[2010-01-05] Alizée in TECHNIKART Magazine - Page 18

Ben · #**171** 01-09-2010, 02:59 PM

Thanks Fenris, been waiting for that.

Oh and hey guys, I've got a long waiting list for this magazine since I planned to order more, but Journaux sold out... So if anyone who contacted me doesn't really want one, please let me know (of course if you already paid, it's on its way!).

Fenris · #**172** 01-09-2010, 05:07 PM

Here's my crappy translation of the justalizée interview with the Technikart guy...guess it still beats online translators.

Quote:

Interview de Benoît Sabatier, rédacteur en chef de ce numéro Hors-Série Musique de TECHNIKART (Janvier 2010), qui a rencontré Alizée.

Interview with Benoît Sabatier, chief-editor ot this issue Hors-Série Musique de TECHNIKART (Janvier 2010), who met with Alizée.

Quote:

Justalizee.com : C'est vous qui avez eu l'idée de cette séance photos reprenant celle de la pochette de l'album Like a virgin de Madonna. Votre idée était de reprendre une photo marquante d'un album d'artiste dit "mainstream", populaire. Le choix s'est arrêté sur Madonna, mais pouvons-nous avoir un aperçu des autres propositions que vous avez faites à Alizée ?

Justalizee.com : It was you who had the idea ot these séance photos taken from the cover of Madonnas album Like a virgin.
Your idea was to take a prominent photo from an album of a popular mainstream artist. The choice fell on Madonna, but can you give us some insight about the other propositions you made to Alizée?

Quote:

Benoît Sabatier : Je voulais que l'angle du Hors-Série TECHNIKART Musique, spécial "mainstream", saute aux yeux quand on verrait la couverture. Je suis passionné par la culture populaire, j'ai été adolescent dans les années 80, quand la musique, visuellement, c'était encore les pochettes de disques, à l'époque les 33 tours. J'ai donc étudié quelles pochettes de disques avaient été à la fois les plus marquantes, les plus populaires et qui en plus, un, artistiquement me convenaient et, deux, pourraient plaire à Alizée, au niveau de la pose, du shooting. La pochette de l'album Like a Virgin de Madonna était mon premier choix. J'ai aussi sélectionné Off the Wall de Michael Jackson, un disque que j'adore, et l'idée de voir une jeune fille blanche reprendre la pose d'un homme noir me semblait assez provocante et facétieuse. En troisième, quatrième, cinquième et sixième choix, il y avait : refaire les pochettes de ces classiques pop : Supertramp Breakfast in America, Janet Jackson Janet, Roxy Music For Your Pleasure et Kylie Minogue Fever. J'ai été particulièrement heureux par les choix retenus : c'étaient les pochette de Like a Virgin et Off the Wall qu'Alizée préférait, mes deux premiers choix.

Benoît Sabatier : I wanted this mag to jump into your eyes when you saw the cover. I'm passionate about pop-culture, i grew up in the eighties, when the visuals of music where still the album covers, in the epoch of 33rpm. Therefore i studied which album covers where at the same time the most prominent, the most popular, and furthermore, one, fitted with me artistically, and two, could please Alizée concerning the posing of the shooting. The cover of Madonnas album Like a Virgin was my premier choice. I also selected Michael Jacksons Off the Wall, a record i adore, and the idea to see a young white woman take the pose of a black man seemed sufficiently provocant and facetious to me. For 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th choice there was: Remakes of these pop-classics: Supertramp Breakfast in America, Janet Jackson Janet, Roxy Music For Your Pleasure and Kylie Minogue Fever.
I was particulary happy about the choices taken: It were the covers of Like a Virgin and Off the Wall which Alizée prefered, my two premier choices.

Quote:

Justalizee.com : Alizée a-t-elle facilement reconnu les titres du Blind Test, format que vous avez choisi pour l'interview ?

Justalizee.com : Did Alizée easily recognize the titles you choose as blind test for the interview?

