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[sophaeros]

arctic monkeys for clash magazine, april 2010

ON THE ROAD WITH… ARCTIC MONKEYS

Words by Simon Harper Photos by Jason Joyce

As Britain’s favourite band headed out on the European leg of their ‘Humbug’ tour, Clash discovered that Arctic Monkeys were less sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, and more cakes, ping-pong and Coco Pops…

The city of Offenbach, about twenty minutes south of Frankfurt, was once noted for its abundant leather industry, and is currently the base of the German weather service, but such claims don’t negate the fact that it’s basically a sterile, grey, typically German suburban borough. The arrival of a fleet of trucks and buses, carrying Arctic Monkeys, their crew and stage gear, heralded the notion that for one night only, Offenbach may just come alive with suitably bustling energy.

Offenbach’s Stadthalle is the smallest venue on the Monkeys’ three-week tour of Western Europe. The band have been through Portugal, Spain and France, and know how to kill time during the day while everyone works around them, building the stage for that night’s show. And so, when Clash finds them, upstairs in the Stadthalle’s back rooms, they’re in the middle of a fierce ping-pong match – the game scores being tallied up across the tour. The table, it transpires, is the band’s own, and follows them wherever they go. A set of football goals lie waiting for action, but the small white balls prove more enticing.

It’s a cold, February Tuesday, and these back rooms are where the band will spend the whole day.

Previous encounters with Arctic Monkeys have been somewhat tough – notoriously reticent and famously press-shy, there’s a tangible wall that surrounds them, which is seemingly hard to penetrate. Suspicious stares cut through you, while succinct answers frustrate you. Today, however, they couldn’t be more accommodating.

Clash sits with the quartet in the band-only room, where their personal equipment is kept in a vertical flight case of drawers, and a small fridge is at hand for cold beers. Nick O’Malley, Jamie Cook and Matt Helders sprawl on the leather couches, while Alex Turner perches on the table, often pacing the room, then escaping in search of a lighter. We’re here to talk about life on the road. What starts as an interview eventually descends into louche conversation; daft chat punctuated by much laughter. Perhaps they’re glad to see a friendly face; perhaps the monotony of touring makes them crave any respite; perhaps there’s nothing better to do in Offenbach.

Is being on tour like real life, or does it feel like you’re detached from what real life is?

Matt: It’s probably real life. It doesn’t seem like it’s too separate or miles away.

When you go home is that normality or is it just a continuation of what you do on the road?

Matt: I don’t find it hard to settle back and switch between the two.

Nick: You feel like you’re unemployed when you go home properly.

Like you’ve got nothing to do?

Nick: Yeah, or like if you’ve got a couple of weeks off.

Matt: Like school holidays.

Alex: Does that make this school then?

Matt: Yeah, but it’s like basketball camp or something you enjoy.

How do your friendships cope with life on the road? 

Matt: It’s fine.

Nick: Yeah. We know how to not annoy each other. We’ve never really had friction, because we’ve all got a similar outlook on how not to annoy people, I suppose, so there’s never really been any problems.

Alex: (Mock nastily) That’s what you think, mate.

Nick: (Laughs) I suppose if you see the same people every day, after a while you’re bound to get a bit annoyed, but as long as you keep in your mind that it’s just because of the situation and not because you don’t like the person, then you can kind of avoid outbursts that you might not mean. It’s never really been a problem so far.

Do you notice a huge cultural difference between touring Europe and America? 

Alex: Even between places in Europe. I mean, often, to be honest, certainly at this stage that we’re at, days like today aren’t uncommon, where you’re out of town and you don’t even really see where you are, as I’m sure you’re aware. But you can really tell the difference just in the show, from the crowd. We did Madrid and Barcelona over t’weekend, and last week Portugal, and they were really excitable and there was like a frenzy going on when we were playing. Whereas I think crowds elsewhere can be a bit more reserved, can’t they, depending on where it is. I reckon one of the best crowds on this tour was a gig we did last week in Porto. We’ve never played there before. There was this real appreciation or something just from the start. You can just sort of feel it, can’t you; ‘We’re all here to have a laugh’.

Alex lives in the States now. Have any of you considered moving to somewhere you’ve visited on tour?

Matt: Yeah. It’s good that you do get to see places that you might consider moving, like Berlin. I could imagine living there.

Does living apart make you appreciate each other more when you’re back together?

Jamie: [Long pause] Mmmm…yeah.

Gone are the days when you’re living round the corner from each other.

Alex: Yeah, I suppose that’s true. You’ve got to sort of organise to be in one place. I suppose that is a bit of an inconvenient drag.

Are there any essential items that you have to pack before you come out on tour?

Jamie: One of them rolly things that gets fluff of your coat. (All laugh)

Alex: I feel like you’re a lot better equipped than the rest of us with things like that.

Yeah, you’re looking very bobble-less.

Jamie: Ah, cheers. Yeah, I did it this morning actually. A quick roll.

Matt: A skipping rope – except I forgot it this time. I’ve lost mine.

Nick: DVDs, stuff like that.

A ping-pong table?

Jamie: A ping-pong table is essential actually. I don’t think we’d go on tour without that.

Alex: Some kind of series…

Matt: A box-set.

Alex: Kinda really discovered that this last year. It was summat I’d never really got into before.

Nick: Any HBO series.

Alex: (Laughs) Yeah. I’ve really learned to appreciate that sort of continuum, because you can follow a thread.

Matt: You know what you need to do the next day.

What have you been watching?

Alex: We’ve got into Deadwood a bit on the last tour. That’s what’s been missing, I think, for me on this tour, some sort of thing like that.

Have you done The Wire?

Alex: Yeah.  I went Wire mad on that tour. I just got so greedy. I get so greedy with them things.

Matt: I couldn’t catch up.

Jamie: Yeah, he ditched everyone. I got ditched on t’second series!

Matt: Six in t’morning, I could hear him.

Jamie: You’d get up and that [theme] song would be on. It’d just be crisps all over, a bottle of…

Nick: ‘Wire Beast’s been up all night again!’

Alex: ‘Where’d you get that dressing gown from?’

Jamie: Just laying there with crumbs all over him.

Have you ever had any scares at customs? 

Nick: I got searched yesterday actually.

Matt: It was your squeaky wheels, just as I’d said. I said, ‘Them wheels are gonna attract attention.’

Nick: In Germany. A very thorough search, but luckily no glove action.

