Vanessa Paradis
Eden Rock

Gainsbourg, Kravitz, M…and the others: Vanessa Paradis's career is punctuated with artistic meetings that the little rock sphere forever envies. From music videos by Mondino to the atomic "Pétroleuse" by the Little Rabbits, she's always had a surfer's skill on the conventions of style. At the time of the first best of of her career, Miss Paradis meets with Rolling Stone in a lovely Parisian hotel to answer a few crucial questions. Rock? Not rock? Beatles? Rolling Stone(s)?

The best of Paradis, that sounds good….even if it's more mundanely entitled Best Of. [obviously makes more sense in French…"Le meilleur de Paradis" instead of "Best Of"]. 22 years after her childlike start, Miss Vanessa gives us a recap in songs from her musical, and - finally - exemplary career. With, it's the law of the style, all her singles, from Joe le Taxi to Divinidylle, by way of Marilyn and John, Dis-lui toi que die t'aime [they misspell it as 'l'aime'], Tandem and Commando. This all comes with a bonus CD, offering lesser known songs, rare live and acoustic versions, duets (Alain Souchon, Jane Birkin), remakes, excerpts from television programs and musicals. In brief, a panoramic Paradis[(e)] which made us feel like visiting her. And then there's the career, bravo! An early contestant on L'Ecole des fans who became a starlet thanks to a horrible taxi brat; a bimbo booed by the purists but straightened out by a famous ticket-puncher of lolitas; processed by Roda-Gil before becoming a skillful Kravitz's and a loving M's muse; actress without a fuss and without cinema; a blend of a young Bardot and a mature Moreau, viva Vanessa!

With that, not at all evanescent [fleeting], the Paradis. Snuggled up in the suite of a Parisian palace smelling of patchouli oil, she waits for the journalist unmoving and menu [?? not sure if this means an actual menu or if it's an adjective], excited to finally talk about music instead of housework and husband. Throughout, it's she who said it, she adores Rolling Stone, that she often steals from her rocker Johnny [I think this is figurative - like she borrows ideas about music from him]. A timed interview, held to her VIP agenda, often interrupted with a natural vivacity ("Can we close the window?", "They didn't ring the doorbell?", "Don't you think it smells like something's burning?"), but just as pleasant as chit-chat by the fire. Not nirvana, just a pretty little bit of Paradis.

RS: You published your first best of, which is titled…Best Of…

V: It's clear, it says it all…Actually, I've always had a lot of trouble finding names for my albums, at least for the last two: for the previous ones, I participated less in the thought. For this one, it was about rounding up 5 studio albums, more with the live albums, duets, rare moments, everything over 22 years…So Best Of, it's the ideal title, isn't it? And then, it's in the spirit of the moment, everyone is making best of's…

RS: Well, doing what everyone else does isn't exactly your style…

V: No, but today with the age of the Internet and mp3s, we make compilations ourselves, for the people who like us. It's like writing a letter to someone. It's one of the positive things about the modern world, even if I'm not very knowledgeable about technology and computers. A best of is also practical. When I want to discover an old artist and I don't know which album to choose, I make do with a best of.

RS: Can you look at the exercise as a kind of assessment?

V: At first, I didn't like the idea of a CD made up of only singles. Singles aren't necessarily the best songs, the faithful reflection of the work. The choices were a real puzzler, it took a few months. Of course, I had to include the "must-haves", even though the arrangements can seem a little dated sometimes. But they are part of an era, they're memories, a trigger of childhood memories. I wanted there to be two CDs to be able to offer other things as well. In Patti Smith's best of, called Land, she wrote something that I really love and which inspires me. She says: "The first CD, you've chosen for me, the second I chose for you." That's exactly what I tried to do.

RS: Amid all these singles that everyone knows, there's also an unpublished song written by Gaëtan Roussel. How did that meeting go?

V: Of course, I knew of his work with Louise Attaque and Bashung, but before meeting him, I'd first come across his song which was sent to me among others. I was instantly crazy about it. It's the type of song in which you can dream of the years, the decades, and which suddenly comes to you. Elsewhere, I didn't change much, the final result is very close to the model Gaëtan sent me.

RS: On the second CD, there are a few remakes, one from The Zombies. But we don't find any other versions you've done from The Beatles, The Stones or Lou Reed…

V: It's true, I did Walk on the Wild Side, among others. But in listening to them again, I found that they resembled the originals too much, and not as good…I prefer the remakes to be different, transformed.

RS: More generally, is Vanessa Paradis a rock fan?

V: I don't stick with any one type. Music belongs to everyone. I love rock, as I love jazz, the blues, or funk. What counts are good songs, the label is less important. I had to listen to rock very early, no doubt in my mother's belly. I started to work when I was 14, I did a world tour, I lived in New York, I certainly formed my musical culture during these travels and meetings. But I consider myself to be a singer of variety, in the broad sense of the word.

RS: Over time, you've collaborated with people like Franck Langolff, Serge Gainsbourg, Etienne Roda-Gil, Lenny Kravitz and M. Isn't this overwhelming at times?

V: After all this time, I still can't believe I've worked with such people…I was lucky to meet very intelligent, brilliant and generous people. I tell myself that they didn't choose me for no reason, that surely there's something in me that pleased them. Gainsbourg, for example, I wasn't the greatest singer in the world, or a women he could seduce, I was only a child. I think that he saw something in me that touched him, something real. I never felt overwhelmed, sucked of life or manipulated. I'm sure that all these big artists with whom I've worked did so with their hearts and sincerity.

RS: On your last two albums, there are a few songs written by Johnny Depp. He likes rock…

V: He's above all a real musician. With his band, he crossed the US in a broken down car, he's always loved that. He's a very good guitarist. Like everything he takes on, music or acting, he does it better than anyone. He does it with his guts, and he has nice guts!

RS: And you, do you feel like a musician?

V: I composed some music on my last albums. But my biggest regret is my laziness because I've always had to learn to play an instrument. I played piano when I was a kid, but only for a year and a half, I got the impression that I had to bend my fingers in every sense of the word, so, like a fool, I decided to stop. Today I play with with 3 fingers, the guitar, it's the same, I spent hours finding the chords I hear in my head, it's tough.

RS: What are you listening to at the moment?

V: I listen to a lot of music, but I don't necessarily know who. Recently, I discovered Taj Mahal, I don't know why it took me so long to find them…Among the new artists, someone like Melody Gardot appeals to me, I find her perfect. But there are plenty of things that escape me, I have friends who always know everything, I don't know how they do it, I don't have the time, what with all the things I have to do as an adult, a parent.

RS: Your favorite Bealtes album?

V: The White Album. But I have them all…

RS: Beatles or Stones?

V: That's the kind of question I'm incapable of answering. Film or singing? Brunette or blond?

RS: Is the stage a need for you?

V: I love it, but I'm missing the training. A lot of time passes between two tours and, each time, I feel like it all starts over again from zero. It's like the gym, you can't ever stop unless you want to become flabby…

RS: With time, your voice seems clearer, less acidic…

V: I stopped smoking. But I smoked a lot before, so it piled up…It's true that now it's easier for me to sing, more pleasurable too. Getting older, you get rid of all the embellishments that do nothing, to get back to the basics. Finally, there are a lot of things that get sorted out with age...

When I want to discover an old artist and I don't know which album to choose, I make do with a best of.