Bright rock musician Kostya Kinchev always attracts attention to his person. He does everything to the maximum: sings, lives, protests, believes. Kostya Kinchev’s biography is full of interesting people and events, love, music. It is a significant phenomenon in Russian culture, without which it is impossible to imagine the rock movement of Russia.
Troubled childhood
The date of birth of Kostya Kinchev (December 25, 1958) is celebrated by fans of the Alice group as the biggest event. For the family, this was also a significant moment. Kostya is the only child in the family of teachers. Parents taught at universities, mother - at the Chemical Technology Institute. Mendeleev, father - at the Moscow Technological. The family was quite wealthy and intelligent, and the child was very turbulent and active. Already in childhood, he was a ringleader in the yard, at the age of 7 he persuaded his comrades to go in search of pirate treasures. The fugitives were found in Tula. He read a lot, childhood idols for Kinchev were Chingachguk and the pirate Silver, the boy dreamed of defending justice.
The parents took the active child to the hockey section, which he had been seriously engaged in for several years, but, realizing that he would not be able to achieve high results, he left the sport.
Passion for music
When Kostya Kinchev went to school, his parents bought him a tape recorder, hoping that he would help his son learn English, but the boy preferred to listen to the recordings of the Rolling Stones. So his love for rock music was born. At the age of 14, Kostya happened to relax in a pioneer camp, and there he first heard the music of the band Black Sabbath. This event turned the teenager's life upside down, he firmly decided to become a rock star, pasted all the walls of his room with portraits of Ozzy Osbourne and grew long hair. I had to leave the hairstyle at the request of the school, but the love of music remained for life. Under the influence of an idol, Kinchev writes his first heavy metal compositions and plays in a group at a plastic factory.
After school, Kinchev tried himself in different types of activities, even studied for a year in courses for soloists at the Bolshoi Theater, changed many works - from a sitter in the Surikov school to a milling machine, he studied at several universities. All this chaotic activity was only the external side of the inner quest. In parallel, Kostya Kinchev plays in different groups: “The Golden Mean”, “The Circle of the Black Half”, “Rest Area”.
The appearance of "Alice"
In 1984, Kostya Kinchev moved to Leningrad, where rock culture flourishes, he joins the rocker community, meets Mike Naumenko, who approves the creative experiences of the young musician. He provides support in recording the album “Nervous Night”, for which musicians from various groups gathered, including the head of Alice Svyatoslav Zaderiy. He calls Kostya to his group, where the role of a soloist was just vacant. In March 1985, Kinchev first appeared on the stage as part of Alice. At first, he did not seriously consider working in a team for himself; he had other plans. He took part in the recording of the album "Energy", and when in 1986 Zaderi left the group, became its leader. In the same year, Kinchev starred in the movie “Cracker”. By 1987, the style and philosophy of the group was finally formed, the album “Block of Hell” was released, the song “Red on Black” from which became the hallmark of the group. Touring activity is gradually getting better, the group becomes famous and popular.
The difficulties of Alice
Since 1987, Kostya Kinchev, whose photos appeared in all popular magazines, began to experience difficulties with the authorities. He and the Alice group are accused of promoting Nazism, aggression and violence. The real persecution of the singer in the press begins, and he is even arrested, forbidden to give concerts for 6 months. In July 1988, a trial was held at which all charges against Kinchev were found to be unfounded. These events added to the group’s popularity, but greatly undermined Kinchev’s confidence in the authorities.
Music "Alice"
Kostya Kinchev, whose biography is tightly connected with the activities of the group, writes lyrics where his worldview and attitude are expressed. The band plays rock, but the albums can be very different from each other. This is due to the views of Kinchev, the style ranges from melodic rock to heavy, energetic metal. The texts contain a non-conformist philosophy combined with Orthodox motives. Many songs of "Alice" have become not just popular, but almost cult. For example, the composition “We Are Together” is perceived as a hymn of generation. In 1991, after the Sabbath, the idea came up to create a fan club called Alice’s Army, which even produced its own newspaper. In 1996, fans were able to rally using the band's website.
