HUBERT-FELIX THIEFAINE

HUBERT-FELIX THIEFAINE

The king of words and rhyme, the prince of insolence and denunciation, Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine has for the past thirty years been classed as... unclassable. Miles away from showbiz and media fashion, this poet-singer's work is unique, clamoured for by the young, the less young, the born-again young, of indeterminate age. Like his prose.

BIOGRAPHY
Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine was born in Dole in the Jura region of France on July 21 1948. School was not a happy place for him, and he was considered for technical apprenticeship. But at 12 he was sent to a religious boarding school, which was depressing. The strict atmosphere in fact stimulated his imagination, and he began to write songs. He even set up a group with his friends, called the "Caïds Boys".
When he was about fifteen and again at a day school, with more freedom, Hubert-Felix began to hang around in cafés, where he could relax and have long conversations. It was also the age at which he discovered Dylan, the Who, the Rolling Stones and French language wordsmiths such as Jacques Brel and Léo Ferré. He became very interested in poetry and literature, seeking in them the revolt he felt and the answer to his adolescent yearnings. While he was studying psychology at Besançon, he met a man who soon became much more than a friend - Tony Carbonare. In 1970 they set to work with the help of a guitarist, Claude Mairet, and concocted what was to be Thiéfaine's first album. Thiéfaine arrived in Paris in November 71 and worked on models and song writing for two years. He nevertheless managed to put on his first show, called "Comme un chien dans un cimetière" (Like a dog in a cemetery). He rejoined Carbonare in Sochaux, where the latter was working in computers. They played together in a folk singing group called Machin. The combination of this with rocker Thiéfaine must have been quite surprising, but they continued their adventures with their first concert, in July 1976. That year, Thiéfaine signed with producer Hervé Bergerat.

Début Album
In 1977, the singer recorded his first album, which went by the plain name of "Tout corps vivant branché sur le secteur étant appelé à s'émouvoir…"(Any body living plugged into the mains and called upon to have emotions). His far from academic writing is of no assistance whatever in understanding his record. When it came out, in 1978, it sold 3,000 copies. Only the track "la Fille du coupeur de joint" (The joint-cutter's daughter) emerged from the fog to be played on a few radios. But later on it became one of his classic songs.
The next two albums, "Autorisation de délirer" (Permission to be crazy, 79) and "De l'amour, de l'art ou du cochon" (Love, art (lard) and pigs), in which "Comme un chien dans un cimetière" can be found, were in the same rock-folk vein as the first. Thiéfaine, as he admits freely, seemed to lose his way with the last album. He performed for a week at the Gaité Montparnasse theatre in Paris in 1980. This Parisian success was mainly due to word of mouth. Thiéfaine's persona is also quite strange. Beneath the disguise of the public entertainer / provoker, lurks exacerbated sensitivity, black poetry and gut passion. His personality, teetering on the brink of madness, is atypical, fascinating.
After a period of considerable personal struggle, an album with a premonitory title came out in 1981: "Dernière balise avant mutation" (Last signpost before mutation). Three tracks and all the arrangements of this fourth album were signed by his friend Claude Mairet. They returned to the Gaité Montparnasse in Paris for three weeks, and had a triumph at the Olympia. Mairet worked even more on "Soleil cherche futur" (Sun seeks future), which came out the following year, earning Thiéfaine's first golden disc. An ever increasing public was being won over. "Lorelei" and "Les dingues et les paumés" (The mad and the lost) were the tracks most heard on the radios, the former even topping the charts. Thiéfaine's universe is dark, always on the brink of madness. His texts conjure up strong, surrealistic images that the public (mostly young) adopt. They all turned up for his concert at the Olympia in 1983, where he gave a week of concerts followed by a three-month tour throughout France.
Just after the release of a Thiéfaine - Mairet album in 1984, entitled "Alambic/sortie sud" (Still / southern exit), Hubert-Felix Thiéfaine went back on stage, this time at the Zenith in Paris, from October 23 to 25. Never one to save his energy, he gives it all he's got. A huge tour in 1986 included a concert at the Festival du Printemps de Bourges, as well as one at Nyon Festival and one at Quebec. At the end of the year he released "Météo für nada", with the famous "Sweet Amanite Phalloïde Queen". Cultivating a chaos of words in a garden of weeds, Thiéfaine trots around brandishing his banner of pessimism, to the great delight of his public.
After a break in 1987, he returned with a new album entitled "Eros über alles", weaving between death and love, his words still as elaborate yet evoking powerful images. Then he went on tour and also gave a two-week series of concerts at the Elysée Montmartre in Paris, in April 1988.

