Vasily Terminator: How Alexander Smirnov Won Over Perm
He is that very Vasily Terminator, who sings with love and longing about the Kama River and plays the dog Brutus in such a way that it sends shivers down the spine and brings tears to the eyes. Artist Alexander Smirnov may not be a native Perm resident, but this time he became the hero of the «Urban Legends» section. His story turned out to be lyrical and very honest.
Urban Legends is a series of stories about people through whom Perm finds its unique voice. Their actions, ideas, and energy shape the city«s character and become part of its attraction. The project partner is the federal developer »Brusnika«, a company that subtly feels the specifics of each place and is confident that the genuine soul of the city lives in people. Already next year, Perm residents will have to decide whose name will become the main urban legend.
Perm is, on one hand, a province, but on the other — events happen here that suddenly make it a center. But as soon as people try to purposely make it a center, everything immediately becomes a joke. And this is such a dichotomy in which we all live,reflects Alexander Smirnov.
I love Perm, truly — there are even songs about it. Summer here is especially good! This is probably something inexplicable — it«s hard to understand and say why exactly, I just love it and that»s all.
Today, Smirnov performs at the independent theater «Bolshaya Stirka» (Big Wash), where he feels the freedom for which he once chose the stage. He also appears on the boards of the Theater for Young Audiences in the role of Chichikov in «Dead Souls» and performs in monoplays. The group «Smirny and Friends» is another important direction of his creativity.
How a Guy from Balyezino Became a Favorite of Perm Residents
Alexander Smirnov«s introduction to Perm was, to put it mildly, harsh.
In 1989, I came to enroll in the Institute of Culture. The city looked different then: industrial, severe, gloomy, and gray. We arrived with a comrade, and almost immediately, a mugging happened in the square near the Opera Theater. A crowd of guys our age approached us and started extorting money, but we had nothing to take. This, of course, added color to the first impression,recalls Smirnov.
His studies coincided with the early 1990s — a time of ruin, shortages, and general disarray. All this, according to the artist, was compensated by creativity. The course was strong: he studied with Svetka and Zhanka (Svetlana Permyakova and Zhanna Kadnikova), and many graduates went on to professional theaters. It was then that he realized how art changes a person — making one think broader and feel more acutely.
In the 1990s, he already performed in the play «The Same Old Perm», assembled from satirical feuilletons a century old. The production was a great success. The meaning turned out to be simple and yet paradoxical — time passes, but much remains the same.
Then, city residents first learned about Alexander Smirnov, but love and recognition came thanks to KVN (Club of the Funny and Inventive). In the team «Parma», he was an emcee and added theatricality to the sketches. Although there are also roles that were picked up for quotes, such as the memorable parody of Alexander Tvardovsky«s poem »Vasily Terkin«.
We always preached KVN with meaning. Not just laughter for laughter«s sake, but with deep content. Probably, that»s why a certain part of the audience loved us — for the theatricality, images, mix of lyricism and humor,believes the artist.
He recalls this experience with gratitude, but without illusions. He doesn«t think he realized himself in KVN, although it was there that he learned to work in a team and value a creative environment.
Return to Perm
Then came Moscow and the feeling that he was doing the wrong thing. So Smirnov returned to Perm to work on stage.
Do I already consider myself a Perm resident? To a large extent, of course, I do. I have lived most of my life here, established myself as an actor and musician,noted Alexander Smirnov.
But I remember the city I once came to and see that some moments don«t change — the severe closedness and a kind of peremptory self-confidence.
Smirnov«s love for Perm is complex. In the song »My Kama«, which sounds at many city festivals, concerts, and holidays, there is not only warmth but a light melancholy. It is this, in Smirnov»s opinion, that becomes fuel for creativity. Many songs by «Smirny and Friends» are also imbued with the city, even if it«s not stated directly. Now the team is recording its third album and preparing for a big spring concert »10+1« (16+) in honor of the group»s birthday, which will take place in March at the DK Soldatov.
I really love the historical center of Perm. Everything around the opera theater — is the very heart of the city, filled with spirituality. I like the new space «IlTYUZion»,says Alexander Smirnov.
We had summer concerts here — very cozy, nice, I think there«s a good atmosphere here. But really, any place where there is an audience will be good for me.
A separate line in his work is the documentary project «Molotov Cocktail», created for the 300th anniversary of Perm, where Smirnov acted as host and creative producer. These were heartfelt stories about interesting, sometimes not the most well-known events that became iconic in the city«s history.
We wanted to make a creative gift to the city,says Smirnov.
Because at different times, a huge number of events happened in Perm that inscribe it in the historical, Russian, and world context. I am closer to two plots: about the exile of Osip Mandelstam and the story of the murder of Prince Mikhail Alexandrovich Romanov in 1919. These are very dramatic stories. Although, of course, the project also has lighter, more optimistic things.
Today, Alexander Smirnov remains faithful to Perm — with all its contradictions, melancholy, irony, and rare moments of pure joy.
