How Viktor Tsoi influenced the author of ‘Johnny Mnemonic’

William Gibson, the “father of cyberpunk” and author of ‘Johnny Mnemonic’, ‘Neuromancer’, and ‘Hotel New Rose’ among others, recently admitted that his work was influenced by… Russian musician Viktor Tsoi!
They met through Rashid Nugmanov's 1988 movie ‘Igla’ (‘The Needle’), in which the frontman for the rock band ‘Kino’ played the lead role. After seeing the movie at a festival in San Francisco, he decided to meet the director. Nugmanov shared his plan to make a sequel, set in a parallel reality of the 1990s: the Soviet Union had collapsed, the borders were closed and Leningrad was the only free territory left. This is precisely where Moreau, the main protagonist in ‘The Needle’, was heading to get to the airport and fly away.

In Spring 1990, work on the ‘Citadel’ project began: Nugmanov's concept was very appealing. Gibson told him he wrote the script. However, a month before production could commence, Viktor Tsoi tragically died. Many years have passed since, but the writer remains a fan of the musician. "Viktor Tsoi is the main musical inspiration in my work, someone most readers have never heard of and certainly haven't listened to," he recently wrote on his social media page.
If you visit his page, you can see not only ‘Kino’ videos, but also Tsoi's paintings and Gibson's thoughts on him.

Credit: Elisabetta A. Villa/WireImage; Global Look Press; Alexander Kostin/Sputnik

🔔 Gateway to Russia

3 facts about the ancient St. George's Cathedral in Yuryev-Polsky
This ancient church is nearly 800 years old. Here's what you need to know about it.

One of the oldest Russian churches
The Church of St. George the Victorious was built in the 1230s by order of Prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, grandson of Yuri Dolgoruky, Moscow's founder. Very few such ancient churches remain; in central Russia, they’re primarily concentrated in the city of Vladimir and its environs, as well as around Yaroslavl Region.

Adorned with magnificent carvings
Originally, the facades of St. George's Cathedral were decorated with a "carpet" of carved bas-reliefs depicting biblical scenes, saints, prophets, as well as exotic animals.
In the 15th century, the cathedral was partially destroyed and, during its reconstruction, the carved stones were mixed up. Only the lower sections of the walls and part of the northern façade have survived unchanged. But, even today, the cathedral creates an incredible impression of a "book in stone": magical sirens and alkonost birds soar, while a lion, the symbol of the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, lies propped on its forepaws. And lurking on the northern façade is… an elephant – the first and, apparently, only depiction of one in ancient Russian architecture.

The cathedral's sacred relic – the Svyatoslav Cross
This is the name given to a white-stone crucifix depicting Christ, saints and martyrs. According to one version, it was erected after one of Prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich's battles in 1220. He miraculously survived a storm that broke out on the Volga River and returned home victorious.
*You can learn more about the cathedral in the ‘The White Temple. The History of St. George's Cathedral: ‘And They Built a Marvelous, Carved Stone’’ exhibition, which is on display at the Shchusev Museum of Architecture until October 26, 2025.

Credit: Belliy (CC BY-SA 4.0); Shchusev Museum of Architecture ; Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve

🔔 Gateway to Russia

How to have breakfast "until the cranes (crow)" and drink “until the roosters (crow)”?

The famous ‘Slavic Bazaar’ restaurant, located in the very center of #Moscow, was renowned among connoisseurs of sumptuous feasts for its meals “до журавлей” (“do zhuravlei” or "until the cranes (crow)").
It went as follows: A boisterous group would gather for a late breakfast, say, to celebrate a successful deal. Sometimes, these gatherings would last until three o'clock in the afternoon: champagne, liqueurs and other drinks flowed freely throughout.

Until it was time for the "cranes". A guest who splurged 50 rubles on cognac in a special crystal decanter decorated with cranes (the equivalent of several months' salary for an average worker) could keep the container. Some even held competitions to see who could collect the most "cranes": one regular got as many as seven.

However, other "bird" feasts were also known. In some taverns, patrons drank… “до петухов” (“до журавлей” or "until the rooster crows"). There, too, it wasn't just the quantity consumed, but also the design of the glassware. Vodka was served in a special decanter, inside which a figurine of a rooster was placed. The liquid created the illusion that the bird inside was quite large. Shot after shot, the decanter was drained until nothing remained but the glass figurine. This was called "getting drunk until the rooster crowed". Typically, this was where the libations and, indeed, the gathering itself, ended.

Credit: Tula Museum of Fine Arts; Museum of Art Glass https://vk.com/steklomuseum

🔔 Gateway to Russia