We all scream for Ice Cream

Apparently it is National Ice Cream Week (28th May-3rd June 2012*).  I wonder if they asked Polnareff to take part, he did once claim to have been born in an ice cream - here he is, in his trademark sunglasses and naked as the day he was born (except for his grandma's hat)...

[image source]

Watch out for the bizarre pillaging of The Intro & The Outro by The Bonzo's in this epic from his everythingANDthekitchensink masterpiece Polnareff's.

Michel Polnareff - Né Dans Un Ice-Cream


I imagine, meanwhile, that on hearing of N.I.C.W., Ariane would have gotten herself all excited and danced around in a circle chanting "Ice Cream, Ice Cream, Moi je n'aime que l'ice cream" until she felt so queasy she couldn't stomach even the tiniest scoop of cold, creamy goodness**.

[image source: Bide & Musique]

Ariane - Ice Cream

[this was re-issued on Ultra Chicks vol. 1, if you can find a copy]

But isn't it strange how they both opted for the anglophone and not the francophone?


Here are a few of my favourite places to buy ice cream (in no particular order)

1. Fusciardi's, Eastbourne - try the 'Moonraker' sundae.
2. Marocco's, Hove - a multitude of homemade flavours, try the chilli chocolate or the boozy tiramisu.
3. Di Pola's, Hastings - possibly the softest gelato I've ever had the pleasure of eating.
4. Amorino, Paris - try as many flavours as you can fit in a cone and they will arrange them like the petals of a flower.
5. Berthillon, Paris - everything from Irish Coffee to Earl Grey Tea. A scoop of pear and a scoop of their ultra-rich chocolate works well.
6. Fennochio Glacier, Nice - over 50 flavours including some odd ones like Cactus, Black Olive, Tomato & Basil, Thyme.

*on closer inspection it seems to be very much a sponsored event, and not very 'National' at all
**does that sound dirty and wrong?

L'Amour à la Chaîne pt.9

Pssst!  I think the coast is clear, haven't seen a zombie for weeks now.  The post of the living dead is over.

In the interim, some sad news: A death in the family - Dear ol' grandma shuffled off this mortal coil.  It doesn't look as though she succumbed in the zombie invasion. No, I suspect there my have been foul-play afoot.

But who killed Grandmother?

Perhaps this ecclesiastic euology from Polnareff will shed some light.  And even if it doesn't, it's sure to get all the tears a'flowing*.

Michel Polnareff - Qui a Tué Grand'Maman?

[buy Polnareff from itunes | amazon.co.uk]

Thank you Michel, that was beautiful.  Not sure why you had to spoil the moment by dressing up in Grandmother's clothes and baring your arse at the congregation though.


* to paraphrase a certain Mr. Cave (who, coincidentally, once covered Polnareff for a tribute album)
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L'Amour à la Chaîne: what will be the next link in the chain? Leave your suggestions and reasons in the comments.
Jacques Dutronc - L'Amour à la Chaîne > Françoise Hardy - Je Changerais D'Avis > Les 5 Gentlemen – Cara-Lin > Add N To (X) – Monster Bobby > Serge Gainsbourg – Le Poinçonneur des Lilas > Les Shades – Orage Mécanique > Gillian Hills - Rentre Sans Moi > Zombie Zombie - Psychic Harmonia > Michel Polnareff - Qui a Tué Grand'Maman? > ?

Erotissimo

The very helpful people at the Swingin' Mademoiselles facebook page tipped me off about the Annie Girardot track I posted in the Girls in the Garage vol. 12 (bonus) post [see the comments].

With a little help from a certain online translator, I deduced the song was from the 1969 film Erotissimo, and was written by Michel Polnareff (music) and Jean-Loup Dabadie (lyrics) [see previous post for the mp3 download].



The second half of this next clip features the nuts instrumental 'Excitissimo' by William Sheller (which was comped a few years ago on WIZZZ! Volume 1 (Born Bad Records)).  Also, watch out for the ubiquitous Serge Gainsbourg cameo.



A brief synopsis of the film

A married woman in her 30's (Annie Girardot) tries to spice up her sex life with her distracted husband Philippe (Jean Yanne) under the deluge of sexy Swedish movies, sexy advertising on the streets, sexy intimate clothing in ladies' shops, and even talks about sex and marital infidelity with her mother and female friends. Philippe, a general manager of a dynamic company specializing in baby products becomes preoccupied with an upcoming tax audit. Even the presence of a beautiful fashion model who lives with Annie's brother fails to divert his attention.

Conclusions: I. WANT. TO. SEE. THIS. FILM.

Creepy Crawlies pt.1

Following our (not so) recent post about Wasps, here’s one about Creepy Crawlies, or Bestioles, as the French dictionary has just informed me. So if the thought of little leggy critters makes your skin crawl, take a deep breath and read on with caution.

