Mathias Malzieu: "Boris Vian is the first who made me want to read and write"

THE FIGAROSCOPE. - Why did you agree to be the godfather of the Vian centenary?

Mathias MALZIEU. - Boris Vian is the first who made me want to read and write. I received L'Écume des jours as a gift from a Chloé at the start of the group. When I swore by Nirvana, Sonic Youth and the Pixies, reading was not my priority. However, this novel fascinated me at the age of 18-19 years. Subsequently, I discovered his music and his "ferryman" side. He was a decompartmentalizer who always accompanied me.

What is your contribution?

I prefaced the centenary book. I also participate in the new edition of pockets of 3 works that I have chosen: L'Écume des jours , because it is a masterpiece, En avant la zizique because his observations of the music world are still as relevant more than fifty years later, and Cantilena in jelly , for the poems and songs dimension.

Are you familiar with Cité Véron?

Yes. You have to write a letter to visit the apartment. It gave a little secret side that I like. The place becomes a little collector, without falling into snobbery. When you enter for the first time, you are struck by the warmth of the welcome.

Accepting this mission to the Three Donkeys is very much linked to Vian's story for me. I try to make the link between the future, through emerging groups, and the great past of this place

You are the artistic director of Trois Baudets, a room where Boris Vian often sang…

Yes. We will celebrate it with three concerts by Carmen Maria Vega, and a special Boris Vian evening. We have acquired a vinyl pressing machine. You know, accepting this mission to the Three Donkeys is very much linked to Vian's story for me. In this place, I try to make the link between the future, through emerging groups, and the great past of this place. There are ghosts, but they are not sad there. Vian, Brassens, Brel, Gréco performed there, of course, but also Jean Rochefort and Raymond Devos. It was a laboratory subtitled "the smallest variety theater in Paris".

What is your mission at Les Trois Baudets?

I am just one collaborator among others. I try to infuse ideas, a spirit, to do a little programming. I am proud of this activity because I love being a smuggler. At an unclear moment in our history, joy and culture are, in my opinion, capital. This emotional ecology is a form of resistance. The Dionysos group also cultivates this “village of Asterix” side. Who would have thought that we could last 27 years by rocking in France?

Your film A Mermaid in Paris is coming out this week on screens…

Right now, I'm combining this outing, rehearsals with the group and the promotion of our new album Surprisier . It's quite extreme. With the book, you can say that I am immersed in the subject. However, this is not conceptual. Each object is autonomous. I wanted to film a mermaid on a movie set.

Basically, are you like Boris Vian, a tireless hyperactive?

I sometimes find it difficult to follow myself, but it is a privilege, a joy and an adventure.