Quote:

Benoît Sabatier : Oui, tous ! Même ceux qui ne figurent pas dans l'interview, manque de place oblige. Honnêtement, c'est normal qu'elle ait tout trouvé non ? Une artiste qui ne reconnaitrait pas "Joe le taxi", "La nuit je mens", Mika, Lily Allen ? C'était un blind test de tubes ! C'est vrai qu'il y avait des pièges : allait-elle reconnaître les morceaux peu connus de ses compositeurs, Chateau Marmont et Rob ? Ouf, oui, immédiatement. Je n'ai pas à préciser qu'elle n'a pas eu de peine à trouver Mylène Farmer, la cover bidon de "Moi… Lolita" par Julien Doré et "La Isla Bonita" de Madonna, qu'elle-même a reprise… Les chansons qui ne figurent pas dans l'interview et que je lui ai passé ? "Variété Française" de Jeremy Chatelain… Et "People Have the Power" de Patti Smith, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" de Nirvana : d'autres tubes… Qu'elle connaissait aussi.

Benoît Sabatier : Yes, all of them! Even those who didn't make it into the interview, due to space restrictions. Honestly, it's normal that she has found them all, isn't it? An Artist who does not recognize "Joe le taxi", "La nuit je mens", Mika, Lily Allen ?
It was a blind test of hits! It's true there were traps: Would she recognize the little known pieces of her composers, Chateau Marmont et Rob ? Whew, yes immediatly. I don't have to stress that she had no difficulty finding Mylène Farmer, the bluff cover of "Moi… Lolita" by Julien Doré and "La Isla Bonita" by Madonna, which she renewed (?)...The songs who didn't make it into the interview and which i let her pass (hear?): "Variété Française" by Jeremy Chatelain… and "People Have the Power" by Patti Smith, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana : other hits...she knew them also.

Quote:

Justalizee.com : L'image que vous aviez d'Alizée avant l'écoute de ce nouvel album a-t-elle changé ?

Justalizee.com : The picture you had of Alizée before listening to the new album, has it changed?

Quote:

Benoît Sabatier : Oui, j'ai 40 ans, à l'époque de "Moi… Lolita", en 2000, j'en avais 30, j'écoutais alors Outkast, Mirwais, Daft Punk, Grandaddy, Ellen Allien, Eminem, Photek, Day One, Two Lone Swordmen, Add N to (X), Moodyman, Blonde Redhead, Isolée, Programme, Boards of Canada… Soyons francs : pour moi, "Moi… Lolita", c'était juste une couillonade, un tube formaté par Farmer & Boutonnat pour faire les poches des enfants. Je n'ai donc pas suivi la carrière d'Alizée de près, jusqu'à son précédent album : débarrassée de la tutelle de Mylène, elle avait recruté des artistes qui correspondaient plus à ce que j'aime : Daniel Darc, un chanteur que j'adore depuis que je suis ado ("Paris" de Taxi Girl est ma chanson préférée de tous les temps), participait à Psychédélices ! Sur ce disque, j'ai aimé la chanson "Fifty-Sixty": j'attendais donc son nouvel album avec un certain intérêt. Pour répondre à votre question : oui, l'image que j'avais d'Alizée a radicalement changée après l'écoute d'Une Enfant du Siècle.

Benoît Sabatier : Yes, I'm 40 years, in the epoch of "Moi… Lolita", in 2000, i was 30, i listened then to Outkast, Mirwais, Daft Punk, Grandaddy, Ellen Allien, Eminem, Photek, Day One, Two Lone Swordmen, Add N to (X), Moodyman, Blonde Redhead, Isolée, Programme, Boards of Canada… Soyons francs : For me, "Moi… Lolita" was just a couillonade(?), a hit made by Farmer & Boutonnat to loot the pockets of the children. Therefore i didn't follow the career of Alizée closely, until her preceding album : Liberated of Mylènes tutelage, she recruited artists which were more like those i like: Daniel Darc, a singer which i adore since my youth ("Paris" by Taxi Girl is my all time favorite song), participated in Psychédélices ! On that record, i liked the song "Fifty-Sixty": therefore i awaited her new album with a certain interest. To answer your question: Yes, the image i had of Alizée changed radically after listening to Une Enfant du Siècle.

Quote:

Justalizee.com : Pensez-vous que la nouvelle direction musicale que semble prendre Alizée peut déconcerter ses fans ?

