Alexander Kushnir revealed the secret of Pugacheva’s appearance at Petkun’s presentation

“My encounter with Alla Pugacheva was short-lived, but bright,” recalls Alexander Kushnir. – About 20 years ago (in 2001 – “ZD”) the group “Dancing Minus”, with which we actively interacted, released another new album “Losing the Shadow”. It was decided to hold a presentation at the alma mater of this group – the 16 Ton club, where vocalist Slavka Petkun worked hard as an art director. It so happened that at the same time Slava starred in Pugacheva’s video “Exclusion Zone”. Alla Borisovna was living at that time in an apartment at the Balchug Hotel; there was such a period in her life. And due to friendly relations, and also considering that “Balchug” is located in the center, that is, relatively close to the club, a proposal arose in our creative depths to invite her to the presentation. In fact, Slava himself did this; and I don’t know how they agreed there…

The press conference was scheduled for 15:00 on a weekday, which was already tough. But, as it turned out, this was just the beginning of the cruelty. We believed that our plan was a win-win: the press would come, since the group was then at the top – many hits on the radio, the toughest interviews and the most daring remarks between songs at all sorts of “invasion” and “maxidromes”. In other words, Slava Petkun was a fashionable youth hero, to whom Alla Pugacheva even drew attention as a producer with very thin skin and a sensitive ear…

She arrived through the service entrance to the coveted club in excellent physical and highly artistic visual form. Moreover, she arrived alone, without an entourage – no incomprehensible make-up artists, costume designers, security guards, or press secretaries. According to the plan, the press conference smoothly turned into what is now fashionable to call a show case – a small performance, acoustics, literally five to seven songs.

Communication with Alla Borisovna in the dressing room was very simple and relaxed, which, of course, amazed and pleasantly surprised me. No one caved in under anyone, no clearings with red and black caviar were covered…

I ran back and forth and caught a fragment of a conversation that could serve as a kind of illustration for the film “Is It Easy to Be Young.” One of the non-key musicians of the group – in my opinion, from the rhythm section – lamented that, supposedly, before a sea of ​​journalists had now crowded into the press conference (and it was clear through the crack of the door that people were almost on their heads they sit down for each other), I had to play for ten years, relatively speaking, in McDonald’s and kebab shops. Alla said quite calmly: “Well, guys, this is our way. I remember how much crap they poured on me when I started during the years of “Golden Orpheus” (1975 – “ZD”) – they say, the songs are wrong, and I sing wrong, and I look wrong, and I say the wrong thing… “

I really liked that there was zero edification in this monologue – a conversation between people who seem to have been friends with each other since time immemorial, absolutely on equal terms, eye to eye and completely without pathos. It was fascinating.

It is clear that great artists can be “pseudo,” but here such a powerful aura of sincerity came from her that it was impossible not to fall in love. It was felt that this was not a pose, but that a person simply consists of such an intellectual, intelligent DNA, internal decency that cannot be eradicated by any tsarist or pseudo-tsarist regime, or by any secret police. At the same time, an absolutely awesome and charming knowledge of the value of herself and the value of what she does. In general, pure blue blood. I remember my feeling, which I formulated for myself: reflections of the Silver Age…

Meanwhile, the press conference began. The picture looked like this: we left the incomparable Alla Borisovna in the dressing room alone in the company of a small monitor the size of a fist, showing a cloudy picture from the audience. Everything is purely improvised, without any plan – we’ll get into a fight, and then we’ll see. But everyone understood that it would be funny and fun, considering that Slava Petkun never minced words, so everyone was in high spirits and a little mischievous. This was a period of history when everyone received maximum pleasure from life, such emotional and spiritual hedonism reigned, absolutely natural, like breathing air…

It started as usual – the band was sitting to the left of the stage, the space in front of the stage was lined with chairs, everything was packed. The first few questions are innocent – about the new album, about some scandal at a concert. They wondered whether Petkun would again make some terrible statement at “Maxidrom” or “Invasion”.

