Dionysus on tour in Aix en Provence

Mathias : After my fall, I immediately considered (from the hospital) the idea of ​​inventing a seat that would allow the adventure to continue. After the operation, I was supposed to have a break from work until the end of May and a recommendation from the nurses not to strain my leg until the beginning of April… I admit that at night I pick up and my double fracture bothers me… Nevertheless the idea of ​​the “Giant Jack” armchair which is the central character of the show seemed obvious, particularly in the words: “Giant Jack is on my back”. Sébastien Monchal, who illustrated the book and the disc, designed a custom-made armchair for me with the help of Lucie, a film designer with the help of AI. Finally, the Monday following my accident, the project was validated and we returned to the road 15 days later, canceling 3 concerts.

Diego : Were you almost in the Guinness book for 40 seconds of a concert?

Mathias : I have always dreamed of being there but it seems to me that a bailiff is needed on site and that it is not possible to validate a record on simple videos. Basically, you have to plan to break your leg on stage! The concerts in Nîmes, Dijon and Grenoble have been postponed.

Diego : In a few words, how did the 30 years of Dionysus go?

Mathias : We are releasing a biography called “The Mechanics of the Extraordinary” written by Morgan Kervella, journalist at southwest and his project is an outside look through his interviews. 30 years is a rocket… I have the impression that the group at 3 years is like 300 years! “When we lose the notion of time, we gain the sense of time” says the writer Kerouac and his character Dean Moriarty. We also find this type of reflection in the philosopher Henry David Thoreau who invented civil disobedience. He was not just a complainer but isolated himself in a cabin for 2 and a half years in the 19th century to avoid being subjected to his government. He declared that the ugliest expression in the world was “killing time”. It is better to live than to kill time and this applies well with Dionysus. We never killed time, lived several lives and it went by very, very quickly.

Diego : Regarding the book and given that all the members of Dionysus were interviewed, were you together or “solo”?

Mathias : We have all experienced similar situations with different feelings. The interviews with Morgan were “one-man” and the questions were either about the group or about specific members. It’s a question of modesty, your answer is different if you are alone or in a group.

Diego : 2024 was an “extraordinary” year as stated in the book and the record, is this a purely symbolic choice?

Mathias : It’s to mark the 30th anniversary. At the Montaigu festival in 2021, several readers/listeners asked me questions about the characters in the different universes and the links between all my books. I really enjoyed the reflection and imposed a timeline from 1860 to 2022 in the form of a family tree in order to write “spin-offs” of my books and characters. Obviously, my writings were peppered with songs from Dionysus. For the 30th anniversary, I wanted a book and the idea matured to rewrite our songs with friends and use them for an anniversary tour. This is how the “Extraorinarium” project was born, between nights of work, a tour with Daria in progress, the choice of guests and arrangements with Olivier Daviaud for the cinema phase of the record.

Diego : Besides, regarding the guests of “Extraordinarium”, did they have carte blanche or did you significantly influence the expected final result?

Mathias : It’s always an exchange. First validate the selected title then the magic of the studio. Surprises in a framework that must remain flexible. Obviously there was an initial idea! It’s like inviting someone into your home and saying “take whatever you want from the fridge!” » We had a basic framework which was enhanced by the relevant guest, exactly the way I do it when I work with Dionysus and I come in with my demos and we make songs out of them. They are not born on jams and the base remains malleable.

At the beginning, we had the fantasy of inviting artists like Orelsan or Angèle who are far from our world to revisit our titles. Quickly, the choice of artists with whom we already had a common musical history became clear. For example, we experienced our first stage emotions with Dolly (and Manu) when we opened for them in the 90s.

Another example for Matthieu Chedid: I met him by chance 3 days before my bone marrow transplant in 2013. I told him about a letter from my grandmother found by my father and he came to my house to record this piece on piano-voice in order to publish a vinyl record in 300 copies! No pressure and this is the beginning of the story “The Porcelain Warrior” written after my transplant.

