Yaroslav Maly: Being a father is a huge thrill! Yaroslav Maly: As soon as we begin to take some things seriously, we have a huge number of problems Yaroslav Maly's personal life.

When Yaroslav Mal th, the lead singer of the Tokyo and Machete groups, and his wife Rachel agreed to an interview, I was very surprised, because they never talk about their personal lives, and even more so about children. Until now, the press only knew that Yaroslav had four children from ex-wives and four children of Rachel, who also became his children.

We met at the synagogue at 9 o'clock in the morning. All morning I could not collect my thoughts - I was very worried. First of all, because I wanted to meet Yaroslav the father - I know Yaroslav the musician from his performances: these are almost the only concerts after which you leave with a feeling of love and light inside. Unusual warmth comes from texts, music ... and in general - from Yaroslav himself.

During our conversation, I found myself thinking that the typical relationship "I am a father - you are a child: I teach - you listen" is embodied in something amazing here. Yaroslav and Rachel complement each other so much and talk about their children in such a way that it immediately becomes clear what love is.

- Yaroslav, do your children go to your concerts?

Yaroslav: Yes, of course, our children perform with us.

Rachel: And then we go and look at those who they like (laughs - author).

- And what performers do they like?

Yaroslav: Well, now, for example, we are going to go to Hurts. So let's all go together.

- I asked about the concerts, because I saw only one news that your children were at your concert.

Yaroslav: Oh, by the way, you are somehow miraculously the first to take pictures of us with children. I mean - in this form, when we came with the family and give interviews - this is the first time.

Rachel: We've been offered before, but...

Yaroslav: Somehow Rachel liked you.

- It's nice! Yaroslav, tell me, what is it like to be such a father of many children?

Yaroslav: We don't have any dramatic stories. Each of our children is our common child. The fate of each of us is our common destiny. Therefore, we do not share our children, all of them are really ours. We love them very much.

For example, Rachel was on the phone with my daughter for an hour and a half yesterday. Between them - excellent contact. I know less than Rachel what is happening to her.

Vitalik (Yaroslav's son - author), for example, calls only Rachel. Because he knows - dad can ask questions (laughs - author).

- What feelings did you have when you found out that you would have your first child?

Yaroslav: You know, with the advent of Rachel, 4 children appeared in my life at once. Straightaway! And I can say that, of course, I did not expect this. But it's so strong... I can't explain it, but I see myself in them - they really look like me. Literally yesterday there was a situation: we came to the synagogue, I sat down behind a column, opened the Torah, started to teach... And I heard a conversation between two grandfathers: “Look, what good children this man has - they are beautiful and have beautiful names. And a copy of the pope - they don’t look like a mother at all! (laughing - auth.).

I believe that, in addition to physical connections, there is a spiritual connection. And we feel it very well.

In general, we feel each other so much - you can’t even imagine. If something happens to us with some difficulties, we immediately see it in our children. Here we have to face something, resolve something, overcome some obstacles, and we see that they are at one with us. We never ask them for anything. We very rarely say that this is the situation and you need to be careful. What you need to pray to the Almighty, ask him to help us.

Rachel: This is because together with them we get to know this world, God. Together with them, we sit down every Saturday on Shabbat, a family day, and read stories about people, about their qualities, where it is clear what is good and what is bad. And we discuss it, and then the whole week everyone goes about their own business. Saturday is a special day when we comprehend the world together with children. These days we come to understand who we are, what we want to do.

- In your cultural tradition, it is customary to treat children up to a certain age as celestials, when, in principle, everything is allowed for them - is that so?

Yaroslav: We do not have such a tradition. Just up to 3 years, some people do not make comments to children, and then there is some kind of adjustment. But, in principle, we were just really lucky with the children. It’s just that they chose us, I don’t know why - apparently, to make it easier for us (smiles - author).

That is, they do not bother us at all, and they are not deities for us, in any case, they are just our kind of partners in this life: we learn something from them, they learn something from us. We have a common scale of values. And there is no violence in this - we absolutely calmly talk on various topics and never force them to do anything. Just how we feel is how we talk about it with them. And then we realize that they feel the same way. This is an amazing moment, because sometimes children speak to us in such a way that we understand that this is the ruin of the situation that we had.

So you don't have to raise kids?

Rachel: They need to be corrected. 🙂 And our faith helps us a lot. First of all, it is respect for parents. What is respect? It's just trust. That is, not just stupid obedience, but precisely trust in the opinion of your parents, because they have already lived something. Our faith teaches children to treat their parents properly.

Yaroslav: We do not insist, we do not impose - we give them freedom in their choice. But at the same time, we adjust very carefully so that later it does not affect their psyche. We take great care of them, and they take great care of us.

Rachel: Dad talks to them. In any situation, they close in the office - and talk.

Yaroslav: They love to travel with me. We are always going somewhere, the children always talk to me. They have a whole world inside - in general, cool! And we share this world with each other.

- Do they go on tour with you?

Yaroslav: Yes, sometimes we take them with us.

- And on the recording of songs?

Yaroslav: Yes, and at the rehearsal. They are with us everywhere. The two of us don’t go anywhere at all - someone else always goes with us.

- I saw someone helping you, do you have a nanny?

