Translated by Bethszabee Garner
Thomas Dutronc, who has just released his new album, “Il n'est jamais trop tard, où l'amour se taille la part du lion”, confided in Oniriq about what we could call his “uni-dream”. His dreams are often joyful, sometimes melancholic, like his temperament. A way of evoking his deepest desires but also what worries him. A kind of couch-surfing with an artist who has a humble talent.
Yves Derai: Are you a dreamer?
Thomas Dutronc: Since the advent of social media, all this excitement related to work in particular, I find it increasingly difficult to dream in Paris. I dream in front of the sea, the mountains, facing nature.
Yves Derai: Do you like that?
T.D.: I love it. The older I get, the more I like being connected with the natural elements. But I have a hard time in front of human creations like the ones we see everywhere in cities, surrounded by noise.
Yves Derai: Do you contrast dreaming with working?
T.D.: No, not really. For me, dreaming is like an overflowing pool of emotions. When there are too many, dreaming becomes a kind of escape.
Yves Derai: And does it help with creativity?
T.D.: Yes. Then there's the dream that represents our deepest desires. I always quote this phrase: “Tie your plow to a star.”
Yves Derai: And at night?
T.D.: Well, yes, I dream a lot, especially at the moment.
Yves Derai: Since the passing of your mother, Françoise Hardy?
T.D.: Yes. I don't necessarily dream about her, but about childhood, the house where I grew up. Sometimes I have tiring dreams. Recently, in my dream, some Corsican friends told me they had killed someone and I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. But I didn't have an alibi, so I was in trouble. I woke up exhausted! (Laughs)
Yves Derai: It's not a dream, it's a crime novel!
T.D.: Yes, it's true. Sometimes, in a semi-sleep state, I am semi-conscious and I try to control my dream. Does that happen to you too?
Yves Derai: More or less... And what do you look for when you control your dreams?
T.D.: Not long ago, I made a beautiful girl appear. I was in a luxury hotel and a kind of Marilyn Monroe appeared from behind a curtain. I didn't do anything with her and then I lost the thread. Another time, I managed to fly, it was great, I flew over Corsica...You must think I'm crazy! (Laughs)
Yves Derai: What is your recurring dream?
T.D.: About every six months, I dream about the house of my childhood.
Yves Derai: Are you nostalgic?
T.D.: Yes, I feel nostalgic about that period. When I listen to songs by Charles Trenet like "Coin de rue", "Revoir Paris" or "Que reste-t-il de nos amours", it moves me. I also remember that this house worried me, the cats were making noises at night, everything was painted black except for my room. It was my father who wanted it that way. The cellar led to catacombs, the floor creaked... Between the ages of 10 and 13, I had some good scares.
Yves Derai: Your worst nightmare?
T.D.: Being stuck and unable to move when I absolutely have to. It wakes me up with a jolt. There are also the sexual dreams, especially during periods of abstinence... Priests must have lots of erotic dreams! (Laughter)
Yves Derai: Your dream life?
T.D.: Having 30-hour days, in nature. In Corsica, obviously. I would like to live in a village of friends where you can easily drop in on them at any time. In Paris, you call someone who isn't available because they have an appointment. They suggest the day after tomorrow? No, it's me who can't, etc.
Yves Derai: So not days of bliss by the sea...
T.D.: A little bit, but too much, it gets boring.
Yves Derai: And there is no love in your dream life?
T.D.: As I am very happy in this area at the moment, I don't need to dream about it.
Yves Derai: We can hear it in your album, by the way.
T.D.: Yes. Like in The Little Prince, when you have found your rose, there is no need to look any further. Not everything in my album is autobiographical. Sometimes I dump someone, in another song I am dumped.
Yves Derai: Break-up songs are often good songs. “Larguer les amours” and “C'est fini, c'est mort” are two outstanding tracks on the album.
T.D.: Thank you. But the album is launched with one or two songs. Will the public discover the others?
Yves Derai: Do you have a dream song, a perfect song?
T.D.: I was lucky enough to mingle with Gainsbourg during my youth. I was at his house, he had just received an amplifier and speakers of incredible quality. We listened to Elvis' Love Me Tender and he said, “What a beautiful song, I would have loved to have written it.” Love Me Tender is simple, and it works so well. Trenet too, it's perfect. It's the only one that makes me cry. I'm becoming more and more of a fan.
Yves Derai: Are there any people you would dream of working with?
T.D.: Yes, but they are unreachable. Stevie Wonder, Rick Rubin... You have to be up to par. I also dream of playing with big orchestras. A concert with a big band and a philharmonic would be great.
Yves Derai: What place in the world still makes you dream?
T.D.: The no man's land. New Zealand, the Far North... But I'm always a bit afraid of organizations. I was raised in not very rudimentary places; my parents liked the 5-star hotels. Otherwise, the American heartland of course, to wander through the world of cinema. But I'm not very adventurous. I'm afraid of insects, I'm afraid of political regimes, I'm afraid of wars. I know that if I go to Egypt, for example, I'll be thinking about disasters all the time. I get very “psychotic”, even on the plane.
Yves Derai: The house of your dreams?
T.D.: The one I grew up in was for sale, but it was too expensive, and I would have too much the blues there. The ideal would be to privatize a house in the heart of the Luxembourg Gardens. Because most of my friends are in Paris. Oh, a swimming pool wouldn't be bad. In Paris, it would really be the dream. In reality, the dream would be a house with a garden in Paris. If I sell what I have, I might be able to do it.
Yves Derai: Does luxury make you dream?
T.D.: The problem is when you've had a taste of it. I had a taste of it during my childhood and it becomes the norm. But for me, the real luxury is sensitivity.
Yves Derai: And what about objects?
T.D.: Without hesitation, guitars. When a guitar is expensive, it's usually a good one. It's the one object I can really splurge on. Django Reinhardt played a Selmer. They only made 850 of them in the 30s and 40s. Well, I've just fallen for an ultra-rare Selmer nylon. I bought it at auction by phone. It is currently being restored, there have been five in the world. I don't know what will happen to it yet. Maybe one day we'll do a Django tribute concert with only Selmers. It would make sense.
Yves Derai: There's your dream concert. Thank you Thomas.
Text : Yves Derai
Directed by : Thomas Heisser
Photos : Laurence Laborie
Artistic Director : Sylvain Galy
Styling : Meggy Sabb
Hair & Makeup : Nathalie Boyard