Do you think that the new musical direction Alizée seems to be taking may bemuse her fans?

Quote:

Benoît Sabatier : Je ne pense pas. Quand j'avais 12 ans, j'écoutais "Cambodia" de Kim Wilde : j'aurais aimé que Kim évolue ainsi, grandisse avec son public. Les ados qui écoutaient "Moi… Lolita" ont aujourd'hui 20 ans : ils devraient être ravis qu'elle aussi ait grandi, artistiquement. Elle ne fait pas non plus du Pierre Boulez (un chef d'orchestre) : Une Enfant du Siècke reste un disque pop(ulaire).

I don't think so. When i was 12 years old, i listened to "Cambodia" by Kim Wilde : i would have liked Kim to develop, to grow up with her public. The youths who listened to "Moi… Lolita" are today 20 years old: They should be happy that she too has grown up artitistically. She is not becoming a Pierre Boulez (a conductor) : Une Enfant du Siècle remains a pop(ular) record.

Quote:

Justalizee.com : Certains lecteurs ont relevé le grand nombre de chiffres avancés par Alizée (ventes, classements, nombres de pays...). Ont-ils vraiment été apportés par Alizée ou ajoutés en guise d'illustration ?
Benoît Sabatier : La retranscription est fidèle. C'est juste que j'ai supprimé mes relances, et celles-ci étaient dans l'angle "mainstream", je lui demandais donc moi-même de préciser les chiffres, pour bien voir concrètement sa popularité, au niveau des charts.

I don't really get what they are talking about here...something about numbers, statistics and verification of them...i leave that to the experts!

Quote:

Justalizee.com : Avez-vous déjà eu des retombées quant à l'apparation d'Alizée dans TECHNIKART ?

Did you already get some follow-up regarding the appearance of Alizée in TECHNIKART ?

Quote:

Benoît Sabatier : Je suis depuis 48h assailli par les mails ! Aucune lettre d'insultes de lecteurs anti-mainstream… Soit des demandes d'interviews, soit des commentaires variés et enthousiastes…

Since 48h i am assaulted by mails ! No anti-mainstream insults (?), either demands for interviews, or varied and enthusiastic comments.

Quote:

Justalizee.com : Pour terminer, une anecdote ?

To get to the end, an anecdote?

Quote:

Benoît Sabatier : Comme je le dis dans l'introduction de mon article, et je le précise dans votre interview, j'ai été assez épaté par la simplicité, l'authenticité et la franchise d'Alizée, une artiste qui à la base, je le reconnais, me paraissait un peu carton pâte. Bien plus important que cette considération sentimentale et déplacée, je trouve son nouvel album, Une Enfant du Siècle, plutôt audacieux et assez ambitieux !

As i said in the introduction of my article, and as i specified in your interview, i have been quite amazed by the simplicity, authenticity and the frankness of Alizée, an artist which basically, i recognize it, appeared to me a bit like papier mâché (means artificial?) More important than this sentimental and inappropriate consideration, i found her new album, Une Enfant du Siècle, rather audacious and quite ambitious.

User22 · #**173** 01-09-2010, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fenris

Here's my crappy translation of the justalizée interview with the Technikart guy...guess it still beats online translators.

Interview with Benoît Sabatier, chief-editor ot this issue Hors-Série Musique de TECHNIKART (Janvier 2010), who met with Alizée.

Justalizee.com : It was you who had the idea ot these séance photos taken from the cover of Madonnas album Like a virgin.
Your idea was to take a prominent photo from an album of a popular mainstream artist. The choice fell on Madonna, but can you give us some insight about the other propositions you made to Alizée?

Benoît Sabatier : I wanted this mag to jump into your eyes when you saw the cover. I'm passionate about pop-culture, i grew up in the eighties, when the visuals of music where still the album covers, in the epoch of 33rpm. Therefore i studied which album covers where at the same time the most prominent, the most popular, and furthermore, one, fitted with me artistically, and two, could please Alizée concerning the posing of the shooting. The cover of Madonnas album Like a Virgin was my premier choice. I also selected Michael Jacksons Off the Wall, a record i adore, and the idea to see a young white woman take the pose of a black man seemed sufficiently provocant and facetious to me. For 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th choice there was: Remakes of these pop-classics: Supertramp Breakfast in America, Janet Jackson Janet, Roxy Music For Your Pleasure and Kylie Minogue Fever.
I was particulary happy about the choices taken: It were the covers of Like a Virgin and Off the Wall which Alizée prefered, my two premier choices.

