In Port-Fréjus, this Saturday, September 21, the inauguration of the Johnny Hallyday statue did not fail to attract crowds: bikers, local residents and simply curious people jostled to discover the bronze work.
It’s a fact: the French rocker’s aura is intact. “The idol of the young” (and the not so young) still attracts crowds. Saturday night in Port-Fréjus, fans, locals and also curious onlookers attended the inauguration of the rocker’s statue, Place des Galoubets, renamed “Place Johnny Hallyday” for the occasion.
Moreover, it was difficult to make your way among the leather jackets of the Desperados, Los Amigos and other Hells Angels, present in large numbers and who paraded on motorbikes from the Nature Base to go to the port.
“The facial expression is nice”
Enthusiastic and impatient, Johnny’s fans sang songs in his honor before the unveiling of the life-size sculpture, shortly after 5 p.m. The work, entirely made of bronze, weighs approximately 180 kg and measures 1.85 m. It should be remembered that it was created by Olivier Delobel, who chose as his inspiration the singer’s 50th birthday concert in June 1993 at the Parc des Princes (with his electric blue outfit).
First impressions from the public: “The color is really classy” ; “the facial expression is nice.” Or again “I thought the statue would be bigger.” And finally, “in any case, statues of personalities are rarely successful.”
In his speech, the mayor of Fréjus, David Rachline, insisted on the “Johnny Hallyday effect”: “When we mention his name, fire breaks out in our hearts. He is more than a legend, he has entered our hearts and never left.”
Johnny now sits enthroned facing the Deep Blue Sea and the Gulf of Saint-Tropez.
“No matter where, he is in his place everywhere”
In recent days, as the inauguration of Johnny’s statue approached, a question was running through the minds of many Fréjus residents. “But why here? What is the connection between Johnny and Fréjus?”
Jo Rodriguez, president of HDC Desperados (instigator of the project), former bodyguard and driver of the rocker, gave a rough explanation during his speech: “He really liked the town of Fréjus, where he gave two concerts (in 1966 and 2016), he told me.”
Among the many bikers present, Anthony cut short any controversy: “No matter where in France, Johnny is in his place everywhere, he is a monument all by himself.”
Some traders in Port-Fréjus also saw this installation as “the opportunity to attract more people to this area which is more lively in summer than in winter.”
The “act of the prince”, according to the opposition
On a more political note, during the municipal council last Thursday, the right-wing opponent Emmanuel Bonnemain asserted the following: “When the Port-Fréjus district was created, the people of Fréjus were invited to choose the names of the squares and streets in this district themselves. Now, to satisfy a personal whim, you are imposing the replacement of the name of the Place des Galoubets – a name that could not be more Provençal – with that of an artist who is eminently respectable for his entire body of work… But who has nothing to do with Fréjus, except for a concert at the Base nature(and one on July 30, 1966 at the Arena, editor’s note).
In your same logic, will it one day be necessary to rename the Roman amphitheater “Tina Turner”? The Avenue de Provence “Marine Le Pen”? It is not so much the name of Johnny Hallyday that poses a problem: what is intriguing is your method which is similar to the ‘fait du prince’. This is not our vision of democracy.”
To which the mayor retorted: “I have no desire to argue about this subject, so I will leave you to your invigorating and, in my opinion, totally unfounded criticisms.”
