Paris (AFP)
"Music is important for the design of an era", notes Alain Souchon, who reviews for AFP his musical landscape, where we meet the Eddy - De Pretto, Mitchell -, Mick Jagger or Véronique Sanson .
"Ame Fifties", his new album - the first in eleven years with original songs and solo - comes out this Friday and opens on his memories of the fifties.
So let's go to the "sixties" era "which has the most marked people of my generation because of music". "With the American rock'n'roll, Elvis Presley, the French singers have followed suit, it changed the situation, we went from Luis Mariano to Johnny Hallyday". "The youth began to exist, to exist strong, before she was in a blouse, yes, we wore blouses in college," says the singer-dandy 75 years.
He then scrolls, over the decades, those he loves, Joe Dassin - "I love, very intelligent, popular" - Claude François - "it's strong" - Alain Chamfort - "poetic" - and Eddy Mitchell , who has all his tenderness, "On the road to Memphis, it's wonderful".
- Voulzy, "passionate about Eminem" -
"Eddy Mitchell wrote a touching song: people call us showbiz but we are a tribe (" The same tribe ")". "The singers, between us, we are quite friends, ties, continues Alain Souchon.We represent the money, the success and at the same time we never jealous .. Véronique Sanson, the more successful she is, the happier I am. While in politics, TV, sports, everyone hates each other, it's a complete mess, even writers hate each other. "
Véronique Sanson, "when she sings Vancouver, it's complete madness, I'm a fan," he says.
Here we are in the years 1990 and 2000. "The arrival of rap" marks it. Laurent Voulzy, his partner - found on the beautiful title "Irene" - is "passionate about Eminem, I do not know the American rap well." "But in French rap, lyrics matter, what it tells is important."
"At the level of music, I will rather listen to Mozart, but for the texts, Eddy De Pretto, it's interesting," he continues, also citing Oxmo Puccino, he did not have time to listen to the last disk. "I just made an album, I'm egocentric, I think only of myself," he laughs, very fit.
- "Like a leopard" -
It is then launched on Mick Jagger, quoted in "We shake hair", title of "Soul Fifties". "The Rolling Stones is special, a mixture of intelligence, drama, excess, but above all, what an intelligence to have played against thugs, while Jagger is very refined and Keith Richards is very tender but at the same time completely riddled with drugs. "
"I'll always hear + Let's Spend the Night Together + (he sings), with the other (Jagger) coming in like a leopard, I'm crazy about it, it makes me horny, and I do not know how to do that ".
"Jagger, it's amazing to squirm like that at his age!" He pretends to be rude but it's been 40 years since he drank a drop of alcohol, he continues. Still exceptional, it's going to sound silly, but I'm 75 and I sometimes say to myself + do I do well to go (on stage, it does not finish its sentence) ... But when I see Mick Jagger, I say to myself, if there has been, I'm going too, even if it's not comparable of course (laughs) ".
He has obviously been to see Laurent Voulzy on tour in the churches. "I am extremely moved by his faith, I would like to have faith like him but I do not have it". And to add, mischievous, that he loved "all those people shouting" in these places of worship on the resumption of "My sweet lord" of George Harrison.
What make him want to sing in churches? "No, I do not want to poke his idea (laughs)".
© 2019 AFP