Justalizee.com : Did Alizée easily recognize the titles you choose as blind test for the interview?
Benoît Sabatier : Yes, all of them! Even those who didn't make it into the interview, due to space restrictions. Honestly, it's normal that she has found them all, isn't it? An Artist who does not recognize "Joe le taxi", "La nuit je mens", Mika, Lily Allen ?
It was a blind test of hits! It's true there were traps: Would she recognize the little known pieces of her composers, Chateau Marmont et Rob ? Whew, yes immediatly. I don't have to stress that she had no difficulty finding Mylène Farmer, the bluff cover of "Moi… Lolita" by Julien Doré and "La Isla Bonita" by Madonna, which she renewed (?)...The songs who didn't make it into the interview and which i let her pass (hear?): "Variété Française" by Jeremy Chatelain… and "People Have the Power" by Patti Smith, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana : other hits...she knew them also.

Justalizee.com : The picture you had of Alizée before listening to the new album, has it changed?

Benoît Sabatier : Yes, I'm 40 years, in the epoch of "Moi… Lolita", in 2000, i was 30, i listened then to Outkast, Mirwais, Daft Punk, Grandaddy, Ellen Allien, Eminem, Photek, Day One, Two Lone Swordmen, Add N to (X), Moodyman, Blonde Redhead, Isolée, Programme, Boards of Canada… Soyons francs : For me, "Moi… Lolita" was just a couillonade(?), a hit made by Farmer & Boutonnat to loot the pockets of the children. Therefore i didn't follow the career of Alizée closely, until her preceding album : Liberated of Mylènes tutelage, she recruited artists which were more like those i like: Daniel Darc, a singer which i adore since my youth ("Paris" by Taxi Girl is my all time favorite song), participated in Psychédélices ! On that record, i liked the song "Fifty-Sixty": therefore i awaited her new album with a certain interest. To answer your question: Yes, the image i had of Alizée changed radically after listening to Une Enfant du Siècle.

Do you think that the new musical direction Alizée seems to be taking may bemuse her fans?

I don't think so. When i was 12 years old, i listened to "Cambodia" by Kim Wilde : i would have liked Kim to develop, to grow up with her public. The youths who listened to "Moi… Lolita" are today 20 years old: They should be happy that she too has grown up artitistically. She is not becoming a Pierre Boulez (a conductor) : Une Enfant du Siècle remains a pop(ular) record.

I don't really get what they are talking about here...something about numbers, statistics and verification of them...i leave that to the experts!

Did you already get some follow-up regarding the appearance of Alizée in TECHNIKART ?

Since 48h i am assaulted by mails ! No anti-mainstream insults (?), either demands for interviews, or varied and enthusiastic comments.

To get to the end, an anecdote?

As i said in the introduction of my article, and as i specified in your interview, i have been quite amazed by the simplicity, authenticity and the frankness of Alizée, an artist which basically, i recognize it, appeared to me a bit like papier mâché (means artificial?) More important than this sentimental and inappropriate consideration, i found her new album, Une Enfant du Siècle, rather audacious and quite ambitious.

I'm pretty glad she chose the Madonna Like A Virgin cuz she pulled it of well and some of the other choices were a bit weerd. And she was probably glad to do Madonna since she is her favorite star...

Roman · #**174** 01-11-2010, 11:45 PM

This is Roman’s translation of the interview with “Rob” from the Technikart special magazine.

Wrapping it up with…
Rob, a composer of Alizée’s

In one hour, the 116 pages of this special edition goes to the printer. And Rob just send us a mail. Let’s include it in a retro-prospective report.