"Alice" of new time
Kostya Kinchev works a lot in the 90s, the Alisa group is in great demand, she toured the world, recording new albums. The collective of musicians takes part in large projects, such as the rock action "Sabbath in the Kremlin". Since 2000, after the release of the album “Solstice”, the group again becomes the center of scandals. She is either accused of using fascist symbols, or of anti-Semitism. The popularity of "Alice" is slightly reduced, but an army of loyal fans rallies. In the new millennium, the group releases a number of resonant albums: “Now is Later Than You Think,” “Become the North,” “The Pulse of the Labyrinth Door Keeper,” “Sabotage,” “Circus.”
Today "Alice" tours a lot, speaking mainly in clubs. The team participates in major rock festivals and music events, in particular in the Invasion, at the Chart Dozen Prizes. In 2016, they celebrated the 25th anniversary of the “Alice Army” on a grand scale, having passed with a tour not only in large venues in Russia, but also in many foreign countries.
In addition to working with Alice, Kinchev repeatedly acted in films. He also released several books of poetry.
Kinchev's public position
Kostya Kinchev, whose biography is associated with constant protest, is characterized by an active, but not always consistent civic position. Since the 90s, Kinchev has developed a difficult relationship with the authorities. He always positioned himself as a nationalist, first with a bias in anarchism, then in monarchism. The theme of patriotism is important for the poetry of Constantine. In 1996, Alisa took part in the “Vote or lose” tour of the musicians' support for B. Yeltsin, for which they received a considerable portion of criticism from colleagues, in particular from Y. Shevchuk. Kinchev explained that he most of all did not want the restoration of communism, and therefore decided to support Yeltsin.
In 1992, during a tour in Jerusalem, Constantine was baptized in the Orthodox faith. At this time, the musician struggled with drug addiction, and religion became his help in this difficult matter. The Christian theme has become important for Kinchev’s work, and preaching has become another hypostasis for the singer.
In the new millennium, Konstantin became a fierce patriot, he promotes the uniqueness of Russia, calls for the preservation of this specificity.
A family
Despite the rocker image, Kostya Kinchev, whose family was always very important for him, was not seen in numerous novels. His first wife was Anna Golubeva, because of which the musician moved to Leningrad. In 1988, the couple had a son, Eugene, who now works in the Alisa group - is responsible for the release of paraphernalia. The birth of a son could not prevent the new passion of Constantine. By chance in a grocery store, he met a very beautiful girl, Alexandra Panfilova. She immediately won the musician’s heart, and soon he moved to her, and then filed for a divorce. Alexandra had a daughter from her first marriage, which Kinchev raised as his own child. The couple had another daughter - Vera, today she works as an actress in the theater. Mayakovsky.
Kostya Kinchev, whose family and wife became a reliable rear, says that he professes patriarchal views on life. He is the head of the family, his wife is engaged in children and home. The couple lives 700 km from St. Petersburg, where Kinchev enthusiastically creates and rests from tours. Anna Panfilova also works in the Alisa group and serves as a press attaché. Today, when the children have grown up and live their own lives, the Panfilov – Kinchev couple enjoys each other’s company. Spouses say that their love has only become stronger over the years. Today Kinchev is already a grandfather, his son Luke's child was born.
Friends in the life of Kinchev
For Konstantin, friends were always of great importance. He regrets that many of them are no longer alive. A close friend of Kinchev, Alexander Bashlachev, died in 1988. Kinchev was very upset by this departure, he began to reflect on the degree of permissiveness, and he dedicated the song “Sabbath” to the memory of his friend. In 1993, Igor Chumychkin, Alice’s friend and guitarist, committed suicide, it was a great shock for the musicians, the group did not perform for almost a year. Kinchev says that this death stopped him at the last line, he redefined his life and values and embarked on a new path to the light. Every birthday of Kostya Kinchev gathers a company of friends and like-minded people in his house, over the years this group is becoming smaller and more expensive to the musician are his friends.