Alexander Novikov: biography, personal life, creativity. Most famous songs

Alexander Vasilievich Novikov. Born on October 31, 1953 in Iturup (Kuril region, Sakhalin region). Soviet and Russian author-performer of songs in the Russian chanson genre, artistic director of the Yekaterinburg Variety Theater.

During his creative career, Alexander Novikov wrote more than three hundred songs, including “Do you remember, girl?..”, “Carrier”, “Chansonette”, “Street Beauty”, “Ancient City”, “School Romance”, etc.

Novikov's discography currently includes 20 numbered albums, 10 albums of concert recordings, 8 video discs. Since 2002, the book “Bell Tower” (a collection of poems and songs) has been published.

Alexander Novikov is a laureate of the national Ovation award in the Urban Romance category (1995), and a repeated winner of the Chanson of the Year award.

Alexander Novikov was born on October 31, 1953 on the island of Iturup in the Kuril archipelago, in the village of Burevestnik.

Father is a military pilot, mother is a housewife.

At the age of 6, he moved with his parents to Kyrgyzstan, to the city of Frunze (now Bishkek).

In 1969, Novikov moved to the city of Sverdlovsk, where he graduated from school in 1970 and continues to live and work to this day.

As a child, Alexander loved sports. First he practiced boxing, then sambo. “As a child, I fought very often, never let myself be offended, I broke my arms and legs over some of them. According to the philosophy of martial arts, which I also practiced, the spirit of a warrior is most important in a man. So I tried to take a worthy position.”, he said.

In the senior classes of Alexander High School, in addition to sports, two more activities were captured: music and cards. He first became interested in it under the influence of the work of Vladimir Vysotsky - in 1967, Alexander first watched the film “Vertical” with his participation. He was taught to play cards by his "sidekicks" from the yard company. Soon Alexander mastered both music and cards.

Novikov's strong character very often forced him to go against the opinion of the majority, to challenge established norms and principles. For example, he went to study at various universities three times and was expelled from there three times. According to him, for the fact that “I beat Komsomol members. I really didn’t like them”.

While studying at the third university, he met his future wife, Masha. In 1975 they got married. That same year they had their first child, son Igor. Seven years later - daughter Natasha.

Novikov's passion since the 70s has been cars. In the mid-70s, he got a job as an auto mechanic, where in one of the auto repair shops in Sverdlovsk he restored cars damaged in accidents. Novikov got his first “penny” precisely in those years - a certain reckless driver crashed to death on it, Alexander literally restored his car piece by piece and took it for himself.

In the late 1970s, Novikov got a job as a musician and singer in one of the Sverdlovsk restaurants. I worked there for about four years. During this time, he managed to save a decent amount of money and opened his own studio-workshop, where he not only recorded songs in the rock style (his ensemble was called “Polygon”), but also manufactured studio equipment for state Palaces of Culture and cinemas.

In 1980 he created the group “Rock Polygon”, where he performed as a soloist, guitarist and songwriter. The songs were performed in the styles of rock and roll, reggae and new wave with elements of punk rock and psychedelic rock. The group recorded two albums of the same name - in 1983 (when officially released on CD, the year was mistakenly indicated as 1981) and 1984.

In 1981 he founded the recording studio “Novik Records”, where not only Novikov’s albums were recorded, but also those of many Sverdlovsk musicians - the groups “Chaif”, “Agatha Christie” and others.

The lion's share of the Polygon group's repertoire consisted of rock compositions.

Alexander Novikov in his youth (1984)

However, at the beginning of 1984, Novikov wanted to sing several of his own songs, written in the genre of urban romance, popularly called “thieves”. Among these songs were three that would soon become hits: “Take Me, Cabbie,” “I Came from the Jewish Quarter,” and “Remember, Girl?”

Musicians from “Rock Polygon” took part in the album, including Alexey Khomenko and Vladimir Elizarov.

A certain elderly gentleman, a great specialist in this matter, took on the promotion of this album. True, after listening to the recording, he honestly admitted to Novikov: “I can broadcast this to the whole country in two months, but you, young man, will be imprisoned.”

This warning did not stop Novikov and On May 3, 1984, the magnetic album “Take Me, Cabby” was released.

The success of the album was stunning: within a week it was being listened to throughout the Union, including the most remote corners of the country. He did not go unnoticed by the authorities.

