Although some may take this as an exaggeration, it always seemed to me that there was something more complex about Mummy Troll and Ilya Lagutenko than what appeared on the surface of his songs. It's not that he has a particularly exciting biography, however, nor does the group really stray far beyond the standards of Russian pop. But if you listen closely to the lyrics, you realize there has to be some sort of reason, or at least justification for either their esoteric showiness, or imaginative eccentricity (depending on your point of view). You just don't know where to look for that justification. When I found out that by the time he reached the status he knows today, Lagutenko had already obtained a diploma in African and Eastern Studies from the Far East State Universtiy in Vladivostok, and had lived in China for a while (which I'm sure did wonders to his lexicon and his concept of vocabulary), I was able to place an origin to some of the wildest imagery in his songs. Not that…
1983 – Во Владивостоке создана группа Мумий Тролль - изобретатель и флагман движения рокапопс »»
1997 – Группа «Мумий Тролль» выпустила альбом "Морская" »»
2000 – «Мумий Тролль» выложил в сеть альбом «Точно Ртуть Алоэ» с предложением заплатить за скачанный материал по 20 центов за трек. Скачало 50000, заплатил один человек »»
Именно в холодном и рассудочном Питере должен был родиться этот феномен, идеально выражающий собой формирующуюся единую евразийскую музыкальную идентичность