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Fred Chichin dies

Rita Mitsouko mourns loss of guitarist


Paris 

29/11/2007 - 

Tributes have been flooding in following the death of Fred Chichin, the zany guitarist half of Les Rita Mitsouko, who passed away on 28 November. Fred died on Wednesday morning shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, leaving his other half, Catherine Ringer, on her own. The duo had recently been forced to cancel the latest dates in their Variéty tour, named after their last album released in April 2007.

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Fred struck a gangling, spiky-haired rock figure, usually positioned somewhere towards the back of the stage with a guitar slung round his shoulder, staring moodily off into the distance. Meanwhile, Catherine Ringer leapt about centre stage, sparking like a live wire and exuding an apparently endless supply of energy and punk attitude. France’s favourite indie rock duo started playing together in 1979 - but their name Rita Mitsouko often led to confusion, fans imagining Rita was Catherine’s solo stage name! Fred and Catherine were very much a double act, however, both off stage and on, despite the fact that Fred seemed happy to let his alter ego grab the spotlight most of the time.

Frédéric Chichin was born in Clichy, in the Paris suburbs, in 1954. A passionate music fan, he spent his teenage years listening to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. And he soon copied his American idol, launching himself as a budding guitarist on the French music scene. In 1979, Fred hooked up with Catherine, a flamboyant young singer with a penchant for dressing up in offbeat outfits, when they both appeared in a stage show called Flashes rouges.

The pair hit it off immediately and decided to form their own duo, originally playing together under the name Spatz. But in 1980, once they had written their first songs together (Fred taking care of the musical side of things), they appeared live on stage at Le Gibus club in Paris as Les Rita Mitsouko.

The duo went on to score their first big chart hit in 1984 with Marcia Baïla, a tribute to Marcia Moretto (an Argentine dancer who died of cancer). Despite the song’s poignant lyrics, Marcia Baïla featured a compelling dance beat and it captured the imagination of indie rock fans, impressed by the duo’s original sound and their kooky dress sense. Marcia Baïla ended up selling over a million copies, catapulting Les Rita Mitsouko to the forefront of the French music scene. The duo cemented their reputation with a string of other hits including Andy, Y'a d'la haine, Cool Frénésie and Le Petit train.

After a lengthy absence on the recording front, Les Rita Mitsouko made a comeback in April this year with a new album entitled Variéty. Following its release, they hit the road for an extensive series of concerts together. But, unbeknownst to fans, Fred was already ill. On 13 November, Catherine took to the stage alone at the legendary Paris Olympia for a concert without her other half. The gap that Fred left on stage that night has now turned into a permanent void. Fred Chichin will be sorely missed!

Valérie  Passelègue