Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Interview with Brian Molko on the TV show Taratata, France. By Nagui



You can watch the interview here on the website of Taratata.


Interview with Brian Molko on the TV show Taratata, France. By Nagui / 2009

Nagui: Placebo inTaratata ! Welcome Brian!
Brian:  Thank you.
Nagui: You’re welcome. So, when artists come to Taratata, that means they trust  us, but when artists come again to Taratata, that means they come for pleasure! And for us too, it’s a great honor  and a great pleasure to have you back, Placebo, in this Taratata!
Brian: Thank you, thank you very much.
Nagui: This is the new album(he’s showing Battle for the sun)… And here is a summary of Placebo's whole career and  work  in 3 minutes, summary, if I can say it this way, by Gilles Verlan and YannGralant. Have a look…


Here starts the little report

“Tell me which songs you have covered, and I will tell you who you are! We could make this kind of Chinese portrait with Placebo, who has published along its almost long career, an impressive number of covers.

For example, Placebo sang “Johnny & Mary” from Robert Palmer. But what did the original song look like? [Robert Palmer’s singing…]
Robert Palmer is the creator of this excellent song in 1980. Brian was 8 years old. We can presume he’s a part of Placebo’s heroes.

But Molko & Co also sang this [here is "Daddy cool…"]
Yes, Placebo has covered this old disco song from Boney M, for the French film “PédaleDure” from Gabriel  Aghion, with Gérard Darmon and Michèle Laroque [all French director and actors].
In the beginning , Molko also covered, a much darker song by Syd Barrett , creator of The Pink Floyd, who was fired for having  his brain burned  to acid!


Already more famous, and the “glam spirit” of Placebo, this cover of “Twentieth Century Boy”, for the film “Velvet Goldmine”. Here is the original by Marc Bolan in 1973. Brian Molko was barely 1 year old!


Tell me who you sing, I’ll tell you who you are, Go on!
When he was young, Brian must have been seduced by the voice and the character of the mysterious English singer, Kate Bush. You know, the one singing “Running up that hill”.

In the middle of the 80’s, Brian Molko is a teenager and the stuff you had to listen to when you were a teenager in the middle 80’s were The Smiths with Morrissey. Logicaly, years later Placebo covered  this pure marvel: “Bigmouth, strikes again”.

Depeche Mode is also a part of what Molko was listening to while he was starting his firsts bands. And one day, Placebo covered “I feel you”. 
Do you remember? The original was this way…

And, of course, we know how much of a Gainsbourg fan Brian is! From Serge, he covered “Je t’aime moi non plus” in a duet with Asia Argento, and of course “La ballade de Melody Nelson”.



And where was my mind? Placebo also covered “Where is my mind” from The Pixies, another essential band when Brian was 17. He has already sung it with Franck Black, his creator, in Paris Bercy.
Finally, we have a funny Chinese portrait that obviously shows us that Brian Molko is eclectic, because, from Boney M to Gainsbourg, via The Smiths, there is something to make the fans become crazy!

But in fact Brian, is there any song you dream to cover. If you do, would you please sing it a capped now? “
[end of the little report!!]



Nagui: Attention…
Brian:[he sings] Total eclipse of the heart!
Nagui: (showing Battle for the Sun): Here is the eclipse!


Brian: What a thematic union!
We’re good, hu?!
Nagui: we’re connected ! We should do more shows together, we’re totally in sync!
Brian: Gladly
Nagui: So, we’re going to speak about this new album. Of course, what the journalists wanted to say by this Chinese portrait is that by your influences, what you listen to, which song you cover on stage, it’s easier to understand the universe of Placebo. But of course, the authors composers you are… Well, how do you work with Stefan? Do you work each on your own? Does each one make demos to try to surprise the other, in a good sense  obviously?
Brian: It’s kind of both. We write in the rehearsal room together, but we often write separately in our tour buses or at home. We’re sending things by emails these days.
Nagui: Do you sometimes disagree, especially on covers? I understand Stefan really wanted to cover 'Daddy Cool' from Boney M.

Brian: No, that was most for our former  drummer’s daughter. As a birthday present.
Nagui: 'Daddy Cool'?
Brian: uh hum!
Nagui: ok, but you covered it already?
Brian: yes, absolutely
Nagui: It’s more disco than glamrock rock or psychialdelic…
Brian: Of course but we are children of the 80’s .We grew up with disco, the Gibson brothers and Claude François [French singer]etc
Nagui: 'Alexandrie Alexandra' [is a song from Claude Francois]
Brian: when I was a child, in the living room, I used to do  “La Danse des Claudettes[you can see the original here http://youtu.be/AbXBdlLiac8 ].

