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Category:: Music - Rock
Description:: This group is for anyone who loves the soviet rock band Kino and thinks that Viktor Tsoi was the true hero and father of Russian Rock.

Viktor Robertovich Tsoi (June 21, 1962 – August 15, 1990) was a famous Soviet artist and leader of the rock group Kino. Tsoi was born to a Korean father and Russian mother on June 21, 1962 in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia).

He is regarded as one of the pioneers of Russian rock and has a huge following in the countries of the former Soviet Union even today, as of 2008. Few musicians in the history of Russian music have been more popular or have had more impact on their genre than Victor Tsoi and his rock band Kino.

Tsoi contributed a plethora of musical and artistic works, including ten albums. He died in a car accident when he fell asleep at the wheel on August 15, 1990.
Leningrad's Rock Club was one of the few public places where rock bands were allowed to perform. It was there in 1982, at their first annual Rock Concert that Victor Tsoi made his stage debut. He was playing as a solo artist supported by two "Aquarium" members. Tsoi's innovative lyrics and music impressed the crowd.

Before making it big, Tsoi said that the problem with music was that no one wanted to take chances. He wanted to experiment with lyrics and music in order to create something fresh that no one had ever heard before. Tsoi succeeded in his goal. Shortly after the concert he recruited other musicians and they formed "Kino", which in Russian means "cinema". They recorded a demo tape at Tsoi's apartment. This tape was quickly passed around Leningrad, then all over the country by rock enthusiasts. Kino began to gain a following.

Tsoi finished recording the vocals for Kino's next album. He was supposed to travel back to Leningrad so that his band mates could record its musical score. Early in the morning of August 15, Victor Tsoi was killed when he lost control of his Aleko car and slammed into a bus outside Riga. The car was completely demolished to the point that one of its tires was never found. This happened on the way back from a fishing trip. Tsoi had wanted to take his son, Alexander (Sasha) with him on the trip, but fortunately, Sasha did not go.

Tsoi was buried in a closed casket.

On August 17, "Komsomolskaya Pravda", one of the main Soviet newspapers, had the following to say about Tsoi and his meaning to the youth of the nation:
Tsoi means more to the young people of our nation than any politician, celebrity or writer. This is because Tsoi never lied and never sold out. He was and remains himself. It's impossible not to believe him... Tsoi is the only rocker who has no difference between his image and his real life, he lived the way he sang... Tsoi is the last hero of rock.

The tape which contained the only recording of Tsoi's vocals for the next album was recovered and the surviving members of "Kino" recorded the music to the album, which was christened Black Album as a sign of mourning for the fallen singer. The album became the band's most popular creation and solidified "Kino"'s place at the top of Russian rock's history and Victor Tsoi's as its greatest hero and legend.

Kino's impact on Soviet music and society was huge. The group introduced a sound and lyrics that no other Soviet actor before them was able or willing to produce. Kino opened the doors for modern Russian rock bands. It's displayed today in many places around Russia, from graffiti on the fences of St. Petersburg to a whole wall dedicated to Victor Tsoi on the famous Arbat street in Moscow, where fans still gather to remember their hero.

In 2000 some of the nation's top rock bands came together and released their interpretations of Kino's best songs as a tribute to Victor Tsoi on what would have been his 38th birthday. Even though he is gone, Victor Tsoi still lives in the minds of many Russian youths.
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This group is for anyone who loves the soviet rock band Kino and thinks that Viktor Tsoi was the true hero and father of Russian Rock.

Viktor Robertovich Tsoi (June 21, 1962 – August 15, 1990) was a famous Soviet artist and leader of the rock group Kino. Tsoi was born to a Korean father and Russian mother on June 21, 1962 in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia).

He is regarded as one of the pioneers of Russian rock and has a huge following in the countries of the former Soviet Union... (read more)
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