Off to the USA
Deciding to change his recording methods, he went to New York in 1989. Alone with his guitar, he wrote an album produced by Barry Reynolds, "Bluesysentimental", which was released in 1990. Thiéfaine then embarked upon a long, 18-month tour, with some 102 concerts, many appearances in festivals and three performances in Paris at the Zenith. He only ever took a short holiday to re-charge for a new work or recording session.
After the East coast, he tackled the West, in 1993. He recorded new songs in Los Angeles with local musicians (those of Rod Stewart or Keith Richards) whom he impressed sufficiently for them to make a valuable contribution to his work. "Fragments d'hébetude" (fragments of stupor) is an intense, rock, almost American record. And, as usual after a release, he undertook a huge tour in France, which lasted practically a year and a half. The media took little notice, but there was never any problem filling the theatres. Thiéfaine mixed old and new songs, sometimes singing Léo Ferré's "Solitude". A double CD entitled Paris-Zenith contains this live production.
Thiéfaine continued, as prolific as always, to shake his public by publishing "La tentation du Bonheur" (the temptation of happiness) in 1996. These words seem odd in the singer's world. Some may think it is that he has arrived after many years of doubt, craziness and pessimism? Perhaps it is, in fact, that happiness is not merely "un long fleuve tranquille" as the film title has it. In this mix of rock and blues, all the singer's favourite ingredients are present: tenderness with "Tita dong-dong-song", inspired from his sons' baby talk, poetry with "Des adieux", and lucidity with "Mojo-dépanneur TV" (Mojo TV repairman).