Jamie: They probably wanted to mend your wheels for you.

Matt: ‘I’ve got summat for that, some GT85.’

Nick: They were really suspicious of me. They really took everything apart and didn’t put it back as neat as I’d put it in.

Alex: At this end, yesterday?

Nick: Yeah, when we arrived in ‘Munchen’.

Alex: They’re quite, like, strict, aren’t they, Bavarian authorities.

Nick: Yeah. They had a look at me belt, everything. All me case and bag. Took everything apart. Then he were like, ‘Where have you come from?’ I went, ‘Barcelona’. He were like, ‘Have you had any contact with drugs in Barcelona?’ I went, ‘No.’ He went, ‘What do you do?’ I said, ‘I’m in a band.’ And he went, ‘Ah’, and then, like, swabbed everything.

Alex: When I got in t’car yesterday, the fella were like, [German accent] ‘If you like to do drugs, do not try and do it in Bavaria.’

American customs scare me most. 

Matt: Yeah, it’s a load of questions.

Alex: ‘What are you doing here?’

Jamie: New Zealand were quite funny. We all got pulled…

Matt: We had to sit in them chairs for a bit…

Jamie: And this guy was asking us directly the last time we ever did drugs. Then someone came over who worked for us…and he soon disappeared rather fast. We were fine. (All laugh)

Alex: I’ve come to quite enjoy the American customs people. (All laugh)

Matt: They’ve always got weird names.

Alex: They’re like, [American accent] ‘So you’re in a band, huh?’ You go, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ ‘What do you do in the band?’ ‘Oh, I’m the singer.’ ‘Yeah? You don’t look like a singer to me.’

Nick: ‘Do you sound like Coldplay?’

Alex: Yeah, ‘What kind of music do you guys play?’

Jamie: ‘Do you sound like Staind?’ I went like, ‘Staind? I know them… Fuckin’ hell!’ It took me ages. ‘Yeah, yeah, we sound a bit like Staind.’ When he said it I were like, ‘Yeah, a bit.’

You’ve said before that you wanted to try and get an album out this year. Do you get any time on the road to do any work on that?

Alex: Not really. That’s a bit of a pain in the arse, not being able to rehearse and work stuff out. I don’t think I write very good songs on t’road. They’re all a bit wonky. You get back and you’re like, ‘Hmmm’.

Does it detach you from what we were talking about earlier, ‘real life’? Does it detach you from the things that you want to be writing about?

Alex: I dunno. You can still use your imagination, but I just think, yeah, in your surroundings there’s always about to be something that’s going to happen. You can’t think. I always write wherever I am, but I dunno if the things that come out when you’re touring around always have the shelf life that the other things do.

Have you got any songs earmarked for the next album?

Alex: Yeah. I mean, there’s some ideas, but we haven’t really had the chance to get out the fine toothed comb.

‘Humbug’ was a departure in sound from your previous albums – do you think you’ll continue in that direction, maybe bring Josh Homme in again?

Alex: Not sure, really. We would like to do something with Josh again – it was terrific for us to go on that adventure – but whether or not it’s this next thing, I’m not sure. And also, like, he’s busy! (Laughs) He’s got a schedule himself, doesn’t he?

You went to record over in his place, so do you think next time you’ll have him over to...

Alex: High Green? (Laughs) Homme in High Green? I quite fancy that.

Nick: He’d look like a superhero in High Green, all the bad genetics there are in High Green. He’d look amazing.

Matt: He’d be the biggest man there.

You’ve released a couple of singles exclusively through Oxfam. What made you decide to do that? 

Jamie: Laurence and Jonny at Domino came to us with that idea – a great idea for the charity reason, and then cos Woolworths and stuff had shut down, but there were always an Oxfam.

Alex: Like, in towns where there perhaps aren’t, like, an Our Price or something.

Do you have to think of more creative ways to get your records out there?

Jamie: Yeah, rather than just sat at home.

Matt: They should think about making the journey exciting – paint paths a nice colour to the record shops.

Alex: The yellow brick road.

Matt: Something that makes people want to walk to a record shop. Even if it’s just free parking. (All laugh)

Jamie: It’s just too easy to buy music now.

How do you feel as artists about the devaluing of music? Does it annoy you that you’re working hard to make something, but people can just pick it up from their friends?

Jamie: I suppose we were never in the industry when it were big money, when people used to sell twenty million albums. Has that ever happened since we’ve been around?

Probably someone like Dido has.

Jamie: Yeah, that were probably the last.

Matt: It’s like, we wouldn’t expect anything like that to happen to us, so…

Alex: I do think there is people that always will want to go and get records.

Matt: Yeah, it won’t change everybody.

Alex: I was reading a couple of months ago about there’s an idea where you won’t even have – you know like you pull songs off iTunes or whatever – but they were saying you subscribe to a database and pay to get ’em…

Jamie: Spotify, that’s what that was.

Alex: Yeah. But you can’t get them on…

It streams the music – you can’t download them.

Alex: But you can’t do that on your phone, can you?

Matt: Yeah, you can do Spotify on your phone if you pay about £10 a month. Nokia did that thing where you can just pay a monthly thing and you can have as many as you want…

Alex: The fella had a quote, he’s like, ‘There’s nothing sexy about an MP3 on your desktop’. (Laughs) He’s like, ‘There’s nothing sexy about having a subscription to a database’. (All laugh) But then you could just sort of buy a record and stand it up against your wall. Not that that’s particularly sexy, but, you know what I mean… I like things that you can stand up.

Jamie: Like you said the other day, everyone’s just gonna have an empty house.

Matt: Yeah, there’s gonna be nothing on t’shelves. Not even books now.

Jamie: No one’s got any photos anymore, no ones’s got any CDs or records…

Matt: You’ll just have a screen and a chair.

Jamie: You’ll just go, ‘Sound. This is sound.’

Matt: With nowt on your wall.

Jamie: You can just have everything [at your fingertips]; turn your fire on, open your curtains…

Alex: You’d get in it for your bath. (All laugh)

[Alex goes into the band’s equipment drawer, pulls out a giant figure of Freddie Mercury in full-on rock pose. “See, he said he likes things that stand up,” Matt says.]

Does being on an independent label give you the freedom to experiment with your marketing or promotions? 