Novikov spoke about how the arrest took place: “They arrested me right on the street, put me in a car and took me to the local police department. There they put in front of me a document called “Expertise on the songs of Alexander Novikov.” The document contained the lyrics of my songs from “Izvozchik”, and for each there was an impressive review. And then general review of everything. In this final one, it was written that the author of the above-mentioned songs needs, they say, if not psychiatric isolation, then definitely prison isolation. This document was signed by composer Evgeny Rodygin, the author of the song “New settlers are traveling through virgin land,” several. party functionaries and cultural officials. In short, I was accused of all sins: humiliation of national minorities, propaganda of immorality, vulgarity, violence, prostitution, alcoholism, drug addiction - it was a huge set..."

In 1985, by the verdict of the Sverdlovsk court, Novikov was convicted under Art. 93-1 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, receiving 10 years in prison. This happened in connection with his activities in the manufacture and sale of electrical musical equipment, where he was accused of selling counterfeit goods.

Novikov recalls: “I waited in prison for almost a year for a decision on my cassation appeal. First in Sverdlovsk, then in Kamyshlov, this is 250 km from Sverdlovsk, in such a quiet provincial prison, which is probably already three hundred years old. And they transported me there like a particularly dangerous repeat offender ".

“When we arrived in Kamyshlov, I saw a huge crowd of guards on the platform. Really, I think, for my soul? And definitely, for me. As soon as I jumped off, they immediately grabbed me by the arms, by the legs, by the belt, and so on, without putting me down to the ground, they ran and dragged me into the “crater.” And before that, the entire station was blocked - the passengers were driven inside and guards were posted near the doors. And so, the whole station watched how the Kamyshlov prison “received” me. in this “funnel”, the driver played a recording of “The Cabbie.” After all, everyone was listening to me, and the cops were listening, and the investigators who were interrogating me said so directly: I personally like your album, but what can I do. ? The prison in Kamyshlov is shaped like an “o”, the windows of the cells face the courtyard. To prevent the cells from talking to each other, there are loudspeakers in the courtyard - they play music, if anything happens. they were driving, again in the “funnel” they played “Take me, cab driver”...", - said the artist.

After serving a year in Kamyshlov, Novikov was then transferred to one of the camps in the north of the country. The camp leadership greeted the singer with all the “honors” due to his rank. A large-scale search was carried out in the zone - all guitars and tape recorders were confiscated from the prisoners, as well as from the guards. It was strictly forbidden to bring these things into the camp territory. Novikov was prohibited from moving through the zone towards the club.

“Various provocations were staged against me. In the camp there are enough bastards who want to be released early, join these prevention councils, “bandages”, or, in the camp, “goats”. These “goats” were set against me. But I He didn’t tolerate insults, he broke the chest of one, broke the jaw of another, and he constantly ended up in a punishment cell...", Novikov recalled.

In 1990, by Decree of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, Novikov was released. Later, the Supreme Court of Russia overturned the verdict for lack of evidence of a crime.

Alexander Novikov - Take me, cabbie

In his youth, he wore a tattoo on his arm in the form of the letters “N.” WITH." (Novikov Sasha).

A. Novikov wrote the song “On Eastern Street” (album “City Romance”, 1995) in 1984, when he was in solitary confinement in a punishment cell for 30 days.

In Yekaterinburg, Alexander Novikov lived in an apartment on Vostochnaya Street, house number 62.

Novikov himself considers “Do you remember, girl?..” to be his best song.

Alexander Novikov - Do you remember the girl?..

In August 1991 he spoke out against the State Emergency Committee.

In 1993, Novikov suddenly acted as a producer - he began to promote the young singer Natalya Sturm.

“We met Natasha by chance. At the Moscow Variety Theater. I looked there for a minute. On some business. I saw a beautiful girl in the mirror. I came up and asked: “Girl, do you sing or dance?” Of course, with the goal of “to pester ", start a conversation. She was offended: "What kind of dancing? I'm a singer. Natasha Sturm. Who are you?” - “Alexander Novikov.” She looked carefully: “And I thought Novikov was a little bald Jew and lives in America.” I was even taken aback by this idea of ​​my person.”, - said Novikov.

There was a legend (told by Novikov himself) that he won the singer at cards from some mafia structures. But it was a PR fairy tale in order to arouse public interest. “It was a joke. If Alexander had said that he met me at the Lenin Library, no one would have believed it. And the cards are a beautiful legend. They fit the image of a tough guy who spent time in the camps,” Natalya Sturm later admitted.

In 1994, together with director Kirill Kotelnikov, he made a documentary film about the group “Boney M.” and its creator Frank Farian “Oh, that Farian!” (“Oh, this Farian!”). Filming took place in Luxembourg and Germany, the film included unique interviews with Farian and materials from his personal archive. However, the film was never shown on Russian television.

