Live Free or Die Punk and Alternative Rock in France 1981-1989

The Utopia of French Alternative Punk Rock in the 80s - Preface by LORAN, Bérurier Noir The history of French alternative rock in the 80s, a reflection of a changing society, told through the intertwined destinies of musicians of the time. The story of these French groups who sounded like no other, Bérurier Noir, Mano Negra, Négresses vertes, Les Garçons Bouchers... a choral tale, featuring key figures of the scene: Loran and François from the group Bérurier noir, Didier Wampas (The Wampas), François Hadji-Lazaro (Les Garçons bouchers, Pigalle), Helno (Négresses vertes) are thus followed through their adventures of the time, superimposing the time of action with that of hindsight and lessons learned. We are interested in the intertwined destinies of each other, revealing the hopes, illusions and disillusionments, successes and failures of the "movement." But this story stands out from other purely musical adventures because this scene was also the precise witness of its time, of its political and societal turbulence. Born with the election of François Mitterand and completed the same year as the fall of the Berlin Wall, it embraces the social and political history of the decade, from the arrival of the left in power to the turning point of austerity, from cohabitation and the Pasqua years to the creation of the Restos du Coeur, from the Beurs march of 1983 to the National Front's score in the 84 European elections, from the Action Directe attacks to the death of Malik Oussekine. Each event impacts the history of alternative rock and conditions the rest of its odyssey. In this context, the explosion of popularity of the group Bérurier Noir, which is one of the powerful driving forces of the movement, is of prime importance: its records sell by the tens of thousands, are passed around secretly in high schools and colleges: it is a true sociological phenomenon, emblematic of the tensions and aspirations of the youth of the time. A politicized group, which politicizes its audience. As a farewell, the group, undermined by the internal contradictions linked to success, media and police pressure, fills the Olympia three nights in a row, and a crowd of young people chant and sing, middle fingers raised: "Youth fuck the National Front." The dissolution of the Bérus marks a failure or the end of a dream, at the time when Mano Negra, another emblematic group, releases its second album on Virgin, symbolically signing the death warrant of a certain innocence, a certain utopia, a certain era, and a certain youth. After Underground (2021), Arnaud Le Gouëfflec and Nicolas Moog offer us a dive into the history of French alternative punk rock in the 1980s. Through various interviews and the intertwined destinies of musicians, this documentary book bears witness to one of the most beautiful utopias of the end of the 20th century in France. A powerful musical and social work.

ISBN: 978-2344055632