Live XS,
edition Southern-Netherlands,
3rd year, 11th edition,
December 2000
Yuri Naumov: On the road to mastery.

"I am from Siberia and I play Russian blues." This is how the Russian guitar virtuous Yuri Naumov introduced himself at the American Institute For Guitar when he had just arrived in the USA. Here, they tried to have him sell his soul to commerce. Now, ten years later, Yuri handed in a largely instrumental CD called Guitar Stories which proves that his soul is still clean. With the nine strings of his guitar underlining his words, he conveys his ornate story.

"I could start by telling that I was the voice of liberty in the USA and that this was the reason I had to flee to the USA. But what it comes down to, I guess, is that I was a longhaired musician, an easy prey for KGB members seeking a promotion. I am from Novosibirsk, the third big city of Russia. The real agitators lived in Moskou, and Novosibirsk was a lot more quiet. It did have a strong anti-western atmosphere, though, so rock 'n roll was an easy target. Glasnost and Perestroika did not even change much. We had our 'summer of love' in 1987 but this ended quickly, and people did not know what to do with their newly gained freedom. They quickly drew back to the old, lethargic attitude of the old days. Then, in 1990, I decided to go to New York. It was overwhelming. The skyscrapers, the madness of that city. I am still grateful for that experience. It was quite a cultural shock. From the land where the loser rules, I ended up in a country where losers gain no respect at all and where only the winners count."

Autodidact
The most significant thing I learned in the USA over the last 10 years is that if you want to succeed, you need to have full control. Therefore, I am grateful for modern technology. There are no limits to opportunities and it is possible to maintain independence. When I listen to the albums that I recorded as I had just arrived in the USA, I notice that there is no vitality, no personality on them: they are so lifeless. Nowadays, I record everything in my own studios. One could say that I am a kind of one-man-band, doing bass-guitar and drums on my guitar as well. It really is a kind of advantage being an autodidact. I have been playing the guitar since I was 11 years old and I never took lessons. I do not want to be a teacher myself either. Many discoveries are based on coincidences or mistakes. People are taught not to make mistakes, and this diminishes the chance of discoveries like these taking place. The basic principle, people learning from mistakes, is fine, of course. However, from an artistic point of view, the music that is written according to the applying rules is a lot less inspiring. Many musicians become famous with music that they feel no connection to. John Lennon is an artist that never sold his soul, and therefore, he is an idol to me. In spite of his enormous success and wealth, he never lost his artistic integrity.

Inner freedom
'If I were to describe my own musical development, it would be in terms of an increasing transparency. Less massive. I am capable of expressing myself with less sound. Instead of hitting one-hundred points randomly, I can hit fifteen of them exactly as I want to. Guitar Stories reflects my inner freedom. It is like inner strings resonating and causing a vibration. To be able to record this process is my number one paradise.
I am on my way to mastery. Every tone falls in the right place. Technique is merely a tool. Being able to accelerate from four to one-hundred mph is a wonderful thing but it is fairly useless to hit the road like that if you want to enjoy the scenery.'

(Jos Raats)