Jean-Marc Sauvagnargues is author, drummer, manager, and singer of the atypical French rock comedy group Les Fatals Picards, who likes to play with humor, the second degree, French music, but also punk and rock. The Fatals Picards have conquered a loyal and committed audience around 1,800 concerts, more than 400,000 albums sold in 22 years of career.
It’s not over since the Fatals Picards have just released a 10ᵉ album: The syndrome of Gothenburg. Jean-Marc Sauvagnargues releases a solo project, in parallel, a tribute to Michel Berger, Your piano is still dancing.
franceinfo: The Fatals Picards have become friends, confidants for this audience that follows you. What does it represent for you?
Jean-Marc Sauvagnargues: It must be said that we really created ourselves on the stage after nearly 1,800 concerts. And we find them every week, since we do about a hundred concerts a year, with the greatest pleasure. They are the ones who made us, really.
What pleased this public, moreover, is this true, honest, sincere side that you give off. This is what defines the Fatals Picards?
It sticks to our skin. From time to time, it created terrible labels which prohibited us from certain media, because we are, sometimes, a little bit committed. But the red thread of the Fatals Picards is this humor and this is what makes people from 7 to 77 years old, we say that we have “a Ravensburger audience”, follow us. Some come to do a pogo, others come just to listen to the texts or have fun. There is everything.
The group was born in 1996 and was called Les fourmis violentes, which became Les Fatals Picards in 1998. The texts are always full of puns, I’m thinking of the title: The 11 are enthroned there (Léon Zitrone) in 1998, and will catch you, so that you join the group in 2002. It’s surprising, moreover, because you were born very far from Picardy.
“Les Fatals Picards is a huge scam since none of us are Picards.”
Jean-Marc Sauvagnargues of the Fatal Picardsat franceinfo
You can tell by my accent, I’m from the Cévennes. But you should know that in Picardy, we are almost the Beatles.
I would like to talk about the album Power of veto (2003) because it’s an essential album for the Fatals Picards: Schizophrenic, Grendizer is dead , Hunting, fishing and biting which have become cult titles over time. Is that also the DNA of the Fatals Picards?
Yes. We even have hidden tracks, like The farm, which have become cults. It’s DNA, but that often happens without us. We can’t explain why a song enters the collective imagination.
There were already other groups, but no one occupied this place. What makes the difference?
I’m sure it’s that we never took ourselves seriously and that we find the fans like that after the concert. Many have become our friends because so many concerts inevitably create terrible closeness. There are some who talk about “Fatals Therapy” among our fans, it’s still incredible.
You released an album in 2009: The sense of gravity. Have you measured the direction of gravity? I have the impression that you are far from all that, that you are in the lightness with this group.
No. Sometimes, we like to talk about annoying subjects. In the last album, we talk about, for example, arms sales, conspiracies, we talk about things like that. Our songs always seem at first level, that there is only humor, but in fact, when you go digging, the lyrics are often a little bit deeper.
What is Gothenburg Syndrome?
It is a song. We imagined someone who would say aloud what he thinks quietly. So it allows us to say things that we can’t easily say.
In parallel with all this, you were keen to give birth to a project that you have been carrying out for a very long time. You are a fan of Michel Berger and you are releasing an album called Your piano is still dancing in which you use this title. We feel all the emotion you have for Michel Berger when you perform these songs. Does that mean that he was a bit of a guide for you?
I am an absolute fan. It’s my idol. He was my guide all the time.
For me, Michel Berger is the perfect melodist. Everything is written, chiselled to perfection.
Jean-Marc Sauvagnargues of the Fatal Picardsat franceinfo
When I’m not rock’n’roll, I like love songs, nostalgic, melancholic songs, and he represents everything I love in music.
We have the impression that you “unleashed the horses” with this album, that you discovered yourself differently.
When you sing Berger, you just have to interpret, think about the text and let go. I tried, but it’s not stupid, I really tried to connect with him when I sang those songs.
What does this album represent for you?
This is the album that allowed me to overcome the confinements, this very difficult period since I decided to do it at the start of the first one. It’s when the tour of the Fatals Picards stops, those of the artists I defend also stop. I went back to the piano like crazy, eight hours a day for months until I was able to say to myself: that’s it, you can do it, maybe you are capable of it.
Proud today?
I’m very proud of it and now I only think of volume 2.
The Fatals Picards will be in concert on June 25 in Vaiges, July 31 at the Musicalarue festival, September 16 at the Olympia etc.