[theydanse a bit]


Brian: Fantastic!
Nagui: I am Alexandrie
Brian: And I am Alexandra!
Nagui: Yes, because I am a bit more Egyptian than you are!!! [he was born in Alexandrie, Egypt!]
That will be more logical!!! 
So! You often use references, in fact there is someone who has been very important.
Let’s do a bit different interview  in music. We’re going to listen some songs, and you’ll tell us what it brings back  to your mind…
First…. What can you tell us about the impact of David Bowie in you?
Brian: Well, when you’re a very new band, in 1995 I think, before we have recorded our first album, D. Bowie asked us to come on tour with him and to be the opening act at his gigs. That was unbelievable because, before that, we played for 300 persons! And then we were in front of thousands of people! We learned a lot thanks to that. A relationship is born from that. We have even recorded a single together!



Nagui: Yes, he really wanted to launch  your career!  You say David Bowie is someone who talks a lot, man to man…
Brian: He’s a great storyteller , yes.
Nagui: How is it like to speak to him?
Brian: He told  us stories about Marc Bolan, about …. Bowie has always been a very social man, he has known and he knows almost everyone! So you just have to mention someone and he tells you an anecdote about this person!
Nagui: And professionally, did you learn something from him? I mean you’ve learned to show all the possible and imaginable aspects of your personality? Because he is playing with that! With his androgynous side, creating characters such as Ziggy, we don’t even know if he is speaking or if it’s the character!
Brian: I think he taught me not to be afraid to follow my ambition at a 100% ! And not to be afraid to make mistakes, because everything you do cannot be 100% successful! But the important thing is to try and to take risks.
Nagui: To be free in terms of look? Because, if there is an artist who has created looks and characters by having nails painted, singing with boas around his neck, wearing make up…. Did that inspire you? Have you thought “I’m going to play with this ambiguity” , with this androgynous side?




Brian: Bowie didn’t really influence me. When I started the university in London, I was very very long-haired, everyone thought I was a girl. I told to myself  “oh, wow , that’s interesting!”.
Nagui: Did they thought you were a girl, by being aggressive?
Brian: No, not really, I was at a party, and some guys hit on me! And asked me “What’s your name?”; “Brian”… “Oh, nooo!”. And they ran away!
Nagui: Ok, another song!
The question is a bit more about the tittle “Sex and Drugs and Rock’n Roll”, unless  you have something to say about the artist?
Brian: No, he‘s not an influence.
Nagui: So, sex, drugs and Rock’n Roll?
Brian: That’s The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit!
Nagui: Maybe, I don’t know! Tell me what it means to you.
Brian: Some nostalgia.
Nagui: For which one of the three??
Brian: Not for rock’n roll I hope!
Nagui: Seriously, you have communicated a lot in interviews, and you said “maybe too much”, about your sexual orientation, drugs, while being a rock star, do you regret having said too much about that because people only remember that?
Brian: Yes, a bit, because people stopped talking about our music. And we became this drunk drag queens band…


Nagui: No, it was  more like this: here is an heterosexual, a bisexual and a gay. The 3 sexual orientations were represented inside the band. That’s what we could read in all the interviews…
Brian: It was a rather political thing. We wanted to promote tolerance, and it was more of a political act something to promote ourselves.
Nagui: And it worked  because I think some fans or other musicians, came out of the closet because of you they saw it was possible, safe.
Brian: I hope so.
Nagui: Doing that open minds a bit, and bring tolerance.
You’ve said a very beautiful phrase about drugs: “Those  who are against drugs should throw out all their rock' n roll albums”.
Brian: Yes, because The Beatles were so stoned, that they let the drummer sing!
Nagui: Yes, they had to be stone to do that. But Ringo… Ok, you don’t like Ringo Starr! I understand
But strangely, drugs and rock' n roll go so well together, it seems you have to take drugs when you’re a rock star.