On June 16, 2003, Alexander Novikov was awarded the highest church award - the Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow for his services in the construction of the Church on the Blood in Yekaterinburg. Since 2004, President of the Foundation “400th Anniversary of the House of Romanov” in the Urals.

On June 24, 2010, he was appointed artistic director of the Yekaterinburg Variety Theater. Having become the artistic director of the theater, Novikov first of all banned the play “Blue Puppy”, in which he saw signs of promoting pedophilia.

“These vuvuzelas of homosexuality, looking at the world through an eyesore, which are always in a bulging state for some reason... So, through these eyesores, any healthy event and normal act seems to them to be an attack on their mythical homosexual rights, growing straight from Sodom and Gomorrah"- says Alexander Novikov.

After this incident, the expression “homosexuality vuvuzelas” gained great popularity on the Internet.

On October 28, 2010, a new album by Alexander Novikov was released on poems by poets of the Silver Age, in the recording of which Maxim Pokrovsky took part. “The record “Pineapples in Champagne” is a gallery of quirky and unique gems of “Silver Age” poetry. I made a musical frame for each of them. Five years of fine jewelry work” - this is how Novikov briefly described the result of his work on the creation of this album.

Novikov is a participant in the annual National Chanson of the Year Award in the Kremlin.

In 2011, before the State Duma elections, Alexander Novikov handed over a clip parody “GOLO... SUY” to the famous blogger and anti-corruption fighter Alexei Navalny in Yekaterinburg for distribution.

In 2014-2015, he was a member of the jury of the TV show “Three Chords” and performed on its stage several times.

In December 2016, Novikov was charged under Part 4 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud on an especially large scale). On December 23, the court sent him to house arrest for two months. According to investigators, Novikov and former Deputy Minister of Economy of the Sverdlovsk Region Mikhail Shilimanov collected about 150 million rubles from shareholders in the construction of the Queens Bay cottage community in Yekaterinburg, and then transferred this money to their accounts. Construction of the village was stopped; law enforcement officers estimated the amount of damage at 35 million 627 thousand rubles. In January 2017, while under recognizance not to leave, he left Russia for the UAE on vacation.

Alexander Novikov's height: 193 centimeters.

Personal life of Alexander Novikov:

Married. My wife's name is Maria. We met before Novikov went to prison. Maria was waiting for him. They got married while still studying at the institute.

The marriage produced two children - son Igor (professionally engaged in photography) and daughter Natalya (designer and art critic). The children gave the singer grandchildren.

Discography of Alexander Novikov:

1983 - Rock Polygon (Alexander Novikov and the Rock Polygon group)
1983 - Take me, cab driver (the sound of the songs in the 1983 album is slower than in the 1984 album)
1984 - Rock Polygon II (Alexander Novikov and the Rock Polygon group)
1984 - Take me, cab driver (original title “East Street”)
1990 - I’m in Yekaterinburg (Alexander Novikov and the group “Grandchildren of Engels”)
1991 - Take me, cab driver (Alexander Novikov and the group “Hipish”)
1993 - Necklace of Magadan
1995 - Chansonette
1995 - Urban Romance
1996 - With a beauty in his arms
1996 - In a provincial restaurant
1997 - Sergei Yesenin (first album of songs based on poems by Sergei Yesenin)
1997 - Notes of a criminal bard
1999 - Burlak
2000 - Wall
2000 - Pretty Eyed
2002 - Cranes over the camp
2003 - Real
2005 - Ponty Amur
2007 - Luali
2008 - I remember, beloved... (second album of songs based on poems by Sergei Yesenin)
2010 - Pineapples in champagne (album of songs based on poems by Silver Age poets)
2012 - Break up with her
2013 - Yo-album
2016 - Blatnoy
2016 - Hooligan Songs

Concert albums of Alexander Novikov:

1990 - Second concert after liberation (magnetic album) (not officially released)
1995 - After 10 years
1997 - Concert at the Variety Theater
1998 - Concert at the Variety Theater
1998 - Acoustic concert at the Yekaterinburg Philharmonic
1999 - “Carrier” - 15 years old
2004 - Concert at the Ekaterinburg Philharmonic
2004 - Anniversary (Concert at the State Central Concert Hall “RUSSIA” on October 30, 2003, 2CD)
2005 - Take me, cab driver. 20 years (Concert at the State Central Concert Hall “RUSSIA” October 31, 2004, 2CD)
2006 - Sergey Yesenin - 110 years (2CD)
2007 - Street of Love (2CD)
2008 - I have not been to Monaco (Concert recording at the State Kremlin Palace)
2011 - Ekaterinblues (Concert at the Moscow International House of Music)
2014 - Along from memory (Anniversary concert of Alexander Novikov)
2015 - Smile of the Motherland
2016 - “Carrier” - 30 years old