Rachel: Yes, there is a nanny, of course. But, this is not education - this is care.

- How long has your nanny been with you? I'm asking because I recently got a nanny too, and I was painfully worried about this fact, because I'm kind of a bad mother, since I leave my child and want to work.

Rachel: Well, firstly, a nanny must be there so that mom feels good. Because the state of the mother is directly transmitted to the child. When the mother is tired, the child will also be irritable. It's verified! 🙂

When a nanny appears, it is not necessary to leave the house immediately. It is better to take a nanny just when you are still at home. And you can see this person, correct somehow. After all, in any case, the nanny cannot justify all expectations at once. But the most important thing is that she should be treated as an assistant, because even if there are feelings between the child and the nanny, this is not maternal love. She is only a child with a mother. Even if mom is very busy.

- How is your typical day? A normal working day when everyone woke up and went somewhere?

Yaroslav: We wake up at 6 am. Rachel prepares the children for transportation to school, I go to the synagogue for prayer, then we meet after prayer at home. We hang out there, do some business, sometimes I manage to make music if there are no rehearsals or some kind of meetings. Then I go to a rehearsal, and Rachel does things related to business, contacts, negotiations, concerts. A huge amount of everything hangs on her, in addition to the fact that she is a mother. Then I arrive, and we all meet together again, the children are just returning, we eat together, then we go to the synagogue together. In the evening we have time to play together, sometimes I have time to make music - a little bit. 🙂 They also take part in this process, and then we pass out instantly. 🙂

- Is it scary to be a father?

Yaroslav: Not scary at all!

- Have you ever been afraid?

Yaroslav: No, it's generally a huge buzz. It is impossible to explain what happens when you have contact with a child. It's fantastic and not scary at all - it's absolute happiness. And we want to have as many children as possible.

- What is the role of the father? What is the most obligatory thing a father should pass on to his children?

Yaroslav: The father just has to be a kind and worthy person. Sometimes strict, but very rarely. Basically, mom should be strict. It seems to me that we are doing just that. Our mother is the general in the house. 🙂 Really, dad is there, on the street, and somewhere else in charge. And at home everyone is guided by their mother.

It is important that children be good people. And this must be shown by example. After all, you grow up with your children. You understand that you can not give up slack, because they look at you. You have to be more organized, you have to be clearer. Well, because they follow your example. They do love you. So they watch what and how you do. And, of course, this is a mutual process of growth.

- How is your family? I understand there are older children. Do they choose their own path? Or are you trying to guide them in some way?

Yaroslav: We help them with this. This is exactly what Rachel does with us. As, in principle, and everyone else. 🙂 I say, you should have interviewed her - she would have told you everything!

Rachel always has some ideas and she shares them with our children, and then they think that these are their own ideas! Somehow, miraculously, she does it all. But we never insist on anything. We always have our opinion, it is 100% clear for us, and we very rarely change it, because we are very rarely wrong, very. 🙂 But in general, of course, they are adult guys, this is their life. Our task is to make everything around them so that they make as few mistakes as possible.

- Do you share your experience with them? That is, tell them about some moments of your life?

Yaroslav: We don't really have much to share. They can take food themselves (laughs - author).

- I mean, for example, that I opened Wikipedia and read that from the age of 16 you took drugs and you had an addiction. Do you tell them about such moments?

Yaroslav: The elders know about it, of course, but children live in such an atmosphere and environment that they do not understand what drugs are at all. God bless! And for me, it was also a spiritual search, because all the things that surrounded me stopped inserting me. And so I looked for something else. Some way out. And, in fact, the whole life of a person is an opportunity to become better, an opportunity to let your soul manifest itself. The opportunity to feel a part of the Almighty within yourself. And this is the most important, so here all paths are good. Apparently for me, for the soul that I have, it was necessary to go through these moments. And they don’t need it at all - they are already initially at such a level that sometimes you just look at their actions, at the way they look at things, and you understand that you yourself have something to learn from them. We do not hide it in any way. This is my path, and I am very glad that I went through it with dignity and move on.

- If you were speaking to your parents and you were asked to advise them something - what would you recommend to them ?

Yaroslav: Well, probably, be yourself and understand that you do not live this life for children - you live this life for the person who is next to you. You must make a person in your couple beautiful, happy - this is the most important thing. Children - they are around it. They are not in the first place, because as soon as the children come first, a substitution occurs. The most important thing is to feel whole in this world. And you can’t feel complete without your soulmate. Children need to be taught this too. They understand this very well, and then they tune in to meet their soul mate, and they will continue to pass this experience on to their children in the same way. And in this sense, the only thing we would like to wish is not to lose ourselves under any circumstances.

Yaroslav Maly was born in 1973 in Krivoy Rog (Ukraine). As a child, he was not much different from his peers - he also played football, skipped classes and participated in various boy fights. Before entering school, the boy showed extraordinary musical abilities, so his parents insisted on additional training at a music school.

Biography

Although he was reluctant to learn to read music, he ran away from exams and concerts, teachers could not help but note that a brilliant musician was growing up in him. The musician remembers his first music teacher Igor Semenovich Beer with warmth. At the music school, he first had to study the balalaika, then the piano.

