I’m really into French stuff, like chanson. I’m a huge fan of Léo Ferré and and Jacques Brel – he’s Belgian but it’s a similar thing – and if you like French stuff, you probably stumble across Serge Gainsbourg quite quickly. I don’t know why I find this album so wonderful. I don’t think anything sounds like it. It’s so well made and every instrument sounds absolutely fantastic, the orchestra sounds fantastic. I think it’s probably one of the best recorded albums ever. It’s particularly intense album, the combination of quiet and loudness. His voice is so unique and it just always brings me to tears listening to it. I feel like when you hear Serge Gainsbourg’s voice, when you hear Iggy Pop’s voice – it’s got that ‘soulful’ quality to it that I really appreciate. I hate that word ‘soulful’. Another difficult word: ‘honest’. And what’s the other word? ‘Real’. I find those terms quite difficult. [Histoire] just doesn’t sound over-policed.
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