Another story with Fire Arthur! Chatterton: In 2016 we met on set and he was playing “Western Under The Snow” with his band. He tells me an anecdote in the Paris metro, he met me at the age of 15 and told me that he was a fan of the song “Don Diego 2000”. Besides, that day I gave him my first novel which had just been published! This song reminds him of his youth with his brother and when we met again on a set and he had in the meantime become a singer, it seemed natural to me that the guests on our record had a “historical sense” rather than featurings renowned despite all the esteem I have for them.

Another anecdote with the writer Bernard Werber at Albin Michel at the start of Covid. I was recently in a relationship with Daria and he lent me his country house for two months so that we wouldn’t stay crammed into my 30m2 Parisian space! I took the opportunity to write “The Porcelain Warrior”, the story of my journey from Paris to Dusseldorf by electric bike to join my bone marrow donor as well as my novel “The Joyful Disruption of Love Metrics”. All this at Bernard Werber’s table! He is a former science journalist for Le Nouvel Observateur and the song “Tuto Pour Marcher sur l’Eau” has surrealist “Charlie” influences and a Pastafarian style. That’s why I wanted him to do the commentary on the record. I’m not going to tell you about the 15 guests but you already have 4 great examples of the genesis of the project and the choice of guests!

Diego : And a title like “Coccinelle” which is 25 years old has aged very well!

Mathias : Indeed the version of the album “Haïku” has aged well and we like to play songs deliberately forgotten during a few tours. To please the audience, you have to have fun on stage.

Diego : Steve Albini (editor’s note: deceased since this interview) and John Parish are producers – triggers of the success of Dionysus?

Mathias : Of course, but so did Daniel Presley. He is less known and worked with Grant Lee Buffalo and the Breeders! Mike has taken over well and it is not excluded that we will release an upcoming record with an outside director to get out of our comfort zone.

Diego : Of the 10 albums released, was one of them more difficult than the others?

Mathias : The most complex is “The Mechanics of the Heart” because it includes 8 guests and an hour of music with a symphony orchestra. All this recorded in Mike’s kitchen! Otherwise our latest, 15 guests for “Extraordinarium” with 4 sides with different atmospheres… The 15 days of studio were intense!

Diego : What do you like about McEnroe that I know you’re a fan of?

Mathias : A whole! Many of my songs are about hypersensitivity (with love or loss) and I loved the “on edge” side of John McEnroe. He played tennis like Picasso painted, had unorthodox racquet grips, had little support, played half-volley but his bad side was his anger on the court. He had a feeling of injustice that touched me! This hypersensitivity speaks to me.

Diego : For the 2025 Superbowl, let’s imagine that Dionysus is designated to play at halftime for 12 minutes! What songs do you play?

Mathias : For the Superbowl it has to be a blast! I would say “Giant Jack”, “McEnroe’s Poetry” and “Song for Jedi”.

Diego : Do you have a ritual before going on stage?

Mathias : Yes. A little round hug that lasts 1 minute without necessarily talking. It’s important to come together, especially since I don’t enter the stage at the same time as my comrades.

Diego : To finish the usual question of your best concerts experienced as a spectator?

Mathias : In 2000, Tom Waits at the Grand Rex in Paris. A storyteller with rock n’roll intensity, mixing improvisation, emotion, laughter and surprises. Bjork at the Benicassim festival in 1998 with a string quartet and Mark Bell on beatmaking. She starts on “Hunter” with crazy costumes and offers magic on stage. The encore on “So Broken” with a flamenco guitarist is incredible in a Spanish festival. Finally, Nick Cave on piano-voice in Geneva with Warren Ellis and Jim Scavunos on drums. He attacks with “The Mercy Seat” and you have the impression of seeing Elvis disguised as Dracula playing Leonard Cohen! Afterwards I saw The Beastie Boys at the Élysée Montmartre, Nirvana in Grenoble, Pixies at the zenith… lots of references!

Diego : Thank you Mathias for this great interview, see you soon!

Mathias : Thank you both.

Diego OnTheRocks

Thanks: Anael from Tôt Ou Tard

Photos : Alexia @troubleshooteur