We’re talking little critters like these two clockwork Horrors*, who were wound-up and let loose in Daniel Miller’s studio full of ancient analogue gadgetry.

After a few days Barry 7 was sent in to try and take some control of the situation. The result: some deeply sinister metal-on-metal musik like this:

Spider and the Flies – Spider and the Flies
[buy Spider and The Flies: iTunes | Mute Bank]

We all know Michel Polnareff is a bit of a strange one – Whenever I try and introduce someone to his music, I like to take them through some of his looks to show the whole package: At the start there was little mod-like urchin Polnareff, serenading with his 12-string guitar… Gradually this mutated into the Pierrot/Jagger/Bowie-hybrid wailing goth-glam opera sounds in a white smock dress and those trademark sunglasses… Somewhere along the way, it appears Michel may have been abducted by the P-Funk Mothership, where a freaky transformation took place. On his return to earth, Polnareff unveiled his new ‘look’: a fright-wigged Bowie-meets-Liberace-meets-Elton John bacofoil ostrich from outer-space…

This one’s from back in those mod-ish days, dressed in a black polar-neck, Polnareff proclaimed himself ‘King of the Ants’
Michel Polnareff – Le Roi De Fourmis
[buy Polnareff: iTunes | Amazon.fr]

Nine years later, he changed his mind (along with his image), and decided he was a fly with a penchant for landing on people’s lips… Mmmm, spread those germs.


Michel Polnareff – La Mouche
[buy Michel Polnareff: iTunes | Amazon.fr]



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*we should also mention that those Horrors have come up trumps with their new album Primary Colours. Goodbye hairspray-goth, hello krautrock-shoegaze.

setlist 28 MARCH 2009

Last month we were joined by birthday boy Stuart Lamour (who some of you may know from his good work over at 20jazzfunkgreats). Stuart had done his research and unearthed a nice batch of French and electronic sounds to add some zing to the evening. Much fun was had by all, and we have each chosen a song we played as a gift in mp3 format.

Here's how we soundtracked the evening:

Sarah
Depeche Mode – New Life
OMD – Mystereality
Visage – Damned Don’t Cry
John Cooper Clarke – Beasley Street
The Film – Can You Touch Me
Sebastien Tellier – Divine
Verity
Petula Clark – Mon Bonheur Danse
Stereolab – Lo Boob Oscillator
Dalida – Petit Elephant Twist
The Knife – Silent Shout
Arab Strap – 1st Big Weekend
Serge Gainsbourg et Jane Birkin – Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus
Jacques Dutronc – Les Playboys
Deux – Dance With Me
Dominic
John Foxx – Mr No
Patricia Gallant – La Musique et La Danse
John et Jehn – 20L07
White Trash – Raw Meat
Michèle et Ses Wouaps – Dam Dam
Elizabeth – Je Suis Sublime
Stereo Total – Comme Un Garçon
Curry & Coco – Sex Is Fashion
Henri Salvador – Beta Gamma, L’Ordinateur
Chorus Reverendus – Ne Poussez Pas Mémé Dans Les Orties
Michel Polnareff – TA-TA-TA-TA
Stuart
Appalosa – The Day We Fell in Love
Polyphonic Size – Nagasaki Mon Amour
Brigitte Bardot – Contact
Moonbirds – Astro 9
France Gall – Laisse Tomber Les Filles
Dusty Springfield – Demain Tu Peux Changer
Eileen – Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher
Theme from Ulysses 31
Mathematiques Modernes – Disco Rough
Adam and The Ants – Young Parisians
Sarah
Devo – Time Out For Fun
The Associates – The Stranger in Your Voice
Sparks – Get in the Swing
Mort Garson (Electronic Hair Pieces) – Good Morning Starshine
Les Roches Martin – Les Mains Dans Les Poches
France Gall – Les Sucettes
Sylvie Vartan - Koibito Jidai
Add N To (X) – Plug Me In
Verity
Ladytron – Commodore Rock
Cerrone – Supernature
Sebastien Tellier – L’Amour et la Violence (Boys Noize main version)
Mareva – C’est Bon
Petula Clark – Il y a Tellement de Filles
Françoise Hardy – On Dit De Lui
Magnetic Fields – The Village in The Morning
Deux – Game and Performance
hollAnd – The Lebanon
Jacques Dutronc – On Nous Cache Tout, On Nous Dit Rien
Dominic
Chantal Goya – Tu M’as Trop Menti
Chantal Goya – C’est Bien Bernard
Toss – Est-Ce Qu’on S’Cherche, Ou Est Ce Qu’on Triche? (Da Da Da)
Hiem – Crawlers
Cats In Paris – Loose Tooth Tactile
PixelH8 – Girl Fight
Michel Polnareff – Time Will Tell
Andre Previn – Executive Party (Rollerball OST)
Françoise Cactus – You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory
Stuart
Bill Wyman – Je Suis Un Rock Star
Herman’s Rocket – Space Woman
Daniel Deneuve – La Parisien
Desireless – Voyage Voyage
Phoenix – Funky Square Dance
Sebastien Tellier – Sexual Sportswear
Ronny – To Have and Have Not
Sarah
Glass Candy – Beatific
The Knife – Heartbeats
John Foxx – Burning Car
Soft Cell – Say Hello Wave Goodbye
Pulp - Your Sister’s Clothes
Verity
Michel Polnareff – Y'a Que Pas Pouvoir Qu’on Peut
Serge Gainsbourg – Rock Around The Bunker
Ray Davies (BBC Sporting Themes) – Breezy Bounce
The All Seeing I – 1st Man in Space
Fiery Furnaces – Single Again
Dominic
We Are ENFANT TERRIBLE – Snap Dragon
France Gall – Computer Nr.3
Miss Pain - Kiss Cuddle Torture (MC Fashion Remix)
Dave Rogers - Theme from Cybernoid (ZX Spectrum 128K)
Madeleine Pascal – Dieu N’est Pas Vieux
Michel Polnareff – La Mouche
Stereo Total – Orange Mecanique
Stuart
Jean-Michel Jarre – Oxygene (part 6)
Ruth – Polaroid-Roman-Photo
JJ Burnel – Freddie Laker
Grace Jones – La Vie En Rose
Jacques Dutronc – Le Responsable
Sarah
Devo – The Day (My Baby Gave Me a Surprise)
Luke Haines – Off My Rocker at the Art School Bop
The Chap – They Have A Name
Verity
Vanessa Paradis – Joe Le Taxi
Stereo Total – Supergirl
OMD – Electricity
Dominic
De!Nial – Tokyo Dance School
Mad&Moiselle – Chupa Chups
Liz Brady – Hey O Daddy O
Stuart
Die Dorau & Die Marinas – Fred Vom Jupiter
Kraftwerk – Tour De France
Zig Zag – Stop Stop Stop
Dominic
Telex – Ça Plane Pour Moi
Roger Limb (BBC Radiophonic Workshop) – Kitten’s Lullaby

