Andrew Urodov, creator the iconic magazine “Russia without us” on what media are interesting to read and why Russian teenagers tired of articles about Muzeon and about the best restaurants in Moscow.
Andrew, why you did it to journalism? How long have you developed an interest in journalism?
I studied in physics and mathematics. In the eleventh grade, I skipped informatics and went to the Olympics in literature, which I took for smart. So I became a programmer and a journalist because of truancy.
Do not you disappointed in journalism? You see their future connected with this profession?
It is difficult to give up on what you’ve never done. I have not worked newsmen, a reporter, a photographer. I do not yet engaged in journalism. Therefore, I have no disappointments there. There are deposit from shitty companies that work in this area. But this happens in any business. For journalism itself, as some inner urge to talk and talk, it has nothing to do.
What are your favorite journalists, writers, media personalities, which you equals and that influenced your work?
I have to the university did not read newspapers and do not even know who Prokhorov year as in the 2010th. I then came home to the girl to drink tea, and there was her mother. And she asks me, saying: “What will you do after school?” I said to her: “Can I go to journalism.” I answered them all, who was interested in, because I do not know what I want to do in life. She apparently thought that we had on the same wavelength; start overwrite about the presidential election: “Do you know who Prokhorov?” I hesitated a little, gave: “Journalist?” In short the girl that we did not succeed. And my favorite journalist – Elena Kostyuchenko.
And what the Russian media you give preference to, and why?
Kolte.ru – for what they are which year afloat and continue to write about what seems important to them. He died some literary critic – we write. And we do not care that you do not know. There should, therefore, be aware of. Read – to educate. That’s a steep approach.
“Rain” – for their special projects such as the latest film by Andrei mules.
Medusa and old tape + Reality old printed “BG”. In short, I was an ordinary person. I rejoice when I see in the film reports or articles where the journalist is small, and a lot of character. And the man says, and the journalist was silent: something there ask sometimes at home then in a logical order builds paragraphs decrypted text.
Where and how you acquired the skills of the journalist is the university?
I think that my skills is similar to those that have any person who graduated from high school. Write at least a C grade we all taught there. I have for some time been freelancers in the “BG”. Here, perhaps, and all that I did in “journalism”. Of those months, I learned one simple rule: “Andrew, write human language.” For helpful tips to better appeal to those who work on “Rain” or “Open Russia”, to “Kommersant”. Fortunately, these people have a lot.
You thought about how “Russia without us” effect on readers? Can such projects to change social values?
We initially tried to log express some patriotism, which is present in the people living in our country. Well, the feeling of some that exists separated from the power of the national idea, the party president. “Patriotism” is, of course, say not worth it, because this word has acquired in our country a negative note due to the actions of the authorities. That is, if you are a patriot, then here’s a ribbon gun and ran “for the homeland.” This substitution of concepts. But here, for example, there is a space Russian courts – and it’s all the same – with a few changes from the Baltic to Chukotka. And it is all any one inexplicable emotion. And there are a lot of emotions, most importantly to find them. In Russia, all the good people live, but about which no one writes and no one talks to them.
Social values are now in Russia there is little, people live very lonely, especially in the regions. They do not overlap with each other, and even more so with power. We’re just trying to re-introduce them with themselves in the magazine and show that there is a whole social group, which remained “overboard”. They do not have their media do not have a language in “society.”
And as this project was influenced you?
I lost six kilos.
Why the magazine became so popular? Whether it is connected somehow to the fact that you are “out” beyond the Internet and began to be published?
I would not say that it is popular. Just tired of people reading about crap. I conditionally call the things that are now writing popular among youth publications. All of these “let’s buy shoes, then go eat sandwiches, walk in Muzeon discuss what made abrupt alterations in the sleeping areas of Stockholm and how much is health insurance in Germany” – well, it’s just some kind of violence. People are living in shit, wake up – look out the window at shit, go to the dining room and eat shit, as they say – there is one more thing a little bit, be patient with each and you save money on a new pair of sneakers, buy a guidebook “Billboards” poputeshestvuesh under a blanket – you will feel happy. At some point the consumption ceases to bring satisfaction. Young guys wake up in the new crosses, and all around is still shit.
Our promise was just to talk about living people in this workaday Hell and travel to places where the beautiful, simply because it has always been so.
In short people want to live and be strong until the media offer them sit in ten trendy restaurants, go for rags, to adopt the experience of others – Read the translation of a study on urban planning, in short, to try as much as possible not to notice anything around, get some pseudoknowledge and do not complain.
Recently, there are some sporadic good materials, but this is not enough. Why people do not read, for example, “Novaya Gazeta”? Now, if she had been typeset as publications LAM – to read, I’m sure. In short it is a shout into the void.
In one of your interviews you said: “We’re not trying to make a magazine that addressed only to the past.” Thus, the past is in the magazine – it’s nostalgia, the present – these are the symbols of this life that you find all over the country, and that then the future?
The future of all of their own, because no one compares with the pulse of the country. Pulse that are constantly trying to find, but what if it does not exist at all, if he did not even need anyone. People have learned to live very long in their microstates. And learned. Chef at work – a president, absenteeism or tardiness – an administrative violation, a reprimand, a disgrace, arrest, shooting – the deprivation of the award. Therefore it is better not to argue with anyone and quiet. In the public sector as some hell’s going on. Many people in such circumstances, have lived for twenty years. They did not microstate under our country.
What is most important right now to tell people?
About the people around.
Now, many young people trying to find themselves in the same creative projects, but it does not always work out. Sometimes just scared to have “own voice” that is different from the other, and sometimes lack of inspiration or confidence. What advice would you give to children at the beginning of their career?
Being with the reader on an equal footing.
By author Margaret Galaktionova