Viktor Tsoi was a Soviet singer-songwriter and actor who co-founded Kino, one of the most popular and influential bands in the history of Russian music. On 15 August 1990, in Latvia, Tsoi was driving on the Sloka – Talsi highway, near Tukums and Engure. At 12:28 p.m., Tsoi died in a car collision. The investigation concluded that Tsoi had fallen asleep while driving, possibly due to fatigue. He had not consumed alcohol for at least 48 hours before his death.

I first listened to “Kukushka” almost five years ago, tho back then I was really into another version of the song by a female singer. On two occasions, when one of my middle-school dorm roommates asked us to blast a song on a phone he had smuggled into school, I immediately said, “Kukushka.” On the second occasion, another roommate teased me, saying, “Here we go, ‘Kukushka’ again.” It cracked me up so bad when I learned that “Tsoi,” when pronounced in Russian, sounds almost exactly like the full name of that roommate of mine who teased me. I didn't listen to “Kukushka” any more after attending high school. And when I came across Kino once again 2 years ago, I was completely smitten with most of their popular songs. Tragic again, here we go. Or maybe not, it really depends on perspective