After graduating from school, Yaroslav Maly decides to continue his musical education, so he enters the music school in Kyiv at the conducting department. But study did not bring him joy and inspiration. He was more interested in the free life of students, visiting nightclubs and using drugs. Due to the large number of absenteeism, the student, although talented and promising, is expelled from the school in the third year of study. In order not to return to his native Krivoy Rog, Yaroslav plans to go to Moscow. A seventeen-year-old boy goes alone to conquer a huge city. It was a difficult year in 1991, but the musician decided that the economic situation in the country could not affect his plans.

In Moscow, he occasionally writes music, visits nightclubs, and meets people associated with rock music. Soon clubs and agencies are interested in him, allowing him to perform in front of the public. According to Yaroslav Maly, his work at that time did not bring him pleasure, so he organizes nightclubs and entertainment centers. He is reluctant to talk about this decade in his life, as during this period he begins to take drugs. A real revolution in the life of a musician was his acquaintance with Gosha Kutsenko. The actor managed to get money to organize and promote the Tokio group. In 2002, the group first announced itself by performing at the festival. Two years later, the musicians released their debut album. After this event, the soloist of the group began to have problems with illegal drugs. But after a long treatment and rehabilitation, Yaroslav returned to his former life.

The musician is a soloist in two groups of different directions (rock and rock mixed with pop). Each of Maly's projects is successful and welcomed by fans of his work.

In 2014, Yaroslav Maly radically changes his life and moves to Kyiv. The events in Ukraine made a strong impression on him. He actively participates in mass rallies, performs at concerts and calls for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. In Kyiv, the musician participates in various show programs, is a teacher for new young musicians. In the filming of his videos, he often acts as a screenwriter and director. He experiments, creates new projects and is a defender of the Jewish community in Ukraine.

Personal life

Yaroslav Maly is an amorous person who does not tolerate restrictions and limits. During the period of the conquest of Moscow, there were many girls in the life of a young man. He was looking for mutual understanding, support and confidence in his feelings. He met his first wife in a recording studio. One day a girl came into the studio wearing the same shoes as the musician. This attracted the attention of Yaroslav, and he immediately met her. The girl's name was Natalya Simakova, she was an actress, played in films and theater. The couple got married and had a daughter, Michelle. But after eight years of marriage, the couple broke up. The musician dedicated the best songs to his first wife.

Very soon, Yaroslav appeared in public next to a new lover named Olga. They met on the plane during the flight. Yaroslav claims that he understood at first sight that this woman would become his true love. He often appears with her in public, gives interviews and talks about his relationship. His lover is organizing concerts, as well as other issues regarding the work of groups in Ukraine and the United States.

Yaroslav, like other creative people, is alien to conventions. If love leaves a person’s life, then there is a need for new feelings. Now the musician has eight children from different women, he carefully treats each of them. Small does not shy away from responsibility, often taking them on his trips to other countries. Occasionally, photographers manage to capture a happy dad with his children.

The musician plans to continue working on his work in Ukraine and the USA. Yaroslav sees his future surrounded by children in a house somewhere in Israel.

Recently, the well-known Moscow group "Tokyo" came to visit us, headed by their leader and soloist Y. Maly. However, why Maly, when he is two meters tall? .. And why visit when Maly himself, almost every Monday and Thursday, visits the homeland of his ancestors. Rather, not a visit, but as a dacha ...

And why, as in the country? .. - a Krivoy Rog Jew named Yaroslav picks up the tone. - Like home! Actually, not even HOW to go home, but simply - home!

- And what do you perceive here as the most "home"?

Here is this ancient land and my proud people walking on it with their heads held high. What could be more beautiful - to wander somewhere for years, and then again be here, on your own land!

- Do you have a favorite place?.

Of course, Jerusalem! I dream of this city at night when I am away from it. I can't even convey the feelings that the spirit and peace of holy Jerusalem gives rise to in my soul.

I read the household rider of the Tokyo group, published on your official website, and felt that based on it, you can shoot a stylish program for the Beautiful Life TV channel. I especially liked it - the obligatory whiskey with ice in the dressing room ...

These guys have worked hard! So they need it. If we are talking about me, then I can get by - I personally don’t drink alcohol at all. And teammates - maybe they are so accustomed to at home, skip a glass in the evening for inspiration and tone. When you travel a lot with tours, you fly from place to place, you always want to feel at home. A simple human desire, reflected in the Tokyo rider. Nothing special!..

You once said that in your younger years you liked to have a meal in a good restaurant and disappear from there, not only without saying goodbye, but also without paying ...

In my youth, it used to be that they did this ... Now it’s scary to remember! And, on the other hand, who lived this time of his life without sin? You might think that you weren’t naughty fifteen or twenty years ago ...

I'll tell you more than that - I'm naughty to this day! But to escape from the "tavern", in English... It's fraught, after all... Aren't you ashamed now?

Not ashamed! Because then I always returned myself and returned money for lunches and dinners.

- By the way, it sounds, and as a hint to the producers ...

We, fortunately, do not have producers! We are responsible for ourselves, both organizationally and creatively. We write songs about how we live and make music the way we feel about it. This is boundless happiness, if anyone does not know, to do in creativity what your heart desires.

