Gorshenev Mikhail Yurievich: biography, personal life and the cause of death of the leader of the group "The King and the Fool"

Mikhail Gorshenev was born in 1973 (August 7) in the Leningrad region, in the city of Boksitogorsk. His father Yuri Mikhailovich was a major of the border troops, and his mother Tatyana Ivanovna - a housewife. The family often moved, mainly settling in the Far East. In 1975, Mikhail's brother Alexey was born.

Childhood

Gorshenev Michael long dreamed of following in the footsteps of his father and even was preparing to enter the military school. When it was time for the boy to go to first grade, the family lived in Khabarovsk. It was decided to send him to his grandmother in the Leningrad region. Soon my father was transferred to Leningrad, and the family was reunited. Parents received an apartment on Rzhevka. Michael went to school number 147. He was a capable boy. He was engaged in boxing and took private lessons in guitar playing.

How it all began?

Initially, the group was called the "Office". It was created in 1988 by Mikhail Gorshenev, Alexander Shchigolev and Alexander Balunov. All of them were classmates and close friends. Alexander Kniazev, nicknamed Prince, was invited as the second vocalist and creator of the texts only in 1990. The lyrics were original from the very beginning. They looked fabulous motifs and unusual subjects. In this regard, the group was renamed the "King of the Fools", and later - in "The King and the Jester". After graduating from school, Mikhail Gorshenev entered the Lyceum, where he planned to restore. However, in three years he was expelled due to the fact that he devoted too much time to music, and this prevented him from successfully learning.

Solo creativity

The first solo album titled "I'm an Alcoholic Anarchist" was released in 2004. In 2005, his songs were included in the top 100 hit parade "Chart Dozen." Mikhail participated in the project "Rock Band", held in St. Petersburg, along with such performers as Yury Shevchuk, Andrei Knyazev, Ilya Chertov, Alexander Chernetsky. Together with Alexander Ivanov in 2006, Mikhail participated in the recording of the song "Lessons of Punk Rock", which belonged to the group "Brigade contract".

Together with Balunov Alexander in 2008, Mikhail Gorshenev participated in the recording of the album of the group Red Elvises entitled "Drinking with Jesus". In 2010, he began his theatrical activities. As a result, the idea arose about creating a project about a maniac-hairdresser named Sweeney Todd. Soon the musical "TODD" was released. In this project the whole composition of the group "King and Jester" participated. Later, the group's album was recorded, based on the material of the musical.

Personal life

There is not much information about how the musician lived off the stage. He never gave an interview on this topic. He was married twice. His first wife was Anfisa, and the second and last was Olga. In 2009, he had a daughter, who was named Alexandra. Her picture was on his body.

Tattoos by Mikhail Gorshenev

To the images on his body the musician was very anxious and invested in each separate meaning. He loved to talk about them to journalists, so they can be described in detail. There were five tattoos. The first is a terrible and terrible Joker. The second is the image of a devil emerging from a tree. This image was taken from the album "Be at Home, Traveler". The third tattoo is seven dear to his heart people (Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, Sid Viches and so on). The fourth is the letter "A" in the circle. This is a symbol of anarcho-punks, to which Mikhail himself was reckoned. The fifth is his beloved daughter.

"King and the Clown"

Mikhail Gorshenev was the founder of the group and the only one who was her in the composition from the beginning to his own death. The band always had an unusual style. Each song is a separate story in a mystical, fantasy, historical vein. Originally all the songs were performed in a rhythmic style of punk rock. Subsequently, the music of the group absorbed several musical elements: art punk (Demon Theater), folk rock (Acoustic album), hard rock ("As in the old tale"), hardcore punk ("Riot on the ship ") and others. The image of the band changed with the music. First of all, it concerns the makeup, which was applied according to the theme of the songs.

First Songs

The first compositions were recorded at the studio in 1991-1992: "Hunter", "Dead Woman", "In the Valley of the Marshes", "The King and the Jester". Some of them were first heard on the radio. The first performance took place in 1992. It is from this year that the band "The King and the Jester" begins its official existence. Since 1993, she began to actively perform in the clubs of St. Petersburg and Moscow.