Matt: Yeah. They [Domino] have as many ideas as us for stuff like that, like the Oxfam thing. They tend to think on a similar level, and, at the same time, if we have a suggestion, they’re open to it. It sometimes is a good thing to have a label like Domino, cos they’re experienced in doing weird stuff, and have obviously signed things that aren’t necessarily to make any money or anything, so we’ll listen to them if they have a suggestion, and vice versa. They’d put records out on tins of beans and all sorts. (All laugh)

Jamie: I wanted to do it on a conifer. I wanted to put an MP3 out on a conifer.

Matt: Or just seeds. Christmas tree seeds.

Alex: Yeah. What did they actually do?

Matt: There’s a Jewish guy, I forgot what his name is, and they did it on a kosher chicken noodle soup or something. You buy the soup and you get the code [for the MP3]. Which is good in a way, because he’s just poo-pooing the fact that there’s not much point. It’s an incentive, but it doesn’t get it in the chart, you see. It’s a give-away. So you can sell anything and just have an MP3 code on it. You can sell a car and you’d just get one song.

Jamie: But then it doesn’t count towards t’charts?

Matt: No. The Oxfam thing don’t either, does it. Only the download bit does. You’re not allowed to give away incentives like free stuff, because that’s obviously encouraging people. See, that’s the thing – people might buy the soup and not download the song. ‘I wonder if they make good soup?’

Jamie: When you see a good cover sometimes…

Matt: Yeah, you buy it for the cover.

Alex: Perhaps the epitome of that is you buying a Lady Gaga picture disc. (Laughs)

Matt: Yeah, I did. I’ve been a fool.

Alex: It’s great, cos she’s wearing like a fuckin’ box of Coco Pops or something. (Laughs)

Matt: You could buy that Freddie Mercury thing and get a Queen album, for instance. You don’t need to put it on or owt.

Jamie: You want to make it awkward.

Matt: Buy a chair. Buy a flat pack piece of furniture and you get a code for an album.

Jamie: You have to put your furniture up and send a picture to someone, then they send you the MP3.

Alex: That would make a good video: playing in a bowl of Coco Pops. (All laugh) Remember that kids programme where they used to have to go swimming in a bowl of cereal…

Jamie: Ah yeah. Didn’t they used to do something like that on The Big Breakfast?

Matt: They did, yeah.

Jamie: It were a massive cup of tea and you used to have to get the sugar lumps…

Matt: Yeah, yeah, that was it: One Lump Or Two.

Jamie: One Lump Or Two, yeah!

Alex: It would be great: kid comes down, he’s having his breakfast – Coco Pops – and then, like, Arctic Monkeys are in his cereal. (All laugh)

Jamie: Hot milk, though.

Matt: Hot milk in t’afternoon.

Alex: (Laughs) ‘Why not try Coco Pops after school?’

Jamie: (Laughs) I love that advert!

Alex: It’s the best!

Do your fans give you CDs of their bands?

Matt: They throw them on t’stage! Imagine if you got one of them in t’eye! Fuckin’ hell! Remember in America, a kid got on stage and he had a handful [of CDs] and someone had to grab him to get him off, but he threw them. So he were getting pulled away and he threw them.

Alex: I’ve been getting less CDs though…

Matt: Now they’re throwing download cards at you!

Alex: I got a pair of underpants…

Jamie: People are chucking downloads at you. You’re like, ‘What the fuck?’

Matt: People are throwing zeroes and ones at you – it’s like the credits of The Matrix!

Jamie: You can’t get any flick on a download.

Alex: They’re chucking Spotifys at me. Maybe that’s what them pants were – some sort of code.

I think it’d be a totally different sort of code! Do you listen to the music that fans give you?

Matt: I listened to one that someone gave me the other day. It just were at home though, he just gave it me.

Alex: No more than I’d wear that pair of pants! (Laughs)

Matt: It were just convenient – I were getting in me car and there’s a CD player there.

What’s the strangest thing a fan has given you?

Matt: Just in Japan – everything you get is weird! Like, a monkey hat – it left your own face in but it’s got ears and a tail.

Jamie: And sweets.

Matt: A lot of sweets.

Jamie: We once said, ‘Oh, we like these sweets’ in an interview…

Nick: There’s someone that makes baked goods.

Matt: You got a good one, where it were like a picture of you…

Alex: Yeah, I got like a diagram of myself…

Matt: A diagram, pointing at every bit, and then asking to fill in, like, what his favourite brand of jeans were.

Alex: Hand it back, and then she’d sort of kit me out.

Matt: She’d buy it all! So, like, ‘Favourite shoes? Trainers or boots?’ It would be like that. He’d fill it in and send it back and then she’d buy it. ‘Will this do?’

Alex: Back it came with this jumper that were perfect actually. She really knew me better than I knew meself.

Nick: With baked goods, I know it’s not [spiked], but you never know… It’s probably fine – it’s more than likely fine – but it is a gamble.

Matt: It’s innocent, but someone might have seen that opportunity.

Jamie: I don’t think I’m ever gonna eat a baked good that some stranger’s made. You learn about that. There is a story there…

What’s the first thing you do when you get home after the tour is finished? 

Nick: See your friends and family that you’ve not seen.

Matt: I go and get my photos developed. That’s actually one of the first things I do.

Alex: I usually pick up me guitar. Honestly. It’s a deep breath.

Later that evening, Clash is back in the ping-pong room. The tour manager comes to break bad news to the band - the curtain at the front of the stage is broken. They won't be able to make their usual grand entrance. "Ah, we've got to do it," grins Alex. Do what? "We've been saying on this tour if ever the curtain doesn't work, we've got to go on to this song." Which song? "Black Eyed Peas’ ‘I Gotta Feelin’’," Alex beams. The band are giddily bouncing around, electrified by the prospect of taking the stage to the song that's soundtracked many a menopausal vodka-stained Saturday evening's preparatory gathering.

“But when do we go on?" Matt asks.

"The rap. We gotta wait for the rap," Alex asserts.

"We should wait until "Mazel tov”,” Jamie smirks.

Ten minutes later, Clash is amidst the Offenbach crowd when the lights go out and the song bursts from the PA. A wave of euphoria swells, the irony not lost, and right on cue, just as the Peas declare, "I know that we'll have a ball", the four Monkeys stride towards their instruments.

