Chamfort and the Yves-Saint-Laurent story

An atypical biography

Paris 

12/02/2010 - 

Alain Chamfort has been pretty quiet over the past five years. Today he breaks his silence with a new album entitled Une vie Saint-Laurent – a collection of impressionistic songs recounting the life of the late, great fashion designer. It is based on an idea and lyrics by Pierre-Dominique Burgaud (Le Soldat Rose), with Chamfort (best known for his huge hit Manureva) composing the music, as well as producing and releasing the album outside conventional distribution channels.

RFI Musique: How did you get the idea for the album?
Pierre-Dominique Burgaud: I remembered record I talked to Alain about when we were working on the video for Beaux Yeux de Laure [which won Alain Chamfort a Victoire de la Musique award in 2005]. It was Songs for Drella, by Lou Reed and John Cale, a homage to the life of Andy Warhol. I thought about doing a conceptual album about someone still alive, to avoid making it some kind of historical fresco. And I remembered what Warhol had once said about Yves Saint-Laurent: “the greatest living French artist of this century”. So I bought his biography and got interested, even though I’ve no great passion for fashion.

Alain Chamfort: When Pierre-Dominique first gave me the book, I wasn’t sure about Yves Saint-Laurent as an idea. It was only while reading the book that I gradually changed my mind.

What fascinated you about Yves Saint-Laurent’s life?
AC: He was at the vanguard of changes that still resonate today. He was open about his homosexuality, back in the fifties when it was very difficult. His influence on women’s role in society is undeniable. He invented the women’s suit. Today, women have access to positions of authority, and Saint-Laurent’s work facilitated this. He was also the first couturier to do prêt-à-porter, and to use non-white models, long before Jean-Paul Gaultier. He was open to other cultures, and one of the few to garner praise from all quarters of the fashion world.

You didn’t have the backing of a record company. Although that didn’t hold you back…
AC: They thought Yves Saint-Laurent was a bit too esoteric. One of them even suggested Zidane! But to be honest, it’s no longer a handicap to be unsigned today. It meant we had to approach things differently, and it allows us to sell the album at 5.50 euros, which is pretty exceptional. Nobody can say the album is too expensive now. Or if they do, it means that the music is totally devalued.

PDB: On the other hand, it meant we really had to do everything ourselves, from buying stamps to overseeing the printing. It was often difficult, but we learnt a lot.

Will you be doing any concerts?
AC: As we progressed with the recording we decided we wanted to play it live. But we have to see whether the album works out first. We’re also planning a show for 2011 at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris. We’ll use projectors to illustrate the life and art of the designer. It’s one of several possibilities, but for the moment nothing is decided.

Alain Chamfort La Vie Saint-Laurent Legal download from 8 February 2010

Jérôme   Pichon