FR
The story of Indochine is a long one which, for me, started decades ago, back to the days of Bob Morane1 the lone adventurer. Not to say I've ever been a fan of theirs (the kind who goes to every show, collects every band memorabilia, and organises their lives around their idols'), but I've never really stopped listening to their music. Especially when I was living abroad. But except after they became hyped again and I could no longer identify with their old-teen Gothic imagery. What really matters is this interlude eventually provided a new light for me to rediscover a band who have successfully reinvented themselves after a great deal of struggle and a tragedy2.
Certainly the resilience of Nicola Sirkis (sole survivor of the original line-up) and his unshakable faith in his dream must have played a major if not crucial role.
Back from Indochina3 I found
Life was too easy and such a bore.
I laid my dahlias and jasmine,
Walked out and said: “Bye, I'm off on the road again”.
The road always led me back to Indo,
It's everywhere I look, it's no secret Indo's my life..."Un singe en hiver" (2002)
In addition to his music and lyrics, that's another trait which inspires me along with his huge (genuine) respect for his audiences. A somewhat unusual attitude for someone having achieved his level of celebrity. And this is actually what allowed Indochine to hang on through trends and generation changes and not solely their talent and the quality of their live performances. As pointed out by some commenter on the French blog, Sirkis, now aged 58, has always been true to his word in spite of all the attacks against him whether coming from the media and jealous cunts or his own family (if you're in for dirt digging, you can count me out). This is admirable especially knowing how rotten to the core (and worse) showbiz actually is.
I wish I could love my father,
"Song For A Dream" (2017)
I wish I knew what to do,
I wish I could understand him...
Incidentally, it's been thirty-two years (WTF!) between my first Indochine show and the latest I've seen a fortnight ago at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris as those who follow me on Twitter already know. A trail of amazing synchronicities as if I had to be there despite the fact that the date had been sold-out for months and that I wasn't even really in the mood to go in the first place. So when I saw the huge flying saucer hanging over the sports arena, I thought it might be a chance for me to get a lift back home at last — at least for a couple of hours! A memorable concert indeed which literally blew me into orbit and I'm still not back on Earth yet. That f*** band has now reached a level comparable to the greatest international artists' as demonstrated with this breathtaking show which could easily downgrade U2 and the likes to second-class losers while — keeping their prices low (€45 vs €216 for bands like U2 in the same venues) and turning the front stage VIP zone into a lucky draw fan bonanza instead of the now widespread credit card extra draw to get that privilege. No comments. As the great Aretha would say: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.!
Ey@elBlack-out, the sky's all dark
And I'm flying to the stars.
All by myself in my spaceship
Between Venus and Mars,
I wanna see as our Earth falls further behind
Beyond the finest.
Setting out for other galaxies
In the hope —
Yeah, hoping
That there will be another galaxy
To accomodate me —
To accomodate us.
Travelling across the black sky
To a new territory,
Rafting across space,
Just me and the stars
Floating towards the finest
Like a shooting star —
Just me towards the finest
Setting out for other galaxies
In the hope —
Yeah, hoping
That there will be another galaxy
To accomodate me —
To accomodate us.
Setting out for other galaxies
And in the hope —
Yeah, hoping,
That's what my life's about.
Can't you see that shattered comet a-comin'
Spotting from afar the threat from some unknown world?
Can't you see that wiped-out planet a-comin'
From a world that ignored us?
Setting out for other galaxies
In the hope —
Yeah, hoping
That there will be another galaxy
To accomodate me —
To accomodate us.
Setting out for other galaxies
In the hope —
Yeah, hoping,
That's what life's about.
Oh oh can't you see
Oh oh that blinding light a-comin'
Oh oh from a world that wiped us out...
Endnotes
- ^ "Bob Morane" is a series of adventure books in French, featuring an eponymous protagonist, created by French-speaking Belgian novelist Henri Vernes, the pseudonym of Charles-Henri Dewisme. The lyrics of Indochine's first hit single "L'Aventurier" (1982) revolves around the world of Bob Morane.
- ^ For details read the story of Indochine in English up to 2006.
- ^ Indochine (Indochina) took their name from the eponymous novel by French writer Marguerite Duras. Indo is the short for Indochine and how they're actually known to fans.
Original text by NICOLA SIRKIS
translated from French by EY@EL
© La Pensine Mutine. All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited.
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