The nineteen-song set covers their three albums - with Nick Cave's 'Red Right Hand’ thrown in for good measure. The last song before their encore is 'Secret Door’ from 'Humbug’. Just as Matt cracks the snare drum that launches the song's long psychedelic outro, cannons on the roof blast out gold and silver confetti over the joyous crowd below, proving that the Monkeys aren't averse to a bit of showmanship every now and then.

The after party is a subdued affair (well, in Offenbach it's bound to be!), with just the band, some friends, crew, and Clash, diving into the beer and nibbles on offer. A fairly drunken chat with Alex about Johnny Cash, Billie Holiday and Gram Parsons rounds off our time with the band, as they retreat back to the confines of their bus, about to depart for Dusseldor and their next gig.

Such a welcome and warm atmosphere is often rare backstage, especially with a band as celebrated as this, but the Monkeys - ever changing and ever surprising - are beginning to make a habit of defying expectations. Growing up has never been such fun.

[bitter-panacea]

and another one!!

Luke + Hershel : Lior Brighton (he/him)

Hershel rarely ever fuses unless ABSOLUTELY necessary and only for a very short amount of time. Due to trauma and bad experiences, he prefers keeping others at a distance for his own safety, and therefore, fusion is an amount of emotional intimacy he is not truly comfortable with.

Born out of necessity (to protect luke from the masked gentleman). Only stayed together for a short while the first few times (usually until Layton panicks and can no longer hold it together.) For a while he feared Luke would see through him and be able to feel all of his insecurities. He felt vulnerable and couldn't have Luke's opinion of him change because of it.

But with time, their trust in each other growing, and fusing a couple more times (baby steps), Lior truly becomes his own person. Contrary to what layton feared and expected, getting to experience and feel the way they see each other and hold one another in such high regards, ultimately made their bond stronger and created a confident, brave, and kind personality.

A true proper british gentleman/dandy with childlike innocence, polite but very playful. Candid, sometimes TOO honest and hurts people's feelings without meaning to. Full of so much love, life and light. His unconditional love of puzzles is unrivaled. Big fan of Offenbach.

Theme : A Spoonful of Sugar - Julie Andrews / Thé pour deux - No, no, Nanette

[leblogdemarinaetjeanmarie]

SAMEDI 23 NOVEMBRE 2024 (Billet 2 / 5)

« OPERAS LOCOS » à BOBINO (1h15)

Du 7 novembre au 15 décembre 2024

14-20, rue de la Gaîté – 75014 Paris

Métro : Gaîté (Ligne 13) • Edgar Quinet (Ligne 6) • Montparnasse (Lignes 6, 4, 12 et 13)  

_________________________________

Cinq chanteurs d’Opéra excentriques se réunissent pour un récital unique en son genre !

Portés par les airs des plus grands opéras de Mozart, Bizet, Offenbach où encore Puccini, nos fameux « Locos » ne communiquent qu’en chantant ! 

Situations burlesques et interprétations chargées d’émotions se succèdent sans temps mort dans ce spectacle comique musical, qui séduira toute la famille !

Plus qu’une interprétation d’un classique en trois heures, ce « comic opéra show » prouve que finalement, l’opéra est pour tout le monde et surtout, que chacun connait ses classiques. 

Vous sortirez de la salle en chantant à tue-tête (certes un peu moins bien qu’eux, mais le cœur y sera) ! 

« Un best of the l’art lyrique savamment ficelé » (Paris Match) « Ce spectacle délicieusement déjanté veut faire rire avec l’Opéra et non à ses dépens. Pari Réussi ! » (Le Figaroscope) « Un Opéra résolument moderne et savoureux ! » (Le Parisien) « Quelle merveilleuse façon de faire découvrir l’Opéra » (France 2 Télématin) « Désopilant ! » (Le Figaro)

(Source : « Le site de Bobino à propos de ce spectacle »)

__________________________________

C’est un très sympathique couple d’amis GM, Corinne et Dominique G. (rencontrés au Club : Palmiye en 2023, Gregolimano en 2024), qui a eu l’idée de nous proposer sur WhatsApp cette sortie. Nous avons regardé la bande-annonce du spectacle (voir ci-dessus) et tout de suite nous leur avons répondu que nous étions très heureux de nous joindre à eux et ravis aussi de les revoir.

Les places ont été réservées pour début décembre, nous vous dirons alors ce que nous en avons pensé.

[kitchenlegrecords]

KLr news, 19.05.24

After long time, the news!!

[#] The sunday matinee was saved as in a Frank Capra movie, we asked for help after a giant GEMA fine and everyone helped. It was amazing! The next event will be this coming Sunday May 26th. If you are not inscribed in the newsletter, drop a line here: xbsundaymatinee [at] gmx [dot] de. Same address also for booking request. Just keep in mind, we do not book the same artist twice and we have a very long list, so gotta be patient!

[#] We are about to share the first release of this year! It is the new album from Ultrabonus and it is called "Casino de la Muerte". It is absolutely amazing and we are listen to it over and over and over. The release party will be in West Germany on June 15th, together with Las Migranas.

[#] Also, in November we will release the debut album of Jejeje, "Ambivalencia Artificial" together with Repetidor and Sub Post. It will come out at 12 inches and we are super excited about it. The album is gorgeous and you will love it!

[#] Videoclip anyone? Pieuvre released last week "Wardrobe" that you can see here. Also Vorsicht Kinder released a video called "I'm in the alcohole", from the album that we release toward the end of the year/beginning of 2025. You can actually see a lot of videos from the band in our label from here: https://www.youtube.com/@kitchenleg2860/playlists

[#] Next live show for Matching Outfits will be in Offenbach at Hafer2, that celebrate their anniversary with a big open air party. You can check the program here.

[#] We also have a new artist in our label, is releasing as Xaklebox we we were in love with his music suddenly as soon as he sent over! More info in a couple of weeks.

[#] Among the shows to not miss in the next weeks, there will be Pieuvre live in Supermolly this coming Sat 26.05 with Das Flüff, and SuperCheri in TXXXR with Schleu on June 06. More will come!

