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DOMINIQUE
BUXIN INTERVIEW, part 2
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NAGASAKI
/ HIROSHIMA
1945
Doro : This is Polyphonic Size japanese era, with Nagasaki Mon amour,
Hiroshima 1945 and Kyoto, all released between September 80 and March
81. Was it Roger-Marc's request ? At this time, Martine and him seemed
to be really into Japan. Beside, did you notice that many french/belgian
bands were fascinated by Japan in the early 80's ? Taxi Girl, Metal
Boys, Tokow Boys, and JJ Burnel... |
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Dominique
: Yes... maybe it was the first musical signs of a japanese bird flu
? This mutual passion has certainly strengthened PS and JJ relationship.
And RM and Martine spent a couple of weeks in Japan. Actually, It wasn't
really my stuff, but it was a way to write about a new political subject,
so I said OK right away.
Beside, I had this title play on words, «Nagasaki mon amour»,
inspired by Marguerite Duras «Hiroshima Mon Amour», which
is also Alain Resnais' 1959 movie script.
The
song is about a Japonese couple, who's got a child the day the atomic
bomb blows up, 9 august 1945, in Nagasaki.
About Nagasaki manuscript :
Nagasaki Mon Amour : This is Roger-Marc's writing. I think he probably
mixed the verses. The word in yellow (Chiyoka) is the name of the girl
in the song. But «Nastassia» is written too. The original
idea was (you won't believe it) to invent a kind of «lettristic
poetry» name. It was «Und Tä Kratz» (to be prononced
the german way: «ound te kratsss»). Well, I guess it wasn't
really a great idea. So Nastassia might be from RM, and Chiyoka from
JJ, who knew Japan quite a bit. A much better choice, probably.
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The Gioconda appears several times in the song. Why ? |
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D :
There's 2 reasons for this. First because this painting made me think
about a kind of japanese print. Mona Lisa's eyes could belong to a japanese
girl. Just imagine some japanese writings on the right and on the left
of the portait..,
Then, the Gioconda has become one of the major symbols of the culture.
Mixing her with a symbol of civilisation / barbarity could suggest how
much the power of human beeing could be ambiguous. Mixing good and evil
is typically human. (As La Rochefoucauld said: « Les vices entrent
dans la composition des vertus, comme les poisons dans la composition
des remèdes »).
Beside, if you go to the Louvre and try to see the Gioconda, you will
see many Japanese people around. That's it. La boucle est ainsi bouclée.
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HIROSHIMA
is a kind of feast. A urban festival like there we got today, but with
dandys, zazous, a soviet rock band
It's a surrealistic atmosphere
on the edge of death. And so we got boys from Hiroshima and girls from
Nagasaki begining a hyper modern dance called «uranium» (Nagasaki
boys, Hiroshima girls, did the uranium).
It's got connections with «Nagasaki» too, because the parents-to-be
show their happyness in dancing «uranium» and «plutonium».
In a word, everybody is getting high.
There's also a small line about Marguerite Duras' book, as she wrote several
times You didn't see anything in Hiroshima. The song begins
with a verse saying «I was in Hiroshima». |
Was Kyoto written in japanese? Or is it a translation of some
lyrics you wrote first ?
D : No, I didn't write anything for that song. |
LECTURES |
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Let's talk about books. Which books were you reading in those
days ? I ask you that because some of your songs got a very particular,
complex, construction. Far from the usual stuff : verse / verse / chorus
/ verse / chorus / verse. Space Rejection, for instance, is the same
line repeted 13 times, with just 2 words changing in each verse.
D :
I dont think there is any kind of major literary influence in this song.
It's hard to tell what kind of books I was reading in those days, 'cause
it was more than 20 years ago. It's easier with records, because it's
more connected with life events. With books, it's not the same, you
don't necessarily read them when they are published. You mix classic
ones and new ones.