Since our conversation involuntarily concentrated on the topic of creativity and money, why do Russian "stars", unlike, say, Western ones, behave rather modestly in the field of charity?

What do you mean?

Everything from helping the poor and disadvantaged to adopting HIV-infected children from Ethiopia and Cambodia.

It’s hard for me to say, I didn’t dive deep into this story. Just imagine taking someone else's child into your home. You still need to be able to approach this correctly ... In charity, the most important thing is to clearly understand for whom and for what you do certain things, and not just participate in various actions, as they say, “for show”. A colossal level of responsibility is needed, for the same adoption, we, simply, are not yet ripe for this.

The musicians of your group are so primordially Russian, I’m not even afraid of the word “epic” names: Demyan, Yaroslav ... It’s even somehow strange that you are called “Tokyo” and not, for example, “Yaroslavl” ...

My Jewish name is Moshe Pinchas!..

Yes, I saw with my own eyes such captions on the video clip with your interview, posted on one of the largest Israeli Internet news portals Ynet. Thought you were making fun of the local natives.

No! ( laughs!) I am Moshe Pinchas, Demyan is David, and Roma is Reuben!

- Okay, then the group should definitely not be called "Yaroslavl", but rather "Yerushalayim", or, better, "Kfar Chabad".

By the name "Tokyo" we do not mean the Japanese capital. "Tokyo" is currents, a stream of charged particles, inexhaustible energy. The whole point is to move forward!

- Is it true that you are seriously engaged in the study of the Torah?

Absolute truth.

- Did you manage to learn something new for yourself?

Wouldn't you be surprised if I told you that this is a very serious book? Every time I open it, I manage to learn something new. The Almighty gave us this Book, putting boundless love into its pages. You read just a little, and everything around you is seen in a completely different way. I have a spiritual teacher - Vladimir Iosifovich Slutsker, who helps me to comprehend the wisdom of our world through awareness of the deep wisdom of the Torah.

They say that you want to divide yourself between music and cinema, to make a picture about the adventures of a thought in a person's head. Imagine that now the command “Motor!” sounded, and the camera rushed to chase the thoughts in your mind. What are you thinking about now?

Oh happiness! I am just overwhelmed with happy thoughts, ideas and reasoning. The fact that soon I will again take the stage and be with hundreds and thousands of my favorite viewers. And that somewhere very close is my Jerusalem.

Interviewed
Dmitry Aizin

Photo by Alex Lerner

2002-2012 Boot. Original material: http://www.boti.ru/node/47833

Yaroslav Maly: “If I have a concert on Shabbat, then I don’t get paid for it

Yarik Maly is the founder and leader of the Tokyo group, one of the most popular domestic rockers of 2006. But he became famous not only for the soundtracks to the "Ninth Company". Maly is the organizer of a rally in support of Israel. “The group's second album has just been released, it's called Plus Two Hundred. On January 13, we had a concert in London on Trafalgar Square on the occasion of the Old New Year, for some reason the British call it the Russian New Year,” says Yarik. “Soon we are going to go on a big concert tour in Russia and Europe. I am writing music for Fyodor Bondarchuk's new film "Inhabited Island" based on the book by the Strugatsky brothers and for Roman Prygunov's film about "indigo" children. In continuation of the conversation about the cinema, I will add that our music sounds in Bondarchuk's "Ninth Company" and the film "Heat", which was released at the end of December. We are already working on our third album, it will be released in two versions: in Russian and in English,” he says to Daniil Tunin, a correspondent for the Hillel Country newspaper. Today "Jewish Journal" presents you the full version of the interview with Maly.

It's very cool to play a street concert in London, but the metropolitan audience is also looking forward to meeting the Tokyo band. When will you be heard in Moscow?
- On February 17 we will have a big concert in the club "B 1". This is a new large concert venue with very good sound and light, up to three thousand people can be there. In my opinion, this metropolitan club can be safely called a beautiful, correct and the first European stylish place. Almost immediately after the Moscow concert, tours begin, first Russian, then European.

Tell us a little more about your European tour. Which countries are you planning to visit, with whom to meet?
- In Moscow, we get on a bus with all the equipment and equip it for a studio. I myself do not yet know everything about the details, the route is still being specified. For example, on the way from Moscow to Paris, we record a new song right on the bus. We are in Paris for three or four days, we give concerts there, we negotiate with local producers, and this new song gets on one of the local music radio stations. Then we go to Berlin and on the way we hear ourselves on the radio. The main feature is that during the trip we will be filmed by television cameras. I hope everything goes well and this tour will be televised with the support of MTV as a reality show. The idea is that everything is in the head, there are no boundaries, and if you want, you can do anything. Also during this trip we plan to meet our friends and hang out at some private parties. In Paris with Monica Bellucci, in London with The Age, in Spain with Almodovar. I think we will have an interesting trip. Some time after returning from Europe, we will go on an Asian tour, we have plans for Japan and other countries. But it is too early to talk about this in more detail, because the trip is scheduled for late spring or early summer.