[hopefulkidshark]

French Cancan

Can-can

The can-can is a high-energy, physically demanding dance that became a popular music-hall dance in the 1840s, continuing in popularity in French cabaret to this day. Originally danced by couples, it is now traditionally associated with a chorus line of female dancers

The can-can is believed to have evolved from the final figure in the quadrille, a social dance for four or more couples. The exact origin of the dance is obscure

The dance was considered scandalous, and for a while there were attempts to suppress it. This may have been partly because in the 19th century, women wore pantalettes, which had an open crotch, and the high kicks were intentionally revealing. There is no evidence that can-can dancers wore special closed underwear, although it has been said that the Moulin Rouge management did not permit dancers to perform in "revealing undergarments

Dancer performing a pied en l'air

The Moulin Rouge featured in a Toulouse-Lautrec painting

It’s difficult to think of a dance style more emblematic and more closely associated to a venue and a specific time of history. The French cancan stole the show at the end of the 20th century, when such renowned French painters as Henri de Toulouse Lautrec painted posters for the Moulin Rouge and its most famous dancers.

An upbeat song, with a tune that has become iconic: the French Cancan music is part of the history of Paris as well as that of cabarets. The Moulin Rouge reveals the secrets of both this exhilarating melody and those of its creator, Jacques Offenbach.

Today the French Cancan continues to inspire both little ones and grown-ups on the stage of the Moulin Rouge!

THE HISTORY OF THE FRENCH CANCAN

But you have to go back to the 1820s to trace the origins of the French Cancan. At this time, both public and private balls were highly sought after by Parisians. Back then they danced the French Cancan with a partner, and there was no real place for improvisation. Tired of this rigidity, a handful of men decided to indulge in a few minutes of solo dancing, giving free rein to their imaginations while they let off steam. These moments were then christened ‘chahuts or ‘cancans’. It wasn’t long before women were at it too, far surpassing the men in their prowess, releasing shockwaves with their daring moves in the process. In 1831 there was even a law attempting to ban the cancan – in vain!

The rebellious spirit of the chahut saw the arrival of the first wave of female ‘chahuteuses’, including Queen Pomare and Céleste Mogador. Over time, the cancan became a tourist attraction. The British inventor of the music-hall, Charles Morton, added the term ‘French’ to describe this dance performed by the Parisians. This is how the name ‘French Cancan’ was born. In reality the dance derived from the ‘naturalist quadrille’, a ballroom dance that was very much in vogue in the early 19th century.

The movement ended up becoming more professional from 1860 onwards, and cabaret posters slowly began to appear across France. Then, in 1868, both male and female dancers reappropriated Orpheus’s Infernal Galop, with the tune becoming inseparable from the French Cancan. In the 1920s the artistic director of the Moulin Rouge, Pierre Sandrini, decided to remove all improvisation to make way for compulsory dance moves. Back then the cabaret cancan owed its popularity to the performances of its dancers turned celebrities: La Goulue, Nini Patte-en-l’air (Nini Legs in the Air) and Grille d’Égout (Sewer Grate).

Born in 1868, Jane Avril was among the Moulin Rouge dancers who made a mark on their time. Unlike other dancers, particularly La Goulue, she didn’t remove her clothes or offer herself to men. Thanks to her, the French Cancan was exported to cabaret stages across the whole of Europe, and Jane became painter Toulouse-Lautrec’s muse.

The Moulin Rouge and the emblematic French Cancan music

French Cancan (1955) dir. Jean Renoir

[market-sample-reports]

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Akash Khilare

Senior Market Research Expert at The Insight Partners

[juliehowlin]

Can can

No-one really knows the origins of the can-can, but one likely explanation is that it evolved from the quadrille, a social dance for four couples (which is, incedentally, an English dance).

10 facts about the can can:

[chansondefortunio]

Top 05: Opera Couples?

omg. I am embarrassingly late to this ask! sorry about that...

5. Gonsalve and the clock, Ravel's L'Heure Espagnole

No context!

4. Helene and Paris, Offenbach's La Belle Helene

i am exclusively referring to the relationship displayed in this operetta and not in the original myth.

Paris got himself a hot older woman... i support it

3. Hoffmann and Nicklausse, Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann

i just think theyre CUTE together! and the symbolic interpretation is cool too ! artist and the muse

2. Francesca and Lazaro, Bachelet's Scemo.

i support Francesca cheating on Giovann no I will not elaborate (unless someone asks me to)

1. Fanny and Jean, Massenet's Sapho

THEY ARE TOXIC! they are BAD FOR EACHOTHER!

Jean can't let go of the past... Fanny wants to run away from it...

but there is something very beautiful and naive about their relationship... the best part about this couple is that Fanny knew that it was best to end it.

thanks so much for the ask :)

[fablefan]

I think I can shed some light on this question!

So the original poster for this vote is technically incorrect: the song isn't actually called "Orpheus in the Underworld", but Le Galop Infernal, which is just as chaotic to see and perform as the song makes it appear. However, the song DOES come from the operetta "Orpheus in the Underworld", or Orphée aux enfers, by Jacques Offenbach. It was first performed in 1858, and it's genuinely one of my favorite operettas (for reasons I'll list below).

(There's a couple of performances floating around YouTube, but this one's the most complete, plus it has subtitles!)

Now for all those who don't know much about opera (which, no offense meant, I'm guessing is most folks), or wondering why a tragic story has such a bouncy tune to it, an operetta is very similar to an opera, but it's generally shorter and more comedic than a traditional opera performance. I'm not joking when I say that the entire thing feels like a satirical adaptation of Greek myth and theatre.

"Orpheus in the Underworld" has Orpheus and Eurydice's marriage actually close to divorce until Eurydice is stolen by Pluto, causing Orpheus to begrudgingly have to seek the gods on Mount Olympus in order to rescue her, due to the pushing of Public Opinion (yes, this is an actual character in the performance. She has lines and sings). Jupiter tries to hook up with Eurydice, there's an animal transformation, a wild party is had, and the original Orpheus myth is fulfilled in a way you probably don't expect.

(Jupiter also ends up getting called out and roasted by the entire pantheon for a song [it's exactly one hour and one minute into the linked performance] and friends, it is a thing of beauty.)

However, the song became closely related to the French can-can (which was already established before the operetta even came out), which is why a lot of people simply call it that, but that's a history lesson for another time.

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

these two are so fucking adorable and I could just watch the two of them chat it up all day

[precognitiveignition]

somebody please tell falkkone that theres more to a symphonic metal cover than getting a synth drummer to go apeshit with a rythm guitarist hanging out in the crowd

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Pavement / Sonic Youth - Stadhalle, Offenbach, Germany, November 2, 1992

We're going to hang out in 1992 for a little while longer on our Summer of Pavement adventure — don't worry, we're in no hurry. Last week, we listened to Pavement opening for My Bloody Valentine. This week, we're listening to Pavement opening for Sonic Youth. This tour is well-represented officially — the incredible Brixton Academy Pavement set was part of the classic Stray Slack bootleg and then released for realz on the Slanted and Enchanted deluxe reissue. And you can check out the equally incredible Sonic Youth Brixton set via the band's ever-expanding Bandcamp page.