Collections of Alexander Novikov:

1996 - Remember, girl?..
1996 - Golden Collection
2001 - Golden Collection-2
2008 - “Alexander Novikov. MP3 series" (collection of all recordings in MP3 format on 5 discs)
2011 - MK. Chanson Alley
2015 - Golden Silver

Alexander Novikov - "Well, what are you..."

Bibliography of Alexander Novikov:

2001 - “Take me, cab driver...” (poems and songs)
2002 - “Bell Tower” (poems and songs)
2011 - “Street Beauty” (collection of lyric poems)
2012 - “Symphonies of the Court” (collection of lyric poems)
2012 - “Notes of a Criminal Bard” (autobiographical book)

A popular author and performer of songs in the chanson genre in Russia is Alexander Novikov. His biography is extremely eventful. He not only writes lyrics and music, but also makes films, manages art projects, participates in the construction of a temple, and makes musical equipment.

Childhood and youth

In the village of Burevestnik near the island of Uturup on the Kuril Islands, Alexander Novikov was born on October 31, 1953. The biography of the future poet and composer began as usual. Father is a military pilot, mother is a housewife. The carefree childhood of a Soviet boy.

At the age of 6, the boy moved with his parents to Kyrgyzstan, to the city of Bishkek. In 1960, Sasha went to first grade, and received a diploma of secondary education in Sverdlovsk in 1970. He was critical of the Soviet regime. As a matter of principle, Alexander Novikov did not join the ranks of the Komsomol. His biography interested the organs. From his youth he was under the watchful supervision of the authorities.

After graduating from the Sverdlovsk school, he studied alternately at three institutes. First he entered the Ural Polytechnic University, then he was a student at the Sverdlovsk Mining and Ural Forestry Universities. He was expelled from each university for one reason or another.

The beginning of creativity

Alexander Novikov became interested in urban romances and rock music in the late 70s. The singer began his career by working in the restaurants “Malachite”, “Cosmos”, “Ural dumplings”. He created his own studio "Novik-Records" and the group "Rock Polygon". With the latter he recorded his first album under the same name - "Rock Polygon".

The creativity of rock musicians at that time was not approved by the authorities, so the group’s activities were not entirely legal. The musical equipment was produced by Novikov himself. In all respects, it was of better quality than the one that was commercially available and popular in the Soviet Union in the early 80s. The stereo made by Alexander was an analogue of a foreign one; musicians still use some equipment today.

Along with his active creative work, Alexander worked part-time at a sports club.

Passion for chanson

Soon Alexander, unexpectedly for everyone, moved away from rock music and became seriously interested in chanson. In 1984, he released the popular album “Take Me, Cabbie,” which contained 18 songs. Abramov, Khomenko, Chekunov, Kuznetsov, Elizarov took part in the creation of the album. We recorded songs at night in the House of Culture of the Sverdlovsk plant "Uralmash". They were afraid that the authorities would get wind of it. According to Alexander’s recollections, they were not afraid of prison, they were only afraid that they would not be allowed to finish their work. The album broke all records in terms of circulation and popularity. Alexander Novikov became popular. His biography, however, from that moment turned away from the straight path.

Arrest and conviction

The ideological sector was outraged by this behavior of the musician. He was under surveillance, his phone was constantly tapped. The arrest took place in October 1984. The musician was seized by people in civilian clothes and placed in a pre-trial detention center in the city of Sverdlovsk. In the criminal case, every song from the famous album was reviewed, in which the words had an offensive tone. The relevant authorities considered that the musician belonged either in a psychiatric hospital or in prison. According to political views, criminal liability for ideological non-compliance with communist norms was extremely undesirable, so Novikov was accused of manufacturing and selling counterfeit musical equipment. The court in 1985 gave the musician 10 years of enhanced security. Alexander Novikov was found guilty. The singer’s biography and personal life are now tainted by a conviction on trumped-up charges.

He was forced to repent and renounce his work, exerting a strong moral influence (the singer never spoke about physical violence). However, Alexander withstood the pressure and remained faithful to his songs and creative colleagues. The biography of Alexander Novikov was not tainted by betrayal.