Brian: I don’t think it’s necessary. Because it’s something which is everywhere in society, and we try to be a mirror of society. So in our songs, it seemed impossible not to talk about being an emotional animal, here in the 20th century, because we started in the 20th century, and not talking about this topic.
Nagui: Another song
Your comments about this song depends on when you’ve been asked about it.
First, at the beginning, Nirvana… No!
Brian: That was in 1991, I was at university, and I was a snob of independent music. And for me…
Nagui: too commercial?
Brian: Yes, too commercial! So I didn't listen to it .Maybe 2 or 3 years after Kurt Cobain’s death, I began to really appreciate their music.
Nagui: But you realize artists can listen to Placebo and say Placebo is too commercial?
Brian: Absolutely, absolutely.
Nagui: So?


Brian: 2 or 3 years after my death they’ll find me pretty good!
Nagui: Yes, always have to wait for the afterlife ! But you want to be one of the best band in the world. There is no snob independent side of it.
Brian: But we are already the best band in the world!!!
Nagui: Sorry! I didn't read the whole file!!! That’s why!!!
Brian: You have to be more prepared Nagui !!!
Nagui: Yes I have to work harder!
So, there are lots of anglo saxon artists but you speak French very well,  you've got multiple origins flowing through your veins, which makes the richness  of your culture. And in addition , you love French culture, you like reading in French, and there was a gig, a French gig, in Luxemburg, maybe the first gig of your life and it gave you the desire to make music and to be on stage.
Brian: In fact, it gave me the desire  to be on TV. It was in Arlon[Arlon is in Belgium],just behind the luxemburger frontier,that was  Téléphone[French group] and my brother brought me there. The luxemburgertv filmed it. And 6 months later, I saw myself on TV! I’ve just said “ah, wow! [laughs] You’re so cute baby!!”


Nagui: You were happy to be on TV?
Brian: yes!
Nagui: Unbelievable… Was it that gig???
[Here is the video of the Téléphone’s gig where Brian was at 11!]
Brian: Wow! Bravo! Bravo! How did you do that? How did you find me?
Nagui: Well, it’s simple: in our Taratata team, we have someone called Yann Gralant and Yann watched that gig image after image saying “I’ll find him!” So, yes, you can give Yann an applause. And take a look again, in the middle of your screen, is that really you?
Brian: It’s me! At 11!
Nagui: Brian Molko, 11 years old, with his brother! It hasn’t been simple because luxemburger’s archives aren’t so simple as well. And of course, a DVD of that gig is waiting for you in your dressing room
Brian: Wow, fantastic!
Nagui:  A souvenir of your first gig, which gave you the desire to be on TV!!
Brian: Wow, it’s 26… no 24 years years ago. I haven’t seen it since then! 25 years maybe… Hooo, that’s gonna be great! Thanks a lot.
Nagui: My pleasure
Brian: Waaaaaaaaaaa!


Nagui: So happy!
Well, Gilles has talked about all your covers,  which make a part of rock n roll history. And they are going to offer us one of these covers. You’ve chosen Nik Kershaw, let’s talk about that later. But this cover rocks baby! Even the rehearsal was WOW!! And the drummer’s shirt is just unbelievable! I have to say his shirt is wonderful. I don’t know if it’s in all the good stores but… Have a look! Isn’t it a sublime shirt? The new drummer: Steve! Placebo in Taratata, singing “Wouldn’t it be good”!





Songs played on the show
Then you can listen the  songs  here.

Setlist

01 - For What It' Worth
02 - Battle For The Sun
03 - Interview with Brian Molko
04 - Wouldn't It Be Good
05 - Interview with Brian Molko




You can download the show here. You need a password, which you will find on the page.

Nagui : Brian, come on please. Thank you so much for this gift.
The new album, Battle for the Sun, here it is! This new album is definitely, even according to its tittle, facing the sun. It seems to be less dark at least, even through the lyrics or the feelings. It’s much more colored.
Brian: Yes, I hope to because that’s what we’ve wanted to. In Placebo, each new album is a reaction to the one before. And we have found Meds was a so dark album, such claustrophobic, sultry. It was just like having a look into a microscope and observe the pain of the different characters of these songs.
This time we wanted to do something more optimistic, with lots of colors, something pure.



