Sunday Music: Down with Genres

I have little tolerance for genre-based taste in music. Honestly, if you only listen to industrial metal, or rockabilly, or indie freakfolk, you can hardly call yourself a "music lover." Every genre and every type of music has produced an artist or a handful of songs that are worthy of a listen. Even [wince] modern bluegrass.

With that in mind, I once again bring you the immortal CloClo, and his adaption of the Four Seasons' "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)," accompanied by the hot-pants-wearing Les Clodettes. I don't know why--I just love this guy.

Sunday Music: Cl**de Franç**s

Take that, you folkies! Here's how how a Frenchman does "If I Had a Hammer." Cl**de Franç**s is barely known here, but he was a huge, huge, HUGE star in France. "CloClo," as he was known to his fans, was beloved for his frenetic dancing, sequined suits and shameless kitsch. (See "Le Telephone Pleure--Tears on the phone" on YouTube) Franç**s made his contribution to American culture with his 1968 hit "Comme d'habitude," which Paul Anka reworked into "My Way," a signature tune for Frank Sinatra. Franç**s lived a charmed, or perhaps cursed, life. He was seriously injured in a car accident, then narrowly escaped death during an IRA bombing in London, and then a crazed fan took a shot at him. In 1978, he tried to remove a broken light bulb while standing in his bath, and was electrocuted.

I found a timeline of Cl**de's life, written in Frenglish. Here's a couple of the entries:

"September 1975: Cl**de goes down from his helicopter and by taking again its take-off, this one is crushed"

"June 25, 1977: Cl**de is taken in hunting by criminals when it drives car to go has Dannemois"

More near-misses...I think.

[Link]

Update: Isn't a shame how the flying copyright monkeys waste their time taking good stuff down? Never mind that it might turn a few people on to some artists they've never heard of before...Anyway, I hope the aster*sks may prevent the monkeys' search engines from hitting this one.

Sunday Music: Annie Philippe

Annie Philippe was a 17 year old DJ when she was discovered by orchestra leader Paul Mauriat. Although her biggest hit was "Ticket de quai," the 1966 song, "C'est la mode" is the real brainworm. You'll hear this in your head for days; it's far more insidious than even the theme for "Green Acres." You have been warned.

More about Annie Philippe at Garagehangover [Link]

Sunday Music: Les Desmoiselles de Rochefort

Happy Easter! Our musical selection is from that Easter egg-colored Francestravaganza, Les Desmoiselles de Rochefort, directed by Jacques Demy. The Young Girls of Rochefort featured the beautiful real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac. Dorléac, the brunette in this film, tragically died in a car accident shortly after filming. Her death cast a pall on the film's premier in 1967, and on subsequent ticket sales.

I have seen this movie a couple of times, and still had to refer to the Wikipedia article to remember the particulars of the plot. In fact, the story line hardly matters. The great Gene Kelly sings and dances, the Deneuve/Dorléac sisters appear in one designer outfit after another, and all the while, a chorus of mime-ishly attired dancers prance around and ride white bicycles in the background. Out-of-wedlock pregnancy, May/September romance, and an inebriated child all recieve nonchalant treatment.

The jazz-inflected score, by Michel Legrand, was nominated for the Academy Award. The clip below is Gene Kelly singing and dancing up a storm for the theme "Andy in Love." Note the outfits of the women passing Andy (Kelly) as he falls instantly in love with Solange (Dorléac).

Sunday Music: Les Irresistibles

Four boys in mod attire + three zippy euro sports cars + smokin' Farfisa organ solo = inert film-making. The director must have been inexperienced/bored/depressed...there has to be an explanation. Les Irrestibles were American expats living in Paris, and this was on the top of the charts in 1968.

Sunday Music: Les Surfaros

Isn't France wonderful? In what other country could a group of adorable Malagasy teenagers become pop music phenoms? Well ok...maybe Japan. Anyway, enjoy the tiny, melodious Surfaros as they sing Sur Garçon, with the choreographic accompaniment of three rhythm-impaired French people.

Happy Sunday: Antoine et Les Problèmes

Mondays are hard. Generating blog content is hard. Solution: post a video every Sunday. I hope you enjoy the following proto music video, possibly copied from a Scopitone. No actual French rock stars were hurt during the making of this film, despite Antoine's atrocious lip-syncing.



Les élucubrations d'Antoine, 1966(?)