Lulu Gainsbourg: Culturethèque interview

A great interview with Lulu Gainsbourg by the good people at Culturethèque at the Institut français du Royaume-Uni in London.

He spoke about French culture, working with Babyshambles and his views about London, and his dream about Paul McCartney.

Gainsbourg speaks in English and comes across as an intelligent and likeable chap, the interview's  well worth a watch.

 

Iggy Pop: Apres

A new release by Iggy Pop, with his French influences front and centre of this collection of cover versions.

No surprise that it's gone to number three in the French charts on its week of release.

Last year also saw Iggy collaborate with Lulu Gainsbourg on the From Lulu to Gainsbourg album, performing the Serge Gainsbourg track Initials BB.

Speaking about the new release, Iggy commented: "All popular music forms of today get their strength from the beat. Rap, hip-hop, metal, pop, and rock producers will tell you that the beats they use imitate the human heartbeat and that is where the power lies.

The feeling of listening to any of these forms is always some variation on excitement, but before the birth of the blues there was another form of popular song, in which the timing comes from the human breath and the feelings are much more about emotion.

"These older ways of expression were known variously as bel canto, chanson, plainsong or just folk music. I've always loved this other feeling, one thmentioned before,at is intimate, sometimes a little sad, and does not try to beat me on the head.

"So I wanted to sing some of these songs myself, hoping to bring the feeling I felt as a listener to my listeners through my voice. Many of these songs are in French, probably because it is French culture which has most stubbornly resisted the mortal attacks of the Anglo-American music machine."

As I've mentioned before, Iggy's no stranger to French cuture. Despite his  iconic status as one of rock 'n' roll's wildest performers, there's always been a depth to his work that can often be overlooked given the power of his performances.

His previous solo album, Préliminaires, is unlikely to be viewed by many as one of his seminal releases, but those who dismiss it do so at the expense  of a very fine work.

That collection is influenced by the work of Michel Houellebecq, whose text provides the spoken word narrative for one track. The album is bookended by versions of Les Feuilles Mortes, sung in French. It sets the tone for a mature and poetic work, which rather than just an 'easy listening' Iggy has work that would stand up against much of his more familiar rock work.

The new album features songs by Brassens,  Serge Gainsbourg and Piaf as well as other more mellow numbers It's an album that he wanted to make without the restrictions of a record company, and I'm certain it's one that will add to his reputation as one of the most significant artists working in the music scene.

Order a copy of Iggy's new album here > http://www.vente-privee.com/vp4/_sales/VPMARKET01/miniSites/IPOP1/index_fr.html

2011: Année Gainsbourg

With 2011 being the 20th anniversary of the death of Serge Gainsbourg, it was inevitable that there would be a number of 'commemorative' releases to mark the occasion.

Perhaps I'm just a fan, but it seens that the releases have been of a remarkably high standard, from the re-issue of Melody Nelson as a 2CD/DVD extended package, to the album by Lulu Gainsbourg of his father's work to the Alain Bashung release of his version of L'Homme à Tête de Chou, there have been a succession of works that have not only marked his anniversary, but also added significantly to his legacy.

Meanwhile, a great video has surfaced of Lulu Gainsbourg and Vanessa Paradis duetting on the Gainsbourg song Sous le Soleil Exactement.

Off Tv, Universal music group web channel was there to capture this unique music moment.

The duet took place at the Casino de Paris in November, at a concert that also saw -M- and Jane Birkin on stage celebrating the work of Serge, as well as Dani and Sly Johnson.

Gainsbourg had himself played the Casino de Paris, and Lulu's mother was pregnant with him at the time. Paradis of course having collaborated with Serge in his later years.

The performance could have been a rather stilted veneration of an icon, but a figure like Gainsbourg would probably sit uncomfortably on an altar, so this was a celebration rather than a memorial.

And one that marked the continued vigour of one of France's greatest ever musical legacies.

Lulu Gainsbourg and Scarlett Johansson: Bonnie and Clyde

Given that with the filming of Scarlett Johansson's new film in this part of the world makes her practically Scottish, I thought that was as good a reason as any to feature another track from the "From Gainsbourg to Lulu" album.

While filming Under the Skin she's been spotted in Nice n Sleazy, a key Glasgow music scene bar and been filmed buying petrol in Lanarkshire while she also celebrated her 27th birthday in a Port Glasgow housing scheme.

Who says life as a Hollywood A-lister isn't all glamour?

Anyway, she's always had a music side, and it's been one that's been surprisingly tasteful. She performed with the Jesus and Mary Chain at Coachella in 2007 and released an album in 2008 Anywhere I Lay My Head, featuring principally covers of Tom Waits songs, and has recorded a Jeff Buckley song.

She also worked with Peter Yorn on the 2009 album Break Up, which was inspired by Gainsbourg's duets with Brigitte Bardot.

Debate will no doubt rage among Gainsbourg fans about the merits of the cover in contrast with the original, but I reckon it's pretty good and I'm sure if Gainsbourg was around he'd only be too happy to collaborate with Scarlett.

Rétro- Serge Gainsbourg: L'eau à la Bouche

I thought that following a link to the video of Lulu Gainsbourg's version of L'eau à la Bouche I really had to link to his father's original.

The original a latin influenced jazz number came out in 1960, the title song for a romantic comedy film originally released on a soundtrack EP.

It comes very much from the time in his career when Gainsbourg was more influenced by jazz than by pop, a field he was very soon to dominate for the rest of the decade.

The song is probably better remembered than the film, Serge himself continuing to perform it even in the later days of his career.

Lulu Gainsbourg - L'eau à la bouche

A new video by Lulu Gainsbourg for the song L'eau à la bouche, the first single from his forthcoming From Lulu to Gainsbourg album, to be released on November 14.

I featured the song at the beginning of September, but now that there's finally a proper video available I thought it merited another mention.

The video combines a modern hipster styling with a 60s retro feel, referencing the era of his father's original without simply trying to recreate past glories.

It's a great version of the song as well, and in the tradition of the best cover versions it stands up well by itself and shines a new light on the original.

I'm sure it would be easy enough for Lulu to do a straight "tribute" copy of the song, but credit to him for doing something different with it, and it really suits the tropicalia feel. For all his father's version was suitably jazzy, this take of the song sounds somehow more sophisticated and colourful.

Can't wait to hear the full album.

New: Lulu Gainsbourg - L'eau à la bouche

A song by Serge Gainsboug reinterpreted by his son Lulu today, coming a few days after 15,000 people attended a Gainsbourg Tribute concert at the Hollywood Bowl opened by Lulu Gainsbourg, and with the likes of Beck, Sean Lennon and Faith no More's Mike Patton on the bill.

There seems to have been in the last week a few children of French artists being featured here, and it is remarkable how they have done.

Lulu Gainsbourg, 25, has studied music at the Berkelee College of Music in Boston and currently lives in New York.

I've always thought that one of the strengths of Gainsboug pere's work is how well the songs stand up to re-interpretation, whether Serge's own reggae versions or covers by the likes of Birkin or her own arabesque versions of his work.

The track comes from his forthcoming debut album From Lulu to Gainsbourg, which comes out in November.

The album features including a version of Bonnie and Clyde as a duet with Scarlett Johannson as well as contributions by Vanessa Paradis, Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop, Marianne Faithfull, Rufus Wainwright, and Matthieu Chedid.

Lulu is playing some dates in France and Belgium in November, where we'll get the chance to hear the versions live.