“Going to the River” - how the video appeared, which was included in the “golden fund” of RuNet memes

“I have become so full of knowledge...” - this phrase is familiar, if not to everyone, then to the vast majority of Runet users. The most “advanced” can continue to quote it and even retell it verbatim. Could the author of this philosophical argument imagine that his words would become so popular? What is generally known about this extraordinary guy who walked to the river and went down in Internet history?

The video "Going to the River" was published on YouTube in September 2015. Its author's name is Sergei Simakov, but he is known online as “Serge Dur-Dachnik”. He has been running his channel under this strange name since 2012. The vlogger has many videos, but only one brought him popularity, the same one.

Now the author willingly tells the story of the “cult” video in an interview. He recorded it on September 29, 2015, walking along the Kuban River, near the Maryinskaya village. It was a very long walk - Serge walked 70 or 80 km that day. He set off early in the morning, and at sunset he was so “full” that he decided to record a short video with reflections.

The author assures that it was just a release of energy and emotions. He in no way planned to become famous and did not suspect that the video would gain a huge number of views.

Serge Dur-Dachnik says that an acquaintance pushed him to record. He, considering himself very successful, boasted about his money and his ability to earn it. Despite this, the video did not become an appeal - his guy recorded it for himself:

Sergei Simakov explains his pseudonym very simply. “Dur-Dachnik” is “fool” and “summer resident”. In Sergei’s view, a fool is not a fool at all, but a freethinker. In his opinion, those who give preference to emotions rather than sober reflection have always been called fools. The guy considers himself just such a person. There is also a “hurray” in this word, which Sergei really likes.

He is a summer resident because he has loved simple peasant labor since childhood. Unlike most of his peers, Sergei always loved to dig in the ground, do something with his own hands, in a word, create. Now he has two jobs: a blogger and a laborer in a construction crew. Simakov claims that he gets high from both, because they satisfy his two basic needs: to work and talk.

Sergei has two channels on YouTube. One is simply called “Serge Dur-Dachnik” and has just over 80 thousand subscribers. It is dedicated to the daily life of a blogger, his work, household chores, training and nutrition. The second channel, “Serge Dur-Dachnik Going to the River,” is better promoted. It is watched by 188 thousand people and is dedicated to reflections on life and philosophical issues.

Sergey loves live broadcasts. He has already conducted more than 200 of them. He records all the streams at home, sitting in front of the same curtain. Panties are always a mandatory attribute of online broadcasting. They can be called a blogger’s calling card or, so to speak, workwear.

Serge Dur-Dachnik tells viewers that he lives in the apartment where he spent his childhood. He left his parents, but then still returned to his father’s house. The blogger considers himself a conservative and especially focuses on the fact that the interior of his home has not changed for several decades.

As for the life of Dur-Dachnik, he is not married and devotes a lot of time to sports. He leads a healthy lifestyle and has a negative attitude towards alcohol, tobacco and, especially, drugs. The blogger consciously chooses loneliness, since the company of other people prevents him from achieving “unity with the Universe.” Serge can achieve this unity in any place where no one disturbs him, even in the toilet.

Despite the abstruse monologues, Dur-Dachnik himself has a simple life. It relies on just three basic rules. The first is to rely only on yourself. Sergei is sure that the sources of joy and sadness are within the person himself. The second is to observe the six “don’ts”: don’t believe, don’t be afraid, don’t ask, don’t trust, don’t wait, don’t hope. And thirdly, never feel sorry for yourself. As soon as you begin to feel sorry for yourself, everything around you collapses.

In general, Serge Dur-Dachnik is a good and conscientious guy. Yes, and he seems strange only at first and to those who know him only from the “Coming” video. If you put him next to another human meme, the Enlightened Treebeard, then he will seem completely ordinary.