Viktor Robertovich Tsoi (21 June 1962, Leningrad, USSR — 15 August 1990, 35th kilometer of the R-126 Sloka — Talsi highway, Tukums District, Latvia) was a Soviet rock musician, songwriter, poet, artist and actor of Korean-Russian origin. He was the founder and frontman of the rock band «Kino», which was part of the Leningrad Rock Club and originally performed under the name «Garin i Giperboloidi» («Garin and the Hyperboloids»). Before that he played in the bands «Palata No. 6» («Ward No. 6») and «Avtomaticheskie udovletvoriteli» («Automatic Satisfiers»).
Tsoi is regarded as one of the most influential and well-known rock musicians of the USSR. He wrote the lyrics and the music, was the frontman and main creative force of «Kino», which disbanded after his death.
The first album by «Kino» — «45» — was released in 1982. In total, the band released eight studio albums, the last of them already after Tsoi’s death. The line-up changed several times, and by the mid-1980s it had stabilized: alongside Viktor, it included Yuri Kasparyan, Georgy Guryanov and Igor Tikhomirov.
Tsoi’s music and image gave rise to the phenomenon of «Kinomania», and his songs remain recognizable and in demand among new generations of listeners.
Biography and career
Early years
Viktor Tsoi was born on 21 June 1962 in Leningrad. He spent his childhood in the area around Moskovsky Victory Park. He was the only child of an engineer of Korean origin, Robert Maksimovich Tsoi, and a physical education teacher, Valentina Vasilievna Tsoi (née Guseva).
In the 1970s Viktor studied at a nearby school where his mother worked. In 1973 his parents divorced, but a year later they reconciled and got back together.
From 1974 to 1977 Tsoi attended a secondary art school, where he formed his first musical circle of friends and the band «Palata No. 6». At the same time he wrote his first song lyrics and became seriously interested in music.
Later Viktor entered the Serov Leningrad Art College but was expelled for poor academic performance. He then studied at a vocational school (SGPTU-61) as a woodcarver and could professionally carve netsuke figurines.
As a teenager he was a fan of Mikhail Boyarsky and Vladimir Vysotsky, and later of Bruce Lee. He practiced martial arts and trained together with his future bandmate Yuri Kasparyan.
Family and origins
Family background
The surname Tsoi (the Korean surname 최) belongs to one of the ancient Korean clans. On his father’s side, Viktor’s ancestors came from the area of the city of Wonju on the Korean Peninsula. One of his forebears, Tsoi Yong Nam, moved to Vladivostok in the early 20th century, and later the family was affected by the deportations of Koreans in the USSR.
His paternal grandfather, Maksim Maksimovich Tsoi, was a teacher and was exiled with his family to Kazakhstan, where he worked and served in the state security bodies. He had several children, among them Viktor’s father, Robert Maksimovich.
Tsoi’s father was born in the Kazakh SSR, later moved to Leningrad, received an engineering education and met his future wife there. It was he who showed Viktor his first guitar chords.
On his mother’s side, Viktor descended from Russian peasants and participants of the Russo-Japanese War and the Great Patriotic War, some of whom survived the Siege of Leningrad. His mother, Valentina Vasilievna, lived in the city all her life and worked as a physical education teacher.
His own family and children
Viktor Tsoi’s wife was Maryana (Marianna) Tsoi (1959–2005). They met on 5 March 1982 at an apartment gig, when Maryana worked in the circus and was involved in staging productions. After hearing Viktor’s songs, she began helping to promote the band «Kino».
They officially married on 4 February 1984. In 1985 their son Alexander Tsoi was born — the musician’s only child. Later Alexander worked in programming and design, wrote music and took part in musical projects.
In the late 1980s, Natalia Razlogova, a film scholar and translator, entered Tsoi’s life. Viktor and Natalia met on a film set and began living together, while he never officially divorced Maryana. Razlogova was with him during his last years and was in Latvia at the time of his death.
Musical career
«Palata No. 6» and «Avtomaticheskie udovletvoriteli»
Back at art school, the band «Palata No. 6» formed under the leadership of Maksim Pashkov, where Tsoi initially played bass guitar and co-wrote arrangements. During this period he began to write his own songs and tried himself as a vocalist.