Twenty Years In the Music Business
As if to celebrate his twenty years of performances, Thiéfaine brought out a new album in April 98, called "Le bonheur de la tentation" (which was partly recorded in London). This title, the echo of that of the previous album, could be interpreted either as a joke or as laziness, but maybe the word happiness scares Thiéfaine, for him to harp on it thus. His favourite themes and his style do not change, but it is as satisfying as ever to hear him sending up human stupidity.
When Thiéfaine decided to make a live comeback on 11 December '98 he did it in style, performing at the massive Bercy sports stadium in Paris to a capacity audience of 17,000 fans. Prior to this mega-concert Thiéfaine had been an artist more readily associated with small, relatively obscure venues. But he brought the house down on stage at Bercy, supported by five musicians and a full string ensemble. The audience, lapping up one of Thiéfaine's rare live appearances, were treated to a poetic and very personal show (two of the singer's most popular songs were written about his sons Hugo and Lucas).
On 14 December Thiéfaine hit the road again, setting off on a tour of smaller venues in the French provinces (which, it must be said, he was more used to than mega-concerts in sports stadiums!) However, bowing to popular demand, the singer ended his tour with two extra dates in Paris at the legendary Olympia (15 and 29 March '99). Thiéfaine went on to perform a short series of concerts in November, bringing the house down when he appeared at the Casino de Paris. The ambience of the singer's live shows was perfectly captured on a double live CD - the 5th of Thiéfaine's career - recorded during a concert at Bercy stadium.
For Thiéfaine, the turn of the century rhymed with important changes. He signed with a new label, Epic, and handed the management of his career to his wife, Francine Nicolas. His musical style also underwent quite a renewal. For his 13th album, Thiéfaine chose to work with completely different musicians. Released in March 2001, ‘Defloration 13’, is indeed characterized with new musical influences, such as trip hop and electro vibes, infused into the singer’s usual repertoire.
Whether you like his songs or not, you need someone like Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine. Leagues away from showbiz pressure and media dictatorship, he is uncompromising and true to himself. All his albums receive a golden disc at least, and his concerts are often sold out. His complex but loveable personality makes him one of the most interesting French artists of his generation.
Afterwards Thiefaine left for a seven-month tour, which started in March and ended on October 4th with an exclusive concert at the Paragraphes Festival in Mâcon. Alone on the stage, the artist played his solo guitar for no more than thirty minutes. Thiefaine’s fans were rather frustrated by that too brief appearance… But soon afterwards on October 28th, they would be able to rejoice at two simultaneous releases. The first album had been recorded live during the artist’s series of concerts at the Bataclan in March 2002. The second one--‘Les fils du coupeur de joints’--was a tribute paid to Thiefaine by fourteen French artists such as Sanseverino, Matmatah, Mickey 3D, Bénabar, etc., who all covered one of artist’s many songs.
Thiéfaine hit the road again in October, kicking off his "Défloration 13" tour. The tour featured 77 dates across France and highlights included three concerts in Paris: 19 & 20 October 2001 at Le Zénith and 28 March 2002 at Le Bataclan. The concert at Le Bataclan was recorded for a live album released on 28 October 2002, the same date as a tribute compilation hit record stores. "Les fils du coupeur de joints" featured fourteen French artists (including Sanseverino, Matmatah, Mickey 3D and Bénabar) who each recorded their own versions of classic Thiéfaine hits.
By the end of his "Défloration 13" tour, Thiéfaine was plagued by back problems again. In January 2003, following a severe bout of back pain, the singer was forced to lie in bed and rest. It took several months before he completely recovered.
In October 2003, the director of the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, in Paris, invited Thiéfaine to be the first guest at "Les Lundis au Palais Royal" (a series of one-off acoustic concerts programmed on Monday nights). Thiéfaine accepted and took to the stage, alone, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. In fact, he had already experimented with this concept himself at a concert in Geneva on 25 May 2002 - a concert he later admitted brought on one of the biggest attacks of stage fright in his career!
Following his experience at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Thiéfaine kicked off a purely acoustic tour. Taking to the stage alone with his faithful Gibson guitar, Thiéfaine performed acoustic versions of a great deal of his repertoire. The tour, which included some 60 dates, began in April 2004 and carried on until July 2005. It proved to be a big hit with fans. On 17 July 2004, Thiéfaine appeared at the Francofolies music festival in La Rochelle, where he invited his friend, Paul Personne, to join him on stage. Between 6 and 20 July 2004, he also performed five sell-out concerts at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, in Paris.
In 2004, Thiéfaine also took to the stage as an actor, playing the role of the Devil in "The Soldier’s Tale" (a musical play by Ramuz and Igor Stravinsky) at the Grand Théâtre de Dijon on 26 & 27 May.

2005 - Scandale mélancolique
In January 2005, Thiéfaine turned his attention to his musical career once again, sitting down to write material for a new album. "Scandale mélancolique", Thiéfaine's sixth studio album, was released in October 2005. It proved to be a major turning-point in his career. For the first time, instead of penning the melodies himself on his new album, he invited a number of composers to work for him. Guest collaborators included French rock'n'pop star Cali (who performed the duet "Gynécées" with him), JP Nataf (a former member of Les Innocents), Michael Furnon from the group Mickey 3D and Swiss singer-songwriter Jeremy Kiesling. The rock group Elista were also involved, paying tribute to jailed Noir Désir frontman Bertand Cantat on their "Télégramme 2003". Songs on the album, for which Thiéfaine assured most of the lyrics, all had a resolutely pop-rock feel. "Confessions d'un never been" was chosen as the first single release from the album.

