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Album review
Arno
French Bazaar
Paris
04/06/2004 -
RFI Musique: One of the most striking things about your new album is the quality of the arrangements and the recording. It sounds like you called in the 'crème de la crème' of the production world but, in fact, you did more or less everything on your album yourself…
Arno: I recorded this album in the full knowledge that, according to the terms of my contract with Delabel, I was completely free to do what I wanted. That's always been the case, in fact. There have often been times in my career when I got different producers on board, so that I could get a bit more distance on things and stand back from the music. But, despite the fact that I ended up working with a whole different bunch of producers, the albums always ended up sounding exactly the same. And I'd be there thinking, "Hang on a minute, that sounds about as raw as my demo!" So this time round I decided to take things in hand. Delabel have just re-signed me so I think the timing was right for that. I think I'm bloody lucky actually because right now they're dropping a lot of other artists, even some very big names…
The record industry's in a pretty bad way right now what with mergers between major labels and artists not having their contracts renewed. Do you feel at all worried about the situation?
No, I'm not bothered. Besides, I've had plenty of propositions. I'm happy with Delabel and I think this is maybe one of the best albums I've made with them to date, so I can't complain. I'm probably one of the rare recording artists in the world who's not moaning about his record label! (Laughs)
No, seriously, who's to blame for the current crisis in the record industry? Record labels and artists themselves! I think they waste way too much money on absolute bullshit. There are too many singers out there who believe record companies are going to bankroll anything. But record companies aren't there to write blank cheques so singers can indulge their every little whim. In this system, people have got to work for each other – and that's something not many people have understood! And that's what we're paying the price for right now! There are video clips that cost an arm and a leg, you know. I mean, what's the point of going off and shooting your video in the Seychelles or the Bahamas? I think it's outrageous that some video clips actually cost more to make than an album!
So you think the current crisis in the record industry can be explained by this kind of wastage?
Yes, I think that's part of the problem, but it's not the whole story. The crisis has also been caused by the fact that music's got to the point where it's just repeating itself these days. There's nothing new out there! Bands copy one another or fill up entire albums with covers and Kraftwerk, Joy Division and The Stones have been copied a million times over.
When you look back to the early days of rap or the hip hop movement, it was total anarchy and revolt. But what do you get in rap videos these days? A bunch of guys leaping around shouting "motherfucker" and a stack of clantily-clad dancers waving their arse around in thongs. Its' completely ridiculous and people are fed up to the back teeth with it. I've got nothing against shows like 'Star Academy.' At least, they're not trying to be anything they're not. Kids get involved in the shows 'cos they want to become stars and that's exactly what they're trying to do. But rappers actually claim they're alternative whereas in reality they're just a bunch of sheep. Those guys are totally 'follow the pack.' They're always looking over their shoulder to check whether someone's got a sharper haircut or a bigger Mercedes than them. Where's the anarchy in that?
I've heard that the song Chanteur de charme was originally intended for your compatriot Johnny Hallyday…
Yes, that's right. There was a point when they were looking for new songwriters for Johnny and I was asked to write something for him, but my songs wasn't one of the ones he kept. It's a shame. I've got a lot of respect for Johnny Hallyday, you know, the guy's absolutely unique. I mean, who else can pack out stadiums the way he does? No-one, apart from Bruce Springsteen or the Rolling Stones!!! I'm intrigued by the whole Johnny character. He's really got something other singers don't have, like he's carrying the weight of the world around on his shoulders. That guy's got the blues in the truest sense of the word! I don't think you can remain indifferent to him.
Twenty years ago now you recorded a song with TC Matic something along the lines of "It's really fucking good, we're all Europeans now!" How do you feel now that the EU's opened its doors and raised the stakes to 25 members?
That's the way the world's evolved so we have to go with the flow. I know there are some people in France who are a bit scared about the whole idea. But in Belgium, you know, we have this expression "To live like God in France." It means live relaxed… I don't think French people realise how lucky they are. These days they're sitting there quaking in their shoes because they're scared of an influx of Arabs and Romanians. But fifty years ago, they were worried about Italians and Polacks. But would it even enter their head today to make racist remarks about Mr Lorenzi or Mr Walesa? As far as the enlargement of Europe goes, I think we have to wait a bit and see because the new member states have been used to living apart for the last forty years so it's going to be a bit difficult for them to adapt to things. I think the people we should be thinking about now are the young generation – they're the great hopes of the European Union! It's going to be a European bazaar, man. I really believe that one day our kids are going to look back on the way we behaved and wonder what the hell this racism was all about!
We all forget the fact that the cemeteries in Verdun are full of Arab, Senegalese and Moroccan soldiers who lost their lives fighting for us in the First World War. And in Vietnam it was blacks and Puerto Ricans who were in the firing line. Now it's the same story in Iraq today. Why's our society fucked? It's not because of evil politicians but because of how we ourselves behave as a society. 15,000 people died in France last summer during the heatwave. That's three times the number of people that died in the Twin Towers! The problem is we're all too egotistical and caught up in ourselves. We don't give a damn about others. In Africa, people aren't dying of heat, they're dying of starvation. But over this side of the world we've got everything, but people still end up dying in bed alone!
What's the one thing you can't stand about the music profession these days?
Playback!
And what's the thing you love best?
When people come out of my concerts and you can see they've had a good laugh or a good cry!
Arno French bazaar (Delabel/EMI) 2004
Frédéric Garat
Translation : Julie Street
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