Nagui: Have you thought it could disappoint your fans who maybe prefer dark songs?
Brian: Ooohhh… heuuu…
Nagui: Is that a risk?
Brian:  Alright, maybe. It’s really possible. But I’m not going to censure myself, artistically speaking, because of that!
Nagui: Alright, but in some of your gigs, I have seen more people makeup in black, with some hair down their face, saying “life is rotten, it’s gonna end bad”, than girls in string, red haired shouting “yeah! Carpe Diem!!”…
Brian: Which kind of music should we play to have this kind of girls in our gigs?!!
Nagui: Brazilian music!
Brian: So next album will be a samba one!
Nagui: You know I’m cartooning the truth but you know I don’t like cliché at all!
Brian: Yes, we all both know life is not rotten, life has a great sense. And if we can tell people listening to us life is great, I think it’s a really positive thing.[asking the public] Don’t you think?



Nagui: Here I feel the man who became a father. And when you give birth, you want things to get better. The future has to be more shinny.
Brian: Absolutely, you have to choose life!
Nagui: On Placebo’s album there is …
The Never ending Why… So there is a positive side of it but you have to fight to obtain this light and something positive. That’s not as simple as it seems, isn’t it?
Brian: I would say that’s the most important is to battle, and have the desire to battle.
Nagui: So what’s the topic of this song? A chaos, a kind of knight who’s fighting with his partner to pull through his problems.
Brian: This song is about… We’re all seeking answers but if you spend your whole life to seek answers, you won’t live your life! And maybe it’s better not to have all the answers, because some questions won’t have any answer, ever.
Nagui: What’s important to you, obtain something or the way, the road to obtain it?Happiness or the way to get it?
Brian: The way to get it, definitly. The experience.The journey [already in English in the interview!]. The trip by itself which is the most important because that’s where you learn the most! When you got it, I don’t know, you got it. So, I don’t know, let’s go to the pub!
Nagui: Road to happiness more than happiness itself, ok!
Brian: I hope so.


Nagui: Another extract from 'Battle for the Sun': this is 'Kitty Litter'. How would you translate it?
Brian:Litière pour chat [cat litter, but the translation here seems not necessary! ;-)]
Nagui: It’s a song with such sensual lyrics, if not erotical…
Brian: It’s a very libidinous song…
Nagui: And what’s the link with the cat litter???
Brian: There is not any!
Nagui: I'am afraid of a possible pun in fact!


Brian: No, no, no, no, no, not at all! That’s because Stefan and I started to write this song about 14 or 15 years ago. And we have never ended it. There were no lyrics, and in 1994, we had already named it 'Kitty Litter' because that was funny. And we checked it.
Nagui: So this one is rather a love story…
Brian: No, it’s rather a story…
Nagui: Of distance and separation?
Brian: Yes, distance and separation, and the need to see the other and the desire [he doesn’t find the word in French!]… unstoppable[already in English in the interview].
Nagui: Unstoppable immediately.


Brian: Yes. To follow this desire far away from the orther sight.
Nagui: Out of sight, out of mind?
Brian: Yes, it’s a bit that way. But the character in this song feels a bit guilty for that but he cannot prevent it.
Nagui: Aaaah, sex appeal!!!
So you’ve said 'Kitty Litter' is a song you have written 15 years ago, I want to say “Ashtray heart” is a tittle you got from the beginning of Placebo. Your first name was Ashtray Heart in fact.
Brian: It’s a song of Captain Beefheart, so that inspired us for about 2 weeks, our name has been Ashtray Heart for 2 weeks. And it became Placebo after that.
But I haven’t thought I would use this song in the Placebo context. I’ve written it with 2 friends of mine. We write songs together, for fun. And this one…
Nagui: Why didn’t you want to use it?



Brian: Because of this connection Ashtray Heart… etc! We wanted to sell it to someone! We wrote it in Nicaragua. Because there are some spanish  inside: "Ceniero, cenicero, mi corazón de cenicero..." I was the only one smoking while we were on holidays in Nicaragua. So in each pub, each restaurant, I was asking for a “cenicero”. We had the demo of this song, we were listening to it in our car, everywhere in Nicaragua, and that’s how this song has been written. And it’s the first song I’ve written without Stefan, on a Placebo album.
Nagui: once more, here is the album, Battle for the sun. You can find any informations about Placebo, tour dates, watch them again in Taratata, are on the internet website of Taratata[not anymore I think!]. Thank you so much Brian for coming!
Brian: Thanx to everyone!



A special Thank You to: Bénédicte Convert for this great translation & Diana E.T. Foghin for supervising.
SusanneCk: design and pictures.
Credits: Taratata