![I know this is too long for Tumblr, so sorry. But I listened to an hour of Judge John Hodgman, and got inspired to re-write my piece in today’s Capital NY, Hodgman style. The interview part, however, is 100% real.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why is their more than one language? The Bible posits that it is a punishment from God. The Lord, aghast at the specter of a united humanity working together as one for a common goal, like some sort of Kofi Annan fever dream, decided to “go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Genesis 11:1-). As divine middle fingers go, it’s relatively benign, but remains vexing these thousands of years later to anyone who’s attempted to order dinner in Quebec.
As part of my own ongoing effort to flip a bird right back at that corpulent black lesbian in the sky (kidding – She is of course incredibly svelte), I recruited Francophone singer/rapper/dress aficionado Julie Budet, one third of French disco pop act Yelle, who was recently in town for a pair of sold-out shows in Manhattan and Brooklyn. She attempted to help me sort out some of the oddities in her own work (read: things in French), while I embarked on the fool’s errand of trying to explain to her what an “LMFAO” is. The transcript follows.
CHRIS CHAFIN: All of your lyrics are in French, which can be confusing for fans who don’t speak French. For example, most of your songs are about penises, which can be easy to miss.
JULIE BUDET: [laughs]
Or, possibly just one [2006’s “Je Veux Te Voir,” originally titled “Short Dick Cuizi”]. I’d like to ask you a few questions about your songs’ meanings.
Safari Disco Club is about a dance club for animals, whose chorus goes “The animals dance in the Safari Disco club.” Are you singing about chickens at one point? It sounds like you’re saying “poulet.”
I am not talking about poulet. [laughs]. In which part?
The part where you say “poulet.” That part.
Maybe it is where I said “Je veux goooooooûter à tout, j’veux goooooooûter.” It’s like, “I want to taste everything, I want to taaaaaaste,” like that.
Okay, that must be it. And so then, your new single and video is “Comme Un Enfant,” which I know is “Like a baby” or “Like a Child.” Is it about liking milk and cereal and cartoons?
It’s about, you know, it’s hard to choose to stay a child – when you are a teenager you want to be an adult, and when you are an adult, you want to stay a teenager. It’s about the duality of growing up and accepting that your life is running, and you are getting older, and don’t forget about the fact that you have still a child inside you that you can play with sometimes, and be a child, and it’s a problem.
“La Grande Saut” – The big jump. What is the big jump? You’re talking about the long jump in the 2012 olympics?
Exactly. No, it’s more about to take decision, and maybe don’t wait too much time in your life to do the big jump, because things don’t happen like that you know [snaps fingers, then adopts a really cartoony ‘relaxed’ poze]. You are not, you know, waiting on your couch during your life, and things don’t, you know, arrive to you like that. You have to push, to decide, to make the jump sometimes.
I’m here for you, too, if you have any questions about American popular music. I’ve printed out the Top 10 if this week’s Hot 100 Billboard charts. In case you have any questions.
The first one is Rhianna? I do not know this one.
Well, it’s with Calvin Harris. You must know him.
Oh yes, yes, of course.
Any idioms you don’t get? “LMFAO”?
LMFAO, they are just new in France, and I don’t really know them. I think it is really huge in the U.S.?
It is really huge in the U.S.
It’s really for kids, in France.
Here, too. Do you know what those letters stand for?
Oh. What is the translation for LMFAO?
“Laughing my Fucking Ass Off.” It’s a thing you say over IM.
[laughs] Okay. We just use ‘LOL’.
Hey, you have David Guetta! You have French in your top 10!
It’s to inspire you. You can do it, too! Oh, and there’s Jay Z and Kanye, that song is about Paris.
Oh, it is?
Well, not really, but it’s in the title.
Gym Class Heros – that is like, skateboard music? Something like punk rock?
It’s like radio punk rock. They were really popular like five years ago.
The guy of Gym Class Heroes is not the ex of Katy Perry?
Oh, yes! He is!
It’s funny because they are just following each other on the top 10.
You’ve of course worked with Katy Perry before.