- A lot has been said about you and the Tokyo group over the past few years. And what happened before that?
- I was born and raised in Krivoy Rog in Ukraine. My first music teacher's name was Igor Semenovich Beer, and he brought me by the ears to a music school. At first I learned to play the balalaika, then I entered the music school at the conducting department, in the third year I was expelled from there. And at the age of seventeen I came to Moscow, it was 1991 in the yard. At first I tried to make music that no one wanted. Then I had my own clubs and agencies related to music, but by and large it was all not interesting to me, because I always wanted to make music. Everything in my life changed dramatically after meeting Gosha Kutsenko. I then had a certain transitional period in my life, I thought in which direction to move on. Gosha said a lot of good things about me, his words were very important for me then. And I gave up everything, deciding to devote myself to music.

- Tell me, how did you meet Gosha Kutsenko?
- I met with one girl who studied with Gosha on the same course. And I had an idea to shoot a video for one song. Shortly before that, Gosha starred in the movie "Mom, Don't Cry" and was very popular. I called him with an offer to star in my video. Gosha agreed, despite the fact that I had no money to pay him. That's how our friendship began.

You were one of the organizers of the rally in support of Israel on July 31, 2006. What prompted you to take such an active part in this?
- We were then in Europe and saw constant highlighting in the press, statements of politicians and conversations of ordinary people of Israel as an aggressor, occupier and enemy of all mankind. After talking with different people about the Israeli-Lebanese war, I realized that I needed to show and voice a different point of view. The purpose of this rally was to support the Israelis, not the government. People came out not only because everyone criticized Israel. All smart people understand that Israel did not receive any benefit from the summer war with Lebanon. I then called my friends and said that we need to express our point of view. And we decided to get together, talk and support Israel. About a hundred people came to the rally, I thought we would be no more than 20-30 people. There were not only Jews there, people were really worried, some read the psalms and the Shema, Yisrael prayer, different points of view were expressed. On the eve of the rally, I received strange calls from some Jewish organizations. They demanded that everything be canceled, because there may be provocations, everything must be organized and carried out differently, everything must be discussed, the deadlines must be rescheduled. I told them that I have an idea that I am implementing now, not later. We submitted an application to the Moscow City Hall, received permission, and everything turned out great for us.

In recent years, in various Jewish circles, it is customary to talk about a systemic Jewish crisis in the post-Soviet space. Do you share this point of view?
You have to understand what it means to be a Jew. When you stand against the wall with your hands up and declare your love for the Most High, and at that moment someone comes up to you, pulls on your sleeve and asks for money, then this becomes a problem. In my opinion, all the problems that are happening in the world today are connected with the fact that the Jews cannot understand in any way that they must turn to the Almighty. This is the most important thing, while no one interferes with doing business, politics, creativity. It's great that you can realize yourself in life, you just need to understand who provides it to us. It is obvious that it is impossible to talk about love for a woman without hugging her, kissing her, smelling her ... It is useless to talk about these things if you do not understand with what love the Almighty created this world. I visited many synagogues, in different cities and countries. There are almost no young people there.

And if they appear there, they pursue some interests. It happens that those who want to immerse themselves in Jewry come, but, seeing the atmosphere there, they merge from there without much delay. Today is a completely different time than 15 years ago, when Jewish life and the awakening of Jewish identity was only gaining momentum. You need to be active, mobile, communicate with the world, not withdrawing into yourself, and begin to love the Almighty. If you do all this, then wisdom will come. If you have become wise, then you understand how everything works and you can influence it. We need to understand how much the Almighty loves us, and without Kabbalah this is impossible. It is known that Jews are united either by some big problem, or by a great love for God. And right now this moment is coming, to love Him, I feel it very clearly. You can not shut yourself off from the world, now our time begins. But you need to feel it, believe in it and live it. Jews just won't agree on anything with each other.

-When and where did you start studying Kabbalah?
- I independently read and collected books on the Jewish tradition, visited many places, communicated with various Jewish educators, by the way, among them there are a lot of idle talkers and charlatans who are looking for a simple and quick profit from Jewry. This continued until I met my teacher and spiritual mentor Vladimir Slutsker. He finds the right words for each of his students. I have been a student at his yeshiva for two years now. The main thing I learn there is love. Wonderful and very beautiful people have gathered in this place, I see there what is not found anywhere else in the world, and I have been and am in so many places on planet Earth. I see there a very special relationship to teachers, to books, to wisdom, to prayer and to each other. After these classes and communication, new songs are beautifully written, and interesting and bright thoughts come to mind.

- To what extent do you adhere to the canons of the Jewish tradition?
- I observe kashrut, I celebrate all Jewish holidays. If I have a concert on Shabbat, I don't get paid for it. But on the phone on Saturday I say, the Torah does not say that it cannot be used. By the way, it is on Saturday that the best concerts are obtained. Now is the 21st and we must be open to the world, the Messiah is coming and we must really act. At the same time, I take the commandments very seriously, trying to keep them as much as possible. A Jew without a creator is not a Jew.

- What message can you give to those who want to understand themselves, their Jewishness and get on the right path in life?
- One of my friends, his name is Misha Pelik, once told me the following: "Do not hesitate and move on your own way." You have to turn your head on and analyze. And do not think that there is an opportunity to feed themselves at the expense of the Jews. It is necessary to live beautifully, but without love it is impossible. Do not hesitate and look for love in this world, there is enough for everyone.