...TOUT CORPS VIVANT BRANCHE SUR LE SECTEUR

ETANT APPELE A S'EMOUVOIR... (1978)
320 KBPS
1. L'ascenseur De 22h43 (1ere Partie) 3:06
2. La Fin Du St Empire Romain-Germanique 2:33
3. Je T'en Remets Au Vent 2:28
4. La Maison Borniol 4:23
5. La Cancoillotte 2:02
6. L'ascenseur De 22h43 (2eme Partie) 2:58
7. Premiere Descente Aux Enfers Par La Face Nord 3:05
8. 22 Mai 5:18
9. La Deche, Le Twist Et Le Reste 3:09
10. La Fille Du Coupeur De Joints 3:55
11. La Chant Du Fou 4:19

password: NS43

AUTORISATION DE DELIRER (1979)
320 KBPS
1. La Vierge Au Dodge . 51 2:54
2. Court-Metrage 3:17
3. La Mome Kaleidoscope 4:13
4. L'homme Politique, Le Roll-Mops Et La Cuve A Mazout 5:50
5. Variations Autour Du Complexe D'icare 2:35
6. Enferme Dans Les Cabinets (Avec La Fille Mineure Des 80 Chasseurs) 3:42
7. La Queue 5:25
8. Derniere Station Avant L'autoroute 0:41
9. Rock-Autopsie 3:43
10. Autorisation De Delirer 1:16
11. Alligators 427 5:01

password: NS44

DE L'AMOUR, DE L'ART OU DU COCHON (1980)
320 KBPS
1. Psychanalyse Du Singe 3:24
2. Groupie 89 Turbo 6 5:09
3. L'amour Mou 2:30
4. Scorbut 3:06
5. Comme Un Chien Dans Un Cimetiere 4:48
6. De L'amour, De L'art Ou Du Cochon ? 4:02
7. L'agence Des Amants De Madame Muller 8:47
8. Vendome Gardenal Snack 4:40

password: NS45

DERNIERES BALISES (AVANT MUTATION) (1981)
320 KBPS
1. 113ème Cigarette Sans Dormir 4:40
2. Narcisse 81 3:27
3. Mathematiques Souterraines 5:21
4. Taxiphonant D'un Pack De Kro 3:40
5. Scenes De Panique Tranquille 0:54
6. Cabaret Sainte Lilth 5:53
7. Photographie Tendresse 0:48
8. Une Fille Au Rhesus Negatif 3:27
9. Exil Sur Planete-Fantôme 4:32
10. Redescente Climatisee 4:58

password: NS46

SOLEIL CHERCHE FUTUR (1982)
320 KBPS
1. Soleil Cherche Futur 4:44
2. Lorelei Sebasto Cha 4:06
3. Autoroutes Jeudi D'automne 3:53
4. Ad Orgasmum Aeternum 4:25
5. Les Dingues Et Les Paumes 4:45
6. Exit To Chatagoune-Goune 3:57
7. Rock Joyeux 2:45
8. Solexine Et Ganja 6:21

password: NS47

ALAMBIC SORTIE SUD (1984)
320 KBPS
1. Stalag-tilt
2. Whiskeuses images again
3. Nyctalopus airline
4. Femme de Loth
5. Buenas noches, Jo
6. Un Vendredi 13 à 5h
7. Chambre 2023 (& des poussières)

password: MOODSWINGSmusic

METEO FUR NADA (1986)
320 KBPS
1. Dies Ole Sparadrap Joey
2. Zone Chaude, Mome
3. Precox Ejaculator
4. Narine Narchande
5. Affaire Rimbaud
6. Bipede A Station Verticale
7. Sweet Amanite Phalloide Queen
8. Diogene Serie 87
9. Errer Humanum Est

