'I will never Americanize': a Russian musician spoke about life in the USA

A year and a half ago, the founder of the legendary Zero group, Fyodor Chistyakov, emigrated to the United States in connection with the inclusion of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist organizations. In America, the musician did not slow down: he released two albums, wrote music for the new cartoon “Prostokvashino”, regularly performs, produces artists, and maintains a bilingual website.

Fedor Chistyakov. Photo: Elena Blesnykh / Wikipedia

«Snob»I contacted Chistyakov and found out how he lives in New York and whether he thinks of returning to Russia. We give excerpts from this interview.

— You have been living in the United States for a year and a half. How Americanized are you?

It depends on what is considered under the word "Americanized". I think that I never Americanize in the full sense of the word, because it is impossible. To some extent, I got used to local peculiarities, and now the state of cultural shock is over.

I learned and continue to learn the lessons of local life, but I am still a man of Russian mentality and probably will be left to the end.

- In what language do you have to communicate more often: in English or in Russian?

I live in Brooklyn, there are a lot of Russians here and it’s absolutely no problem to get any service in Russian. Therefore, unfortunately, I don’t need English so often. Yes, it is improving, but I can not say that progress is strong. There are improvements: for example, I began to perceive speech by hearing better. I begin to understand.

- Are there things or phenomena in the American way that are alien to you, as a person with a different mentality, or even unacceptable?

I don't talk much with Americans. Brooklyn is the place where immigrants live. There are not so many Americans here either. But a lot of African Americans. I can not say that I am deeply immersed in this culture in order to experience some kind of friction. This is also a parallel world. What I like is the fact that politeness and respect are more accepted here. For example, I walk a year and a half without a passport. So that somewhere in a public place or in transport, they demanded that I show the documents or the contents of the bag (with the exception of the airport, of course) - this simply did not exist.

It seems that the efforts of the police are directed to some more meaningful things. I see the police very rarely. I feel much calmer. And even there is an illusion of freedom.

- What is it like to be a Russian musician in one of the most musically rich cities on the planet?

New York is a city where many nationalities live. There are a wide variety of diasporas: Chinese, Russians, Uzbeks, Turks, Poles, Italians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Georgians, Armenians, Hungarians, Mexicans, as well as all of South America, African Americans, Central America, Jamaica ... Everything is here. About the Jews, I just do not speak. And each diaspora has its own life. For example, cultural events that take place in the Chinese diaspora do not affect me at all, I don’t even know anything about it. In the same way, nobody is interested in what is happening in the Russian sphere. Not because these people are not interested in anything, but because they are different and disjoint things. Here each exists in its own space, and this space is limited in volume. There is Broadway, where megashows are held, very serious events are taking place. And there are many places where there is a small life.

For example, in Chicago there is a small jazz club where a maximum of 100 people can fit. It would seem, what is the placement on 100 people? What can you earn there? Are these volumes for serious musicians? But all honestly and work on such an audience. I got a very strong impression. With the blues is the same. In a club of this size, a hole by and large, real magic can happen - incredible music can be played.

This is a completely different system of values: very good musicians play, and play for pennies, three times a night. And this is normal, this is the local musical life.

I remember one American film, which was at the box office in Soviet cinemas, I watched it in my school years - “They shoot down hunted horses, don’t they?”. In Russia there are serious musicians, but they are presented with great pathos: they say, the gods came down to earth. And here are equal among equals - people are standing on the stage, magnificent jazz is playing, the drums are standing near the entrance to the bathroom - people are constantly walking back and forth, right there is a butt scene resting on the tables, literally the saxophonist has a table under his nose, people are sitting drink and eat. This is the closest little space in which such a life takes place.

It’s just that it’s very difficult for a person from Russia to fit in and start working in this environment - some time and energy is needed. When I looked at it, I said: "I will not pull such show business."

- Do you miss your homeland?

I can not express it with the word "I miss." No, I do not yearn, but I began to appreciate Russia much more. It is very good when you can truly compare, not just with the eyes of a tourist, but from the inside. In Russia, you can fool around, and even life. And what is surprising: there are those who will tolerate you, no matter what. In America, fooling around is just living under a bridge. And it will be very fast and tough.

And here is the answer to the question of why all personalities like Depardieu moved to Russia for permanent residence. Because in Russia "freely, freely." But then they ate too much. In general, this is a very difficult choice.

- Now you are surely struck by some phenomena and things in Russia that you do not notice when you live in the country. In terms of people's attitudes to each other, to power. What surprises?

Today’s Russia is a caste society. There are people who can not do anything, but there are people who can do anything. Everywhere double standards. I also heard popular wisdom from my parents: “The law is like a pole, wherever you turn, and there it came out” and “The one who is right is not right, but the one who has many rights”. So it was in the Soviet Union, and now, it seems, everything has returned, and far from being at its best. This has a very negative effect on people's attitudes towards each other. People are irritated, unhappy, suspicious, as a result, aggressive, quick to express negative emotions.

It is clear that there are also people here who can be more than others, but there is no such violent lawlessness. As I said, there is an illusion of freedom. Do not take away from us at least an illusion.

- In our country, there is a quite official opinion that anti-Russian propaganda is constantly being conducted in the American media. Is it so?

This is also one of the big surprises. In Russia, pressure is constantly being given to the fact that "America is this and that." When I arrived, I saw that people were just not in the subject. In fact, the people who live here have little interest in what is happening in Russia. Everyone is busy with their lives, I have not found any hostile feelings. There is generally less aggression.

- What did you have time to see in the States?

More America was seen by musicians who came with me in June 2017 of the year, because they came as tourists and they had a goal - not to miss anything and go everywhere.

I had a slightly different situation, because I came here to live, and I was not up to that.

- What are your expectations for 2019?

Since 2018 year was oversaturated, I just want to relax and look around a bit. I can not imagine what will happen in six months, or rather, I can imagine, but there are many options. Therefore, I look into the distance, trying to figure out where everything will turn this time.

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