Top Five Most Inadvertently Hilarious Rock Books
Published on January 30th, 2009 in: Book Reviews, Books, Issues, Music, Top Five Lists |1. Serge Gainsbourg: A Fistful of Gitanes, by Sylvie Simmons (2001)
By 1986, Serge Gainsbourg—analogous in France to Frank Sinatra in sheer star power, but way cooler and much more musically accessible—was no longer young, had ravaged his health and physical appearance through years of nicotine and alcohol abuse, and was regularly making somewhat controversial, slightly embarrassing, liquor-fueled appearances on French television, which were totally beneath his considerable talent.
On a live French variety television show during that year, Serge met then-young, up-and-coming pop star Whitney Houston, and utter chaos ensued to the complete chagrin of clueless TV host Michel Drucker. Sylvie Simmons’ commentary upon the incident remains some of the most hilarious rock writing about a star on the downslide. What makes her anecdote even better is the fact that actual YouTube footage exists of this particular incident.
A sample of the text (page 110):
“It was one of those live variety shows with which French TV is still infected, of a type that make the Parkinson programme look like the very apex of the avant-garde. . . The diva, following the fluff format of these shows, sang her song then sat down next to Serge, beatifically smiling, ready to indulge in the standard chat that was part oleaginous flattery, part new-product plug. Whitney spoke in English, the other guests in French, while the beaming host Michel Drucker lobbed translations back and forth like a manic tennis pro. Serge, looking like something poured out of Tom Waits’ whisky bottle and bristling at Drucker’s deliberate bland mistranslations of his various mutterings, suddenly interjected, in plain English, ‘I said I want to fuck her.'”
Serge Gainsbourg also burned a 500 franc note on another TV chat show, inciting anger in its viewers. He also called a French singer/porno actress a “whore” on a TV show, despite his desired reputation as a sort of “man whore.” Serge was, uh, complex at best!
Sources:
Victor Bockris and John Cale, What’s Welsh for Zen, (New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1999).
Wolfgang Flür, Kraftwerk: I Was A Robot, (London: Sanctuary Publishing Ltd., 2000).
Simon Reynolds, Rip It Up and Start Again, (New York: Penguin Books, 2005).
Sylvie Simmons, Serge Gainsbourg: A Fistful of Gitanes, (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2002).
Crystal Zevon, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon, (New York: Harper, 2008).
3 Responses to “Top Five Most Inadvertently Hilarious Rock Books”
January 31st, 2009 at 1:32 pm
As someone who’s read the Wolfgang Flur book, I’m kind of surprised you didn’t mention the thing that sticks out the most in my mind as the Deep Hurting nature of the thing — the part where when he first heard “My Generation” he jerked off on his parents’ couch and had to clean it before they got home. JAAAYZUS. I don’t wanna hear about Kraftwerk members jerking off. Like, ever. I know they do, and that’s cool, but don’t put it in dang books.
January 31st, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Hey now, this is a “family publication.” (Okay, so maybe I am referring to the Manson Family.) I’m sort of glad that was left out. Yeesh! I keep imagining that scene in “Portnoy’s Complaint.”
LLM
February 2nd, 2009 at 4:22 pm
The most painful bit about the Cale book is that darn photo on the cover!
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