Michel Françoise's Interview

– I find your last album, La Main Tendue, both more rock and more political than the previous one. Is that intentional?
– No, with this album nothing is really premeditated, it's a set of songs that made itself in fact. But more political, perhaps. More social, perhaps, in that current events make us ask ourselves a lot of questions. You are a little worried, especially when you have children. We are afraid of seeing people who do not deserve their place lead the world to its demise. It's more of a questioning of that style, a little pessimistic, but still having faith in humanity. I like people anyway.
– Do you describe yourself as pessimistic?
–Yes. As long as it stays like this, I don't have much hope for the future.
– Has it always been, or have you become pessimistic over time?
– It's more or less always been, but now it's worse than before. I don't know how to explain it. The majority of people are good people, with great feelings, but there are some people who want power, and who force others to bend to rules that don't correspond to what we want. We love our children, we love others and we don't want war or conflict. What I'm saying is a bit naive, but it's the truth. It applies to people who are Muslims, who are Jews, who are... whatever you want. Everyone loves their children, everyone loves their family, everyone wants simple happiness with others. So I don't see why guys, without naming anybody, take power and allow themselves to send people to death. That's terrible. And I'm being nice when I say all this (laughs)

– When you say “executioners still on stage” ("Rouge Sang"), do you think of Bertrand Cantat?
– You could see it like that indeed, but I was thinking more about people who should be in prison or banished from society...
– That's kind of the case.
– …but who remain on stage, in the light, leaders of countries...
– It's more political in the end.
– Yes. And then it's difficult to attack like that personalities whose history I don't know thoroughly, I wouldn't allow myself to judge. I just know that there was a death... two... and I regret that, but then I don't know the elements.
– There have been documentaries and investigations that allow us to have the elements.
– Yes, that's not wrong. It's a bit troubling.

– What is your song "Agamemnon" about?
– It's the simple story of someone who spends more time drinking, thinking, a bit at sea etc., who doesn't want to bother with a possible love story. She may be as pretty as the prettiest girl... I don't give a shit, I want to continue my little life.

– Why "Standing Ovation (version 2)"? Was there a version 1?
– Yes, there was a version 1, on an album we made with Olivier Daguerre, my son and Mimi on bass. It was a band called Datums, I must have one. (He hands me the CD.) There was this song, of which I changed a few little phrases. And it's not the same music at all.
– In terms of arrangements, there is the echo at the end of the sentences which sounds great. How did you come up with this idea?
– I'm kind of an echo nut, I tend to put delay everywhere, I love it. In this one, I thought it sounded particularly good.

– How old do you see yourself releasing albums?
– As long as I have things to say, and my body follows, it can continue. At the moment I'm thinking of making a book with the lyrics of the songs and unpublished texts.
– Have you ever published a written volume?
– No. It was whispered in my ear. At first I said “Nonsense!” and then actually... As on the last album I started talking...
– Yes, I noticed.
– …something I couldn't do until now, it made me want to go further in that direction.
– Stage, concerts, festivals, tours, is it definitively not for you?
– No. The last time I played a few songs, not long ago, in Nérac, something came to me, I said: “I feel as comfortable on stage as a pair of braces on the back of a snake”, you imagine! I feel out of place, as soon as I speak I feel like I'm saying bullshit, it's horrible. It's awful, this kind of shyness, being on stage has always been torture.
– It's no necessary step.
– See!
– And you realized it quickly, or...?
– Yes, because I never took pleasure. It was always like I was taking an exam every time. Normally when you're on stage you have to be at home, you have to be good, you have to communicate with people, bring something. I feel like I'm reciting, not being myself.
– There must be an acting side, of course.
– There must be some of that, yes. But there are still people who are really comfortable. They have stage fright at the beginning, but once it's gone, you can't stop them, they're really at home, that's great.
I'm going to be on stage again anyway, in April, at le Petit Théâtre de Nérac, 50 seats, super nice, we eat and drink, with friends, so I'm going to force myself a little.

– As your remarks are always full of humour, especially on so-called social media, have you ever thought about recording an entirely humorous album?
– (laughs) In my 1st personal album, Bienvenue à Bord, there were some songs that were a little funny, but nothing more.
– "Sac de Nœuds", "Drôle d’Idée"... things like that. But still in the imagery.
– Yes, always, anyway. Then, a very long time ago, at the time when free radio stations were free radio stations (!), we did a programme with a friend and we had a good time, we made sketches... I liked that. It's hard to make a funny song. One here and there maybe, but...
– It can be done yet.
–Yes. You must have a lot of talent in this field, like "Ta Katie T’A Quitté", what was his name?
– Boby Lapointe.
– Yes, that kind.
– Oldelaf too.
– I don't know too much, but yes he's funny. But it's not really chanson anymore, it's almost a sketch.

– I suggest you look at the list of albums reviewed on japprecie and to point out 5 that you particularly like and why.
• First, Aucklane, whom you introduced me to, that's very good. In fact it's not a band, it's a woman, with this kind of rock energy, there's a personality, it's not ‘clean’, variety or whatever.
• No Money Kids, blues-rock, that's not bad.
• Slim Paul it's the same, it rings a bell... [He's a bluesman from Toulouse (Editor’s note)]
• Eiffel, because Romain [Humeau] is more or less a friend. Do you know he lives a few miles from here? They will be in concert here I think, in January.
• Zaho de Sagazan I admit that at the time I liked it, now it's starting to annoy me a little bit. It's a shame, it's over-mediatized, but at first I liked it. First of all, her song, "La Symphonie des Éclairs", and then her way of being. I think she did it well, that she didn't give grief, until the day we started to see her at the Cannes Film Festival, or everywhere. Fed up.