The song "Gibraltar, Labrador" by Vyacheslav Butusov became known to the general public in 1997. She became part of the soundtrack of the famous film by Alexei Balabanov "Brother 2". Today, the second generation of Russian rock fans is listening to her. In a situation where many musical "crafts" are forgotten on the second day after their performance, almost twenty years of life for a song is a very respectable age. "Gibraltar, Labrador" is far from the only masterpiece that has come down to our time from the era of the nineties. This is a peculiar particle of that time. The definition "dashing nineties" stuck to him . Perhaps it conveys a good state of things. But only those years were neither dull nor mediocre.
"Gibraltar, Labrador": what is this song about
The most common mistake in the perception of this work is an attempt to understand it from the point of view of elementary common sense. He does not work here. This song is simultaneously about nothing and everything. She has her own internal logic and energy. The best minds have tried to analyze Gibraltar, Labrador. The text was laid out into components and tried to calculate what was encrypted in it. The simple idea that this is a surreal stream of meanings and images did not occur to everyone. Everything here is interconnected by paradoxical reflections and multidimensional refractions. Understanding this is completely optional, you can simply enjoy it. Hit Butusov evokes strong emotions. "Gibraltar, Labrador" love or reject, but few people leave this song indifferent. Even those who proclaim this work as stupid nonsense, pronounce it with hidden envy. They understand perfectly who in this situation is dumb, the song or its critic.
"Gibraltar, Labrador", "Nautilus Pompilius". What happened next
This most famous Russian rock band led by Vyacheslav Butusov ceased to exist more than ten years ago. But her fame grows and grows stronger. Everyone who is not indifferent to the poetics and imagery of Russian rock knows by heart the "Gibraltar, Labrador" and all the other creative heritage of this team. The leader and founder of Nautilus Pompilius continues his solo career today. What he writes today is very talented and interesting in his own way. But, to the deep regret of his fans, over the past decade, he has not yet created anything that could stand next to the masterpieces from his early work.
In the cinema
Without the energy of Russian rock, it is difficult to imagine the films of the famous director Alexei Balabanov. Sometimes it seems that this music in his films "Brother" and "Brother 2" is even too much. But it is an intonation nerve and allows the author to say much more than can be done with traditional cinematic means. The absurd "Gibraltar, Labrador" brightly describes the world in which the action of the militants of Balabanov takes place. This technique is equally effective in reflecting the realities of such dissimilar cities as St. Petersburg and Chicago. The music of Nautilus Pompilius does not lose its expression in Illinois.