Laurent Bigot (Anteenagers MC, No-Talents, Steve and the Jerks..) interview

Ok, this is an interview i wanted to do since two years ago or so.. and this was probably the easier time since i saw him writing on the TB forum a lot. Here lots of talking about the No-Talents, punk rock in France, his current band the Anteenagers MC and a bit of Steve and the Jerks. Like he told me at first he isn't the best drummer from France but it's the drummer that have been on my favourite 90s-00s french bands.

at what age you began to play drums? do you played in any band before the No-Talents?
I’m going to try to make a long story short ’cos it may get boring. One thing must be clear though : I never actually started playing drums, I still just pretend to, I’m not a musician. My first experience behind a drum kit was around 85, I was 20. We started a trashy garage duo with the same guitar player I'm still playing with these days, Manu Blervaque (now also bass player in Frustration). But after a few practice in a neighbour’s attic, it was over. We started our first real band together in '86, Spider & the Flies. I was just singing in it. We were doing Pebbles/Back from the Grave covers, and we sucked pretty bad. We had a few more similar cover bands after that, adding a bit of Surf, Frat, Freakbeat, Psych and Bubblegum at various points. I played drums in the second and the third bands. The second, Bonnie & the Clydes, is the one you can hear on Anteenagers MC's LP doing that inept cover of 'Out of Limits'. It's
the only recording of all these bands that will ever see the light on a record.
In '93, I went to study in New York City for a year. When I came back, I decided I better play punk rock to be on the safe side and we formed Steve & the Jerks in September '94. I ended up behind the drums because the only drummer we had among our friends joined the Splash 4 instead. The No-Talents started about six months later, in the late Spring or early Summer of '95.

how was the No-Talents show, i have read somewhere that the first show was kind of very few practice and kind of a mess not?
We played a couple of songs at a party after a couple of practices but our first show was after six months of work, opening for the Lazy Cowgirls. It sounded like we just started because we didn't have talent. Or that's what I thought then but in the end, the others were fakes, especially the girls. I was the only real no-talent in this adventure. I got a video of that first show somewhere shot by the singer of the Swingin' Neckbreakers.

used to have any fame the No-Talents in France? i have always though that this band is probably more famous internationally than nationally
We were famous among 39 people, 17 in France and the rest beyond french borders. The No-Talents probably sold between 3 and 5000 of the first LP and less of the 2nd so 'fame' seems like a big word. After I left, they were once on national TV in France then in Italy so that was the moments of fame I guess.

did they have non-released stuff?
I was in the band for two years and I believe there's only an alternate take of one of the songs still unissued from that period. I don't remember it being that different from the released one anyway. I doubt there's any unissued recordings from the two years with Mark Adolf on drums. They only did one session with him, for the 2nd album.

there was any kind of scene in France at the time? i mean.. the Splash 4, No-Talents, TV Killers, Steve and the Jerks.. near all of them are from the same years not?
We all started around the same time yes, and played together often. It was quite small to be called a ‘scene’ but we were all friends, playing in each others' bands and putting out each others' records. The TV Killers were not from Paris so we were less connected with them but friends still. Jacko and Lili of the Splash 4 did put out one of their record in fact. Like I said, it was a very small scene, but it was very exciting because we were all very close together, practicing at the same places, partying together, starting labels… There was a huge workshop that we used as a headquarter for the whole clique - that I dubbed the ‘Happy Family’ - for nearly a couple of years. Los Kogars, a surf trio who later made an LP on Planet Pimp, were also hanging out. There was also the Loud Mufflers, a 50’s rock & roll side project of some No-Talents, and later on Oi band les Teckels, also with a couple of No-Talents.

as for Steve and the Jerks, i don't really know near nothing about thisband.. ok that is near the same line up as the Anteenagers MC and that the Jerkssound to me like a budget rock band, used to love the song "we are the jerks".it was something like a side band? or used to play a lot in the time? for me iskind of obscure as i don't know nothing
It was my first serious band. We were lucky to do our first show at a partyattended by Billy Childish and he loved our cover of the Kinks’ ‘Misty Water’.So he asked to produce us. It took us a few months to gather the dough to go toLondon and we did a session at Toe Rag in ’95. Four songs came out on Wild Wildrecords, and two more, including one sung by Cecilia of the No-Talents, on Hangman’s Daughter. A few weeks after our EP, our bass player left because he wanted to play 60’s garage and psych, so we got Junior Campo as the new bass player. And he’s still with us now, and also plays keyboards in Frustration. We did an LP and a couple more 45s, opened for the Kids, the Zeros, the Swingin’Neckbreakers and a few others, even played one show in New York City in late’97, before becoming Anteenagers MC in 2000 when Nicus Duteil joined us as second guitar player.

great bands to play with! you were also the people that bring great bands to France?
Not really. I booked a couple of shows but that’s not something I care for. Too much work and not the fun kind! My only pride on that matter is to have book the very first show for Gonn in Europe. Unfortunatly back then, it was hard to get a bar or a club so I had to rent the biggest rehearsal room I could find and I organised two sets so that all the people interested could see them.

