Inteview for newspaper "Ba-Ir" (Haifa, Israel) by Itai

(On the photograph: Yuri Naumov and Sergey Nozdrin, famous violin hand-maker who made the guitar for Yuri)



You are a soloist that perfoms alone, don't you find it less exciting that you can't communicate with other artists?

Performing alone is perfectly fine with me - I'm communicating with the audience.

What drown you at the first place to the guitar?

The sound. The vibration.

Wasn't it hard to grow as a guitarist in the former USSR?

It was. I think, to a somewhat lesser extent it still is.

Tell me if I'm right; I think that you developed such an original way of playing because you didn't have much of a modern music in USSR?

There was no problem with obtaining modern music in USSR - the black market was thriving on latest music from USA and UK. Pardon me for such a comparison: there's no legal way to obtain marijuana in Israel. Does it mean that Israeli drug users are having really hard time getting pot?

Situation with western music in USSR was basically the same: it's illegal but available to those who wants it.

By the way, what made you develop such a strange and hard playing style?

What's so strange about it? I developed my style as a direct result of my chronic inability to form a rock band. That failure forced me to look for an alternative and ultimately to substitute rock band with one instrument.

I know you're a poet too, do you see yourself as more of a poet or guitarist, or maybe both?

I'm a songwriter. A storyteller, basically. Every story starts with touching the strings. First comes the music. Then the words follow.

Does the New York scene holds much of an action for a "weird" blues player?

New York is a generous city in it's ability to accommodate weird people. With me there's no exception.

Did you have the chance to play with big names players?

I'm not attracted to the very idea of playing with anyone no matter how famous he or she is.

A lot of kids here are fans of Vai and Satriani, do you feel any appeal to those artists?

Not really. However, I'm aware of their great technical skills and I appreciate that.

Who are your guitar "heroes"?

I don't have guitar "heroes". I'm big fan of Jimmy Page, but not as a guitarist. I honor him mostly as a composer. His way of sonic thinking is amazing and truly unique.

I heard you have a family here, is there any chance you're gonna move here?

I can't rule such an option, though at the given moment it's not very likely.

Do you know any guitar players from Israel?

Yes, I do know couple of players.

What impression did you get about Israel?

Fabulous country. Always a pleasure.

What message do you bring to your listeners here?

My listeners know better.