No conocía estas dos formaciones en las que figuró Louis Philippe y me ha gustado mucho "It´s a Mad, mad World" de The Arcadians (reeditado luego bajo el nombre de Louis Philippe - "Let´s Pretend")
Sabrosas también estas declaraciones del francés acerca de aquellos tiempos:
Tell us how you began in music. Legend has it that you were a Philosophy teacher, when and why did you decide to be a musician?
The “legend” is correct. I graduated from the Ecole Normale Supérieure (philosophy section) in the early eighties, just as I was starting to develop an interest in writing my own songs. Once I was hooked – after briefly playing bass in a band doing Remains covers (!) – there was no turning back. I completed my PhD., and went to Brussels, where Crépuscule had offered me a recording contract.
Did you receive any kind of music lessons? Describe your first contacts
with the music world.
I was taught classical flute from 11-14; otherwise, I am entirely self-taught. But I have bathed in music since I was very, very young. One of the earliest pictures of me (1961!, good grief) shows me at the grand piano which occupied much of the sitting-room of my mother’s family house in Vichy. She’d been a keen harpist – and pianist, and played music non-stop at home, mostly classical and, especially, jazz. And Michel Legrand!
Tell us about your first band, the Border Boys, how would you describe
that first approach to pop music?
The BB’s were supposed to be a power-pop band, a bit like the Rubinoos, which is why I’d teamed up with a straight r’n’b guitarist, Jean-François Champollion (a direct descendant of the archeologist, by the way). But “pop” was the key word from the very first demo we recorded together – an emphasis on strong tunes, with a tight beat (I loved Paul Collins, then, and still do)…But I was still unsure as to where this would lead me. I now realise that I knew it (as proven by the subsequent albums), but that I lacked the will power to impose my views, my aesthetics if you will, upon my collaborator(s). Breaking up the BB’s, then the Arcadians, was one of the most traumatic things I ever did.
After launching the legendary Border Boys' Tribute EP you worked as a cook in Brussels, where does that liking? What is your specialty dish as a chef?
I cooked a mean “quenelles” at the time…not that easy to achieve the right consistency, let me tell you. For non-French, “quenelles” are a type of dumpling made with poultry or fish (pike, in particular), which are seasoned, folded with beaten eggwhites, and lightly poached in a – not-too-strong – court-bouillon
How were the Arcadians formed? Were they the same components as the Border Boys?
The Arcadians were basically the BB’s Mark II. The musicians – JF Champollion, Philippe David, Jacques Delorenzi, Eric Weil – were the same. The change of name reflected the shift from power-pop to a more “pastoral” approach to the arrangements, which themselves reflected the changes I’d been through as a songwriter – and, more importantly, as a young man.
You have told that Les Disques du Crepuscule did not show much interest in the Arcadians' recordings. How would you describe, in hindsight, your stay in Michel Duval's record label and what is your opinion today of the peculiar Crepuscule style?
Crépuscule did not have a style, but a look, mostly the creation of Benoit Hennebert, an abolute genius of a designer. If you actually listen to all the bands who were on the label during its golden age – the beginning of the eighties – you’ll realise how diverse they were. Contrary to what’s been written about the label, not all of us, far from it in fact, were “arty” musicians. Paul Haig wasn’t, neither were Mikado or Antena, or myself for that matter. But there was very strong sense of community – not surprising in a big village like Brussels – and a feeling that we were doing things that other labels wouldn’t let us do. In some cases, they’d have been right! But yes, Crépuscule was “peculiar” – in the sense that the records were dressed impeccably, elegantly, thanks to – again – the vision of Benoit Hennebert.
What are your best memories of those first years in pop music?
One experience towers above them all: listening to the playback of “Tribute” with Andy Paley in Daylight Studio’s booth. I cried my eyes out, and knew from that moment, that there was nothing, absolutely nothing that I wanted more than to do this forever. The studio is my greatest friend, always wil be.
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