Il ne pense qu'à ça 1967-1970

Description

Évariste is one of those rare musicians who is also a scientist: alongside him sits the polytechnician Pierre Schaeffer (engineer and father of concrete music) and the quirky Boby Lapointe (a graduate of the École Centrale and inventor of the patented Bibi-binary system in 1968). - - Évariste's energetic and joyful song (though extremely critical) hides a primary tragedy. Indeed, born in 1943 into a family of resistors, Joël Sternheimer (alias Evariste) grew up without his father, who died in Auschwitz. - - Although the singer seems to make few allusions to Jewish culture in his songs, it has indeed had an influence: he will even perform a song in Hebrew for television in 1974. - - In 1966, the young Joël sports a sweater in the colors of Princeton University because he has just returned from there. Sent there to continue his research on the mass of particles, interpreting the regularities observed as the consequences of a wave (understand if you can), he arrives in the United States in the midst of the Vietnam War. At that time, McNamara is looking for an alternative to nuclear weapons and is seeking the brilliant minds of the country to tackle the task. A 'reallocation of funds' occurs within the university, a diplomatic term meaning that those who do not want to go along with the government's schemes are asked to leave. Joël is under the tutelage of a rebellious physicist and is thus dismissed. The student continues to attend the prestigious seminars at the Institute For Advanced Study, held by Oppenheimer, the creator of the atomic bomb. - - Perhaps galvanized by the hippie movement and music, Joël buys a guitar and sets up in Washington Square, thinking that after all, Bob Dylan himself started there. He happily skips Oppenheimer's classes and receives a warm (if surprised) welcome from a crowd that doesn't speak a word of French. One day, when the old physicist comes to question him about his repeated absences, he explains to his professor how much music attracts him, but especially that he sees it as a way to earn some money to fund his research independently. Évariste confides that he saw this sick man, his face ravaged by the remorse of Hiroshima, light up at his words and exclaim, 'Oh! But go ahead, dive in! If I were young, that's absolutely what I would do.' The student receives these words as a testament. Words that ultimately convince him. He will take the plunge during the Christmas holidays in Paris. - - A journalist friend whom Évariste often meets in the Sorbonne area introduces him to the Artistic Director of Disques AZ. The latter plays the tapes for the label's boss, Lucien Morisse, who is also the program director at Europe N°1. Morisse exclaims genius... and signs the singer immediately! Michel Colombier, arranger for Serge Gainsbourg and co-author with Pierre Henry of 'Psyché Rock', brings his original ideas to the single 'E=mc2': for the percussion sound that recurs in 'Le calcul intégral', Évariste's concern is that it goes 'poum poum' and not 'tac tac'. Colombier, aware of the issue, records Évariste's guitar using it as percussion in an isolated booth. The record also features organist Eddy Louis, who will contribute to the success of Claude Nougaro's 'Paris mai' in 1969. It is 1966, and the phenomenon Antoine (who has signed with Vogue) is sweeping across the Hexagon. The singers present similar profiles: Antoine is an engineer from the École Centrale and possesses great originality in his lyrics. A boon for both record labels, which see an immediate commercial strategy. They present them as rivals, but Évariste still defends himself today against these gossip columns for young girls. Évariste quickly finds success and follows up with a second single in 1967, 'Wo I nee', also arranged by Michel Colombier. Quantum mechanics enthusiasts finally have their anthem: 'La Chasse Au Boson Intermédiaire'. To summarize what a boson is, let's say it is a friend of the meson, photon, and other gluons. - - A few months later, May 68 explodes. Everything is turned upside down. - - Évariste writes a series of politically inspired songs and rushes to submit them to Lucien Morisse. When the man who created Salut Les Copains and married Dalida hears the song 'La révolution', in the form of a dialogue between a father and his son, he is taken aback. The AZ label cannot release this, it is impossible. At that precise moment, Lucien Morisse is about to commit a historic act in the history of music in France. Regretting that he cannot officially support his singer on this, he invites him to produce his record on his own, but with his tacit support. He calls the record pressing plant and asks them to apply the same rates for Évariste as those in effect for AZ. The singer and his musicians have access to the same studio as for the previous record, each playing for free while waiting for a return on investment. - - Évariste continues to sing at the Sorbonne, with 'the gang at Jussieu' where 'the young Renaud, the little street urchin' as he calls him, hangs out. Renaud volunteers to type up the lyrics of the song 'La révolution' so that the hearts can sing and record it. A guy from the gang is related to Wolinski, and he introduces them. The two hit it off like a poster and slogan, so much so that Wolinski draws the cover of the record 'La révolution' for free. - - 1970 marks the beginning of the decade during which he will make a decisive discovery in the field of science and music. After that, he will turn away from the world of self-managed music and leftist magazines to focus on science. Keeping Oppenheimer's encouragement in mind, he can now pursue his research independently, thanks to the proceeds from his records. - - Joël realizes that by decoding protein sequences, recognizable musical sequences can be discovered by humans. He calls them proteodies. If a person, upon hearing a proteodie, is sensitive enough to find it beautiful, it means they are deficient in the corresponding protein. This very unique music could then heal the human being. One can trace the history of music in light of the proteins that are deficient in this or that artist, or among a majority of the public. You always thought that the hysterical groupies, who throw their panties with passion and faint in the pit, suddenly appeared because nothing had ever been seen as beautiful as the Beatles? False! For Évariste, it’s all a matter of protein intro. The beginning of their first hit Love me do corresponds to dopamine, the neurotransmitter that drives compulsive buying. Such an intro could only unleash the hairdos of the groupies, victims of fashion and biology. He sold so well that his income as a musician provided him with the financial independence he had long aspired to when he confided in Oppenheimer. The scientist was thus able to conduct his research without any institutional constraints. He now dedicates himself to his proteodies, based in the offices of the European Research University, located just a stone's throw from the Sorbonne he knew so well. Évariste is no more. Joël has taken control of this strange and whimsical beast.