Text and photo: Jewish magazine: Original material

At Beit Shabbat in Holon:
Exclusive concert of the leader of the Tokyo / Machete group Yaroslav Maly in Israel, in a club format. Featuring Moishe Jankowski. Acoustic set, new songs, the possibility of personal communication with the musician. May 25 at 20:00.
Then we all go together to celebrate Lag Baomer on Meron.
Reservation of places by tel. 0526940770
https://www.facebook.com/events/863286387151561/

Nine am. Small cafe in the center of Kyiv. The entrance is well camouflaged. Establishment "for their own". At the table, a man and a woman drink Americano coffee from the same cup. They could order a second one, but they like to share everything for two. The waitress asks if the guests will have breakfast, she is answered: "Yes, everything is as usual for us." Once every 10-15 minutes, one of the visitors comes up to their table and greets them in a friendly way. These two have already become "friends" in the Ukrainian capital, although they moved less than a year ago. The man's name is Yaroslav Maly, he is known to music lovers as the frontman of the Tokyo group and the creator of the Machete musical project. Movie fans - as the author of soundtracks for the films of Fyodor Bondarchuk "9th Company" and "Inhabited Island". Gamers - as the author of music for the game Need for Speed ​​Shift. The woman sitting next to him is his wife and part-time director of Rachel Ora.

Get out of Moscow

Until recently, they were prominent figures in the Russian show business - one of those who can afford to start something grandiose without lacking money and support from the authorities. What is worth only the international festival of alternative music Red Rocks, founded by Yaroslav and his company "Machete Records". He not only gathered celebrities like Brainstorm and Okean Elzy and invited world stars of the level of the British Morcheeba, he sent them to a remote province where most people did not even know what alternative sound was: to Kemerovo, Barnaul, Ulan-Ude, Chelyabinsk etc. In a word, he systematically raised the level of musical literacy in the vastness of the federation, and reputable financial institutions, such as the Savings Bank of Russia, gave money for this. During his presidency, Dmitry Medvedev personally patronized one of the events organized with the light hand of Yaroslav Maly.

It is impossible to be in Russia now. Thinking people are getting smaller. Many are leaving. The rest live in such severe information pressure that the brain does not have time to process the information in order to draw the right conclusions. People who used to communicate with me, their parents and spouses are watching TV, watching the news on the Web and believing that children are being crucified in the Donetsk region. They do not understand how I can live in Ukraine, and it is useless to explain it. Firstly, I am outraged by the lies pouring from television screens. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, I feel good here. He almost did not shine at secular gatherings, but he was constantly at the center of the discussion of the Moscow glamorous party. In the last year, the leader of “Tokyo” has been talked about especially a lot, and most often with bewilderment. He committed a strange act for modern Russia - he moved to Ukraine, moved his wife and four children to Kyiv, and also completely abandoned concert activities in the Russian Federation. He was last in Moscow three months ago and claims to have been counting the hours before departure.

"Blessed are You, Lord, who wishes to return"

Of the eighteen blessings of the Jewish prayer "Amidah"

A year and a half ago, when buying an apartment in Kyiv, he did not yet know that he would call it home. Yaroslav simply liked the Ukrainian capital with its unhurried course of life, quiet streets of the old center and friendly residents. When the Maidan began, he also did not think about moving. I just saw on the Internet photos of students beaten by police officers and decided to support the protesters.

“We made the decision to march on the Maidan together,” Rachel’s wife joins in the conversation. “It was not yet about taking any position in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, and we have not seen a conflict as such, we just wanted to express solidarity with people who are defending their rights. Many Moscow acquaintances did not understand us then, and they do not understand us now. In general, lately we have seen enough of how ties between people are destroyed, friends disperse and families break up.

beautiful far away

On the Maidan, Yaroslav Maly experienced his own internal revolution. I was imbued with the atmosphere of the protest movement and dedicated many songs to it: "Fight", "Freedom and Love", "New Hero". These compositions sounded at a recent Kiev concert. The audience happily sang along: "The hero must return home", assuming that this is about the heroes of the Revolution of Dignity. Only people who knew Yaroslav personally understood that he put a double meaning into these lines. He sang not only about those whom he saw on the Maidan, but also about himself, about the fact that a new stage began in his life - the period of return.

Maly was born in Ukraine, but since childhood he knew that he would leave. I looked at the horizon line and imagined thousands of amazing places where I had to come, see and conquer. The small homeland - Krivoy Rog was cramped for an energetic boy who had grandiose dreams. He also "did not fit" in the music school. He was expelled from the third year. When Yaroslav's father asked the head teacher why his son was expelled, the answer was short and succinct: "For everything!" This did not upset the little junior at all, he was not going to waste time in boring classes and wanted to quickly plunge into a real adult life. The year was 1991, the Soviet Union was falling apart.

The old rules and foundations were losing their force, and the new ones had not yet emerged. Almost immediately after being expelled, Maly went to where, as he believed, it was possible to take a sip of freedom and start his "big voyage" - to Moscow.

“I didn’t think about getting rich or achieving fame,” the musician recalls. “I just sailed away from the shore, not really knowing what would happen next.

