The story goes that he died in his bath – electroschock. I heard he was trying to change to lightbulb when he was in the shower.
The story goes that he died in his bath – electroschock. I heard he was trying to change to lightbulb when he was in the shower.
I spoke to Vive Le Fete’s Els Pynoo and Danny Mommens while they were in Amsterdam getting ready for their gig at De Melkweg on June 4th. They just released their fourth CD, Grand Prix and it happens to be one of my favorites of the year so I was more than excited to meet them and more than happy to see that their ‘long live the party’ motto isn’t just a stage attitude. They are exactly who they appear to be, Els Pynoo is a genuine blonde bombshell and Danny Mommens is a rock star extraordinaire and if that weren’t enough they happen to be a really nice, loving couple. Awww.
IN: You have your fourth album out now called Grand Prix and it’s fantastic and a lot of fun. I’m excited to do this interview and I’m very excited to see the show tonight. You kicked off this tour recently with Human League, right?
Els: Yes, about two weeks ago and I was really looking forward to see the band because I was a huge Human League fan when I was sixteen. So I was really proud that we could play together and I watched some songs and I still like it very much.
IN: And what was their response to Vive Le Fete?
Els: We didn’t see them afterwards. They had to leave immediately so that’s a pity. I couldn’t shake hands.
IN: Aww, that is a pity… Do you have any ideas for the new videos for the new album because I haven’t seen anything on the website?
Danny: Yeah, we did a video but it’s just a normal video. It’s nothing special on the video.
Els: No, it’s like a short movie. It’s not really a video clip I guess. It’s like some pieces of every country we’ve been playing so it’s more like a documentary.
IN: Who did the filming?
Els: Most of the time it was Danny.
Danny: Also Els did a fashion shoot for Elle Magazine and I just filmed it and used it in the video. Most of the things we do every week like photo shoots and traveling, that you can see in the video. Planes, I hate planes. They’re very fascinating.
IN: Is there anything you’d like to do in the future in a video that you haven’t done yet?
Danny: I’m looking for some look a likes of Els and me so we don’t have to play in the video and somebody else can make the video.
IN: This electro pop sound is getting really popular. Does that bother you? Because you guys were doing it for a long time.
Danny: Yeah, we’ve been doing it already for a long time but in the new album we use more guitars than the album before – but it’s still pop music.
IN: Does anyone like to put you in the category with these other bands that are coming out with a similiar sound?
Els: A few years ago that put us with together with Miss Kitten and the Hacker and FisherSpooner and Chics on Speed and I always thought we were different. I don’t know why they put us together. It’s not that electro…I think.
Danny: The difference is we play everything live. I hate working with machines or running tapes. That’s the difference may be between those other bands.
IN: I guess what I mean is, I know you’re a fan of the eighties synth pop and now that that’s becoming more popular and I was wondering if it bothered you that it’s getting so hyped? Because that’s been your passion since the beginning?
Danny: I believe the hype is getting over in Belgium. It’s more getting back to the live bands …rock bands. It’s even more of a test if you can bring it live because a few years ago a lot of bands made the mistake of making the music and then they didn’t know what to do when it came to tour.
Els: When we recorded the Grand Prix we took care for that because sometimes if you put four keyboards on you can’t play it so you have to keep it simple and we think about it before but most of the groups have the problem they can’t play what they’re playing.
Danny: I think it’s boring when you see a band and the music is good but it’s just a running machine…
IN: Do you have any loops or dubs at all?
Danny: No, never. Everything is live and that’s what I like because you can give it more energy and if you have a voice running with you than you have to stay the same and I don’t like it.
IN: You have a live band now; is that new?
Danny: No, for four or five years we have a live band. In the beginning we had a machine but we didn’t like it. We started looking for the right musicians to play this kind of music and we got a very good band now.
IN: Is this a new line up or the same people?
Danny: No, every album I changed until I got the right people to play this music but now we got the right people that understand what we mean.
IN: Is this going to be Vive Le Fete or will you change it again at the next album?
Els: We never plan it before. It just comes to us. I think we have a very nice group now and I hope that they can keep them because it’s very nice to work together for a few years. Then you know each other very well and that’s great.