In general, the press conference promised to be fun, and a certain tone had already emerged. You can imagine the expression on Alla Borisovna’s face in front of the monitor, who saw polite, obedient guys from St. Petersburg in the dressing room, and here they have already entered, as they say, “into the piano” – without unnecessary complexes, without references to the history of the cultural capital and their genes. It’s not without pleasure that I moderate this whole storm.

And then a hand rises… A woman stands up, who should have been invented if she didn’t exist. Outwardly, she resembled a character from the cartoon “Antoshka, Antoshka, let’s go dig potatoes” – the same redhead and covered in freckles, but in appearance and size, as if she had returned from ski training before the Olympics. That’s what I called her to myself – “skier.”

And this red-haired “skier” asks: “Slava, how did you manage to star in a video with Pugacheva?” To which I, after a Hamlet-like pause, say: “Repeat, what’s your name?” It was necessary to bring down the heat a little. She repeats: name is such and such, publication is such and such. I say: “And by patronymic?” She says her middle name. I continue as a moderator: “I have a response question for you: why are you asking this from the group “Dancing Minus”?” She was surprised: “Who should I ask?” I say: “Pugacheva’s clip – probably the question should be addressed to Pugacheva.” She, sincerely not knowing what awaits her in the next 30 seconds, says: “I would ask. But how will she hear me? I say, “Go for it, girl.” The girl hesitated: “Should I ask it like that?” I say: “Of course, be brave!” Well, she asked – without counting on anything, of course, and without suspecting a catch.

And then… the creaking of an old, ungreased door leading from the dressing room to the stage is heard. The door slowly opens, and Alla Borisovna comes out in her brilliant visual form, who, since it is necessary to maintain the tempo, does not say “hello,” but, as if she had been here all along, immediately continues: “Well, that’s a good question,” – and further in the hall you can hear flies on the first floor… kissing. There was deathly silence, which was interrupted by the sound of a broken glass falling from the hands of the bartender behind the counter.

Alla very modestly sits down on the leather chair built into the wall on the right. We specially placed Slava on the left flank, with a bassist named Khokha, a drummer and a guitarist between them. Consciousness is slowly returning to people, and for some, the gift of speech. Photographers began to walk around the rock band from the right flank so as to take the desired photo from the right angle – that is, so that Alla, who is in the background, and Slava would be included in the frame. We easily foresaw this, so we seated them this way – as far away from each other as possible. And even funnier than the reaction of the “skier” or the bartender with a dropped glass were the poses in which the photographers tried to catch this angle. It wasn’t even the letter “zyu”, but something completely beyond the laws of physics. But there was no use in twitching. I also discreetly showed Hoha a gesture, and the musicians moved forward a little, so it was not only physically, but also chemically impossible to take this speculative shot…

Alla took the initiative into her own hands, said that she had the latest records of the group, took the album from the table, said that they were very good songs, she liked this and that. She behaved as friendly as possible, like a person who pays tribute to the help of a friend, it doesn’t matter whether he’s new or not. They asked a couple of questions – some to Alla, some to Slava. And then it was clear that we had to end all this so as not to call an ambulance. I said a huge thank you to everyone. At that moment, Alla was already moving towards “Balchug”; a limousine with the engine running was waiting for her at the exit.

I remember the “skier” and several other journalists came up and said that this press conference was the best thing they had seen in their lives, and asked to be invited to all press conferences in the future, both at “16 tons” and at my personal ones . Then the band played several songs from this album acoustically.

I don’t remember exactly what the reaction was in the press, but they wrote everything about it. Various versions were put forward about the “surprise” in the person of Pugacheva, including conspiracy theories, because it could not have occurred to anyone that she was sitting in the dressing room and waiting. So they considered the biofield, magic, sensitive currents, they say, she drove by, sensed vibrations and looked at the light.