This Offenbach show is from the very beginning of this European jaunt and Pavement doesn't sound quite as assured as they'd be in Brixton — but they still kick ass for the most part, with the Slanted stuff fitting in comfortably alongside newer material like a moody "Greenlander" and a soaring "Frontwards." Let's hear it for the double-drum duo of Gary Young and Bob Nastanovich — they've really hit their stride at this point, giving the band an intensity and drive that would be hard to match once Young left the band.

The rarity of this show is the closing "Kentucky Cocktail," which is one of Pavement's great lost classics, only recorded properly during a Peel Session. Malkmus fucks the first chorus up ("Durr!" he exclaims laughingly) and the band huddles for a couple minutes only to blast through the rest of the song, finishing up with a skewed Pixies tribute — "Gigantic! A big, big dog!"

And hey, let's listen to the Sonic Youth set, too! Why not, goddamnit? (Sebadoh also played this evening, but I haven't come across a tape. If you've got it, give it!) SY is on top of its game, playing a whole bunch of the then-new Dirty, plus some tasty dips into the catalog — "Burning Spear" totally rages here and the encore of "White Kross" is insanely stormy. I also like that Thurston thanks the crowd for skipping Canned Heat in Frankfurt to come see the show.

[monotonous-minutia]

Spent a lovely couple hours tearing into the mess in the basement while listening to some gay gloriousness

[windermeresimblr]

Post 4 songs you have on repeat right now

I was (unofficially? indirectly?) tagged by @owly-sims, so here’s the four songs I’ve listened to the most frequently in the past couple of days.

1) “Moll Dubh A’ Ghleanna” by Altan. I only recently found this on Spotify--I was convinced it hadn’t made it on there--and it’s one of my favorite songs by the group. So it’s on steady repeat. I’ve been mildly obsessed with this song since high school.

2) The Medieval Baebes singing part of “On Monsieur’s Departure” by QEI. Does anyone remember 8tracks? I found a mix on there that had this and I replayed this...probably too much. On the mix, it was called “My Care is Like My Shadow,” which gave me a lot of agita trying to find it on a non-8tracks site.

3) “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha. Look, my music taste, such as it is, is very eclectic. I’m only a tiny bit embarrassed about it.

4) “Orpheus In The Underworld: Infernal Galop ‘Can-Can’” by Jacques Offenbach. This was partially for research for “A Journey in the Carpathians” (RIP), and partially because I once saw an adorable animated video of seals cavorting about on ice floes set to this piece. And sometimes you need to listen to a damn can-can on the bus to keep yourself awake.

and a bonus 5) “Where My Heart Will Take Me” by Russell Watson. Because I’ve got FAITH of the HEART! Going where my heart will take me! (Have I watched a lot of Enterprise? No. Do I still play this song to get myself amped for a long day of mundanity? Yes! It’s fun.)

I tag whoever would like to do this! (also maybe don’t listen to any of this if you really get persnickety about your music algorithms.)

[sweatyninjafury]

Saw your boxing in D.C. video on YouTube. Watching you and The Hammer duking it out like REAL MEN. 2 shirtless sweaty daddy bears. WOOF. How were you able to concentrate while fighting a hot man like The Hammer?

Hey man...I loved boxing Jack.  That was on one of my big boxing trips.  In fact, it was during my most recent FightOdyssey, which is what I call my big boxing trips.  This was the fourth FightOdyssey.  I organized NINE different boxing camps and events around the world.  My welterweight husband Rob and I started here in Adelaide, flew to Dubai, then to London.  The first event was at a private ring in Grove Park London, simply called Boxing at Grove Park.  Next up was Frankfurt, where I hosted The Challenge Fights at a boxing gym in Offenbach, The Challenge Boxing Club.  My co-host, Marco, was the boxer in residence.  I’ll tell you...the German boxers are awesome...every single one who signed up, showed up, and we had two rings going at once...magnificent disply of manhood for sure.  Third in Europe was Barcelona, where we had a small gathering for an event called Barcelona Bruisers.  We sparred some guys and had a blast.

Then across the Atlantic to the USA, my homeland.  First stop, NY.  I had lived in NYC for a couple of decades so I was back home, where my heart is.  Up in New Rochelle, New York, I hosted a camp called Fighting Champs at Champs Boxing Gym.  It was blowing two feet of snow that day, as this was in January of 2017, but all my boys showed up to BOX.  Hell yeah...BOXING brings the real men out!  Fifth stop on the world tour was Boston.  In the southern suburb of Hanover, we presented It Ain’t Over Till It’s Hanover.  This was a heavyweight event.  All heavyweights except for me and Rob.  I got in there with the biggest of em, bud...HELL YEAH.

Then down to Toms River, New Jersey, where I got coached myself.  My good boxing bud Darren Maciunski owns and runs his own gym there, called Checkmates, so the event was called Checkmate!  This event was exactly what I said...me getting coached.  After all, the coach needs a coach sometimes, too.  Darren was Middleweight Champ of the WORLD for a while in the 90s, so I got some prime training off him.  He is an awesome sweetheart of a fuckin FIGHTING MAN!

Then...what you’ve been waiting for and asking about...COACH JACK!  Next stop was DC, in Chuck Brunn’s Matt Room.  We did a tournament here, called Maryland vs. Virginia.  I was captain of the Virginia Team and Jack was the captain of the Maryland Team.  We had all our boys fight first, then our boys got to watch The Two Coaches fight.  Damn it was GOOD.  I loved boxing that big Jack...hell yeah.  We really put it out for our boys...showin em HOW TO DO IT!  Yep, I can definitely say that was one of my favorite stops along the way on this trip.  Jack loved it to, I can assure you.  Let me say, though...about getting all worked up in the ring...when I fight I FIGHT...nothing else matters.  That was the way it was...Jack and I were BOXING...DOING WHAT MEN NEED TO DO TOGETHER...FIGHT!