In the camp

During his imprisonment, Alexander was offered various concessions. However, it is known that Novikov refused all concessions in the form of work in a club or library. The musician, along with others, worked in the most difficult areas - logging, construction. For his modest behavior and hard work, all prisoners respected and appreciated him. While sitting in solitary confinement for more than a month, he wrote the song “On Eastern Street.”

Free. Another unwanted face

Alexander was released in 1990, when the new government recognized the case as fabricated and annulled the charges. In the same year, Novikov became artistic director of the Song Theater and restored the Novik-Records studio. He was always honest and a little categorical, for which some respected him, others disliked him. The musician publicly criticized the Russian stage and Soviet show business, and exposed corruption schemes in television.

For his impartial statements he was included in the list of undesirable persons. Again, the biography of Alexander Novikov interested vigilant authorities. However, this only increased respect and interest in him among ordinary compatriots.

Director's work

In 1994, in Germany and Luxembourg, Alexander Novikov and director Kirill Kotelnikov shot the documentary film “Oh, this Farian.” The film tells the story of the group "Boney M" and its creator Frank Farian. It includes unique materials from Farian’s personal archive, as well as exclusive interviews with him. In Europe, the documentary was a great success and was shown on several popular channels. Unfortunately, Russian viewers never saw this work.

Novikov's other documentaries are "Gop-Stop Show", "I Just Got Out of the Cage" and "Remember, Girl?"

Creative inspiration

By the mid-90s, a creative upsurge began. Singer Alexander Novikov, whose biography appeared on the pages of many popular periodicals, performed on radio and television, gave concerts, toured, and recorded albums.

In 1995, the musician received the Ovation Award in the Urban Romance category.

In 1997, he wrote songs based on Yesenin’s poems. Music critics and art critics highly appreciated the released album called “Sergei Yesenin” and recognized it as the best and most successful since the Russian poet passed away.

Over 200 songs were written by Novikov over the years of his work. It was he who became the creator of the genre of urban romance - new and unusual at that time. The albums "Carrier", "Remember, Girl", "Ancient City" and others have already become classics today. He created over 300 songs and poems. His video “Chansonette” was unique and the first of its kind, in which no computer graphics were used, all drawn characters were made by hand.

Alexander Novikov also achieved success as an actor. The musician’s biography was replenished with new episodes when he starred in several of his videos.

Bells

The biography of singer Alexander Novikov is interesting in many aspects, because he is not only a creative, but also a deeply religious person.

In honor of the House of Romanov, the musician, together with master Pyatkov from Uralsk, himself cast 7 bells. In 2000, the products were transferred to the monastery, which in the same year received a blessing from Alexy II, who visited Yekaterinburg. The belfry of the temple is still in use today. Each bell has its own name in honor of one of the princes, whose bas-reliefs are cast on each bell.

In 2002, the musician received a blessing from the Russian Church and began collecting funds for bells for the Church on the Blood, built on the site where the Romanov royal family was shot. Each bell, and there are 14 of them, had a unique design; each one had one or several icons cast on it. The largest product weighs 6 tons, the smallest - 1 ton.

In 2003, Alexander was awarded the Order of the Holy Prince of Moscow.

Novikov Alexander. Biography, family

Today Alexander Novikov is married and has a son and daughter. He is interested in fishing, loves hunting and fast driving. Fans are keenly interested in the musician, but the singer himself does not like to talk in detail about his family. It is known that his children received a good education. Novikov is very proud of his youngest daughter Natasha. She is engaged in design and lives separately. As a child, I went to the School of Art, loved to draw and wanted to become a fashion designer. Today Natalya sometimes helps her father in designing the covers of his CDs. My son runs a photo salon.

There are many rumors surrounding the musician's personal life. Fans and gossipers are very interested in Alexander Novikov. Biography, wife, children... At the next Chanson Award ceremony in the Kremlin, Novikov gave a long interview in which he said that he was proud of the wisdom and devotion of his wife, who managed to save the family even during the years of their separation. It was the second half that helped him survive in prison. During Alexander’s imprisonment, she raised two small children alone; she also had to run around for interrogations and listen to criticism from friends. The singer has been with her for more than 27 years and categorically denies rumors of a divorce from his wife. He emphasized that he would never part with his wife. Although the yellow press immediately published information that when popularity came to the musician, temptations and fans came with it, and there were difficult moments in married life. But Novikov’s wise wife understands everything and forgives him everything.

In the interview, Novikov also said that he began to believe in God after his release, when he became wiser. But as a child I read the classics and have long been familiar with the biblical theme. Already in adulthood, he wanted not just to go to church, but to do something pleasant, from the heart. With the bells, he had such an opportunity when he was already quite popular and financially independent.