As for what happened next, there are different versions. Most of the media describe Maly's success story as a male version of the Cinderella tale. A guy from the outback without money and connections, but with diligence and talent, came to conquer Belokamennaya. He was noticed, given a chance, and now he is already receiving the "Discovery of the Year" award at the "Maksidrom-2003" festival, then the prestigious MTV Music Awards, albums released in hundreds of thousands of copies and music videos on YouTube, collecting more than a million views in the first three days .
What remains behind the scenes is that Yaroslav arrived in Moscow at the age of eighteen, and organized the Tokyo group at twenty-eight. He speaks reluctantly about this decade, he only reports that he opened nightclubs. He does not share details and, apparently, not without reason, it was in the 1990s. The fact that from the age of sixteen he took drugs, journalists also, as a rule, do not mention. Although Maly himself does not hide this.

Return trip

In conversation, Yaroslav is stingy with stories about his biography. But it is easy to turn on when it comes to creativity, love, God, revolution. He frowns, clenches his fists and raises his voice, talking about the Russian war. But when I try to find out how the real Moscow, which he arrived in, differed from the one he imagined, leaving Ukraine, he instantly moves away, the tone becomes indifferent, the phrases are stereotyped.

In the end, obviously wanting to close an unpleasant topic, he says in a tired voice:

— Well, as it usually happens... People unite around a common idea. They are moving somewhere together. You trust those whom you have chosen as fellow travelers, you think that you are on the same wavelength. And then one day you see that they have long changed direction for the sake of money or some other interests, and you have been walking with them all this time, going the wrong way.

Didn't like being rich and famous?

- Fame dealt blows to the psyche. You go to the pharmacy, and everyone looks at what medicines you buy. That way you can go crazy. I wanted to hide somewhere. Therefore, for some time the "Tokyo" group was not visible at all. Worst of all, we seemed to have achieved what we wanted, but the dream come true did not bring any joy.

- And did the return to Ukraine bring you joy?

“Before, I was always fighting for something, running somewhere. Now all the fights and races are over, I seem to live out of time. I manage to read, write music, communicate a lot with my family.

A boyish smile appears on my interlocutor's face.

“I’ve just grown wiser over the years, I’m already over forty, and this is largely thanks to my other half,” he turns to Rachel and takes her hand, “well, our beloved city, of course, matters.

It cannot be said that after the move, Maly had less work to do. He regularly gives concerts, updates the Tokyo repertoire, develops the Machete project, which has already officially become Ukrainian. A production center Machete is about to open in Kyiv. In addition, Yaroslav and Rachel are busy with a new English-language project HAVAKKUK. The first compositions have already been recorded - in Brussels. In addition to Yaroslav, six more musicians from different European countries are participating. One of them, Vlady Mind, first violinist of the Brussels Royal Orchestra, performs his parts on the legendary instruments Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesu.

- Now there are three groups instead of two, you work simultaneously in Ukraine and Belgium, but you claim that you have more free time?

Yaroslav smiles condescendingly and speaks with the intonation of a mentor:
— When you do exactly what God wants from you, the world bends under you, and time stretches and contracts exactly as you need.

Call me Moishe Pinchas

The musician spoke about God not by chance. Over the past few years, he has made not one, but two important returns: to Ukraine and to the faith of his ancestors. By origin, a Small Jew, and the name of the new group HAVAKKUK is associated with the name of the prophet Havakkuk (in Orthodox sources Avvakum). The name comes from the Hebrew word "hibuk" ("embrace") and literally means "the one who was hugged twice."

It is believed that he died shortly after birth and was resurrected with the help of the prophet Elisha. "Havakkuk" means that after the first embrace, maternal, there were the second - the embrace of the prophet. Some commentators on the Tanakh see this as a hint of a second chance - an opportunity to start life anew. The musician liked this idea. Maly was born into a family of Soviet Jews, grew up in a secular environment, he recently discovered the religious world and believes that from that moment his second life began.

The name Havakkuk is now carried not only by the group, but also by the youngest son of its leader. Yes, and he himself has recently been less and less represented by Yaroslav. In the middle of the conversation, my interlocutor unexpectedly announced that he had taken the Hebrew name Moishe-Pinchas. Then he confessed that he had never actually been an atheist. Most of his songs are non-canonical prayers, desperate attempts to turn to God in their own words. Now Lesser addresses every day in the form prescribed by the Jewish prayer canon.

It is impossible to be in Russia now. Thinking people are getting smaller. Many are leaving. The rest live in severe information pressure

It started back in Moscow, when Yaroslav, out of curiosity, went into the local synagogue and saw two religious men emotionally discussing some issue from the Talmud.

— I understood almost nothing from their discussion, but I was struck by the very tone of the dialogue. They argued passionately, but without the slightest hostility, with love and respect for each other. No one humiliated anyone, did not try to assert themselves at the expense of the interlocutor. It seemed that even to prove their case was not the main thing for them, it was more important to get to the bottom of the truth. How different this debate was from any I've seen before. I even regretted that I could not participate. I wanted to read some Jewish books, and the more I read, the more clearly I understood: they contain something important for me.