Danny: I think that we’ve had three different keyboard players and four or five drummers and two bass players.
IN: That sounds confusing.
Danny: Yeah, but it doesn’t matter because we make the songs, Els and me so we can change the band. So it doesn’t matter, it always stays Vive Le Fete. I don’t believe in making songs with the whole band with five people. It’s like five colours, you get a shit colour.
IN: One of the things I like about interviewing bands is that when you research them you come across new things and with you guys I got really interested in Serge Gainsbourg because I read that you liked him. Can you tell me why Vive Le Fete likes him so much?
Els: I really like his text. There are also very simple. It’s poetic. He’s got a ‘joie de vivre’. He doesn’t care what people think about him and that’s what I like about him; and Jane Birkin of course.
Danny: I don’t understand his lyrics. I don’t understand French.
IN: Doesn’t Els translate? Or do you speak French?
Els: Yes, but not like really good French. Not how it should be. But that’s ok. I take care.
Danny: I like the music from Gainsbourg as well but I don’t need to understand the lyrics
IN: I didn’t know how controversial he was. I read about the song Lemon Incest and that he made a rock album about the Nazis in the sixties or seveneties. I thought that would apeal to you because you like controversy as well.
Els: Yeah sure. He’s like a rebel and that’s what I like.
IN: Can you tell me something about Claude Francios?
Els: We like Claude Francios …some songs …we really do. He makes songs for all kind of people and that’s what we want to do too. It’s working.
IN: For those that don’t know he’s a bit like a French Elvis or a French Tom Jones.
Els: Yes, something like that. He’s over the top and very kitchy but that’s what I like.
IN: I don’t understand French. What does your song say about him on the CD?
Els: It’s about all the vedets and all the heroes for me and Danny and Claude Francios is one of them.
IN: Did you hear how he died? It’s a strange story.
Els: The story goes that he died in his bath – electroschock. I heard he was trying to change to lightbulb when he was in the shower. I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s the story.
Danny: Actually we called the song Claude Francios because the other keyboard player from a few years ago, his name was Francios and if you say klote Francios in Flemish it means fuck Francios…heh heh heh…klote Francios.
IN: Is it difficult to be boyfriend and girlfriend and work together?
Els: No, I think it’s more a luxury because we know each other very well. If we make songs together we don’t have to think about it, we don’t have to talk about it we know what we want. It’s very nice to work together. I like it.
Danny: When I wake up with a hang over it’s better to wake up with Els in a hotel with a hangover than alone.
IN: Do you ever talk about getting married?
Els: We wanted to get married in Las Vegas when we played but all the rings were too big so, we didn’t find the rings so, we didn’t do it. In our heads we’re married. It’s not that important.
Danny: All the rings looked like cock rings in Vegas.
IN: Maybe they were.
Els: Maybe we were in the wrong shop. Fuck.
IN: I was talking to a Dutch musician the other day who thought the bands in Belgium seem to support each other more than the bands in Holland. Is there any truth to that?
Danny: I don’t know. Do you know ?
Els: I don’t know. It’s not that we hate each other but there’s not really a big friendship between groups. It’s not that good either but we leave each other the way we are. We don’t care.
Danny: If you go more popular they start hating you because you’re more popular. I think that’s in every country. Everybody’s the same.
IN: I just had the impression that in Belgium the musicians were colaborating more and it seemed very nice.
Els: Maybe some of them but that doesn’t count for us. No.
Danny: I know bands that play guitar music and then when the hype came from electro they started playing electro as well. I think that’s very stupid.
IN: As a final question, because the record is in French for those of us that can’t speak it, can you give us a general idea of what the lyrics are about and where you were at the time you were writing them?
Els: Well, we recorded the record at home so I always was in my bedroom with my recorder to make the text. We made it in 30 days. The text are about daily life and our cars.
Danny: We worked for a month on the album. Every two days a song and ten days mixing. Album finished. The songs are just from the moment. We don’t work one year or half year on an album. We never did.
IN: Thank you very much for this inteview and good luck with the show tonight. I’m looking forward to it and good luck on the rest of the tour.
Els: Thank you!
Words: Tiffany Davenport.