In the late 1970s Viktor became part of the Leningrad punk and rock underground and met Andrei Panov (known as Svinoi), the leader of the band «Avtomaticheskie udovletvoriteli», as well as guitarist Alexei Rybin. With «Avtomaticheskie udovletvoriteli» Tsoi travelled to Moscow and took part in underground concerts. It was then that early songs such as «Moi druzya» («My Friends») appeared, attracting the attention of the rock community.
«Garin i Giperboloidi»
In 1981, while on holiday in Crimea, Tsoi, Rybin and Oleg Valinsky decided to form their own band, which received the name «Garin i Giperboloidi» («Garin and the Hyperboloids»), reportedly suggested by Boris Grebenshchikov.
After returning to Leningrad, the musicians began rehearsing and soon joined the Leningrad Rock Club. In January 1982 the band was officially accepted as a member of the club. It was on the basis of this project that the future band «Kino» was formed.
«Kino»
First album
After Oleg Valinsky left and the band changed its name to «Kino», they began recording their debut album. In the spring of 1982, at Andrei Tropillo’s studio, they recorded the tape album «45», named after its approximate running time in minutes. Musicians from «Akvarium» («Aquarium») took part in the studio sessions, which heavily influenced the sound of the material.
At the same time, «Kino» started playing apartment gigs and club shows, gradually gaining popularity in Leningrad and Moscow. Many recordings from this period spread around the country as unofficial copies and bootlegs.
The second line-up of «Kino» and peak success
After the departure of Alexei Rybin, the line-up changed. Guitarist Yuri Kasparyan and Tsoi were joined by bass player Alexander Titov (later replaced by Igor Tikhomirov) and drummer Georgy Guryanov. By the mid-1980s, the «classic» line-up of the band had formed.
During this period the albums were released:
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«Nachalnik Kamchatki» (1984),
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«Eto ne lyubov» (1985),
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«Noch» (1986),
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«Gruppa krovi» (1988),
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«Zvezda po imeni Solntse» (1989).
His job at the boiler house «Kamchatka», where Tsoi worked as a stoker, became an important part of his biography: lyrics were written there, rehearsals took place, and the first documentary films about the Leningrad rock scene were shot.
The second half of the 1980s brought «Kino» nationwide fame. Tsoi’s appearances in the films «Assa» and «Igla», the release of the album «Gruppa krovi» and the song «Peremen» («Change») turned the band into a symbol of the perestroika era. Large-scale tours and stadium concerts began, including a performance at the Luzhniki Stadium in 1990.
In 1990 Tsoi and Kasparyan went to Latvia, where they worked with a portable studio on material for a new album. It would be completed by the remaining band members after Viktor’s death and released under the title «Chyorny albom» («The Black Album», 1991).
Death and funeral
On 15 August 1990, Viktor Tsoi died in a car accident at the 35th kilometer of the R-126 (now R-128) Sloka — Talsi highway in Latvia, near Jūrmala. He was returning from a fishing trip in a Moskvich-2141 when his car collided with a passenger bus.
The official investigation concluded that Tsoi had lost control of the car, presumably having fallen asleep at the wheel. No alcohol or narcotic substances were found in his system.
The funeral took place on 19 August 1990 at the Bogoslovskoe Cemetery in Leningrad. Despite the family’s request to limit the number of attendees, thousands of fans came to say goodbye. Tsoi’s death provoked a powerful emotional response, and there were numerous reports of fan suicides.
Alternative versions of his death
After the musician’s death, various alternative explanations for the accident emerged: from speculation that he was distracted while changing a cassette in the tape deck to conspiracy theories about a violent death. The official version, however, remains unchanged — speeding and loss of concentration on a difficult stretch of road.
Style and analysis of his work
Eastern philosophy in Tsoi’s art
Cultural duality — the combination of Russian and Korean (Eastern) traditions — is often seen as an important part of Viktor Tsoi’s creative identity. His interest in martial arts, Bruce Lee, and Daoist and Buddhist motifs influenced the imagery of his lyrics:
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focus on the inner journey and self-knowledge;
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minimalist form with high semantic density;
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emphasis on self-control, dignity and personal responsibility.
