Wave of nostalgia Star Academy. This week sees the return of former teachers and students of TF1's tele-hook show. As a highlight, a special bonus with the discovery of a new title written by Grégory Lemarchal titled And if you feel, that the new promotion recorded this Saturday, November 16. The next day, it's time for Marlène Schaff's weekly debrief with an emblematic figure of the show, the former coach Matthieu Gonet who had already made an appearance in the talent show last season. Close to the illustrious winner of season 4, the composer agreed to share his memories with Télé-Loisirs.
Matthieu Gonet remembers the daily life of Grégory Lemarchal at the Star Academy : “Sometimes we had to tell him to take care”
Tele-Leisure : What memory do you keep of your first meeting with Grégory Lemarchal?Matthieu Gonet: It was during the preparation of the first bonus. I had read in a magazine that there might be a sick student but I immediately asked production not to tell me who it was. At the end of the day, I was incapable of knowing who it was and I wouldn't have put a cent on Grégory. I felt such a vital force in him, a desire to enjoy life.
Did his voice strike you when you first met it?
Gregory had more than that. What he conveyed when he sang was incredible. There are those who are illuminated on stage and there are those who are in the light. He was part of this second category. For students and teachers alike, it quickly became apparent that Grégory was a candidate who could win the Star Academy and that it would certainly mark French song.
What kind of student was he?
He wasn't someone who was there to make TV. He worked hard and he participated in all classes despite his illness. In fact, sometimes he had to be told to take care of himself. But he was also a great messer who had no limits. At the castle, I remember fights over shampoos where we got our faces full of it.
In his biopic Why do I live?you appear as his confidant…
I didn't want to see the film to keep the memory of what I experienced with him. But actually, we both confided a lot about very personal things after he left the castle. I have good memories with Greg, which belong only to him and me, but I can still share some of them with you. During the tour Star Ache had just received his album. He had heard it before but never from a CD. We both sat in a dressing room and listened to it straight through in incredible silence. He was like a child because he had dreamed of it all his life.
“I still talk to him every day” : Matthieu Gonet confides in his friendship with Grégory Lemarchal
Did you see each other regularly?
At one point, he had his own tour and I was also busy on my own so it was complicated but we communicated a lot by phone. It may seem completely anecdotal but we had been planning to go to Disneyland for weeks and in the end, we never made it. Today, it serves as a little lesson for me. With my loved ones, if we want to do something, I manage to make time.
Why do you think his death had such an impact on the French?
We were all moved to see how present the public was at his funeral: there was a bed of gigantic flowers, people in tears. It was a real shock for everyone. Even today I realize that in my 12-year-old daughter's school, many people know Grégory Lemarchal even though they were born after his death. It's a story of revenge where talent always wins, whatever the adversities. In somewhat gloomy news, Greg represented hope by showing people suffering from an illness that they could fight.
Twenty years after his death, what comes to mind when you think of him?
I never think of Grégory as a deceased person, nor as a sick person. I think of my friend, of the joy he was able to give to the people who listened to him. Maybe think I'm crazy, but I continue to talk to him every day. He is still part of my life today.