At this point there were two events left.  Rob and I drove to Nashville, Tennessee first to see my dad, then drove up to Cincinnati, where we hosted Cincinnati Fisticuffs at the Cincinnati Fitness Boxing Gym.  Again, we had two 20x20 rings going at once here and it was awesome.  Lots of guys from the midwest showed up here...another magnificent display of pure manhood!

Rob and I then drove back to NY, where we had rented a car.  We returned it, got on a plane, and flew to our last stop on the trip, Los Angeles.  This was the final event of the tour.  We went out easy.  The event, called California Spar, was just that...two afternoons of sparring and training guys from the area.  AWESOME.

Well,  I bet you didn’t think you’d get this long an answer from one simple question about Jack.  But there you have it.  I will say, now that you’ve brought him up, though, my fight with Jack was definitely a highlight, if not THE HIGHLIGHT of my World Boxing Tour.  When we got on the plane to cross the Pacific to return home to Australia, I put my feet up and took a nice, slow, long look at the two-month boxing tour I had just done.  I felt complete.  I boxed a total of 80 rounds that trip.  I don’t know how familiar you are with music, or musical comedy, and what-not, but there is a song called Around the World in Eighty Days.  I turned that tune on its back and ended up giving FightOdyssey IV a new name, I’ll Daze the World in Eighty Rounds!!!

[queerchoicesblog]

One Night At The Moulin Rouge

Hiya, folks! So, as previously announced, the wlw writing project continues after a break with a miniseries set back in the City of Lights - & Love - at the time of the Belle Epoque, at the turn of the century.

The story begins with an introductory chapter dedicated to our main character, Léa, our young seamstress finally makes it to “The First Palace of Women”, the Moulin Rouge. What does the night have in store for her?

Hope you enjoy it: if you do, please consider spreading the word!

Next chapter out on Friday: double update this week!

Tagging: @scottishqueer

Previous chapter: Paris, Paris 

_____________________________

He shouts at our friends behind us and we sprint off into the night. I lift my skirt and laugh as the streets and buildings around us change and we make our way through the crowd of the boulevards running as if our lives depended upon it. A passerby even asks us if we were in danger: we laugh again in full response and the old man shakes his head, muttering something about how foolish modern day youth is. When we finally spot the red windmill, we're out of breath. My lungs burn and my heart is hammering in my chest but...what a fun we have already had! Marcel pushes his way to the crowd gathered outside and shows the ticket to a steward, panting. "The show has already started" he announces, giving us an unreadable look, half annoyed half amused. We all exchange a look. It's Alain who speaks: "Then why don't you let us in so we won't miss the rest?"

