the picture, which was created in memory of his father.
