MR DADOODA is a Russian rock singer. Fortunately for him he happens to bear a reasonably striking resemblance to former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. He milks every ounce of value from this lucky coincidence.
Mr Gorbachev is less fortunate. Mr Dadooda's rock video is not helping his campaign in the Russian presidential elections. Mr Gorbachev's own voice is used on the video. Phrases such as cattle mortality rates have risen and "I understand your position" and "the process continues" are repeated against the background of orgasmic female screams.
The message is hardly one of respect for the man who set Russia on the road to democracy, even if that destination has not yet been reached Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is not only unpopular in his own land, he is also the subject of ridicule.
When he launched his campaign in St Petersburg, a young man barracked him at his press conference. When this did not work, he began verbally to attack his wife, Raisa.
The former president dealt firmly with the man, who was described in the local newspapers as a well known provocateur".
The newspaper Nevskoye Vremya reported the following day that Mr Gorbachev had been warned of a terrorist action to halt the proceedings, but remained calm.
When the campaign moved to Ivangorod, on the border with Estonia, Mr Gorbachev was greeted by the chanting of abuse and obscene slogans. But he walked straight to the demonstrators and shouted. "Go ahead, kill me, crucify me, if it will make you feel.
This was greeted by complete silence. At the end of the meeting he received a standing ovation.
Then, in the Siberian town of Omsk, he was slapped in the face by a young man. In Volgograd an air force general rose to his feet in the "Palace of Culture" band roared. "You bastard. You traitor. You destroyed the motherland." In the same town a local news agency accused him of leaving without paying the equivalent of £2,000 in hotel bills.
Mr Gorbachev has compared the trials and tribulations of his campaign, in self glorifying manner, to the martyrdom of Christ.
The "new" Gorbachev has a tough, aggressive style and has avoided the excruciating circumlocutions which damaged his image in the past.
Although he has had rapturous receptions at some of his rallies, and in some towns his visit has been the main talking point for days, the main message he has received is one of thanks for what he has done and advice to call it a day for his political career.
The former president has a lot of cards stacked against him.
Supporters of President Yeltsin run the state controlled TV station as a virtual propaganda machine. Mr Igor Malashenko, president of the country's only "independent" station, NTV, has taken a job as media adviser to Mr Yeltsin.
Despite his exceptionally weak showing in the polls Mr Gorbachev appears genuinely to believe that he can become the next president of Russia, the man who can unite democratic minded Russians against Mr Yeltsin and the communist leader, Mr Gennady Zyuganov.
He may be gaining some votes due to the vigour of his campaign. But he has started from such a weak base that no one, except perhaps himself, believes he can be successful. Most polls show him as having peaked with the support of only 2 per cent of the electorate.
