Once , when I was on stage for the reunion tour between Paul Simon and Garfunkel , I had a flash . I thought to myself , Is that really me on stage playing with these big names ? I ' m always like a youngster just starting , because for me , I think you learn every day and there ' s always room for improvement , whatever the case . And the most important thing , of course , is to always be yourself .
What would you say is the worst moment you ' ve experienced on stage , in the studio , or elsewhere in your profession ?
There are quite a few . A lot of people don ' t know this , but in Paris , I had to leave the family home , because I couldn ' t take any more of everyone ' s remarks . One morning , I took a few things and left . I found myself living on the streets , doing odd jobs and others in the middle of winter . It was hard , but somewhere along the line , I told myself I ' d get somewhere in my life .
And what would you say was one of your best experiences ?
That ' s more like an anecdote I ' d like to tell . I have quite a few . But I remember this one . During a concert in Italy with Manu Dibango , the hall was very full , and as I was a bit of a stubborn fun-lover , I jumped o the track and landed in the audience , still playing with my wireless guitar , so when I got back on the track , I noticed that the removable staircase had been removed , as is customary . So , there I am , wedged between the guards and the audience . My brother on stage understood what was going on and laughed a little . I tried to signal to some of the musicians to pull me onto the stage , but there was no way . They were busy playing . Finally , a door leading backstage opened , and I took it to go around and back on stage . That same evening , Manu Dibango lost a shoe during the show , inadvertently throwing it into the audience as he let o steam on stage .
For quite a while , Manu was playing with a shoe — hilarious ! ( Laughs .) It wasn ' t until several songs later that someone returned Manu ' s shoe to the podium .
As for your private life , how do you manage to reconcile everything when you ' re always on the road or in the studio ?
First of all , a healthy lifestyle takes care of yourself and balances things out . You ' re a better musician when you ' re a better person in your everyday life , I think . Treat yourself as you would treat your best friend . Pay particular attention to priorities , and , above all , always try to be a better version of yourself .
To conclude this interview , what would you say to those who want to launch a career as a musician ? What do you think is the secret of a good bassist ?
Work , work , and work : you have to keep working at your craft , never thinking that just because you ' ve reached a certain goal , it ' s okay ; you ' ve arrived . You have to stay humble and learn from everyone , every day .
We live in an age of technology , and , of course , instrumental artists face a real challenge , especially when it comes to carrying out their work in studios equipped with software such as Pro Tools and other artificial intelligence . How do you think musicians will survive all this ? Even if we know that , at the end of the day , the stage show will always require the performance of real humans ?
I ' ve talked more about faceless musicians ; those who are like automatons will , of course , be easily replaced by artificial intelligence . But those who are genuine artists with a special touch , a special fingering , will remain inimitable , even by AI .
Flashmag ! Issue 147 January 2024
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