mp3 selections

Dominic: Elizabeth - Je Suis Sublime

Stuart: Herman’s Rocket – Space Woman

Sarah: Pulp - Your Sister's Clothes

Verity: Michel Polnareff – Y'a Que Pas Pouvoir Qu’on Peut

Computer L.O.V.E. pt.4

RE-BOOT RE-BOOT…
IT’S MORE FUN TO COMPUTE

Well, that’s what Kraftwerk would have us believe. Mind you, that was 1981, and back then people didn’t waste hour-upon-hour staring slack-jawed at a VDU until their eyes popped out on stalks and their fingers cramped up into RSI-locked claws.

Kraftwerk - It’s More Fun To Compute
[buy Kraftwerk: iTunes | Amazon]

No, back then in the brave new world of the early-80’s you’d have to hang around waiting for 2 hours for yr cassette to hit the payload. Imagine all that pent-up youthful anticipation finally unleashed as you got your hands on the controls to help Horace Go Skiing

Yes! Computing was indeed much more fun than sitting round twiddling your thumbs waiting for your game to load. Though some of those epilepsy-inducing visuals you used to get on the telly were often worth the entry money alone.

Here’s another 8-bit hit of ZX Spectrum madness (with thanks to Feline1). This one has some sweet shuffling Casio-tone beats, and an eerie underwater vibrato melody which helps set the scene for the gameplay:
“Pirates have raided the storage depots of the Federation and stolen valuable minerals, jewels, ammunition and the latest battle weaponry. The Cybernoid ship has been depatched with instructions to retrieve the stolen booty and to return it to storage within a specified time limit. The pirates have activated planetary defence systems and the Cybernoid will have to battle with these as well as the pirates themselves in order to retrieve the stolen booty."

Dave Rogers - Theme from Cybernoid (ZX Spectrum 128K)

*********GAME OVER*********

Now put your computer to sleep before you get an unhealthy vector addiction.

Q: Do computers dream of pixelated sheep?
A: It depends what sort of mood you put them in when you send them to sleep…

Every night Polnareff sings a sinister lullaby to his computer and sends it off into a wailing 70’s cowbell wonderland.

Michel Polnareff – Computer’s Dream

[buy Polnareff: iTunes | Amazon]

When silence descends Polnareff’s computer opens his camera eye to check the coast is clear.

It is not.

Polnareff’s computer regresses to his happy place, where he sings a simple song to himself:

“Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do…”