It’s funny because I don’t know that song. She was not doing that on the show.
Oh, because you were just on tour with her.
Yeah, we toured for one month with her in the UK. It was good, it was huge – playing in front of 10,000 people every night. She was really nice, actually.
She wasn’t a diva? You weren’t forced to avoid eye contact with her at all times?
No, absolutely not. Of course, she is surrounded by a bunch of people, so it’s hard to have a real relation with her, to talk and everything. We had more of a twitter relation – we were chatting and talking on twitter, but not really in person. Because she’s really busy, you know? She’s taking care of her fans, spending lots of time with them .
Does she do those things, where she brings a bunch of fans backstage…
A meet and greet. She has a special room with lots of candies, photobooths, and they are taking pictures, but she is trying to spend lots of time with them all the time. Lots of bands don’t do that.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvygu6iDll1qz9eg4o1_500.jpg "I know this is too long for Tumblr, so sorry. But I listened to an hour of Judge John Hodgman, and got inspired to re-write my piece in today’s Capital NY, Hodgman style. The interview part, however, is 100% real.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why is their more than one language? The Bible posits that it is a punishment from God. The Lord, aghast at the specter of a united humanity working together as one for a common goal, like some sort of Kofi Annan fever dream, decided to “go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Genesis 11:1-). As divine middle fingers go, it’s relatively benign, but remains vexing these thousands of years later to anyone who’s attempted to order dinner in Quebec.
As part of my own ongoing effort to flip a bird right back at that corpulent black lesbian in the sky (kidding – She is of course incredibly svelte), I recruited Francophone singer/rapper/dress aficionado Julie Budet, one third of French disco pop act Yelle, who was recently in town for a pair of sold-out shows in Manhattan and Brooklyn. She attempted to help me sort out some of the oddities in her own work (read: things in French), while I embarked on the fool’s errand of trying to explain to her what an “LMFAO” is. The transcript follows.
CHRIS CHAFIN: All of your lyrics are in French, which can be confusing for fans who don’t speak French. For example, most of your songs are about penises, which can be easy to miss.
JULIE BUDET: [laughs]
Or, possibly just one [2006’s “Je Veux Te Voir,” originally titled “Short Dick Cuizi”]. I’d like to ask you a few questions about your songs’ meanings.
Safari Disco Club is about a dance club for animals, whose chorus goes “The animals dance in the Safari Disco club.” Are you singing about chickens at one point? It sounds like you’re saying “poulet.”
I am not talking about poulet. [laughs]. In which part?
The part where you say “poulet.” That part.
Maybe it is where I said “Je veux goooooooûter à tout, j’veux goooooooûter.” It’s like, “I want to taste everything, I want to taaaaaaste,” like that.
Okay, that must be it. And so then, your new single and video is “Comme Un Enfant,” which I know is “Like a baby” or “Like a Child.” Is it about liking milk and cereal and cartoons?
It’s about, you know, it’s hard to choose to stay a child – when you are a teenager you want to be an adult, and when you are an adult, you want to stay a teenager. It’s about the duality of growing up and accepting that your life is running, and you are getting older, and don’t forget about the fact that you have still a child inside you that you can play with sometimes, and be a child, and it’s a problem.
“La Grande Saut” – The big jump. What is the big jump? You’re talking about the long jump in the 2012 olympics?
Exactly. No, it’s more about to take decision, and maybe don’t wait too much time in your life to do the big jump, because things don’t happen like that you know [snaps fingers, then adopts a really cartoony ‘relaxed’ poze]. You are not, you know, waiting on your couch during your life, and things don’t, you know, arrive to you like that. You have to push, to decide, to make the jump sometimes.
I’m here for you, too, if you have any questions about American popular music. I’ve printed out the Top 10 if this week’s Hot 100 Billboard charts. In case you have any questions.
The first one is Rhianna? I do not know this one.
Well, it’s with Calvin Harris. You must know him.
Oh yes, yes, of course.
Any idioms you don’t get? “LMFAO”?
LMFAO, they are just new in France, and I don’t really know them. I think it is really huge in the U.S.?
