Dmitriy Gorodzhiy

My life philosophy is what I carry on writing with every new day coming, like a writer (laughs). A certain kind of philosophy for one period of life and a philosophy of some other kind for the next one. Right now, for example, my main concern is to prove to myself that I know how to do my job well and am perfectly capable of it.

Russian show business is a venture of its own that lives its own life and doesn’t abide by its own rules.

I like getting presents that are infinite, that are made with the hands of my loved ones (laughs). A present doesn’t always have to be something that has a material basis to it, it can be just a song on the radio or a few warm, heartfelt words.

We’ve got a massive country, a lot of time zones, so the concerts organizers don’t always realize that the time in Moscow might be completely different from that in their location. I don’t need to set an alarm clock during weekdays, because someone will still wake me up, say, Tyumen or Vladivostok. That’s why I’m always wondering, which is the city that’s going to wake me up tomorrow. I’ve become a hostage to my cell phone!

Music follows me everywhere I go: in the gym, in the car, in the office, at home. I’m not the type of person who prefers only rock or only metal. Due to my occupation, I have to possess sound understanding of various music genres. But as for music that I listen to out of my own pleasure, it’s the music of the 80s and smooth jazz.

In the West an artist makes money by earning royalty from the sale of his albums, in Russia he has to crisscross the country, like some miner or a long-distance trucker, to earn his every penny.

Every product is meant to be consumed by someone. In Russia this someone is a spectator who can’t yet afford a large-scale, high-quality show. The notions of average income level and concert level belong to the same scale. The concert organizers in many Russian cities can’t afford an artist with a troupe of 15-20 backup dancers, as this would cause the ticket prices to soar and a lot of people wouldn’t be able to buy them.

One can’t just squander his feelings, it’s impossible to be friends with everybody anyway. One should only share his emotions and his love with those who truly deserve it.

We those who live in Moscow, are totally mad, but we still won’t stop. When I come to my hometown Volgograd, after three days I’m already eager to rush back, I want to move on, to get stuck in the traffic jams, to run somewhere, I get some kind of an itchy feeling. But nevertheless, this breath of fresh air is very good for my work.

When I was once organizing the concert of Ottawan in Tver, I was astonished, in positive sense, by their modesty and lack of arrogance. Our artists have a lot to learn from them. They asked for a meal, so I suggested that we wait till we get to Tver, where there are plenty good restaurants, and their reply was: ‘No problem, bring the McDonalds’.
If I don’t have some fried eggs in the morning, that’s it, my day is ruined (laughs).

I was betrayed a couple of times. It is, indeed, a trap anyone could get into, as this is something nobody ever expects. I am, generally, quite a good-natured person, but with little experience I’ve got, I’m now trying to be more cautious with people, rely more on my intuition, because I don’ want it to happen again.

I remember when I was a kid, mum was once washing the floors, and I was pointing out to her, jokingly, the spots she’d missed. And then there was a moment when I suddenly went silent, mum turned to check where I had gone, and saw me sitting in a huge basin, full of freshly cooked cherry jam. I remember this moment very clearly — the jam, the sun shining brightly, mum still young, such a nice, warm feeling.

Cruelty remains cruel even when those subjected to it do deserve it.