Many of his songs revolve around the idea of seeking «one’s own path» and following an inner law rather than external rules.
The lyrical persona in Tsoi’s songs
The typical lyrical hero in Tsoi’s songs is a solitary yet inwardly strong person who is aware of being separate from the surrounding world and ready to take responsibility for their choices. This hero strives for change, freedom and honesty, and is often in conflict with society.
Key motifs include:
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war as a metaphor for inner struggle;
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night as a space of self-discovery;
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the road and the journey as images of life’s choices;
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the star as a symbol of destiny and higher purpose.
Evolution of the lyrical hero
As the band’s discography developed, this lyrical figure evolved:
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early albums («45», «46») — the hero is confused, feels alienated from the world and trapped, yet still holds on to hope;
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mid-1980s («Nachalnik Kamchatki», «Eto ne lyubov», «Noch») — the hero becomes aware of his otherness; protest forms and he refuses to conform to common rules;
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«Gruppa krovi», «Zvezda po imeni Solntse» — the hero accepts the role of a fighter, ready to clash with the world and walk «by the call of the star»;
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«Chyorny albom» — a sense of an approaching end intensifies, loneliness deepens and the question arises of who will continue the path.
Critical reception
Critics often point to the extreme minimalism of Tsoi’s poetics: simple words, recurring images, straightforward constructions. Yet it is precisely this simplicity that many see as the strength of his lyrics: they allow for universal interpretation, have an almost «march-like» character and combine everyday realism with philosophical depth.
Painting
By his first profession, Viktor Tsoi was an artist. He was connected with the Leningrad art underground and the «Novie khudozhniki» («New Artists») collective, and worked in a style combining primitivism and expressionism, sometimes painting on oilcloth like Niko Pirosmani.
His artwork is characterized by:
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bright, simplified forms;
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strong outlines and saturated colours;
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an interest in an almost «rock art», graffiti-like visual language;
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motifs of the road, the city and emblematic human figures.
First exhibition
For a long time, Tsoi’s paintings were kept in private archives. His first major exhibition took place only in the 21st century, when works from the collection of Natalia Razlogova and other owners were shown. The exhibition confirmed the interest in Tsoi as an independent artist, not only as a musician.
Exhibition-biopics
In the 2020s large-scale «biopic» exhibitions were organized, combining painting, documents, personal belongings, music and video materials. They presented dozens of Tsoi’s works, drafts, guitars and film footage, revealing different facets of his creativity — from rock music to cinema and visual art.
Themes of death and car crashes
In Tsoi’s late paintings, motifs of roads and cars became more frequent. Canvases depicting highways, cars and figures on the move were created shortly before his death, prompting numerous interpretations and discussions about the «prophetic» nature of these images.
Forgeries
As interest in Tsoi’s painting grew, the market saw an influx of forgeries, often lacking any documented provenance. This became a significant problem for collectors and experts, and at the same time an indirect recognition of his status as a visual artist.
Selected filmography
Viktor Tsoi appeared in eight films and a number of television programmes. The most notable works include:
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«Yya-kha» (short film, cameo);
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«Konets kanikul» («End of Holidays», musical film featuring «Kino»);
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«Dialogi» («Dialogues», a documentary about «Pop-mekhanika»);
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«Rock» (documentary film by Alexei Uchitel);
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«Assa» (cameo, final performance with «Peremen»);
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«Igla» («The Needle», leading role as Moro — for this performance he was named Actor of the Year by the magazine «Sovetsky ekran»);
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appearances of concert footage and songs in a number of other projects.
Discography
With the band «Kino» (studio albums)
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1982 — «45»
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1983 — «46»
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1984 — «Nachalnik Kamchatki»
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1985 — «Eto ne lyubov»
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1986 — «Noch»
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1988 — «Gruppa krovi»
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1989 — «Zvezda po imeni Solntse»
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1991 — «Chyorny albom» (posthumous release)
In addition to the studio albums, there is a large number of compilations, live recordings, reissues and posthumously restored tracks («Ataman», later singles with remixes and new arrangements).