I did my best to refrain a snort right in the face of the steward, who apparently notices it. Eventually, he steps aside and let us in, informing that the cloakroom is on the left. We ignore it completely, too concerned to miss the show and head straight to the dance hall. The place is packed and...stunning. I gasp at the sight of the gorgeous extravagant decors and the rows of table with gentleman and even some ladies all dressed up and sipping what looks like expensive champagne. It's like stepping into a....dream. Marcel snaps me out our my dreamlike state placing a glass into my hand. When I look at him, he nods to the table in front of us: whoever is sitting there is not here at the moment and my cheeky friend just stole their glasses, one for me, one for him. I'm about to playfully chastise him when he gestures to keep quiet and pulls my hand, moving forward into the crowd. I follow him careful not to spill my drink and we surf the crowd until we find a free standing spot by one of the columns, behind the rows of tables but with a good view of the stage. We cling our glasses giggling and take a big gulp. The champagne is cold yet burns down my throat after our mad run. I like it though: I've never had champagne before, too expensive. A woman is singing a catchy song on stage, strumming a little guitar while a couple of dancers make their long skirts twirl in the background. The lyrics are bright and a little facetious, eliciting rounds of laughters among the audience. With a sultry smirk, the singer starts the refrain and the orchestra joins. The song must be popular among the audience since everyone immediately starts singing along and whistling. I think I've heard it too, can't remember where though. The standing spectators like us attempt to dance and I find myself aching to move freely to the tune too but there's little space in our corner. Marcel and I sway on our feet and I catch the singer winking at us from the stage. Her performance ends too soon and is welcomed with rounds of enthusiastic applauses from the audience. The singer and the dancers flash smiles to everyone and make practised reveries. Before disappearing behind the velvet at the bottom of the stage, the singer examines the audience with a playful look and speaks loud enough to be heard even by us in the last rows. She invites us all to save our enthusiasm for the next act because, according to her, the best is yet to come. "Are you ready for la quadrille?" she asks. Everyone goes wild cheering and whistling. Marcel is one of them. We exchange an excited look: la quadrille is the main attraction of the Moulin Rouge! Only the most talented and gorgeous dancers perform it or so I've heard. Our eyes converge back to the stage when the notes of Offenbach resound through the auditorium. My breath catches when a multitude of girls in titilatting colourful costumes takes the stage and hold up their skirts to perform the most extravagant choreography I have ever seen. Well, I've seen the can-can already in ballrooms but those were amateurs compared to these ladies. They rise their knees high and make a quick rotatory movement before holding their ankle and rising their leg vertically while turning on the other leg. I cannot fathom how they can do it and with a charming smile on their faces...the dance may be scandalous to many but they perform with such grace it's a joy for the heart and eye. The rhythm is furious, joyful and we all soon clap our hands to the beat: it's contagious! A male dancer make his entrance too out of the crowd of women and I'm pretty sure he's an acrobat or a contortionist because I have never seen a single soul jump so high and walking backwards with his head between his legs...it's crazy! The dancers continue their routine with a cheerful grace out of this world. They line up in a long row and make us go wow with a stunning series of cartwheels and splits. They remind me of the breathtaking fireworks we saw at the opening night of the Exposition Universalle in March. With a bit of luck we managed to get a ticket and be there....what a night! Fireworks bathed in the new Tour Eiffel and for a moment it looked like it was day in the middle of the night. There was a magic show that evening, I remember: I ducked like a fool behind Marie when the blindfolded magician threw daggers in his poor assistant's direction. These dancers are like those fireworks. I don't even pay too much attention to the fact that their undergarment is showing as they dance...I laugh to myself thinking I must be too used to female undergarments working as a seamstress. But I let out a loud gasp when they kick the high hats the spectators of the first row are holding out with the tip of their boots. A playful yet skilled high kick that make the hat fly high before landing back on their owners head. When the act ends with a last round of splits, I'm in awe. Dizzy, so dizzy it takes me a moment to clap my hands and cheer loudly just like the spectators around me. The dancers leave the stage among thunderous applauses. "That was incredible!" I comment and Marcel agrees enthusiastically. I look around to see if I can spot Marie and Alain but I have no luck. The acts are over for the night and the spectators crowding the room takes their time drinking and smoking, Marcel gestures me to follow him. The lovebirds are nowhere in sight so I take his hand. He leads us to the other side of the room right into the backstage area. "I don't want you to be all alone among those drunks" he explains, guiding me forward down a corridor. "And I'd like to introduce you to my friend" He stretches his neck out and after a moment he waves to another young man smoking by a door open on the street. "Lucien, you old dog! Come, Léa, this way!" The musician waves at us too and loosens up his tie. He pulls Marcel into a manly hug and vigorously shakes my hand. I thank him on behalf of all of us for his kind gesture and he shrugs. "Marcel's friends are my friends. I hope you guys had some fun tonight" We chat a little then when the boys start bantering with each other and talking of common acquaintances I have never heard of I give them some privacy. I quietly wander down the corridor and take a look around. I rest my back against the wall to free the way and take a deep breath. Who would have known I would sneak into the Moulin Rouge tonight? Me, a humble seamstress from the North. Ah, if only my colleagues or -even better, my so very Catholic mother- could see me now! Marcel outdid himself tonight with such a wondrous surprise...one of the best cabaret theatre in whole Paris! Out of the blue, the door at my side slams open and someone gets pushed out, laughing loudly and sloshing wine over the rim of their glass right onto my dress. "Shit!" I turn towards the voice to find a redhead girl around my age covering her mouth and staring at me. I recognise her: she's one of the dancer who performed la quadrille, her costume is still on, only the corset is loosen up...the door must be the changing room. I gesture that it's nothing even if I'm quite displeased: it's cold out there, November is hardly the best time of the year to go around in wet clothes. When she uncovers her mouth, I notice she's still giggling. "I'm so sorry, I'm awfully clumsy tonight" she apologises. "But blame these ladies who cannot take a single joke!" she adds, raising her voice and banging on the door. All she gets is a round of laughter on the other side that makes her chuckle again, shaking her head. I smile politely, not really knowing what to say nor what is going on. After a moment she takes another look at me and throws me a playfully inquisitive glare. "By the way, what are you doing out of our changing rooms, if I may, mademoiselle? I do not recall seeing you here before...Waiting for someone?" she inquires, nodding at the door. "Oh no! I'm with...him" My eyes instinctively search for Marcel still chatting with his friend. The dancer follows my gaze and sighs. "Ah, I see, your boyfriend..." "What? No!" My words came out a bit blunter than I meant it. When she gives me a surprised look, I feel the sudden urgency to explain myself. "I mean, we're friends. I'm just waiting for him here, to give him space...you know. I didn't know this was the door of the changing room" I cannot quite read the shift in the way she looks at me but there is a certain playfulness in her voice when she raises an eyebrow at me and crosses her arms. "So...he's not your boyfriend" "No and I don't even know why I need to explain myself to you more than I have already did" She shrugs nonchalantly, flashing me a smile. This conversation started off on the wrong foot, I'm standing where I shouldn't be and Marcel is nowhere finished with his friend. If I know him well, by the way he gesticulates he's sharing his "intuitions" about the upcoming races: he has little money but has a granitic faith that one day a miracle will happen and the lucky bet will make him rich. Good old Marcel... Anyway, I better say something to avoid an awkward silence: this dancer somehow twists everything I say in a way that makes me nervous. "We came for the show" Pathetic but I couldn't find anything more original. And that justifies my presence in the backstage area...more or less. The dancer leans to the wall and lazily strokes the rim of her empty glass. "And did you enjoy it?" "Oh yes! I have never seen a dance so lively like this, so catchy, so full of life, so joyous-" "Splits and undergarments-" "It reminded me of fireworks" The dancer looks taken aback by my words for the first time. Surprised, I'd say, as if my reaction came out totally unexpected. "Fireworks?" she repeats. "Yes, like the ones I saw at the Exposition Universelle months ago. Wonderful colourful lights exploding up there in the night sky, a symphony of lights...truly breathtaking" I smile to myself reminiscing. "And tonight la quadrille...I don't know, the lively rhythm, the smiles on your faces as you performed, the colours of your skirts during the cartwheels...it brought me back to that night" The dancer's lips curl into a smile mirroring mine and her whole visage softens. "I've heard many people describing la quadrille but nobody has ever compared it to fireworks like you did" Cocking her head to the side, she takes another look at me. "You're a poet" she smiles. "Oh no, I'm just a seamstress" I laugh. "Nobody has ever taken me for a poet, I'm not good with words" "Well you sound like one to me so to me you are a seamstress-poet" I really don't know what to say again but I feel my cheeks turn rosy as she keeps smiling encouragely at me. We just look at each other for a moment. I'm about to make a joke of how can I be good with words if I'm so easily speechless when "Léa!" Marcel waves at me from the door at the end of the corridor. "I'm sorry I must go now" I say as the dancer spots my friend too. Then before I could do anything, she places one hand on my shoulder. "Hold on a minute, will you?" There is a sudden urgency in her voice as she storms into the changing room ignoring the playful protests of the other ladies inside. I gesture Marcel to wait and he goes lighting another cigarette in the street. The dancer returns after a moment, true to her word. She hands me a handkerchief. "There, for my clumsiness" she says, nodding at the wine stain on my dress I had almost forgotten. "That's kind but there's no need-" "I insist" she smiles, offering it again. "Well, thank you then, mademoiselle..." I reach for it but she retrieves her hand a little. "Huh-uh, I want it back. It's not a gift" she mocks a serious expression. "Of course but..." I soon realise an important detail. "...But I don't even know your name?" She takes my hand and gently places the handkerchief into it. "Élodie. And you know where to find me, Léa" With one last lingering smile she lets go of my hand and wishes me a good night. I walk into the street and the cold of the night makes me shiver. I secure the handkerchief in my pocket and breathe in the mix of icy mist and smoke of Marcel's cigarette. He shakes his head and wraps his scarf around my neck before half hugging me. "We better find the lovebirds and head towards a bar, I bet the streets will get all frosty in no time...fancy a beer?" I throw one last look to the Moulin Rouge over Marcel's shoulder as we walk away and to my surprise I meet the gaze of Élodie, still standing where I left her and looking my way.