Anyway, I can tell you a couple of authors I really like: Prévert
and Vian. I choosed the second one to pass my diploma. There's a little
anecdote about Gainsbourg's first album. On the backcover, taken from
a newpaper, is a very positive review written by Boris Vian. You see
what I mean ? Alright, let's go : Baudelaire, Bukovski, Isaac Bashevis
Singer, Amos Oz, Avraham Yehoshua, Modiano
But there's a book I really want to talk about. A book that really moved
me because of its humanity, its moral and literary power. It's «The
Cancer Ward», by Solzhenitsyn. I couldn't read any other book
the next three weeks. |
PS
(Mother's Little Helper / Girlscout / Men & Construction / On The
Way To Medora / Saison) |
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GIRLSCOUT : scoutism is a very belgian thing, like Tintin for instance.
Have you been scout when you were a child? I have.
D :
I've been cub scout for 2 years, when I was 9-10. It was fun to run
in the woods (like the «Patrouille des Castors» in Spirou),
But it's got something military I didn't like (even if my father was
a soldier too). Beside, the sons of officers always got the best part.
It was obvious. So I said bye bye and went to the FBA football club
(FBA means belgian military forces in Germany). It was in Düren.
We were all dressed in black & white, got punched up a couple of
times, then I was admitted in the club first team (red & black).
We even were the champions one year. I've always loved football. I remember
one day, when I was a kid, I was watching the World Cup on tv. It was
in 1964. And I wondered : will I still love football when I'll grow
up ? Well, I do. Even more than before. |
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There's something ambiguous in this song : "tu étais
ma travlolita"
D :
Well, boy-scouts must have devotion. Girlscout too, but in a different
way. The «travlolita» word could be about some sexual ambiguity,
but no, she's a real girl. A girl who could accept any client fantasy.
This is a very erotic song. One of the hottest Polyphonic Size
songs ever, beside «Irrigation».
D :
Right. The lyrics here are about sex 100%. In a very explicit way sometimes,
like in the second verse. «Irrigation» was about sex too,
but it's also a metaphor to talk about water supply problems in Africa
in those days (and unfortunatly still today). I mostly got 3 themes
in my songs : politic/society - love - sexuality). |
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MEN
& CONSTRUCTION
This is about something totally different : modern architecture,
with a very Kraftwerk atmosphere.
D :
Right. I went to Egypt and New York before. Two places of great architecture.
When you're in front of the Gizah pyramids, it's amazing. The building,
the history, the past... It's unbelievable. New York too, in a different
way. It's present present, while we here are living in a continent
where past and present are always side by side. I remember, my wife
and I went to the top of one of the Twin Towers. It was in 1982. And
almost 20 years later I saw them falling down on September 11. It's
hard to believe. I left school, it was 4 p.m., took my car... turn the
radio on, and heard something about a tower burning. I thought it was
a radio serial or something. I changed to a belgian radio : same story
! I realized something really special was happening. I went home about
15 mn later, opened the door, and said to my wife : turn the tv on !
What's going on ? she said. I couldn't say a word. And then, like millions
of people, we stayed home, watching tv. It was Men and DESTRUCTION.
And then, Bush, etc.
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Anyway,
back to the song.
I also talk about Brussels, the «New Hiroshima», and «New
Nagasaki».
The music atmosphere is close to Kraftwerk (a band I really like, I've
got all their records). Did you notice there's a line in the lyrics
about the Trans Europe Express ?
In 2005, PS (Roger-Marc and Kloot Per W) recorded a new version of Kraftwerk
«Computer World», with new lyrics I wrote. I had to do it
because internet didn't exist when Kraftwerk released the song.
We also talk about the Berlin Wall. «Berliner Mauer» in
german. To be prononced Mo-we-, but R-M said «Maver-méver».
Probably some transmission problems because of my bad writing, and because
we probably didn't meet together between the reading and the recording.
It won't change the world anyway, even if the end of the Berlin Wall
was a big event. This mistake must be some kind of premonition !!! We'll
talk again about Germany in some other songs.
ON
THE WAY TO MEDORA
Did you find this title ? Roger-Marc couldn't remind what it means.
D : No, it wasn't my idea, so I can't tell you more about it.
SAISON
Another version (totally different) of a song from the very first single.
Wasn't it the end of a era ? Then, PS will record its first LP, and
change into something else.
D : It was time for the first album. We moved on to another step. |
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to Dominique Buxin interview Part 1 |
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