Vladimir Lenin should be buried according to Orthodox customs and Volgograd should be renamed Stalingrad. Such a review in the RTVI program “Legend” Express singer Soso Pavliashvili. He also talked about the number of times he spoke to refugees from the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, how he treats Alla Pugacheva and what he thinks about LGBT and European values.
About the Georgian Accent
I didn’t have an accent at all. I had a teacher from the age of 6, she was a real Leningrader. She was like a second mother to me. She taught me the violin, and I spent seven years under her direction, then a music school for another 4 years. Then she transferred me to maestro Leo Shiukashvili at the conservatory. She loved me unconditionally and I loved her very much. And she was very worried about me, because I was a real punk and I lived the usual life of these street children. But, thank God, in our time there was a completely different street: the street elevated, the street made the boys noble.
About who he would like to play in the theater
This is Ostap Bender. Many years ago I had this dream: for example, Ostap Bender of the 21st century. What could it be? Because the Ostap Benders were, are, and always will be. And why did I like Ostap Bender? First, I read everything related to it, by the way, many times. And every time I relish, like Nodar Dumbadze, like, say, Bulgakov, I really like Dovlatov. Thank God I have read a lot since childhood.
He (Ostap Bender) is not bloodthirsty, he uses your vices against you. Your greed, your greed, your ambition, your pride. He directs it against you. He makes you bring everything to him with a blue border. He’s a genius, just a genius. There should be as many people as possible, only those who are attached and loyal to you. If we had such people, politicians say, the whole world would be ours. They would be better, more than Stirlitz. They would be incredible scouts, no one would have resisted them.
Soso Pavliashvili in 2005 Dmitry Kostyukov / Kommersant
About the attitude to Alya Pugacheva
She really liked my performance, she even invited me once to participate in the “Christmas Encounters” (an annual concert broadcast on television in December from 1988 to 2012 – editor’s note RTVI). It was once, but I still remember that evening. What dedication was, how everyone trained even in rehearsals. And she didn’t even leave for a second. She stood with a microphone, she directed, praised, growled, participated in everything. It was just awesome!
And she had – and certainly has now – an attitude first and foremost towards herself, such a powerful attitude towards herself: she didn’t allow herself any lies on stage, in art, in singing. And I even have a song we wrote with her. I wrote the music, and she gave me poetry, incredible poetry. When we met Alla Borisovna, I already had two Grands Prix. But I’m sure if she had heard me at the very beginning of my career, she would never have pushed me away. She would appreciate and do anything to help me, as she has helped so many people.
The music itself drove me crazy, the stage drove me crazy, my audience drove me crazy, and a lot of people didn’t notice it, because I was too free, too loose. It was still Soviet times. And Alla, on the contrary, attracted such people to her, and I think she would never push me away. And we have always had a relationship of mutual respect from the first days of our acquaintance. I have always felt great warmth from him, great respect. And she always got it from me too.
About performance for residents of the DPR and LPR after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine
We started these concerts on March 16 (2022). We have people who find it difficult to smile a little. I don’t like to talk about it, because I’m not doing it to be congratulated, to receive a title or to be paid in any way. No. On the contrary, I am grateful to all those who give me the opportunity to be useful to those who are going through a difficult period. I don’t care who is of what faith, what nationality. We are all children of God, and if we don’t support each other, we are worthless. So we did about 30 shows during this time and we have many more planned.
For the refugees of the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, Soso Pavliashvili performed several times: in particular, in March he gave such a concert in orel and in August – in Volgograd .
Vyacheslav Prokofiev / TASS
On the attitude towards “European values” and LGBT
I don’t like it at all. Everything is preparing for the coming of the Antichrist, and that’s it. What should I evaluate there? They have their life, I have mine. I wish ill on no one, but it will enslave them all. When we turn away from God, when we turn away from nature, when a child, without the consent of his parents, can go to change sex in an unconscious state, when already young girls, boys drink antidepressants and run in herds among psychologists – this is happening with us – it is a disaster, a great disaster.
Therefore, I do not want to evaluate it in any way, I do not want to discuss it at all. Not because it’s bad or good, I don’t want to discuss it. I feel very sorry for these people. I’m really sorry, because they’re ruining their lives. Some valuables were planted on them which would destroy them. And I know it, and it’s in full swing. Let them leave us alone – we don’t interfere with them, they get on my Georgia. They climb in my Georgia, they climb in my Russia, they climb everywhere. Therefore, we must purify ourselves and hold hands, not fight, not curse each other, but on the contrary understand each other more. We have one God, one concept, one ancestor and one victory.
As soon as we walked away from that, we immediately got into trouble. Therefore, I expect Vladimir Ilyich (Lenin) to be buried in an Orthodox manner. We will all cross. Let’s say: “Kingdom of Heaven!”, and Volgograd will be called Stalingrad. And everything will start to fall into place.