Alexander does not complain about his health, goes in for sports, does not smoke, does not drink, and does not follow any diets.

Creativity today

Novikov is a patriot of his homeland, he has gained love and recognition from his compatriots. He is the creator of a completely new original genre - modern urban romance. Considered an outstanding poet of the 20th century.

Alexander calls his best work the song “Remember, girl?” Every year he participates in the National Award "Chanson of the Year", which takes place in the Kremlin.

Today Novikov, a singer, composer, musician, author and public figure, is the president of the Ural Foundation “400 Years of the House of Romanov,” which he headed in 2004. Since 2010, he has directed the Variety Theater, which is located in Yekaterinburg. Interestingly, his first By order, as artistic director, he withdrew the play “Blue Puppy” from the show, because in the script he noticed pronounced signs of pedophilia and homosexuality.

It’s not often that the composer and poet can be seen on screen, but he tours a lot, and he still loves his hometown of Yekaterinburg. Alexander Novikov sings only chanson, believing that his songs have a deep spiritual meaning. The musician is confident that he has chosen the right path and does not regret his education, believing that life itself has become the main university for him.

He classifies his lyrics as masculine lyrics and says that his songs can not be sung, but read like poetry. Alexander also believes that despite the fact that he has seen a lot in the zone, it is still possible and necessary to do without profanity in songs. He tries not to participate in disputes, but is always ready to fight back and stand up for himself and his loved ones. The musician is sure that his songs are about love and fidelity, and they are not at all connected with bunks, prison and gangs. Chanson will be loved and popular among the people as long as the Russian soul is alive.

Alexander Vasilievich Novikov(October 31, 1953, Iturup, Kurilsky district, Sakhalin region, USSR) - Russian poet, author-performer of songs in the genre of urban romance, artistic director of the Ural State Variety Theater.

During his creative career, Alexander Novikov wrote more than four hundred songs, including “Do you remember, girl?..”, “Carrier”, “Chansonette”, “Street Beauty”, “Ancient City”, which have long become classics of the genre.

His discography currently includes more than 20 numbered albums, 10 albums of concert recordings, 8 video discs, as well as several collections of poems and songs.

Alexander Novikov is a laureate of the national Ovation award in the Urban Romance category (1995), and a multiple winner of the Chanson of the Year award. (from 2002 to 2017).

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✪ Alexander Novikov Rehearsing life 2013)

Subtitles

Biography

Childhood and youth

Born on October 31, 1953 on the island of Iturup, Kuril archipelago, in the village of Burevestnik. Father is a military pilot, mother is a housewife. For the first 2 years of his life, Novikov and his family lived on Sakhalin, then lived for some time in the Latvian village of Vainode, then ten years in the city of Frunze, and in 1969 Novikov moved to the city of Sverdlovsk, where he continues to live and work to the present day.

Sasha Novikov grew up as a very smart boy. Already at the age of 6, he was impressed by the lyrics of Sergei Yesenin, and by the third grade he had read almost all of the Russian classics, including the novel War and Peace. However, he studied poorly at school, did not observe discipline, and already in the 4th-5th grade Novikov was expelled from the ranks of the pioneers. In everyday life, the future musician was an open anti-Soviet.

Novikov also showed his temperamental character in boxing and sambo.

Young Alexander Novikov’s passion for music came in 1967 under the impression of watching the film “Vertical” with the participation of Vladimir Vysotsky, who performed 5 of his songs in the film. As a student at UPI, he performed as part of the institute's VIA "Polymer". He was expelled from the institute for performing the song “The Beatles” at one of the institute’s events.

In 1971, he received his first sentence for a fight in a restaurant. Novikov and his friend stood up for the waitress against her opponent, who refused to pay and used physical force against her. The opponent himself later ended up in the hospital, and the waitress got his watch, which Novikov and his friend, taking it out of the pocket of the unconscious opponent, gave it to her. Novikov was given a suspended sentence for a year with mandatory involvement in labor (popularly “chemistry”), during which he built a Public Service House in Nizhny Tagil.

In 1980 he created the group “Rock Polygon”, where he performed as a soloist, guitarist and songwriter. The songs were performed in the styles of rock and roll, reggae and new wave with elements of punk rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock. The texts were distinguished by their philharmonic spirit. The group recorded two self-titled albums in (in the official publication for the year it is erroneously indicated as) and 1984 .

