Julien Clerc in 2008: “I immediately understood that I would be my own master if I wrote my music”
Interview: His melodies are passed down from generation to generation. In 2008, Julien Clerc celebrated forty years of singing. In this interview with Le Nouvel Observateur, he spoke about his childhood and the encounters that have marked his life as a man and an artist.
Interview by Sophie Delassein
Portrait of Julien Clerc by Studio Harcourt for an advertising campaign, in 2008. STUDIO HARCOURT PARIS / STUDIO HARCOURT PARIS VIA AFP
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In May 1968, France discovered him with "La Cavalerie." A year later, his (nude) role in "Hair," with its scandalous aftermath, launched him definitively. In September 2008, he released "Where Do the Planes Go?", his 21st album. "Women, I love you," he sang. They have always loved him back. In 1968, the first lady of France was Yvonne de Gaulle; today, she is Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. It's clear that the world has changed in four decades. But Julien Clerc has remained faithful to his own. Without weakening, without failing, the man with the "volcanic heart" has continued to give to chic and popular songs. With undeniable success: around thirty hits to his name, from "Ivanovich" to "Double Enfance."
For his new album, Julien Clerc has surrounded himself with a host of talented authors. While Roda-Gil is no longer with us, the faithful (Le Forestier, McNeil, Dabadie, Bruni) have been joined by new recruits like Gérard Manset, Gérard Duguet-Grasser, and Benjamin Biolay. The latter also produced the album, which he wanted to center around Julien Clerc's piano. A wool skirt, a girl of joy, a funny fairy, a little admiral, and eternal lovers...
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