History of popularity

The first album was recorded in 1994 under the title "Be at home, traveler". He came out in a very limited edition and was long considered a rarity among fans. In 1996, Yakov Tsvirkunov joined the group. Thanks to his work, the guitar sound and arrangement of the compositions have reached a professional level. Mikhail Gorshenev and his offspring were on their way to fame and unprecedented popularity. A short program "The White Band" was recorded about the band, which was often broadcast on St. Petersburg TV. In the same year the album "A Stone by the Head" was released, which was recorded at the Melodiya studio. "The King and the Jester" performs at the festival "Fill the sky with kindness", which was organized by the members of the "DDT" group. They take part in major Moscow and St. Petersburg festivals. In 1997, the second album, entitled "The King and the Jester", was released. In 1998, the "Acoustic Album" was written, which was highly appreciated by music critics. Written in the same year, the song "Jump from the cliff" made the band incredibly popular and stayed at the top of the hit parade record period. In the summer, a clip was filmed for the song "Ely Meat Muzhiks". After showing him on the MTV channel, the band was all-Russian pop. In 1999, the first solo concert of the band was held. The Group enters into contracts with such companies as ORT-Records, Bomba-Piter and others. In 2000, the album "Heroes and Villains" was released.

The first decade

In 2001, the best collection of songs by a group called "The Assembly" was released. In addition, "The King and the Jester" went on a grand tour of all the major cities of Russia and Belarus. Since that time the band has become a regular participant of the largest festivals in Russia. According to readers of the magazine Fuzz, the group becomes the best in 2001. In 2002, she received the Ovation Award. Since that time, "The King and the Jester" constantly touring and give concerts almost daily.

In 2003, the band for the first time gives concerts in Israel, America and Finland. In 2004 the album "Riot on the ship" was released. In the same year, Vyacheslav Batogov became the group's director. In 2006, there were some changes in the composition of the group. In the same year, the musicians perform at the festival "Corkscrew" in America and give a solo concert on the venues of San Francisco. The group includes Dmitry Raidugin (in the position of an artist in the world). Thanks to this, the concerts turned into full-fledged shows. To celebrate the new year 2007, the band prepared a surprise for their fans. The musicians voiced the tale "Morozko". Subsequently, the audiobook "Scary Tales" based on the stories of the Brothers Grimm was released. In 2008, "The King and the Jester" received the Ramp Award. At the IV Prize "Petersburg Musician" the group receives three awards at once. In the same year comes the tenth album - "The Shadow of the Sorcerer". In 2010 the group gives a concert in Prague. Before this event, the local radio station presented the audience with a program about the group's work.

The Second Decade

At the beginning of the second decade of the group's existence, changes in its composition continue. In 2011, "The King and the Jester" organizes a large-scale tour with the program "King of Eternal Dream". The group continues to please the fans with new compositions. In 2012, the musicians were invited to the program "Evening Urgant". In 2013, together with the new bassist Alexander Kulikov , a program of 30 songs was developed. It was supposed to be played on July 20th. But she was not destined to see the light.

How was he remembered?

The leader of the group "The King and the Jester" died at night from 18 to 19 July 2013. Mikhail Gorshenev's wife found his body in their apartment on Ozersky Avenue in St. Petersburg. The close ones remember him not only as an outstanding musician, but also as a kind, unselfish person. He always came to the aid of friends without any questions. He was well-educated and well-read, had an extraordinary mind. He always positioned himself as an anarchist, but he understood this word in his own way. For Michael, anarchy is the ideal, the highest society. In addition, he was a real patriot. According to him, many songs were written based on the true history of Russia. His music became a reflection of his essence, thoughts and views. She was born in his mysterious soul and rejoiced with his sounds thousands of people around the world.

Monument to Mikhail Gorshenev

The requiem for the musician was held July 22, 2013 in St. Petersburg in the sports complex "Jubilee". The body was cremated. Initially, the ashes had to be dispelled. This is due to the fact that Mikhail Gorshenev was an opponent of various burial rites. His grave was still arranged in St. Petersburg at the Theological Cemetery. Thus, fans of the creativity of this person have the opportunity to worship his ashes. The true cause of Mikhail Gorshenev's death is unknown. The official conclusion is "toxic cardiomyopathy and acute heart failure." All this became a consequence of abuse of morphine and alcohol. On July 22, an action was launched to collect signatures for the installation of a monument in memory of Mikhail Gorshenev. July 27, "Our Radio" launched a broadcast consisting of twelve chapters telling about the history of the band "The King and the Jester". The stories were compiled from surviving interviews of musicians and memories of people who lived and worked together with Mikhail Gorshenev. Many well-known musicians wrote compositions in memory of the soloist of the legendary band "The King and the Jester". The memory of him will long live in the hearts of his close people and numerous fans. His amazing songs will be brought up by more than one generation of fans of real music.