Igor Sandler revealed the price of the musician’s beard ZZ TOP
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Tell me who’s your friend
ZZ TOP is one of the legends of rock music, the group was founded in 1969 and, in addition to its cult status in the annals of rock and roll, remains to this day the flagship of many bike communities in the world. Bikers of all clubs ride to their songs. This group has its own bright individual style, which is recognizable from the first notes and the first bars. They work in the style of blues-rock, and as the musicians themselves said: “We are a rock band with a lot of blues influence.” I was lucky to meet and make friends with the musicians of this group.
Of course, their distinguishing feature is two bearded frontmen who stand in the center of the stage and play powerful avalanche rock that leaves no one in the audience indifferent. I was on very good terms with Dusty Hill, who sadly passed away in 2021. And with another frontman, Billy Gibbons, I have a very funny story. During his visit to Moscow, he came to our center, looked at the keyboard museum, and was very impressed. Of course, we drank strong drinks in my office, and my office, I will boast without false modesty, is another hall of unique exhibits of rock history, as well as a library with the most valuable “thematic” folios.
At some point, sitting on my low sofa, Gibbons began to sweep the floor with his beard – not figuratively, but in the truest sense of the phrase. He began to drive his beard across the floor, like a broom. And in response to my surprised look, he asked if I knew how much his beard was worth. I replied that of course I didn’t know. He said, “Gillette gave me a million dollars to shave off my beard.” I ask: “Well, why didn’t you shave it off?” – to which he replied: “Igor, I have a lot of millions, but only one beard.”
At the end of the evening, I gave him my business card and jokingly said, “Billy, you probably don’t have a business card!” Usually musicians, especially rockers, don’t have business cards. Managers and producers have them, but not the artists themselves. In response, he looked at me very surprised and took out a card from his pocket. On it was written a phrase that struck me on the spot: “Gibbons Friend of Eric Clapton.” He himself is a megastar, but at the same time, as a person with the finest sense of humor, he hinted in such an elegant way: they say, if someone does not know Gibbons, then they certainly know Clapton. Such a man with great self-irony …
I laughed a lot! And Gibbons just shrugged his shoulders in response. After this meeting, I slammed, that is, no – I continued the tradition of Billy and made myself new business cards, where on the one hand I wrote “Gibbons Friend of Eric Clapton”, and on the other – “Sandler Friend of Gibbons”. Now many of my friends make accordion business cards: “Sandler’s friend. Friend of Gibbons. Clapton’s friend. And somehow dad Leonid Agutin came to me, I gave him my business card. After some time, he comes and takes out his own, it says: “Nikolai Agutin. Father-in-law of Angelica Varum. He also has a sense of humor…
Continuing the theme of the uniqueness of his beard, Gibbons told that meeting that initially neither of them had a beard. For 10 years, the guys have been “bombing” without this recognizable part of their image. In 1977, they decided to take a short break from work and met again only two years later, in the 79th. Then it turned out that during this time Billy and Dust grew beards. It seemed cool to them, and they decided to keep their beards. As a result, there is still only a drummer without a beard in the group, but at the same time his last name is Bird, which just translates as Beard.
Once again I thank fate for bringing me through life with such wonderful people and amazing professionals. ZZ TOP is a completely unique musical project that young musicians can and should still look up to. In 2004, the group was solemnly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the team is on the list of the hundred most popular US performers of all time. In our Rock School for Gifted Children, I really want to convey to the students an important idea: what heights can be achieved if you do what you love conscientiously and with full dedication. Modern songs are often one-day, but real, good, high-quality music remains forever. Truth seems to be commonplace, but never loses its topical meaning, and repetition, including wise truths, is the mother of teaching. And I really want modern musicians to make just such music in Russia.
Newspaper headline:
Pride of ZZ TOP: many millions, but one beard
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