KINO: Guest
The kitchen in the apartment I rented in St. Petersburg back in 2000-2001, on Ital’yanskaya Street. I’d say it’s a fairly typical old-school Russian kitchen, from back before there were too many renovations going on. Several of Tsoi’s songs (including one of his most famous, Перемен) involve sitting around in a kitchen like this one.
AAI’ll post a few pictures of a few of my own guests here in this kitchen, and other misadventures from my first year in Russia.
Гость
Вечер. Я сижу дома.
Это зима, это декабрь.
Ночь будет холодной,
Если верить часам, она уже рядом…
Эй! Кто будет моим гостем?
Эй! Кто будет моим гостем?
Пить чай, курить папиросы,
Думать о том, что будет завтра.
Завидовать тем, кто знает, что хочет,
Завидовать тем, кто что-нибудь сделал…
Эй! Кто будет моим гостем?
Эй! Кто будет моим гостем?
Расскажите мне, что происходит.
Удивите меня, расскажите мне новость.
Убейте меня, рассмешите меня.
Кто придет ко мне, подай голос!
Эй! Кто будет моим гостем?
Эй! Кто будет моим гостем?
Guest
Evening. I’m sitting at home.
It’s winter, it’s December.
The night will be cold;
If the clock’s to be believed, then it’s almost here…
Hey! Who’ll be my guest?
Hey! Who’ll be my guest?
Drink tea, smoke cigarettes,
Think about what’ll be tomorrow.
Envy those who know what they want,
Envy those who’ve managed to accomplish something…
Hey! Who’ll be my guest?
Hey! Who’ll be my guest?
Tell me what’s going on.
Surprise me, tell me something new.
Kill me, make me laugh.
Who’ll pay me a visit — speak up!
Hey! Who’ll be my guest?
Hey! Who’ll be my guest?
Me back in early winter in 2000. I’d found a sock of unknown origin under the table.
My guests that morning were messieurs Pavel and Vladimir, just arrived on the train from Moscow. Volodya apparently declined instant coffee in favor of a Stepan Razin to start his day. If it weren’t for all the time I spent with these masters of the Russian word, I’d have never ended up writing my textbooks (not to mention my guide to “mat”!). Ultimately I also owe what I know of Russian rock to the pile of cassette tapes (!) they got for me to get me started, after I heard Viktor Tsoi on the radio in Pavel’s Moscow dorm room and asked him who that was singing.