what do you think about the nowadays sound of France? it seems that isn't aspunk rock as it used to be, but the "famous" bands are still from the same people
There’s some good shit in France right now. I just saw the Weakends and Cheveu opening for the Black Lips and they’re both really cool, especially Cheveu. Not too long ago I was totally impressed by a new 60’s influenced band from the suburbs of Paris called the Carpet Sellers. They kind of sound like the Tell Tale Hearts. There’s also the Dead Clodettes from Nice, kind of into the early Slits/Kleenex sound, and Veines, a punk band from the same area. And of course Idig Frustration which includes all my bandmates (but I don’t dig the band because of this). Nicus also plays in New Wave band Opération S and 60’s band les Terribles. I could list more bands like the Feeling Of Love, Volt or the great Jack Of Heart... And I almost forget my faves, Blutt. They just put out their first album and the only thing wrong about it is that it’s CD only. They’re influenced by great french bands like Olivensteins and les Coronados,and by the Velvets too. Check ‘em out.

i have heard the myspace of Blutt, not as punk rock as what i though with your description. the last song is good
Well punk rock is not all about noise and speed. That’s as punk as anything tome. I still believe in the spirit of ’76 when Punk Rock didn’t have much rules.

what do you think about the state of todays punk rock in comparison with the 90s?
It’s the same I would say. Mostly crap but enough good bands for the time I have available. Paris is better because we now have a club where the bands can play unlike in the 90’s. It’s called la Mécanique Ondulatoire and opened last year. But I was lucky enough to spend two years in NYC in the 90’s, and there was a lot of cool bands among even more bad ones back then. The big new thing in Paris is that there’s now kids in the late teens/early twenties at shows which never happened in the 90’s in Paris.

having kids on shows the best thing it can succed, they will make new bands ocassionally
The problem with the kids today is that most of them seem to have discovered rock through the Libertines or Baby Shambles and this leaves an after taste to all their bands. I hate that. The previous generation had the same problem with Nirvana.

and now what you were probably waiting.. why the Anteenagers MC are so slow? i should say that the Anteenagers MC for me just have two records, the first single and the plastic idol single.. the LP didn't like it. and also think that the plastic idol EP is like a new band with the same name, it was pretty awesome, will the band continue? i have heard that plastic idol will put out another one, are you also thinking about doing a LP?
Anteenagers is slow because my band mates are very busy with Frustration, and because we’re getting old ha ha. I don’t really need a busy schedule actually we like doing little but having fun doing it, it’s not a job. I try to make sure every record is different from the others so I’m not surprised some people like one and not as much another. I don’t care as long as somebody like it. For instance, I read a lot of great feedback about our first Plastic Idol EP from abroad while here, people were not so happy with it. I mixed it alone with our pal Stanlet, Blutt ex-bass player, and my band mates were not too happy with the result, especially Nicus. So he’s one hundred responsible of the new one. He recorded it and mixed it so if you don’t like it, blame him ha ha... I don’t know how much longer we’ll be playing, as long as we’re having fun...

Frustration are cool, but Anteenagers MC more of my style, the new LP seems to be better than their older stuff for me though.. i wish it could be Anteenagers MC the big band
Thanks. Frustration is a very different band and I’m glad they’re doing great. Personnaly I only care about the underground, the real one and I couldn’t go to all the trendy places they’re invited to. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just not my scene. I just read a great interview of Graham Day and he said exactly what I’ve been thinking for years: Rock & Roll is usually better off away from the mainstream or the ‘hip’. Still I’m really happy to see a band like Black Lips making it cos they’re really awesome. Let’s just hope they’ll be able to stay that way and still have success. The problem when you make a living out of Rock & Roll is that if you’re starting to lose the interest of the public, you often try to gain it back and the result is rarely as good as what you did when you were doing it just for your own pleasure. But there’s exceptions to every rules so I hope the Black Lips will remain the great band they are.

do you use to write songs on the Anteenagers MC? use to play any other instrument in your home?
I can’t play anything. But I’m part of the writing process, sometimes singing what I mean or often adding bits and pieces to the others’ ideas. It’s really a team work, nobody ever wrote a song from A to Z. I write all the lyrics though.

do you have plans (or have done) more songs in french? in my opinion "les conformistes" is one of the best french punk songs i have ever heard
Thanks. The only other one we do is a cover of the Swell Map’s ‘Read about Seymour’ with totally different lyrics in french.

another point why i make this interview is to know about old French punk, ilove Gasoline, Bulldozer, Metal Urbain, the Dogs, Olivensteins, Electrochoc.. iwant to know more, tell me about lots of cool bands! it isn't easy to know more
Many of these guys are dead now, thanks to good ol’ heroin addiction. Métal Urbain are back together but I really don’t like their new stuff. France was always late for Rock & Roll but Punk was an exception. Bands like Strike Up and Angel Face were around in early ’76. We even had a weirdo called Samuel Hobo who made a 45 that sounds like Suicide back in ’73. Jean-Michel Jarre is playing on it. There’s a book called ‘Nos Années Punk’ (Our Punk Years) that tells the story of many of these acts but it’s in French. I translated the Métal Urbain part for Ugly Things magazine. The good news is that Born Bad records is working on an album by Olivensteins. It’s scheduled for next Fall. They found a lot of material.

i don't mean alive bands, i mean old great french punk bands.. what more i'm missing apart of the mentioned bands? great to know about les Olivensteins!
There was a few more punk bands between ’76 and ’80 that were pretty cool like Warm Gun who had an EP in ’77 or Asphalt Jungle who also started in ’76 and made three 45s including a pure gem called ‘Poly Magoo’ that’s like Spector meets Punk at its best. I like Starshooter’s first LP from ’78 and their first 3 45s.They went pop after that (they said “new wave” back then). The list is not thatlong but I’m sure I missed a few.

Final question: what means Anteenagers MC?
‘Anti-Teenagers Music Club’. It’s stupid, but we like it like that.