Hey! I am glad to take part in the creation of creative material for your project. My name is Lyuba Krasnova, I am the author of the book Dead Crabs about subcultures.

Yes I am from Russia, born and raised in Moscow. I love my city and my country very much. I know that in the West there is an opinion that Russia has a tough political regime and repressions, but this is greatly exaggerated. It is foolish to deny the confrontation between Western propaganda and Russian propaganda, you can’t trust anyone, you won’t know the truth if you don’t experience it yourself. We have free education, free medicine, in fact, if your brain works well and you have a desire, you will live well in Russia. Every country has its own difficulties, we have them too. But the world is now demonizing Russia, this is not fair, there are a lot of lies about us.

When I was young I was a punk. From the age of 13 (2006) I immersed myself in this subculture, in the end I realized that I was more of a Skinhead in a Punk shell, haha. I’m more conservative than Punks. In Russia, it used to be very hard to be a Punk and a Skinhead, since we have a rather tough street war. People killed each other because of their personal views, the Nazis and anti-fascists showed a lot of hatred and there was a lot of direct action. I know good people who ended up in jail several times or were killed. What can I say, I carried a hammer in my bag so that I could use it in case of an attack. It’s weird and creepy to remember. Now everything is changing in the world, people are becoming smarter and such horror does not happen anymore.

Yes, I am a producer and writer. I write from an early age, prose, poetry, articles and scripts. All in all, it’s a common craft that I’m really proud of is my book Dead Crabs. My book has become a confession, its value is that I recorded the hot Moscow time – the heyday of subcultures, the atmosphere and the rules of survival. First, the book was released by a major publishing house in Moscow, and then it was bought into their libraries by Harvard, Princeton and Columbia – the best educational institutions in the USA. I’m proud of it.

Yes, I am also an advertising producer, I manage the process of creating commercials. There is not much interesting here either, just work, I can send a portfolio if some media agency is interested in me, haha 😉

As Anton Chekhov said, “If you can be a non-writer, don’t write.” It’s about not writing if you don’t feel like you’re about to burst from the accumulated thoughts in your head. I wrote commercially for a long time, but one day I realized that I had to capture the zeitgeist, as many writers did. Hunter Thompson perfectly captures the spirit of the 70s, the American dream, the hippies. Bunin successfully conveyed the romance of the bourgeois layer at the end of tsarist Russia. And who fixes what is happening now? I wrote everything very honestly, probably as honestly as Bukowski and Thompson wrote, not embarrassed to look dirty to the reader. It turned out very truthfully and emotionally.

I studied as a teacher in my youth, now I study at the faculty of Art Business.

I really love art, even despite its class overtones. Suprematism, avant-garde, social realism resonate with me most of all. I also love Japanese culture, both literature and painting. In Japanese culture, even colors are called differently, each color carries information. It’s interesting to study.

I am very pleased that you read my texts, now few people do that.) No, I don’t create paintings, except sometimes. Is it possible to consider the fact that I smeared paint on my ass and sat on the canvas – art? If so, then I create it. In fact, I act as an art historian and art dealer. I do exhibitions and help artists sell their work.

Art is a great instrument of deception! Firstly, with the help of art, a huge number of myths were cultivated regarding rulers, religion, history. Secondly, with the help of art, rich people solve some problems with dirty money. This is a world famous fact. Art is the language of communication! Why do so many people cry when looking at a Pollock painting? How do you explain it? Real art speaks louder than words. And what is real art, we can not judge properly. Because masterpieces that cost a lot of money and have worldwide fame used to be scolded and literally spat at them. Now this is real art. Trends changes, expressions change.

I really love the cultures of different countries, different musical cultures. I read literature, watch movies about it, listen to music. When I visited Africa, I purposely went to communicate with the locals. Maybe it was dangerous, but I really wanted to know sincere Africa and its culture.

I started wearing Fred Perry a long time ago. In Russia, this brand was not very popular and affordable, so when I bought my first Fred Perry, I felt like a very cool girl. Then the film “This is England” came out and we, young skinheads, were delighted with the appearance of the heroes! To this day, Fred Perry is a reminder of who I am. This is a brand with an interesting history, classic style and a certain reputation. I think Fred Perry is chosen by creative people who have a certain vibe.

Lately I’ve been thinking about consuming mindfully. I may not have many things, but they will be special. I have outgrown the subcultural trappings, but I really like vintage. I collect outfit ideas on Pinterest and look for secondhand clothing items. It is eco-friendly and you can find something interesting. But to be honest, sometimes I also buy mass-market products. I also love sneakers and English casual clothing.

Toots and the Maytals, Jackie Opel (and all early reggae), Prodigy, Korol I Shut (King and the Clown), Judas Priest. I also love Techno, Street rock, Russian rock, American music from the 70s and 90s.

Of course! Habitat, language and culture have a huge impact on a person and his creativity. Once I imagined my meeting with an African who became the hero of my book. I thought that I would definitely give him a flash drive (he does not have mail) with Russian music. And then I laughed at the thought! Because I imagined how, after the sunny music of Africa, he would turn on Russian gloomy music, where, in fact, unintelligible muttering (for a foreigner). Or here’s another example. There is a Russian cult film – Brother and Brother 2. These films have become a real asset of Russian culture! When you watch it again, it brings tears to your eyes. Tears of emotion, not from sadness. Just very soulful. However, I read and saw the reaction of foreigners to these films, they are perplexed! The dude walks around with a makeshift cannon, wets the bandits to strange (unintelligible dark muttering about which I spoke) music and says strange words. A foreigner doesn’t even understand the plot, because you either feel it or you don’t.

The Japanese have the strangest humor (I’m talking about stand-ups), which is built on very subtle matters of culture. No foreigner, even one who lives in Japan for 10 years, will understand their stand-ups. Because it is based on non-verbal and very complex things that only a Japanese will understand.

The more I know, the more I realize that I know nothing.

My daughter and my husband are the most important people in my life. It’s so banal, but why invent something?

I want to wish every reader to experience as many experiences as possible in life. See and learn as much as possible, try a lot and be free!