In 1981, he founded the recording studio “Novik-Records”, where not only Novikov’s albums were recorded, but also many Sverdlovsk musicians - in the future the groups “Chaif”, “Agatha Christie” and others.

In 1984, Novikov sharply departed from rock music and on May 3 recorded the famous album “Take me, cab driver.” Musicians from the Rock Polygon took part in the recording, including Alexey Khomenko and Vladimir Elizarov.

Arrest

On October 5, 1984, Novikov was arrested, and in 1985, by a verdict of the Sverdlovsk court, he was sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 10 years - under Art. 93-1 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR. Officially - in connection with the production and sale of counterfeit electronic musical equipment. However, in his interviews, A. Novikov repeatedly noted that he was imprisoned precisely for the album “Take Me, Cabby,” referring to the case that began with the document “Expertise on the songs of Alexander Novikov,” which contained reviews of each song from the album “Take Me.” me, cab driver." Based on the results of this examination, it was decided that:

The examination was carried out by composer Evgeny Rodygin, a member of the Union of Writers of the USSR, a member of the editorial committee of the Ural magazine Vadim Ocheretin, and a representative of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR V. Olyunin.

In the camp, Alexander Vasilyevich wrote most of his best poems, including “Layout Lyrics”, “I extracted pain and salt for my wounds...”, “Guitar and Organ-Gurdy”, “You and I will not see each other soon...”, “Gypsy”, “ Four teeth”, “Wife”, “The night was rammed by a star...” and others. Also, while still in a pre-trial detention center cell, Novikov created the play-fable “Komarilla”, in which, in a comic form, the whole picture of the trial is presented, and under the masks of animals real people involved in the poet’s “case” are shown.

Subsequently, in 2012, the autobiographical book “Notes of a Criminal Bard” was published, covering the period of Alexander Novikov’s life spent in the camp.

Liberation and subsequent events

In August 1991 he spoke out against the State Emergency Committee.

In 1994, together with director Kirill Kotelnikov, he made a documentary film about the group “Boney M.” and its creator Frank Farian “Oh, this Farian!” (“Oh, this Farian!”). Filming took place in Luxembourg and Germany, the film included unique interviews with Farian and materials from his personal archive. However, the film was never shown on Russian television.

On January 24, 1998, he took part in a gala concert in honor of the 60th anniversary of Vladimir Vysotsky, held at the Olimpiysky sports complex. Among three dozen artists, Novikov is one of the few who had the honor of performing two songs of the legendary singer-songwriter at once: “Song about an informer” and “Bolshoi Karetny”. Famous writer Fyodor Razzakov in the book “Vladimir Vysotsky. I will, of course, return...” noted:

The idea [of the concert] was doomed to failure from the start. It’s one thing to sing “Old Songs about the Main Thing,” and quite another to sing Vysotsky’s songs. Therefore, only two or three performers (Alexander Novikov, Lesopoval, Lyube) managed, if not to come close to the author’s version, then at least not to spoil it. All the other concert participants couldn't handle it.

On June 16, 2003, Alexander Novikov was awarded the highest church award - the Order of the Holy, Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow for his services in the construction of the Church on the Blood in Yekaterinburg. Since 2004, President of the Foundation “400th Anniversary of the House of Romanov” in the Urals.

On June 24, 2010, he was appointed artistic director of the Yekaterinburg Variety Theatre. Having become the artistic director of the theater, Novikov first of all banned the play “Blue Puppy”, in which he saw signs of promoting pedophilia.

These vuvuzelas of homosexuality, looking at the world through an eyesore, which for some reason are always in a bulging state... So, through these eyesores, any healthy event and normal act seems to them to be an attack on their mythical homosexual rights, growing straight out of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Alexander Novikov

After this case the expression "vuvuzelas of homosexuality" has gained great popularity on the Internet.

On October 28, 2010, a new album by Alexander Novikov was released on poems by poets of the Silver Age, in the recording of which Maxim Pokrovsky took part, performing together with Novikov a song based on the poems of Sasha Cherny “Tararam”. Alexander Vasilyevich described the result of his work on the creation of this album:

The album “Pineapples in Champagne” is a gallery of bizarre and unique gems of “Silver Age” poetry. I made a musical frame for each of them. Five years of fine jewelry work

Participant of the annual National Chanson of the Year Award in the Kremlin.

In 2014-2015, he was a member of the jury of the TV show “Three Chords” and repeatedly performed on its stage.