“I only compose hits. But, of another time it would seem.” (Brendan Benson, page 92)

Rob was 19 when he recorded, in 2001, “Don’t Kill”. “Satyred Love” was released the next year. Two admirable and ambitious albums inextricably entangled with the influences of major 70s composers: McCartney (II), Korgis, Alan Parsons, Kevin Ayers, Roger Hodgson... Result: flop. Mail from Rob: “I create, however, to speak to the world, to the greatest number. But, I choose the most sinuous roads, my personal works take an irregular form. I don’t expect to sell millions of them. I look to go to the heart of my sensibilities, not those of the radios.”

“To fully dominate, one must always be fighting.” (Phœnix, page 72)

After these two commercial failures, Rob became the keyboardist for Phoenix on tour. He sent us his message while he was in the United States with them. “Show business is a filthy beast. I’m am in the middle of learning the workings of the American system at the moment and the music doesn’t make much difference there, it’s much more about politics. The general level of music is not very satisfactory, it is very rare to be moved by our contemporaries, but the indie advances into the mainstream are a good thing. I am delighted to see my friends from Phoenix pierce the membrane.”

“Once an artist becomes publicized, he passes into the mainstream category.” (Valli, page 91)

In 2007, Rob found himself working on a Melissa Mars album with… Pascal Obispo. Only the latter is squatting on the tv.

“The quality of a work is judged according to it’s influence in the long run.” (Julian Casablancas, page 97)

Rob is recording until next June “The Dodecalogue”, which will be a collection of the maxis (dedicated to the twelve apostles) which he releases each month. Sébastien Tellier is participating in “Volume IV”.

“Reaching the mainstream produces collateral damage.” (Peter Hook, page 30)

There was a time when the image of mainstream was to scary, certain artists preferred to go “misunderstood”, with an altitude of sales that approached that of the sea. As a composer connected with the in crowd, Rob, have you had the impression of putting your credibility in peril by working with Alizée? “On the contrary, I don’t see any risk as long as the music is good…” [Alizée seemed to have a similar fear, a fear that she could not handle trying to enter the American market. I’m not sure that she no longer has that fear. Valli said, once one is publicized they are mainstream. I think I get that idea. It’s like, the display of desire to be considered mainstream may be enough to give a person the chance to participate in popular events and get their music played. If it gets played in the usual places, unless it’s really out there, I guess it can be called mainstream in a very shallow analysis. I think the public will be the ones to decide. Well, either that or the question is more about what they as producers have to deal with than what we as audience experience. Obviously, as is being pointed out, the benefit to having a mainstream status is that people don’t just dismiss the music and artist off-hand as not being mainstream and thus not being worth the time for someone who is dedicated to working in the mainstream. We were quite ready to say that Alizée had stepped out of the mainstream, maybe because of these hors-courant people she is working with and because she seemed to be changing or darkening her image contrary to greater popularity, (though opinions may differ). Funny, so it’s more the other way around now?]

“Still, it was something” (“Just an update” from Jackie Quartz, page 65)

“I come from the generation “moved” by the work of Mylène Farmer, but I prefer by far the videos to the songs… I continue to be fascinated by the video for “Pourvu qu’elles soient douces” ("Provided they are sweet”, Rob writes us. “Moi… Lolita”, it’s a theme that works so well, it’s proven, I thought “what nerve!”

“I thought the era to be over, I decided that I would write for others.” (Alain Chamfort, page 10)

“I love putting myself in the service of a singer, with Alizée I have the impression of not having to adapt my manner of working. She simply says “no” when she doesn’t like something. She is very sure of her tastes. I tried to make the most beautiful songs in the world, just thinking about her.” [He he, now he sounds like an Alizée fan. Mouahahaha!]

“I try to make ambitious songs. I want to last.” (Alizée, page 35)

Rob composed three bits on « Une enfant du siècle » (A child of the century). “She is at an enormous turning point in her career, in the middle of reconstruction. I think her image is going to change tremendously. So, the pressure is more artistic than commercial. The idea is that of a symbolic rebirth of an artist. Basically, to work with a mainstream singer is neither a dream nor a nightmare, it’s just good to work with people who are “habités” (talented or know what they are doing?). Alizée is that.

collected by Benoît Sabatier