Interview with Niko, the leader of Tagada Jones.
Niko, the Tournée du Cœur 2024 passes through Saint-Quentin on November 19, in the heart of a 14-date tour stretching from the 14th in Vitry-le-François to November 30 in Grenoble. Can you already explain to us the genesis of this project?
“2024 is the group’s 30th anniversary, we have already done a lot of great dates, it was important to us to end this anniversary year with a social, humanitarian action, so we had the idea of doing this tour more compact for the benefit of a charitable structure. We started thinking about it at the end of last year, and we heard about the problems of the Restos du Cœur who were having difficulty making ends meet. It was the opportunity to put together this tour. »
The production announces 50% of revenues donated directly to Restos du Cœur and 100% of merchandising sales, is that the deal?
“Yes, we should generate between 100,000 and 120,000 euros for the Restos du Cœur. They were also very happy with the initiative. We all know the variety action that is shown on TV, but more “indie” actions, in the hard rock world, we are the first to put together a tour like that. »
You mention the Enfoirés, how do you position yourself in relation to them who represent the Restos du Cœur in the eyes of the general public?
“I rather note the action that is carried out on the ground by all the volunteers. It’s based on Coluche’s idea. Today, there are thousands of them giving food to thousands, tens of thousands of people who are really in need. Les Enfoirés generate a lot more money than we’re going to make. We can think what we want about it but from the moment the money is transformed into meals, it’s rather positive, even if we don’t have to agree with all the ways of implementing place the operation. We come to represent another branch, our means are more limited but we try to do it with as much investment as possible. »
As an artist, is Coluche someone who inspired you?
“I was young but he marked his time, a whole generation, with his caustic humor. It would be far too divisive today, in a society where right-thinking is essential. Coluche did enormous good in the 80s, because with his way of thinking, as Desproges said, “ you can laugh at everything, but not with just anyone ”, it was super important. Today, we live in a sanitized society where we have the right to say nothing, we no longer even have the right to laugh, because it will upset someone. I think he was the epitome of caustic and caustic humor but with an undertone that was not at all negative or toxic. It was a source of goodwill and we see it with the Restos du Cœur operation. »
Tagada Jones is very committed, from the iconic Mort Aux Cons to Poignard via Le Dernier Barril, you depict a society that is not going well. And the further we advance, the more we tend to have to choose between the plague and cholera, right?
“Maybe thirty years ago society felt like it was doing a little better, but people often said to us, ‘ you are a little heavy with all your demands “. But when we released songs about ecology, twenty-five years ago, we were the laughing stock of an entire punk world because it wasn’t punk to sing about ecology. Today, the context has changed, particularly among young people. And if an old group like us is walking like we’ve never walked before, it’s also because the young people see themselves in our journey, our values. We have always been honest in what we say, regardless of whether people agree with us or not, we carry out our ideas without bothering people. We don’t force them to think like us. »
Does rock still have this rebellious image today, this political and social counterweight?
“No, it’s a past image, you have to live with the times. You shouldn’t be afraid of change. The image of the rocker, cigarettes, alcohol, highs, sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, it’s over. The spirit of youth is no longer that. And even the overall spirit of society is no longer the same at all. Being a punk, already in 2000, meant no longer wearing the crest and tartan pants, zippers, safety pins… That was a reaction to a society of the late 70s. What we kept punk, for us, it’s about doing what we wanted to do, and saying fuck people if we don’t agree with them. »
Find the full interview in the video in the article.
