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Interview conducted
in December 2003
LATEST RELEASE:
"Chef d'oeuvre" |
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| |  | |  | | By Frédéric Thébault | | Photo all rights reserved |
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What were you doing in 1977?
Most of us weren't born yet, and those who were, still hesitated buying either the new album of Chantal Goya or of Piccolo, Saxo and Compagnie... 1977 was a magical year in rock history; or rather 1975/1976 which were the years when, everywhere on the planet (but especially in the perfidious Albion) young people decided to reject altogether the heritage of May 68 and of the Hippies. These youth cuts their hair, tore their clothes, changed their earings for safety pins and nails. These worthy pioneers would cut a poor figure with today's piercings and scarifications, but this epoch was still extremely conformist and this revolt had a countless effect on the rock music of these last twenty-five years.
In France also the movement appeared, but more discreetly. To tell the truth, only two bands went through the Channel and were cited by the English press. The Stinky Toys, who included Elli Medeiros and Jacno (but their music wasn't really inaccessible) and a seriously violent and surly band: Métal Urbain..
"We were formed in 1976, the same thing were happening in three cities on three continents, in New York, London and Paris. We found out we were doing punk-rock by reding the NME!"
Métal Urbain made a name for themselves, their music upseting many cliches, without mentioning their sulphurous aura. Saturated guitars on synth tracks used as noise machines, minimalist and epileptic rhythm box, churlish vocal, the result still surprises us now, and we can only but notice that many bands coming from the American noise-core movement are inspired by Métal Urbain. Rough Trade, a small new independent label, seized the opportunity to sign them and released the first single of the label ("Paris Maquis", 1977), which became what we know. But punk-rock had its days, and Métal Urbain didn't have the career we could have expected. Two singles ("Hystérie connective" and "Panik"), and then the album which compiled their singles with some new tracks. "Les Hommes morts sont dangereux", released in 1980, was already almost a posthumous album. Nowadays it is impossible to find it, and we know better "L'Âge d'or", that includes all the tracks of this album, as well as diverse demos and other novelties (released in 1985, also available in CD). From 1979, the band tried other things; like Doctor Mix & the Remix, with the same saturated sounds, distorted vocal, but it was this time, only for covers of classic tracks of bands like Roxy Music, the Stooges, Bowie or the Velvet Underground, the band made unrecognizable. A great success, three singles and an album, "Wall of Noise", at Rough Trade, re-issued in 1992. Let's also mentioned two other less known parallel bands: the Metal Boys (who made one single and one album in 1980) and the Desperados (only one single).
The 80s and the 90s went by, but the former members of Metal Urbain didn't stay idle. A cliche states that it's always harder for French rockers to exist than for their Anglo-Saxon colleagues, aren't their careers inherent to this "handicap"?
"We all had different routes, Eric made the last two albums of the Bérurier Noir, went on with the project Doctor Mix & the Remix, and became a DJ. Charlie H made the compilation "What's Up Mix It", and worked with rap bands like Timide et Sans Complexe. Hermann went on doing rock'n'roll with a band called Wolfgang… We never stopped playing music, but Métal Urbain was put aside, but now we're come back, like the irritating bird in a cuckoo clock, and that's a good thing! To be French? It isn't a handicap, because we were the first French band to be internationally known for this reason!"
Métal Urbain wasn't anymore and we had to wait for more than twenty years (if we except a re-formation between 1984 and 1987) for the band to re-form, which surprised everybody. What incited them to come back?
"Our motivations in 2003? The same as before of course. Nothing has changed, and a song like "50/50" is still very modern. As for the nostalgia, we're refusing it, it's not like Métal Urbain, we're a band which sound doesn't age."
But, one's has to admit that in 2003, only the experts and the former punks really remember the band...
"The public of 1977 is minor, most of Métal Urbain's fans are between 15 and 35 years old. We can say that most of the 1977 people are either dead, or in search of respectability... which is a bit the same, isn't it?"
"Our reformation doesn't target any public, Métal Urbain isn't a marketing enterprise! We do our stuff, and the public naturally comes to our concerts. To our great astonishment, they're very young. There is a new meeting between our music and the 21th century teenagers, and for diverse reasons, that might not have been the case in 1977..."
We wonder what's inciting many old bands to reform in 2003. Is it just a trend or is it linked to the social and economic situation which is close to the one in 1977?
"Our reformation wasn't premeditated, different circumstances brought us to it. As for the others, they do what they want."
Yet, even at 50, the members of Métal Urbain haven't lost their surliness and the announced compilation gives us the possibility to appreciate again their talent and their originality. But at a time when MTV-made punk bands are everywhere on TV and on radio, can Métal Urbain still incarnate the rejection of this system?
"That's funny, the prefabricated MTV rebellion is like a cartoon. As for us, this isn't an attitude we take, the violence of our music and lyrics naturally come to us, it's not premeditated."
So, their time has come again and we impatiently wait for their new album. A double compilation has just been released. Nevertheless, twenty years went by since "Les hommes morts sont dangereux", and all is now permitted, will this new album resemble the first one? Eric Débris is very clear on its contents!
"The first record was only a compilation, so, Métal Urbain never really recorded a first album. So, the first album will be identical to the first one!"
But our times are tougher and the censorship is more present than ever. Some rap bands are threatened by Sarkozy because of their lyrics. Can the lyrics of Métal Urbain's "Crève salope" ("Die Bitch") still be sung today?
"Of course, I don't see what the problem is... Our lyrics has nothing in common with the lyrics of rap music..."
Waiting for the album and since this interview, Métal Urbain started to tour again. A fifteen days' tour in the USA and in Canada in November allowed them to "exercise" again and the welcome they received is very hopeful...:
"The American public is very curious and keen, they proved it by coming in great number to our concerts and by reacting to our songs despite the language barrier. We already programmed the second part of the US tour in March 2004."
To all our readers who never listened to Métal Urbain, and who are not afraid of loud noise, you know what you have to do: ask Santa to come back in January to offer you "Chef d'oeuvre"... | | | | | | | |
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