Yuri Antonov: character, scandals, antics

Recently, the producer Sergey Lavrov stated that Yuri Antonov - the most difficult, capricious and willful maestro of Russian pop music he had ever worked with. In addition, he was also a scandaliser. In general, Antonov's difficult temper has long been the subject of legends, some of which are pure truth. Back in the days of all-union fame, the artist allowed himself to "more than I should have."As a result, he became "out of the country" for some time. At that time, the newspapers wrote about him, and Yuri Mikhailovich even had to appeal directly to Gorbachevto make up for the conflict (discussed below).

You can put it down to youth and boiling blood, but even at a mature age Antonov did not cease to become a hero of the yellow press: he would send a colleague away in public, or he would get into a fist fight with a biker, the result of which was a big black eye. Despite the demand, many producers simply do not risk working with him - it is fraught with danger loss of multiple nerve cells. Or even worse, you'll have to bark at the artist's door - I've been there.

They're saying, "Oh, and Antonov's loneliness - the result of his grumpy character and inflated ego: they say that the maestro demands almost worship! Some say that Antonov is harsh and rude, others confirm it, but add: he has the right. His friend poet Vladimir Ilyichev recalled:

"There was a case: he was told that it would take an hour and a half to get to the concert venue - which was a different city, so you can understand. And so, after that time had elapsed, Yura stops the driver, who had not yet reached his destination, gets out of the car and starts singing! On the edge of the forest - they were still on the motorway! So he sang, got in the car and drove back. There's a reason they think he's got a tough temper. But I think he has the right to do so - after all, he is a living legend...".

Gorbachev's help

So what about Gorbachev? The story goes that while speaking in Togliatti in 1987 Antonov allowed himself an unheard-of impertinence: he made an inappropriate joke about the top brass of the local CPSU branches, who were sitting in the seats of the CPSU. front row and "sluggishly applauded" (according to the artist himself). Knowing that the tickets to the concert were free of charge, Yuri Mikhailovich said from the stage:

"I realise that in the front rows sit people who are respected in the city, who did not stand at the box office for tickets"

The next day Antonov's concert was held under the drunken shouts of some disgruntled (and apparently specially invited) spectator, who was not shy in expressions, insulting the artist. The only thing that everyone remembered well was that this guest called Antonov's performance "shoddy" - hit the artist below the belt, so to speak. Then Antonov simply left the stage. And the next day his concert was cancelled. Soon the newspapers began to write how "unscrupulous" Antonov was, what a boor he was, and that he had caught the star disease and did not put his audience in any way.

This was followed by a stern reprimand and status absentee the artiste for 6 months! To regain his good name and touring, Antonov had to write a letter directly to Gorbachev asking him to pay attention to the situation. In the end, the harassment ended, but, it should be noted, it had no effect on the artist's reputation - people did not love him less because of such attacks.

"We had to bark!": memories of producers and colleagues

So why is Antonov so feared by producers? Does he really have that much arrogance and a difficult temper? Well, there are reasons for that. For example, once in winter, when the artist was to be filmed for a federal channel, journalists had to wait for the star at the fence for several hours! From the memoirs of Vladimir Ilyichev:

"So they arrived at the appointed hour, standing at the gate... The assistant comes out and announces: "Yuri Mikhailovich asked you to take a walk for two hours, he's laid down to rest."

The actress also told about Antonov's violent temper. Irina Korotkova. In particular, she recalled how the film was shot "Before we part.":

"There was a terrible quarrel with Vasilieva at the time. Yura swore like a cobbler, sent her very far away, let's put it that way. He then said that she and her kind were making a fool of themselves... Tatiana's temper is also tough. In general, it was a schizophrenic scream..."

Anatoly Demidovwho has worked with various stars for more than 30 years, recalled how Antonov agreed to collaborate only after Anatoliy "barked." under his door.

"I don't know myself what came over me. Antonov refused to co-operate then, but I couldn't accept it. And here was an oil painting: I was standing there barking, and his dogs were on my backing vocals. This picture amused Yuri Mikhailovich so much that he changed his anger for mercy and nevertheless agreed...".

Yuri Antonov is the kind of person who has never been shy about criticising colleagues he doesn't particularly like, and even got into fightsand at an advanced age. One of the most vivid stories involves a fist fight that took place between an artiste and a biker at a petrol station. The reason? Well, Antonov was blocking the road, which made him very sad and angry....

And yet love...

But no matter how you look at it, it's still Everybody loves Antonov.! Yes, he's a man who's unconventional and not the easiest person to get along with. Yeah, he's got a little bit of an attitude, as they say. But he's a legend! More than one generation grew up on his hits, which after half a century are still relevant! And as his acquaintances emphasise, if Yuri Mikhailovich was rude to anyone, it was for a good cause.

How do you feel about the artiste? Share your opinion in the comments.