The "black" list of the almighty Lapin: How did the fate of the pop stars who got into it

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In the early 1970s, Sergei Lapin took over as Chairman of the USSR State Committee on Television and Radio. The establishment of a rather strict censorship is associated with his name. Those who, in the 1960s, delighted listeners with their lyrical songs, suddenly began to disappear one by one from TV screens and radio broadcasts. Then many talented performers were included in the so-called "black" list of Sergei Lapin. Each of the artists experienced oblivion after fame in their own way, and therefore their fates developed differently.

Speaking of Sergei Lapin, one cannot assess the personality of this high-ranking official in a one-sided way. He was educated and intelligent, had a good sense of humor, and was keenly interested in literature and art. At the same time, he was an ideological communist who firmly believed in the ideals that were promoted. And he acted in accordance with his ideas about what the stage should be in the Soviet Union. It was in his power to support the artist or permanently close his path to big screens and radio broadcasts.

Veronica Kruglova

For this singer, ups and downs went step by step with her love affairs. All listeners were ready to sing songs with her: “I don't see anything”, “A little bit does not count”, “Why are you dreaming” and many others. In her youth, she was going to become a dramatic actress, but her first husband was a pop entertainer and Veronica went to the stage after him. The marriage was short-lived, but Veronica had already realized that she wanted to do only vocals.

The second husband of Veronica was Joseph Kobzon, who had long sought the love of a talented beauty. He even allowed her to do one number in his solo concert. They did not have a normal family, and after the scandalous divorce, Joseph Davidovich did not let his ex-wife go for a long time.

It was to escape the attention of Kobzon that Veronika Kruglova married the famous singer Vadim Mulerman. They began performing as a duet and were very popular. And then the composers began to say that they were forbidden to give songs to both Veronika Kruglova and Vadim Mulerman. And, although there were no special complaints about Veronica herself, the road to the big stage was blocked for her along with her husband.

For 20 years, the singer traveled throughout the Soviet Union with concerts. In 1987, the couple separated. And in 1991 Veronika Kruglova came to America to visit. At that moment, they and Mulerman's daughter Ksenia were not allowed to leave, she joined her mother later. Veronica met her next husband in America. Today Veronika Kruglova is married for the fifth time and regrets only that all her notes were demagnetized by order of the almighty Lapin.

Vadim Mulerman

This singer was idolized by the whole country in the mid-1960s. He was the first performer of the song "Lada", and the hockey anthem "A coward does not play hockey" athletes perceived only in his performance. It was simply impossible to buy tickets for his concerts. He participated in all concerts, his voice was constantly heard on the radio. And then suddenly he disappeared from everywhere at the same time.

The reason was his repertoire. He allowed himself to include Jewish songs in it. At a time of tension in relations between the USSR and Israel, these songs became the reason why Mulerman fell into disgrace with his wife Veronika Kruglova. True, the intervention of Ekaterina Furtseva made it possible for the singer to perform with concerts, but not television and radio, he never returned.

In 1991, Vadim took his brother to America for treatment. At that time, American doctors could not defeat oncology, and Vadim at that moment decided to stay in America altogether. He organized a children's musical theater, periodically gave concerts. In the early 2000s, he returned to his native Kharkov, where he was born and raised.

With their third wife Svetlana, they raised two daughters. Later he returned to America, where the family lived rather modestly due to the illness of Vadim Iosifovich. In May 2018, the famous performer died in New York from cancer.

Larisa Mondrus

This singer has always stood out among the performers. Larisa Mondrus was very much like a foreigner: beautiful, bright, always elegantly dressed. Her vocal talent was simply mesmerizing. She sang in films, on-screen and off-screen, and the audience invariably recognized her sonorous voice. Good Evening in Give a Book of Complaints or Wake Up and Sing in Gentlemen of Fortune. Larisa Mondrus and her husband Egil Schwartz, the conductor and composer for a long time could not get a residence permit in Moscow, where they came from Riga. The director of the Moscow Music Hall helped them solve their everyday problems, persuading Larisa to join his troupe.

The singer's popularity was simply phenomenal. Against the backdrop of ever-increasing fame, the leadership increasingly expressed dissatisfaction with the performer. He does not want to sing songs of civic themes, outwardly it is too different from his ordinary compatriots. Either he appears in a mini-skirt at a concert in front of the cosmonauts, then he puts on a dress from Slava Zaitsev with flying patchwork sleeves, which some official will call rags and remove the singer's performance from the concert. In 1971, she was completely deprived of the opportunity to perform. They stopped inviting to television and radio, banned participation in important concerts. Unable to withstand the endless prohibitions, Larisa and her husband decide to leave the country. In 1973, they received a visa to Israel, and in March they already lived in Germany.

She became a rather famous and popular singer in the West, released 10 giant records, and traveled all over the world. Larisa Mondrus left the stage only after the birth of her long-awaited son in 1982. Subsequently, she went into business.

For 30 years, nothing was known about the singer in the USSR, her recordings were demagnetized, and her songs were covered. Only once there was a rumor that Larisa Mondrus asked to return to the USSR and voluntarily passed away, having received a refusal. In fact, she was quite happy with life in Munich and she was not going to return. Since the early 2000s, the singer sometimes visits Russia, takes part in concerts.

Nina Brodskaya

Until the mid-1970s, Nina Brodskaya was one of the most popular Soviet performers. Her songs were played in films, television and radio. And then she disappeared from everywhere at once. According to the singer, on the personal instructions of Lapin, they stopped inviting her to television and radio, which in fact meant almost an execution for the artist. This pushed Nina Brodskaya to the decision to emigrate. In 1979, the singer, having gathered the whole family, flew to America.

She still lives in New York, but since 1994 she has been in Russia from time to time with concerts. She is still cheerful and full of creative plans, writes songs, publishes books.

The Minister of Culture of the USSR Yekaterina Furtseva also had his own "black list". It was in her power to prohibit concerts, refuse to release a record, and not allow them on a foreign business trip. There were also those for whom Ekaterina Furtseva actually broke their lives. What was the reason for the hostile attitude of the Minister of Culture towards the most popular performers of the Soviet stage?