Legacy
Monuments
Numerous monuments and memorials have been erected in memory of Viktor Tsoi:
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monuments at the site of the crash on the Sloka — Talsi highway in Latvia;
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monuments in Saint Petersburg (including those by the «Kamchatka» boiler house museum and in the square on Prospekt Veteranov);
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sculptures in Barnaul, Okulovka, Almaty, Elista, Kurgan and other cities;
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temporary and permanent memorials unveiled on anniversary dates.
«Tsoi’s places»
The term «Tsoi’s places» refers to:
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his grave at Bogoslovskoe Cemetery in Saint Petersburg;
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the «Kamchatka» boiler house museum on Blokhina Street;
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film locations for «Igla», «Konets kanikul» and other projects;
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venues associated with his performances and early life.
«Tsoi walls»
Moscow
The most famous «Tsoi wall» is located in Krivoarbatsky Lane (near the Old Arbat). It appeared after his death and was covered with «Tsoi is alive» slogans, song quotes and drawings. The wall became a place for informal fan gatherings and a symbol of popular memory.
Ukraine
«Tsoi walls» also appeared in Kyiv, Dnipro, Kamianske and other cities, often along embankments or in central districts, where fans gather, sing his songs and leave inscriptions.
Belarus
Walls dedicated to Tsoi are known in Minsk and Mahilyow, designed both as elements of urban space and as informal memorials.
«Kamchatka» boiler house museum
«Kamchatka» is a former boiler house in Saint Petersburg where Tsoi worked in the mid-1980s and where many members of the Leningrad Rock Club rehearsed. Today it is a club-museum with an exhibition dedicated to «Kino» and the rock scene of that era.
Streets
In various cities in Russia and Kazakhstan, streets have been named after Viktor Tsoi. This reflects a shift from informal commemoration to official recognition of his contribution to culture.
Squares and parks
Parks and squares named after Tsoi exist, in particular, in Saint Petersburg (near «Kamchatka») and Krasnoyarsk, where memorial signs and objects dedicated to him have been installed.
Objects and artefacts dedicated to Tsoi
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an asteroid has been named after Viktor Tsoi;
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commemorative coins and postage stamps have been issued;
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his name and imagery from his songs are used in art objects, street graffiti and museum exhibitions.
In philately and numismatics
National postal and banking institutions have honoured Tsoi’s legacy by issuing stamps and commemorative coins dedicated to him and the band «Kino».
In culture
«Kinomania»
The phenomenon of «Kinomania» refers to the enduring cult following of «Kino» and Viktor Tsoi personally, which arose during his lifetime and intensified after his death. Its characteristic features include:
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imitation of his clothing style and mannerisms;
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«pilgrimages» to places associated with his name;
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the use of his songs as symbols of protest and inner freedom.
In literature
Many biographical and fictional books have been written about Viktor Tsoi. In literature he is portrayed as a hero of his era, a symbol of perestroika and a figure often compared to the greatest musicians of the global rock scene.
Biographical works
There are detailed biographies written by people from his inner circle, family members and journalists, as well as thorough scholarly studies of his life and work.
In fiction
Tsoi appears as a character in alternative history and science-fiction novels, where authors imagine different scenarios in which he survives and his life takes another course.
In music
The songs of «Kino» have been reinterpreted countless times:
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official tribute albums;
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cover versions by rock and rap artists;
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symphonic projects with orchestral arrangements of Tsoi’s songs;
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concerts dedicated to anniversaries and memorial dates.
Tributes to Viktor Tsoi
Compilation albums have been released featuring well-known musicians performing his songs in new arrangements, as well as large concert programmes («Simfonicheskoe KINO», «KINoproby» and others).
In theatre
Modern theatres stage productions dedicated to the life and songs of Viktor Tsoi, where his music serves as the core of the dramaturgy and a commentary on the action on stage.
Exhibitions
Major exhibitions are held that focus on Tsoi as both musician and artist. They showcase his paintings, documents, photographs, posters, personal belongings and multimedia installations that reveal different aspects of his personality.
Conclusion
Viktor Tsoi is one of the central figures of Russian rock culture and the collective consciousness of the late 20th century. His biography spans several spheres: music, cinema, painting, the informal movement and the official cultural canon. Tsoi’s songs continue to sound in films, at rallies, at concerts and in everyday life, and his image remains a symbol of inner freedom, integrity and the determination to follow one’s chosen path to the very end.
