BlahBlahCafe - Jean-Michel Jarre forum

Hello everyone.

This is a question more directed to the French contingent of the forum, or fans of Jean Michel living in France.

How is Jean Michel received and represented in today's France and modern French media?

Is he still a beloved ambassador for France, or is he now viewed differently by the populous?

Is he celebrated, or derided and criticized by the public and media?

How do today's youth of France view Jean Michel and his music?


I look forward to responses.

Regards,

Vermillion

In one word, I'd say he is ignored.
Except during the "Adjani" period...

Michael wrote:In one word, I'd say he is ignored.
Except during the "Adjani" period...

This was something I had very much suspected, and also the main reason that JMJ has not performed a larger scale concert in his home country for a decade!

Vermillion

Both the release of Oxygene 7-13 (which was not popular in France) and the Electronic Night concerts were two very unfortunate events to occur. Imagine what happened when he didn't return to his old style after that, releasing Metamorphoses etc...

I cannot imagine why it has got bad after Oxy 7-13. It IS a good album.

And he played a lot of Concerts during the Oxygene Arena Tour 1997 in France. I was in Strasbourg and the audience was fantastic, I would say the best audience I ever joined at a Jarre Concert.

I think he is still a popular and respected musician in France and a famous celebrity, not only because of his Adjani seperation.

Even Aero and Teo&Tea could have been regarded as more popular albums, cause Aero was No.2, T&T was No.7 in France.
Source: JarreUK

Robi wrote:I cannot imagine why it has got bad after Oxy 7-13. It IS a good album.

Me neither.

But that's what I heard.
I heard the french leg of the tour was a disaster...

GeeJee wrote:

Robi wrote:I cannot imagine why it has got bad after Oxy 7-13. It IS a good album.

Me neither.

But that's what I heard.
I heard the french leg of the tour was a disaster...

Maybe French audience has been changing since then, as some French dates are being organized for next year.

A reason, me think, could have been that this album happened to be too techno-ish compared to Oxygene...And many couldn't accept.
But nevermind, it's the past.

Michael wrote:In one word, I'd say he is ignored.
Except during the "Adjani" period...

We need big publicity e.g. Anne being pregnant.

I strongly suspect there is still an interested audience for Jean Michel in France. I also suspect that if there are something like ten dates announced on the 09/10 tour, then the sales for those dates will back up my suspicion. The fact that Michael tell us that Jean Michel is pretty much ignored these days in the media gives me something more of a hopeful outlook.

I was concerned that JMJ may have become a figure of fun and ridicule back in his home country, or worse even. The fact that this doesn't appear to be the case makes me think that if the government in France approach Jean Michel with celebrating something and give him some financial backing, then we could see a large scale performance once again in Paris maybe.

Personally I believe that if such an occasion was to be announced, and for it to be free event, then the concert would very much publicize itself, with TV and news networks airing footage from those great and memorable concerts of the past. People would certainly reminisce about the events and anticipation for the new show would grow.

I am sure there are those of you on the forum who were in Paris like myself during the week prior to CPLT in 1995, who recall the posters that were covering billboards around the city being removed a few days before the concert due to there being too much interest, and a grave concern that TOO MANY people would attend. There may be a similar case where the powers that be within Paris didn't feel that Jean Michel was as popular by that time. Only to be proved VERY wrong.

Si

And warm is certainly the word I'd use to describe the Marigny audience

Well.

He had a HUGE fanbase back in the 70s - 1 million people attended the concert in 1979 and everybody was wild about it. He became France's musical export #1..!

The more fans you have, the harder it is to please them all...

GeeJee wrote:

Robi wrote:I cannot imagine why it has got bad after Oxy 7-13. It IS a good album.

Me neither.

But that's what I heard.
I heard the french leg of the tour was a disaster...

In which case was it a disaster?
I was in Strasbourg, it seemed that it was sold out and the audience went really crazy. At the middle of the Concert everyone left the chairs and went to the front of the stage. It was a real party feeling and Jarre was very happy. Not like in Stuttgart or Oberhausen. These Concerts were really disasters, Stuttgart was only half full and there was a big courtain in the middle of the Schleyerhalle so that you could not see the empty ranks.

A friend of mine was in Lille and that Concert was also a very good one. Much better than the German Concerts of which he saw a few, too.

Maybe the most French people expected more and therefore some were a bit disappointed.

Stereomatic wrote:

GeeJee wrote:

Robi wrote:I cannot imagine why it has got bad after Oxy 7-13. It IS a good album.

Me neither.

But that's what I heard.
I heard the french leg of the tour was a disaster...

In which case was it a disaster?
I was in Strasbourg, it seemed that it was sold out and the audience went really crazy. At the middle of the Concert everyone left the chairs and went to the front of the stage. It was a real party feeling and Jarre was very happy. Not like in Stuttgart or Oberhausen. These Concerts were really disasters, Stuttgart was only half full and there was a big courtain in the middle of the Schleyerhalle so that you could not see the empty ranks.

A friend of mine was in Lille and that Concert was also a very good one. Much better than the German Concerts of which he saw a few, too.

Maybe the most French people expected more and therefore some were a bit disappointed.

I heard the French concerts (especially the 2nd leg of the tour after the Moscow concert) sold very bad... some concerts even got cancelled and this was the reason it didn't become a World Tour as planned in the first place. Then again, that's only what I heard.....