In December 2016, Novikov was charged under Part 4 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud on an especially large scale). On December 23, the court sent him to house arrest for two months. According to investigators, Novikov and former Deputy Minister of Economy of the Sverdlovsk Region Mikhail Shilimanov collected about 150 million rubles from shareholders in the construction of the Queens Bay cottage community in Yekaterinburg, and then transferred this money to their accounts. Construction of the village was stopped; law enforcement officers estimated the amount of damage at 35 million 627 thousand rubles. In January 2017, while under recognizance not to leave, he left Russia for the UAE on vacation. Returned to Epiphany. Upon his return he gave a press conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF_vZPA_J-U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMwpTb0jNyk

Awards (Chanson of the Year)

Creation

Most famous songs

Discography

• 1983 - Rock Polygon (Alexander Novikov and the Rock Polygon group) (previously not officially published, in 2008 it was included in the collection “Alexander Novikov. MP3 series” with errors in design and a shortened version)
• 1983 - Drive me, cabbie (the sound of the songs on the 1983 album is slower than on the 1984 album) (11 songs)
• 1984 - Rock Polygon II (Alexander Novikov and the Rock Polygon group)
• 1984 - Drive me, cab driver (original title “East Street”) (18 songs)
• 1990 - Second concert after release (not officially released)
• 1990 - I’m in Yekaterinburg (Alexander Novikov and the group “Grandchildren of Engels”) (magnetic album)

• 1991 - Take me, cab driver (Alexander Novikov and the group “Khipish”) (9 songs)
• 1993 - Necklace of Magadan
• 1993 - Urban Romance (recorded 1992)
• 1993 - In a provincial restaurant ( Alexander Novikov, “Grandchildren of Engels”, “Hipish”) (some songs have already been sounded in the magnetic album “I’m in Yekaterinburg”, and the rest of the songs were already recorded in 1992)

Books

• 2001 - “Take me, cab driver...” (poems and songs)
• 2002 - “Bell Tower” (poems and songs)
• 2011 - “Street Beauty” (collection of lyric poems)
• 2012 - “Symphonies of the Court” (collection of lyric poems)
• 2012 - “Notes of a Criminal Bard” (autobiographical book)

Facts

Alexander Vasilievich Novikov was born on October 31, 1953 in the Sakhalin region to the family of a military pilot and a housewife. At the age of sixteen, the future chansonnier left for the city of Yekaterinburg, which at that time was Sverdlovsk. He lives in this city to this day, holding the position of artistic director of the Yekaterinburg Variety Theater. Not so long ago, Alexander Novikov released an autobiographical book “Notes of a Criminal”.

The artist has repeatedly become a laureate of various awards, for example, in 1995 he was awarded the national Ovation award in the Urban Romance category. Alexander Novikov was repeatedly awarded the “Chanson of the Year” prize.

In 1980, Novikov created the musical group “Rock Polygon”, in which he was a soloist, played, and also wrote songs. The group's work, according to critics, was quite eclectic for that time - some songs could be called rock and roll, while others could even be called reggae and punk rock. A year after the creation of Rock Polygon, Alexander Novikov organized a recording studio, giving it his name - Novik Records. In this studio, albums were recorded not only by the owner and founder, but also by such musical groups as Chaif ​​and Agatha Christie.

Criminal prosecution of the artist

However, not everything was smooth in the artist’s creative career. In the mid-80s of the last century, Alexander Novikov was convicted by the Sverdlovsk court under Article 93-1 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR. According to the court verdict, the artist had to spend 10 years in prison. The artist was arrested in the fall of 1984. Shortly before this, he released the album “Take Me, Cabby.” Although musicians from the Rock Polygon, in particular Alexey Khomenko and Vladimir Emelianenko, participated in the recording of this album, it was obvious that the group had sharply moved away from playing rock music.

The musician, who became popular after the release of his first album, was accused of selling counterfeit goods.

The criminal investigation was related to the fact that Alexander Novikov, in addition to his creative activities, was engaged in the manufacture and sale of electrical musical equipment. A criminal case was initiated under Article 93-1 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, that is, “repeated theft of state or public property on an especially large scale.” It is worth noting that in 1989, the producer of the extremely popular pop group “Tender May”, Andrei Razin, was also charged under the same article in 1989, who was charged with theft of state property on an especially large scale. The producer was caught selling illegal tickets for his band’s concert performances. The total damage from Razin’s actions, according to a number of domestic media, exceeded 8 million rubles.

The verdict in the case of Alexander Novikov was passed in 1985, but 5 years later, according to the Decree of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, the artist was released. Some time later, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation made a decision to overturn the verdict due to the lack of corpus delicti.