Bénabar – Matias Indjic
- Regularly, in his Future Interview, 20 Minutes questions artists, researchers and explorers to gather their visions of the future.
- For his last clip Yes and so, from his latest album Indocile Happy, Bénabar imagines the last hours of a man before the end of the world.
- The opportunity to come back with the singer on his vision of the future of humanity (and the music industry).
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What would you do if you only had one day left to live? This is the question that Bénabar asked for the clip from Yes and so, from his ninth album Indocile Happy, released in January. The video opens with a television newscast that announces the collision of an asteroid with Earth and the imminent disappearance of humanity.
In front of David Fontao’s camera (PLK, Mister V, Izia…), the singer plays a slightly bitter man who plunges into debauchery before the end of the world. A pre-apocalyptic clip that looks like a carpe diem. The opportunity to explore the world of tomorrow with Bénabar for this new future interview.
Your clip begins with information that an asteroid is threatening Earth and mankind. The hero of the story – you – decides to spend a decadent night while waiting for the end of the world, is that a question that torments you?
It was an idea by director David Fontao that matched the song –Yes and so-. Humans always knew they had a sword of Damocles over their heads. As soon as an asteroid passes close to Earth, the media grab the headlines. It puts pressure on us all. And when you read the article more carefully, you discover that the risk is minimal, if not zero. They maintain this paranoia a little. The album has a carpe diem side, let’s make the most of the moment. The carpe diem is also the idea that everything will stop and maybe very violently so you have to take advantage. It is a joyous vision of the end of the world.
“Contrary to what people say, buying streams is not just about rappers”
You speak in “Yes and then” of the passing of time, of forgetting, of our disappearing traces, isn’t that contradictory with the fatalistic intonation of the song’s title?
It was inspired by a conversation where someone would express their doubts and fear to us while thinking about the future. And the person opposite answers him: “Yes you’re right, it’s going to end badly, so what?” Once you said that, you didn’t say anything. It was the device of the story.
Thanks to artificial intelligence, singers could never disappear and even continue to write songs. Recently the Lost Tapes Of The 27 Club project created unreleased tracks from Nirvana or Amy Winehouse, what do you think?
It’s the fun fair. By definition, art is not about creating the obvious result. The artificial intelligence would have to divorce, break a leg, live… At 60, Kurt Cobain would not have written the logical continuation of the songs he composed at the age of 20. What strikes me are the deep fakes, though. There, we will be able to make anyone say anything. Journalists are going to have a job on fact-checking. Half of the editorial staff will devote themselves to this. It is already a bit the case but I think it will accelerate. I am also sensitive to that in my job.
That is to say ?
In music, it’s everyday. My job has never been so twisted: fake record sales, buying streams to inflate numbers. In the end, we don’t care, but in the newspaper, the information is false. Streaming platforms (Spotify, Deezer…) are starting to take a closer look. There are so many ways to get around reality. And contrary to popular belief, stream purchases aren’t just about rappers. It is a global system. Ten years ago, the recording industry already had this habit. If you sold 100,000 records, it was said that you were selling 150,000. Everyone added a little, and everyone knew it. Everyone had to lie because, if you were telling the truth, it meant you had sold less. It was a vicious cycle. Today, with new technologies, it’s so easy to cheat, to twist things a bit.
Are you more afraid of fakes than of the end of the world?
I am obviously very afraid of the end of the world, that is part of the philosophical problems. Fake news can also bring us to the end of the world. When you see certain conspiracy theories, there is something to be afraid of. Might as well put the pyres back and burn people …
In your opinion, has the health crisis allowed the music industry to enter the future, between Instagram lives, virtual festivals…?
On the contrary, I think it was very unwelcome for the music. There is no tour, no public… What we see of it does not correspond to reality. Those who go on tour, and this is valid for the theater, suddenly they lose their reality. And they don’t always have the digital and media power to fight.
What is your idea of the world that awaits us?
I hope we will move towards a greater reality. We see it in particular through consumption. More and more people favor short circuits, seasonality and sustainable agriculture. I am also thinking of the development of peasants and artisans, who are in the real world. It is not a coquetry of satisfied Parisians, I think it is a good thing. It teaches us that we are all united, it is also the principle of the pandemic. If a person is sick, we will be sick shortly. Everyone or no one has to be treated.
“It is rare that insomnia gives birth to an imperishable song or an idea that changes the face of the world”
For you, the future will be a collapsology atmosphere or a transhumanist atmosphere?
I’m not afraid of progress. Technology is a tool. A chainsaw allows you to cut trees for heat and to cut your neighbors. As with all tools, there will always be people out there to hijack the technology and use it to do horrors. But I believe enough in technology. As for collapsology, without believing in the apocalypse, we have all understood that natural resources are limited, except maybe Donald Trump … Everyone has understood that we must be careful and it is consistent the idea of consuming in a reasoned way …
Edith Piaf said: “Sleeping is a waste of time. Sleeping scares me. It is a form of death ”. What do you think ?
I rather share this idea. I’m a little insomniac, that’s why I like touring. I like the manual part of my job: collapsing tired and, admittedly, a little drunk on a bus. There is something physical about being on stage for two hours. I like this part to sleep well. Otherwise, I dwell on it, I think about it, but not necessarily interesting things. Rarely does sleeplessness give birth to an enduring song or an idea that changes the face of the world. We often rehash the bullshit we heard earlier.
Bob Dylan said: “The past does not exist because it is past, the future is not yet there; consequently there is only the present since one is there ”. What does this mean to you?
He pushes open doors a bit, Bob! I have known him more inspired. I have this side, carpe diem, which goes with friends, food, remake the world by opening me a fourth bottle of wine, playing the trumpet at the table… I could not do without carpe diem. In the clip, it was with young people who were smoking firecrackers. Me, it is much more bourgeois. It’s more red wine, good food… I am an old singer installed.
Can you react to this image from your clip?
It is also an idea of David Fontao, the director, to mix a very 1990 aesthetic with that of today. He wanted a Wes Anderson vibe… to mix up the eras so that you couldn’t really determine the period in which the story is set. The retrofuturistic aesthetic appealed to him. And I like the graphic aspect they gave to the clip.
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