Text Translation
Footage has been taken from famous documentary about russian underground music during Perestroyka - "Rock" by Alexey Uchitel.
A church without a cross
I'm flying, my hands spread out
Along the sleepy shores
Of Torment stoned forever
I'm faith without roots
A truth with no beginning
Hey, did you hear it screaming -
The soul amidst the woods?
A bird without a sky
A stone-like frozen echo
A sad and mourning sign
Of places hard to reckon
By midnight moon my wounds
Are bandaged up with dead white
My domes in misty daylight
Turned gray like graveyard tombs
A church without a cross
I flow down into damp soil
Still heeding words of dead souls
By dripping in the frost
A mem'ry with no heart
My wits lack aspiration
A cold and faded star
Of missing generations
Pitch dark are my insides -
Tattoos about treason
Lone window broken blind
Wrecked walls without breathing
Tomorrow I'll decease
Explode above the river
The rain will wash my shiver
Right off your memories...
Yuri Shevchuk and the Russian rock group "DDT" have been leaders in the Russian rock movement for many years. Shevchuk began to put together the first incarnation of the band in the summer of 1980, and although its members have changed over the years, Shevchuk continues to voice the concerns and frustrations of the Russian people in his music today just as he did in the band's infancy. The more than 20 albums in DDT's discography not only chronicle the history of a rock group; they are narratives that examine all aspects of life in the Soviet Union and Russia over the past 25 years.
DDT was organized and gave its first concerts in Shevchuk's native city of Ufa in the Ural Mountains in 1980. They received their first public recognition when they were given the "Golden Pitchpipe" prize for their song "Ne Strelyai" (Don't Shoot) in 1982 by a local newspaper. Unfortunately, this also brought them to the attention of the Soviet authorities and KGB, and their music was banned, forcing them to go underground. In some ways this made them even more popular among young Soviets; in 1983 they played at the "Rock of the World" music festival at the huge "Luzhniki" stadium in Moscow, only to be edited out of the television broadcast because of their "illegal" status.
Although they never considered themselves political activists, Shevchuk always felt it his duty as a citizen and a songwriter to address not only the strengths but the weaknesses of his country's government, a stance none too popular in the U.S.S.R. Over the next ten years DDT continued to work as a "non-conformist" group, producing albums and giving concerts throughout the Soviet Union. This was no easy feat, as they received little if any money for the records they produced during this period, and very little for their concerts as well. Like other dissident artists, they survived through a combination of cleverness, perseverance, and wit. Their relocation to the city of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in 1985 also helped them to establish themselves at the forefront of the Russian rock scene. They made their first visit to the U.S. in 1988, when their concert in Los Angeles was covered by MTV. After the U.S.S.R.'s collapse in 1991, DDT became even more popular at home and abroad, as their albums and concerts began to be broadcast and publicized widely.
Today, DDT is one of the most popular (if not the most popular) rock groups in Russia, and their concerts attract tens of thousands of people. Shevchuk and his group also regularly travel throughout the C.I.S. and other former Soviet republics to give benefit concerts: in the spring and summer of 2002, 10 out of 11 concerts that the band played were benefits for various social and cultural organizations. They are also reaching an ever-growing audience in the U.S. and Europe, and for the past 15 years have traveled frequently throughout the world making ever more converts to their unique sound. Shevchuk's music and lyrics are not only influenced by traditional "western" rock music, but also by the entire scope of Russian folk, classical, and religious music. In many respects their years as an underground group shaped their philosophy towards their art. The question of their music's marketability was never part of the song writing process for there was no "market" in which to compete. This, their extraordinary talent, and their adherence to their cultural roots have made them a rare commodity in today's popular music scene. Today they continue to maintain their musical integrity in the face of ever-growing pressure to conform to the pop music that pervades the Russian airwaves. They are currently celebrating their 25th anniversary with an extended tour throughout their native country, Europe, and North America, and have released a new CD entitled "Vanished Without a Trace" to huge critical acclaim.
Tags: ДДТ Шевчук Русский Рок Учитель Музыка Русская Петербург Питер DDT Shevchuk Rock Underground Music Russia Russian Leningrad Uchitel Perestroyka Petersburg Church Церковь
