Fan of the Month!
Interviewed by Kayt

For the record, what is your name? Rusya AKA Boogie Where were you born, and where did you grow up? Former USSR. Yerevan, Armenia in particular. Came to the U.S. three years ago. What were your main interests, entertainment and otherwise, growing up? Any obsessions you don’t mind people knowing about? Well, I always loved to draw/paint...guns, I always loved guns. hehe... Experimenting with everything was my thing, it still is. :) Rock'n'Roll. Beautiful women. Art. Music. And everything related to the above listed.

Tell us about your musical endeavors and any musical instruments you play…
Well, I went to musical school for five years, played piano...then quit because of arguments and issues with my teacher. I regret it 'till this day... I sang in a choir for six or so years as second soprano as well...

What accomplishments are you most proud of at this point in your life?
I still have many goals set so this would be a good question in about 5-6 years.

What are your favorite movies?
Wow, there are so many. I love movies. Let's just put it that way. :)

Do you have any favorite books?
My all time favorite book is "Master and Margarita" by M. Bulgakov. I'm a big Hemingway and Steinbeck fan. Also Dostayevskiy, Osho, Salinger and many more. I love to read.

What music are you into, in addition to Red Elvises?
Classic rock, jazz, classical, blues, Russian rock...

When, where, how, etc. did you first hear and experience Red Elvises?
Well, my first encounter was with their van, rather than themselves. It was at a concert of a Russian band called "Mashina Vremeni"...it looked particularly interesting and I started asking my friends about who are these "Red Elvises"...I believe it was around the beginning of 2004 when I went to their show at Rusty's, and I was thrilled! After that I haven't missed one Rusty's show. :)

About how many times have you seen them?
I haven't counted actually, but I believe about 6-7 times.

What is it about Red Elvises that draws you to them, that you like the most?
Well, of course their music! It's something I never got tired of listening to. And the band members are really nice, I've had the honor of meeting and hanging out with the members :) And when two Olegs start talking Armenian to me :) It's hilariously cute!

What’s the farthest you’ve traveled to see them? And do you have a good story around that?
Well, the farthest was about 15-20 miles, since I don't live in Santa Monica. A good story...hm. Oh yes, I never want to miss any show at Rusty's so once I told my friends that I'd pay for them to get in if they drove me to Santa Monica...and I did, for about five of them...heh. They loved the Elvises too and now there's not a show we all would miss.

Which show is your favorite of the Red Elvises shows you've seen?
Every show is great. That's all I can say, hehe.

Any other standout, all time great memories of shows you’ve seen so far?
Well, one memorable show for me is when Igor sang the Chris Isaac song "Wicked Game." That was quite memorable, indeed, haha. He did a good job, by the way.

What are your favorite Red Elvises songs?
"Night Butterfly," "I Want to See You Belly Dance" (of course, who doesn't love that song?), "Russian Hawaiian," "Sex in Paradise," "Bedroom Boogie" is awesome :) "Rocketman..." I could go on forever.

What would you like to see them do in the future? Any ideas? Anything you’d like to say to the band?
Well, I'd say more shows at Rusty's, in the LA area generally, so we LA folk would see more of them. And to the band, well, all I can say is "molodtsi!" which in translation from Russian means "Good job!" Not everyone can pull off what they did/do. I have a lot of respect for them.

Okay, last question… Do you have anything you’d especially like to say to all the fans?
To all the fans out there: you guys are all great! This is a band worth being a fan of! Rokenrol!