Written by Neidthard Kupfer
Published: June 12, 2022

The Troitsky case or the end of Russian rock 'n' roll

Currently Artemy Troitsky, one of the strangest (and most unpleasant) figures in the history of Soviet-Russian rock music, is touring through Germany to delight the audience with his "insider knowledge". For 37.00 to 44.87 Euros, Troitsky explains, according to the organizer's advertising, that rock music in the USSR could develop "only thanks to courageous managers who organized illegal concerts and a strong community that showed solidarity in cases of hardship." Will Mr. Troitsky also tell about his fight - also as an denunciator - against oppositional musical underground in the Soviet Union - maybe not on duty, but certainly in the interest of CPSU and KGB? Highly likely not, therefore it should be pointed out herewith.

»At that time, in 1986 and 1987, we were "fooled" (note: this means imprisoned here) for almost everything, including the distribution of underground magazines. Denunciations were also written in 1987. In particular, one of such denunciations was signed by many members of the Rock Laboratory, including Artemy Troitsky [...]. The denunciation was against us, the Urlait editorial board, the underground, the rock underground in general, because we didn't want to play by their rules.«
Alexey Koblov, author of the first Russian biography of Letov.

On February 20, 1990, at a concert in memory of Alexander Bashlachev, Yegor Letov said these words about Troitsky:

»And I want to salute all the pops gathered in this room, all the aesthetes led by Artemy Troitsky. All those people who have turned all our rock, or what used to be rock together with Sasha Bashlachev, into such an asshole!«
Yegor Letov on February 20, 1990

Troitzky hates Letow to this day for speaking this simple truth in front of an audience of about 2,500, as evidenced by numerous statements Troitsky made to Letov. (Further explanation at the bottom.)

This is the text of the denunciation to which Koblow refers and which Troitzky wrote and signed together with other members of the Moscow Rock Laboratory:

»Propaganda and agitation department of the Moscow State Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Editorial office of the newspaper "Soviet Culture
Editorial office of the newspaper "Moskovskaya Pravda"
Editorial office of the newspaper "Moskovskiye Novosti"

The Artistic Council and the Administration of the Moscow Creative Laboratory of Rock Music are authorized to declare:

For several years, various illegal magazines have been published in Moscow: Ucho, Zombie, Urlayt, which wage a relentless battle against all kinds of attempts to socialize rock music, pursuing a hard anti-Soviet line, defaming individual state institutions and organizations, as well as Soviet ideology and culture in general. These magazines are very popular among rock music lovers and have been influencing tastes and public opinion regarding certain groups, individuals, and organizations for many years. The creation of the laboratory has broken the mechanism of action of this underground. Since one and a half years all groups of Moscow rock (including such "pillars" of the underground as Crematorium, Sounds of Mu, DK) are under control and the influx of new bands is directly into the laboratory, bypassing the "generals" of the underground. The current system generates furious anger and numerous attempts to take revenge and to end the existence of the Laboratory.

The Artistic Council and the administration of the Rock Laboratory demand to stop the activities of M. Sigalov, I. Smirnov, A. Gildenbrandt and the people behind them and to protect the activities of the Laboratory from slander and provocation.

The positive action program of the founding organizations to overcome the crisis situation is presented in the working order.

[...]
A. Troitsky
[...]«

Source (ru) https://www.sibreal.org/a/30171424.html
Moscow Rock Laboratory (Wikipedia, en) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_Rock_Laboratory

Russian rock poet Aleksandr Nepomnyashchiy dedicated a song to Troitsky with the title "The end of Russian rock 'n' roll" (lyrics of the song in the description to the video).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m03F8H4nqOk

Aleksandr Nepomnyashchiy - Zeitkommentar.de

Aleksandr Nepomnyashchiy - The end of Russian rock 'n' roll

By the way - for 39,00 € you can see and hear the grandmasters of Symphonic Black Metal Cradle of Filth at Berlin's Columbia Theater on 09.10.2022 and for 34,70 € you can see and hear the punk legend Dead Kennedys at Berlin's Astra on 22.10.2022. This is guaranteed better invested money than to supplement the retirement income of a dubious figure like Troitsky.

Explanation of Letov's statement about Troitsky: "Pops" is colloquial and translates roughly as "bang, to bang, to whang, cracker". Letow liked to use the term as a derisive to contemptuous designation for products of conformist - and in the widest sense system-conformist - pop and mass culture as well as for their producers. In this sense, it comes closest to the English terms "jughead" or "blockhead". "Shopa" is a mat term as a vulgar expression for the bottom, the words "v takuyu shopu" can be translated as "into such a shit" or "into such an ass". However, the term in this combination has another level of meaning and I think that Letow implied just that. It denotes - similar to the English phrases "buggered, all fucked up, to be loused up" - in a figurative sense also a difficult or even hopeless situation.