Gradually he learned to pray; on Saturday and Jewish holidays does not use transport, electrical appliances, money and observes many other religious restrictions. He eats and drinks only what is allowed by the laws of kosher, which is why we met in a kosher cafe. Every day he allocates at least an hour in his busy schedule for studying the Torah. And at the same time, he claims that Judaism made him much freer.

Doesn't sound very plausible. As well as the fact that time is stretched and compressed at will. I might consider it a fantasy of a creative person. I could have suspected Yaroslav of posturing when he said that he did not regret at all the earnings he had lost by refusing to perform in Russia, and money and fame did not matter to him.

But here's the thing - as soon as Yaroslav talks about his two returns, that special smile appears on his face, which only completely happy people have. You certainly can't fake it.

When did Yaroslav Maly first fall in love? What does the leader of the Tokyo group get high on? When does Machete not take money for his concerts? What does the technical rider include as the first item and how much did you earn in the Moscow metro crossing? You will find out the answers to these questions right now.

Personal data

Height: 204 cm. Therefore, one of the first points of the artist's technical rider is a bed no shorter than 2.20 m and without a backrest.

Nickname: Machete (after the name of the group) and Grigory Rasputin (why? More on this on page 3).

Financial position: He says that he has never been in business, he just did what he liked. But Tokio is a project that pays good money. “We earn them on our own pleasure,” the leader of the group clarifies. “We really get high from the music we make, from the people who go to our concerts, and from life in general!”

Housing problem: apartments in Moscow and Kyiv.

What's in the garage: car and motorcycle.

Achievements: Tokyo group. In 2006, at the MTV Russia Music Awards, Tokyo received an award in the Best Rock Project nomination.

Flaws: after the release of his debut album, Yaroslav began to have problems with drugs. But the guy managed to defeat addiction and return to normal life. “Thank God, at one fine moment I realized that life is the coolest drug! I learned to enjoy the fact that I live, that I have talents, that I can realize my ideas, that there are people around who love me and whom I love.

Male hobby: loves the ocean, good movies and books. And also football (of course), rooting for Barcelona and Chelsea.

Friends Feature: everyone who knows Yaroslav personally emphasizes that he is very sentimental, he may cry while watching the film.

Where can you meet: in Moscow. But he considers it important for himself to change places so as not to grow to one point.

Attention! If Yaroslav Maly is not your ideal, be sure to leave a comment on who deserves to be on the list of the 100 most desirable men in the world.

Favorite women

Yaroslav Maly with his wife Natalya Simakova

fell in love for the first time in first grade. Her name was Natasha. He wrote a song and came to her house to sing about his love. But the girl was not at home: her parents took her to the dacha. Yaroslav walked to Natasha all day long and dreamed of how he would sing a song to her ... And when he arrived after 6 hours, he had no strength left. He sat down on the bench and... fell asleep. He woke up because he was kissed on the cheek ... by the dog of his beloved.

At the age of 17, Yaroslav moved from his native Krivoy Rog to Moscow, where he started opening and promoting clubs. During this period, there were many women in his life. “I was looking for meaning in love for one girl or another, but I constantly broke off,” the singer recalls. But once he went into the studio where the music was being recorded, and saw a girl who was wearing exactly the same red sneakers as his. It was the actress and singer Natalya Simakova. At the wedding ceremony, Yaroslav and Natalya exchanged rings ... to the sounds of Metallica's composition "Nothing Else Matters". The couple's plans were a long and happy life in love and harmony, at least six children, but in February 2013, after eight years of marriage, the couple filed for divorce. Daughter Michelle, who at that time was a few months old, stayed with her mother. Yaroslav promised that Natalya and the baby would not need anything.

Yaroslav Maly and his love Olga

In March of the same 2013, at the gala dinner of the MUZ-TV channel, Machete appeared with a mysterious blonde. "This is my love" He introduced the girl. After some time, the name of the new love became clear - Olga. They met on a plane when they flew together from Miami. Gradually, the relationship grew from friendship to closer. Now Olga is the executive director of the Machete Records project.

In total, Yaroslav has eight children, who, according to him, live in different countries - from Switzerland to Ukraine. The names of children are filled with meaning and are associated with the Almighty.

Five unexpected facts from life

Yaroslav Maly

• I got into a music school because I wanted to skip classes. The teacher brought Yaroslav to the entrance exams from the football field, in a sports uniform and with broken knees. Parents bought a piano for their son, but the boy first had to play the balalaika. By the way, in the music school, from which he was expelled from the third year "for everything", he studied at the conducting department.

• In December 2010, he shot a video for the song "Icebreaker Nadezhda" on Vaigach Island, on the border of the Barents and Kara Seas. I was shocked by the poverty in which people live there, and the children have candy wrappers instead of toys. To help the inhabitants of the island, he organized an auction in Moscow, where he sold photographs of the group taken on the island. With the proceeds, he bought clothes, dishes and toys. The gift delivery process was filmed and posted on YouTube.

• Once, on the eve of the New Year, the group of Yaroslav Maly Machete performed in ... the metro, in the transition between the stations "Teatralnaya" and "Okhotny Ryad". One of the musicians played the maracas, and next to him lay a tambourine. People walked by and threw money into the tambourine. In a few minutes, the musicians earned 600 rubles.