“Maniac's Room”: Anatoly Wasserman Showed His Office with a Collection of Erotic Calendars and Porn
Russian State Duma deputy, former intellectual game expert Anatoly Wasserman, invited journalist Ksenia Sobchak to his home. The apartment was filled with various items: stacks of books, weapon models, portraits of Putin and Stalin. However, true shock was caused by Wasserman's office.
Anatoly Wasserman. Here and further: video screenshot: sobchak / youtube
Many remember Anatoly Wasserman from the intellectual TV games "What? Where? When?" and "Svoya Igra" (Own Game), and later for his devoted support of Putin. During an interview, Ksenia Sobchak visited his apartment.
The first thing that caught Ksenia Sobchak's eye was the state of the dwelling. The huge room was cluttered with things: stacks of books on the floor, dozens of weapon replicas, several old office chairs, and bookshelves reaching the ceiling along the walls.
“You have such beauty, cleanliness, pure minimalism here,” Sobchak ironically remarked and immediately asked: “Do you actually live like this, or is this more of a warehouse?”
“Both living and a warehouse. In particular, a lot of various small things always accumulate here,” Wasserman replied.
Putin, Stalin, Cat, and Kalashnikov
In the room there are portraits of Putin and Stalin.“Who is more important to you, Anatoly Alexandrovich?” Sobchak asked.
“Both. Each of them did the best they could given the circumstances,” the deputy stated.
Sobchak then drew attention to a painting by Nikas Safronov, where Wasserman is depicted as a cat, and a Kalashnikov assault rifle replica next to it.
“You understand that this is an absolutely meme-worthy wall. You have Putin, Stalin, a cat, and a Kalashnikov here. You couldn't invent something like this even in a delirium with a forty-degree fever,” Sobchak commented.
“It's not just the Kalashnikov; there are many other weapon replicas here. I don't keep combat weapons, because our law allows only criminals to be armed,” Wasserman replied.
To the question of whether he would carry a weapon if it were legal, like in Texas, the deputy replied:
“Most likely, I would. But I would have to spend quite a lot of time training. Carrying a weapon you don't know how to use is pointless.”
According to Wasserman, he has been interested in military affairs since childhood, which is reflected not only in weapon models but also in a large number of thematic books in his apartment. In addition, the deputy boasted a complete collection of Soviet and Russian aircraft models.
“Why do you need so many naked women?”
When Sobchak moved from the large living room to the owner's office, she couldn't contain her emotions:
“My God! We won't even be able to show this. This is simply a maniac's room! Why, Anatoly Alexandrovich? Why do you need so many naked women?”
“You visit museums where there's plenty of nude art, don't you? This is again for the collection. I have many different collections,” Wasserman replied, unfazed.
The cameraman showed shelves of books, densely covered with flip calendars featuring nude women. At the time of filming, April was open on all of them.
“And why are they all hanging like that? Is it to boost your mood in front of the computer?” Sobchak asked.
“No. Why keep collectible items if you don't see them?” Wasserman replied with a smile.
He added that he was forced to remove some calendars so they wouldn't appear in frame during online interviews.
Sobchak decided to ask the owner about his tastes in adult films:
“Which porn do you prefer? Russian, American, German?”
“There are, of course, quite a few national differences, but none that affect the perception,” Wasserman replied.
When asked if he had a favorite porn style, Wasserman noted: “There are different ones. And that's what's interesting, that they're different.”
When Sobchak asked if he knew industry stars—for example, Rocco Siffredi—the expert immediately pointed to shelves packed with discs:
“Well, I recall there are even a couple of discs with his selections somewhere here in the collection.”
“Do you know Nadya Skazka?” the journalist asked.
“I've heard the name, but haven't had a chance to see her yet. I'm not specifically seeking it out. Whatever comes my way.”
“And isn't there some sedition here? You have the Russian flag with a St. George ribbon there, and next to it, such pictures,” Sobchak acidly concluded.
“I think that whoever needs to, will see sedition in anything,” the deputy replied.
About the Vow of Chastity
At the end of the conversation about porn, Sobchak decided to ask Wasserman about his famous vow of chastity:
“Did anything happen in the end?”
“No. I respect my word too much to break it,” Wasserman replied.
“No regrets?” Sobchak asked.
“I regret it. I regret my youthful foolishness that pushed me to such an ill-considered act. But all I can do about it is: since then, I consider my words much more carefully.”
When asked if he had already put a final end to this topic, the expert replied that it was too late to start at his age:
“Usually, people's accumulated experience allows them to compensate for a lack of hormones. Well, I have no experience, so there's nothing to compensate with.”