password: MOODSWINGSmusic

EROS UBER ALLES (1988)
320 KBPS
1. Was Ist Das Rock'n'roll
2. Je Ne Sais Plus Quoi Faire Pour Te Decevoir
3. Amants Destroy
4. Pulque Mescal Y Tequila
5. Septembre Rose
6. Syndrome Albatros
7. Droide Song
8. Je suis Partout

password: MOODSWINGSmusic

CHRONIQUES BLUESYMENTALES (1990)
320 KBPS
1. Demain Les Kids
2. Pogo Sur La Dead Line
3. Un Automne A Tanger (Antinous Nostalgia)
4. Camera Terminus
5. 542 Lunes Et 7 Jours Environ
6. Zoo Zumains Zebus
7. Portrait De Femme En 1922
8. Misty Dog In Love
9. Ville Natales Et Frenchitude

password: MOODSWINGSmusic

FRAGMENTS D'HEBETUDE (1993)
320 KBPS
1. Crepuscule - Transfert
2. Les Mouches Bleues Écouter
3. Est-Ce Ta Premiere Fin De Millenaire ?
4. Bruit De Bulles
5. Fin De Partie
6. Animal En Quarantaine
7. Serie De 7 Reves En Crash Position
8. Juste Une Valse Noire
9. Paranoid Game
10. Maalox Texas Blues
11. La Terre Tremble
12. Une Provinciale De Petite Bourgeoisie
13. Encore Un Petit Cafe
14. Terrien, T'es Rien

password: MOODSWINGSmusic

LA TENTATION DU BONHEUR (1996)
320 KBPS
1. 24 Heures Dans La Nuit D'un Faune
2. Critique Du Chapitre 3
3. La Nostalgie De Dieu
4. Orphee Nonante Huit
5. Tita Dong-Dong Song
6. Sentiments Numeriques Revisites
7. Mojo - Depanneur Tv (1948-2023)
8. Copyright Apero Mundi
9. Psychopompes : Metempsychose & Sportswear
10. Des Adieux .../...
11. Le Philosophie Du Chaos
12. La Nostalgie De Dieu (Version Unplugged)

password: MOODSWINGSmusic

LE BONHEUR DE LA TENTATION (1998)
320 KBPS
1. Retour Vers La Lune Noire
2. La Ballade D'abdallah Geronimo Cohen
3. Empreintes Sur Negatif
4. Methode De Dissection Du Pigeon A Zone-La-Ville
5. Dans Quel Etat Terre
6. Bouton De Rose
7. 27eme Heure : Suite Faunesque
8. Eurydice Nonante Sept
9. Le Chaos De La Philosophie
10. Exercice De Simple Provocation Avec 33 Fois Le Mot Coupable
11. Final Abdallah

password: MOODSWINGSmusic

DEFLORATION 13 (2001)
320 KBPS
1. Une Ambulance Pour Elmo Lewis
2. Quand La Banlieu Descendra Sur La Ville
3. Le Touquet Juillet 1925
4. Also Sprach Winnie L' Ourson
5. Guichet 102
6. Joli Mai Mois De Marie
7. Camelia : Huile Sur Toile à Charles Belle
8. Parano-safari En Ego-trip-transit Ou Comment Plumer Son Ange-gardien
9. Eloge De La Tristesse
10. Roots & Déroutes + Croisement
11. Les Fastes De La Solitude

password: MOODSWINGSmusic

SCANDALE MELANCOLIQUE (2005)
320 KBPS
1. Libido Moriendi
2. Scandale Mélancolique
3. Gynécées
4. Confessions D'Un Never Been
5. Le Jeu De La Folie
6. Last Exit To Paradise
7. L'Etranger Dans La Glace
8. Les Jardins Sauvages
9. Télégramme 2003
10. Loin Des Temples En Marbre De Lune
11. La Nuit De La Samain
12. When Maurice Meets Alice
13. That Angry Man On The Pier

password: MOODSWINGSmusic