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Pyotr Mamonov | |
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 Mamonov in 2019 | |
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| Birth name | Pyotr Nikolayevich Mamonov |
| Born | (1951-04-14)14 April 1951 Moscow,Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 15 July 2021(2021-07-15) (aged 70) Moscow, Russia |
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| Years active | 1960s–2021 |
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Pyotr Nikolayevich Mamonov (Russian:Пётр Никола́евич Мамо́нов,pronounced[ˈpʲɵtrnʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕmɐˈmonəf]; 14 April 1951 – 15 July 2021) was a Russianrock musician and the frontman of the Moscow bandZvuki Mu, as well as a stage and film actor.
Pyotr Nikolayevich Mamonov was born on 14 April 1951 to an engineer and a translator of Scandinavian languages. During his childhood, he lived on Bolshoi Karetny Lane. During his teens, he would dress as astilyaga and often got into fights, one such incident resulting in a scar across his stomach (which can be seen in the filmIgla, which he starred in over 20 years later). Mamonov's parents separated in the mid 1950s and his mother began a relationship with Nikolai Bortnichuk, also an engineer. This relationship resulted in the birth of Mamonov's half-brother, Aleksei Bortnichuk, on 13 July 1958.
His first band was a cover band named Express, who were active in the mid-to-late 1960s and early 1970s, playing covers of popular rock bands such asthe Beatles,the Rolling Stones andLed Zeppelin, although Mamonov himself preferred black R&B, soul and rock 'n roll music. During the 1970s, he suffered from depression and worked various jobs, including as a boiler operator and Norwegian translator (he learned the language from his mother). He lived with the artist Olga Gorokhova between 1979 and 1981. Gorokhova stated that Mamonov would listen to a lot ofWeather Report's music during this period.
In 1982, he began Zvuki Mu. The name originates from a series of affectionate names beginning with the syllablemu which Mamonov and Gorokhova would call each other, though the earliest occurrence of the nameZvuki Mu occurs in some of Mamonov's poetry from the late 1960s. Between 1986 and late 1987, he wore a moustache – it can be seen in images of Mamonov from that period, such as the images inside the booklet of the compilationMamonov '84–'87.
Mamonov was one of the few rock musicians from formerUSSR who managed to achieve recognition abroad, through his collaboration withBrian Eno in the late 1980s. Around the same period, he started acting in films, and over the next decade wrote, produced and acted in several one-man theatrical performances establishing himself as acult figure in Russia.
Zvuki Mu initially performed between 1982 and 1990, after which Mamonov started a new band called Mamonov and Aleksei with his half-brother Aleksei Bortnichuk. The new band performed music of a similar style to Zvuki Mu, using backing tracks instead of live drums, but in 1993-4, they acquired a live drummer and developed a new, back-to-basics hard rock sound, with Mamonov rewriting some older Zvuki Mu songs to fit in with this style. They released one album in 1992 and were recording a second one when Mamonov decided to rename the group to Zvuki Mu, resulting in the release of Zvuki Mu'sGruby zakat album in 1995.
In 1996, after disagreements between Mamonov and the other Zvuki Mu members, the band broke up again, withZvuki Mu becoming just a pseudonym for Mamonov's solo work. He switched to using his own name for music in 2005, but in 2015, he formed a new band,Sovershenno novye Zvuki Mu (Brand New Zvuki Mu) with musicians from the indie band Stoneberry.
One of Mamonov's best-known film appearances is in the leading role inPavel Lungin's 1990Taxi Blues.[1] His theatre creations includeIs There Life on Mars?, anabsurdist take onAnton Chekhov'sA Marriage Proposal, andChocolate Pushkin, which makes a comical reference to (but doesn't cite) the Russian national poetAlexander Pushkin. Mamonov explained the name for the album as his own comparison to a popular DJ who calls himself "Black Elvis" and also describes the genre on this record as "lit-hop" (literature hip-hop).
In 2001, he appeared in a short but characteristic role in Serguei Loban'sDust (Russian:Пыль) that was released only 4 years later and became a cult film. He returned to play the lead role inPavel Lungin's religious filmThe Island (Russian:Остров), which closed the 2006Venice Film Festival. His acting in the film was praised byAlexy II,Patriarch of Moscow, and won him a Best ActorNika Award.
In 2009, Pavel Lungin invited him to appear in his new production entitledTsar (Russian Царь). Mamonov plays the title hero,TsarIvan the Terrible, a character torn between passionate faith and cruelty.
Pyotr Mamonov played the main roles in the short films "Tea" (2016, Russian:Чай)[2] and "Fixative" (2021, Russian:Фиксаж).[3]
In 1995, he stated in an interview that he enjoyed listening to alternative rock, heavy metal and grunge, namingNine Inch Nails,Jane's Addiction, theButthole Surfers,White Zombie andPantera as examples.[citation needed]
In the 1990s, Mamonov converted toOrthodox Christianity, left the capital and settled in a village.
In August 2019, Mamonov suffered a heart attack, necessitating the cancellation of his concerts for two and a half months while he had surgery.[4]
On 26 June 2021, Mamonov was hospitalised withCOVID-19.[5] He was put into amedically induced coma and died on 15 July at the age of 70.[6]
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