Eugene Hütz (; born Yevhen Oleksandrovych Nikolaiev-Symonov, September 6, 1972) is a Ukrainian-American singer, composer, disc jockey and actor, most notable as the frontman of the Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello.

Early life

Hütz was born in Boyarka, to a Ukrainian- Lithuanian father, a butcher by profession, and a Ukrainian mother who was of half Servitka Roma ancestry. His father also played guitar in one of Ukraine's first rock bands, Meridian. When Eugene was 14, he and his father made his first

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

of plywood, his first distortion pedals out of radio parts, and his first drum set from large metal fish cans, skinned with layers of Scotch tape. Hütz learned English through his musical "mentors" because, as he put it, "Russian rock always had lyrics that were superb and more advanced than the original Western rock ‘n’ roll, I think. Of course, Western rock is much stronger when it comes to performance and production, but Russian songwriters were the champions of writing lyrics. So naturally, I picked mentors who taught me how to tell a story, like

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

or Shane MacGowan from

The Pogues The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish phrase :wikt:póg mo thóin, ''p� ...

. I learned English through my mentors. I feel like they are kind of my uncles in this sense." Hütz's transition into an American singer was a long journey through

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

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and

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. Descendants of the Romani called the Servo Roma (a tribe known for its blacksmiths, horsetraders and musicians), Hütz and his family fled their hometown after hearing of the Chernobyl meltdown. They spent seven years trekking through Eastern European refugee camps before settling in the US. While living in Kyiv, Hütz's parents hid their Roma ancestry, and it was during this journey that Hütz was introduced to his roots. They visited the village his family came from, and his relatives introduced him to the essential foods and music of their culture. Hütz's Roma/Ukrainian background provides his central inspiration, influencing his lifestyle and the music of his band Gogol Bordello. Hütz's connection with his cultural roots is not without controversy, however, and he is seen as a polarizing figure among international Romani rights activists due to stereotypical displays of Romani culture. Hütz arrived in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

in 1992 as a political refugee through a resettlement program with his mother, father and cousin Yosef.

Gogol Bordello

Hütz started his musical career in Ukraine with the band Uksusnik (Vinegar Tap). While in Vermont, Hütz formed the punk band The Fags. He later moved to New York and took on his mother's German maiden name of Hütz. In New York, he met the future members of Gogol Bordello, including violinist Sergey Ryabtsev, accordionist Yuri Lemeshev, guitarist Oren Kaplan, drummer Eliot Ferguson and dancers Pam Racine and Elizabeth Sun. He first called the band "Hutz and the Bela Bartoks", but changed it after realizing that "nobody knows who the hell

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...

is in the United States." In 1999, Gogol Bordello released their debut full-length '' Voi-La Intruder'', produced by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds drummer Jim Sclavunos. In September 2002 the band released their second album '' Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony''. In 2005 the band released the E.P. '' East Infection'' followed later that year by the SideOneDummy debut '' Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike'', recorded by

Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...

. Gogol Bordello's next offering, '' Super Taranta!'' (produced by Victor Van Vugt) became one of their most critically acclaimed releases with music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

calling Gogol Bordello "the world's most visionary band." Their next album, '' Trans-Continental Hustle'', was released on 27 April 2010 and the LP on 11 May 2010. The band's sixth studio album, '' Pura Vida Conspiracy'', was released in 2013, followed by their seventh, '' Seekers and Finders'', in 2017. Gogol Bordello's live shows and Hütz's stage presence have earned them invitations to places such as The Whitney Museum in New York, The

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery in London, housing the United Kingdom's national collection of international Modern art, modern and contemporary art (created from or after 1900). It forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Live ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

. Gogol Bordello has played events such as Riot Fest, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Bonnaroo,

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

Roskilde Festival The Roskilde Festival is a Danish music festival held annually south of Roskilde. It is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. It was created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter. In 1 ...

, Reading, Virgin Mobile Fest,

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Bumbershoot Bumbershoot is an annual international music and arts festival held in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. One of North America's largest such festivals, it takes place every Labor Day (United States), Labor Day weekend (leading up to and ...

, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Byron Bay Bluesfest and A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise.

Other projects

In New York Hütz made a name for himself as a DJ with a style best represented on his experimental side project J.U.F. (Jüdisch-Ukrainische Freundschaft) and a newer incarnation, MITITIKA. He has also performed and recorded with the Kolpakov Trio. Hütz made his film debut in the 2005 film '' Everything Is Illuminated'', playing the character Alex. In addition to his film role, Hütz wrote and performed (as part of Gogol Bordello) some of the music for the film's soundtrack. Several Gogol Bordello members made cameo appearances in various roles in the movie. Hütz is the subject of the 2006 documentary, ''The Pied Piper of Hützovina''. Directed by Pavla Fleischer, the film chronicles Hütz's annual trip across Ukraine and Eastern Europe exploring his musical and cultural roots. Hütz played the lead character in '' Filth and Wisdom'', a 2008 film that marked

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

’s directorial debut. The film premiered at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

on 13 February 2008. Hütz wrote the introduction for the Subculture Books edition of '' Taras Bulba'', released in December 2008. Hütz has worked with Les Claypool on various projects, including his performance on Claypool's album '' Of Fungi and Foe'' (on the track "Bite Out of Life"). Hütz appeared on the cover of the May 2013 issue of the Ukraine edition of '' Vogue'', with Estonian model Kätlin Aas. In November 2023 started his own label Casa Gogol and announced the first two signees - punk group Puzzled Panther and singer-songwriter Grace Begere. In 2024 took part in recording of Puzzled Panther's self-titled EP as producer and musician.

Influence

In the 2006 movie '' Wristcutters: A Love Story'', the character of Eugene (played by Shea Whigham) is based on Hütz. Several of Hütz's songs are featured in the film. Hütz was also the inspiration for the character Evgeni (played by

Oscar Isaac Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is an American actor. Recognized for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino characters in Cinema of the United States, H ...

) in Madonna's film W.E. In the January 2008

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menswear show in Milan, Hütz was cited as the key inspiration for the collection.

Personal life

In October 2008, Hütz told the ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

'' that he had moved to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. In November 2009, he told '' Página/12'' that he had moved to

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Filmography

* *

Notes

References

External links

guespa.com - guespa Resources and Information.
Gogol Bordello Non-Stop (2008)
Gogol Bordello
Gogolbordello.com
Experience - Mehanata Bulgarian Bar - NYC
Mehanata

''Kill Your Idols''

Los Angeles - Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz Talks Festivals, Filth and Wisdom - Play - LA Weekly
Eugene Hütz Interview with LA Weekly (October 2008)
Interview: Eugene Hütz on "Filth and Wisdom" , Film News , Film , IFC.com
Eugene Hütz Interview with Aaron Hillis of IFC News (October 2008)
Issue #65 featuring Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello , ION MAGAZINE
Eugene Hütz Interview with ION Magazine (July 2010)
Interview with Eugene Hutz and Santeri Ahlgren
Interview with Eugene Hütz and Santeri Ahlgren (December 2010) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hutz, Eugene 1972 births Living people 21st-century American male actors 21st-century Ukrainian male actors 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century Ukrainian male singers American DJs American expatriates in Brazil American folk singers American male film actors American male writers American people of Romani descent American people of Russian descent American people of Ukrainian descent Anarcho-punk musicians Folk punk musicians Gogol Bordello members People from Boyarka Punk rock singers Romani male actors Romani singers Servitka Roma Soviet emigrants to the United States Ukrainian people of Russian descent Ukrainian DJs Ukrainian folk singers Ukrainian Romani people Ukrainian male film actors Ukrainian male writers