Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov

Boris Borisovich Grebenshchikov is a prominent member of the generation which is widely considered to be the “founding fathers” of Russian rock music. He is the founder and lead singer of the band Aquarium which has been active since 1972. Grebenshchikov is frequently referred to as BG,after his initials.

BG is also known as a student of religion and mysticism. He translated several Hinduist and Buddhist books for publication in Russian, travelled the Orient widely, and is friends with A-list spiritual celebrities. He is just as familiar with the Russian Orthodox tradition (Aquarium web site has had a call for discovery of Orthodox relics going for years), and used to mix them freely in his lyrics. Russian Nirvana (Russkaya Nirvana) off Kostroma Mon Amour, for example, is a dual-pointed send-up containing a reference to “sitting down in the lotus posture in the middle of Kremlin”. His relentless promotion of Tibetan buddhism in the 1990s and his tendency to use buddhist-derived logic with touches of absurdism to avoid answering questions in interviews make him pretty distinct amongst other Russian artists.

Grebenshchikov’s lyrics are often eclectic, and may feature Buddhism, Russian Orthodoxy, and alcohol consumption in the same quatrain. 1999’s Psi switches from detailed references to samurai culture to mentions of a certain carpenter’s son to data storage on hard drives, all the while maintaining tight lyrical cohesion.

Sunglasses lences – Kodac film
Rings – silver, white metal
Pendant – oak
Brown mala 18 beads
Wood stand and stone
Summer 2014

Backstage