Vladirmir Vysotsky: The Bob Dylan & Elvis Of The Soviet Union

First, let me say that this man is one of the most influential artists to me. His music is something I hold ever so dear to my heart and his story is one that continues to inspire me through the years.Vladimir Vysotsky is an icon in Russian culture. He was a multifaceted talent; singer, songwriter, poet, and actor whose career had an immense and enduring effect on Russian culture.Often the comparison is made with Bob Dylan, but one mustn't over look the Soviet context. ??Vysotsky as Hamlet?? Vysotsky was born in Moscow on January 25, 1938. During his youth he spent a few years in the Soviet-occupied section of post-WWII Germany. Later, after enrolling in engineering school dropped out to follow a career in acting. Although he made headlines with his work in Shakespeare's Hamlet and Brecht's Life of Galileo, his work is music was largely overlooked by Melodiya, the monopolist of the Soviet recording industry. Nevertheless, his popularity continued to grow, as, with the advent of portable tape-recorders in the USSR, his music became available to the masses in the form of home-made reel-to-reel audio tape recordings, and later on cassette tapes.He became known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which featured social and political commentary in often humorous street jargon. Through the skills he harnessed as an actor, he could speak with the inflection in his voice of a Moscow thief as well as a veteran from the Great Patriotic War. This endeared him to millions of average Soviets. Social and political commentary, in the Soviet Union during the 60's. This was not very common.By the mid-1970s, Vysotsky had been suffering from alcoholism for quite some time. Many of his songs from the period deal – either directly or metaphorically – with alcoholism, insanity, mania, and obsessions.In the late 70's Melodiya did release a few of his songs on vinyl, this constituted only a small portion of his creative work, which millions already owned on tape and knew by heart.Around the same time, he starred in a hugely popular TV series Mesto Vstrechi Izmenit' Nel'zya ("The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed") about two cops fighting crime in late 1940s Stalinist Russia. In spite of his successful acting career, Vysotsky continued to make a living with his concert tours across the country, often on a compulsive binge-like schedule, which, it is believed, contributed to the deterioration of his health. He died in Moscow at the age of 42 of heart failure.??Vysotsky's Grave??

The angel wings are supposed to symbolize Vysotsky's importance to all oppressed peoples; they are wrapped around his body to represent the fact that he was never allowed to fully spread his talent and flourish during his lifetime due to the oppressive regime.

Ya vam rebyata / rimskij papa(A humorous song about jail mates daydreams.)Translation:All the cool places in a world are quickly taken. They were hoping to wait to see results.And meanwhile in the entire glorious Italy No one was found to become a Pope!Too bad, I was caught and was locked up too fast, I'd drink a shot of vodka and go to Vatican.The priests and their people are bewildered, So slow makes decisions Vatican.We harried up and sent them yet another Pope, One of us, one of Poliaks, one of Slavs!I'm in my jail cell. I'm from Narofominsk! When you destroyed my life, did you know That I could be, should be a Roman Pope, And then I'd make you, obviously, Queen!Our heroes look like real mighty knights, They swim along our Volga river and Cama. My roommate in a jail cell, Akhmed Halilov, He's better than Mayo, can't even compare!With power, with crown, or with money, Us destiny, like kittens, throws around.But how could we miss the throne of Turkish Shah? We'll never be forgiven by our sons.Their shah had no skill to rule his folk, It's perfect moment to replace him, boys!With whom? Every other guy in our Turkmenia Is called Aya-Tala, or even Hominid.In Europe, in America, in AsiaOne leader's fallen ill, another's almost dead. We missed already one neat post in Peace Holding, Even though it's filled with our former folk.All my life I kick the gate with horns, like a beast. I rather take Koran, and go to Teheran.