It is really huge in the U.S.
It’s really for kids, in France.
Here, too. Do you know what those letters stand for?
Oh. What is the translation for LMFAO?
“Laughing my Fucking Ass Off.” It’s a thing you say over IM.
[laughs] Okay. We just use ‘LOL’.
Hey, you have David Guetta! You have French in your top 10!
It’s to inspire you. You can do it, too! Oh, and there’s Jay Z and Kanye, that song is about Paris.
Oh, it is?
Well, not really, but it’s in the title.
Gym Class Heros – that is like, skateboard music? Something like punk rock?
It’s like radio punk rock. They were really popular like five years ago.
The guy of Gym Class Heroes is not the ex of Katy Perry?
Oh, yes! He is!
It’s funny because they are just following each other on the top 10.
You’ve of course worked with Katy Perry before.
It’s funny because I don’t know that song. She was not doing that on the show.
Oh, because you were just on tour with her.
Yeah, we toured for one month with her in the UK. It was good, it was huge – playing in front of 10,000 people every night. She was really nice, actually.
She wasn’t a diva? You weren’t forced to avoid eye contact with her at all times?
No, absolutely not. Of course, she is surrounded by a bunch of people, so it’s hard to have a real relation with her, to talk and everything. We had more of a twitter relation – we were chatting and talking on twitter, but not really in person. Because she’s really busy, you know? She’s taking care of her fans, spending lots of time with them .
Does she do those things, where she brings a bunch of fans backstage…
A meet and greet. She has a special room with lots of candies, photobooths, and they are taking pictures, but she is trying to spend lots of time with them all the time. Lots of bands don’t do that.")
I know this is too long for Tumblr, so sorry. But I listened to an hour of Judge John Hodgman, and got inspired to re-write my piece in today’s Capital NY, Hodgman style. The interview part, however, is 100% real.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why is their more than one language? The Bible posits that it is a punishment from God. The Lord, aghast at the specter of a united humanity working together as one for a common goal, like some sort of Kofi Annan fever dream, decided to “go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Genesis 11:1-). As divine middle fingers go, it’s relatively benign, but remains vexing these thousands of years later to anyone who’s attempted to order dinner in Quebec.
As part of my own ongoing effort to flip a bird right back at that corpulent black lesbian in the sky (kidding – She is of course incredibly svelte), I recruited Francophone singer/rapper/dress aficionado Julie Budet, one third of French disco pop act Yelle, who was recently in town for a pair of sold-out shows in Manhattan and Brooklyn. She attempted to help me sort out some of the oddities in her own work (read: things in French), while I embarked on the fool’s errand of trying to explain to her what an “LMFAO” is. The transcript follows.
CHRIS CHAFIN: All of your lyrics are in French, which can be confusing for fans who don’t speak French. For example, most of your songs are about penises, which can be easy to miss.
JULIE BUDET: [laughs]
Or, possibly just one [2006’s “Je Veux Te Voir,” originally titled “Short Dick Cuizi”]. I’d like to ask you a few questions about your songs’ meanings.
Safari Disco Club is about a dance club for animals, whose chorus goes “The animals dance in the Safari Disco club.” Are you singing about chickens at one point? It sounds like you’re saying “poulet.”
I am not talking about poulet. [laughs]. In which part?
The part where you say “poulet.” That part.
Maybe it is where I said “Je veux goooooooûter à tout, j’veux goooooooûter.” It’s like, “I want to taste everything, I want to taaaaaaste,” like that.
Okay, that must be it. And so then, your new single and video is “Comme Un Enfant,” which I know is “Like a baby” or “Like a Child.” Is it about liking milk and cereal and cartoons?
It’s about, you know, it’s hard to choose to stay a child – when you are a teenager you want to be an adult, and when you are an adult, you want to stay a teenager. It’s about the duality of growing up and accepting that your life is running, and you are getting older, and don’t forget about the fact that you have still a child inside you that you can play with sometimes, and be a child, and it’s a problem.
“La Grande Saut” – The big jump. What is the big jump? You’re talking about the long jump in the 2012 olympics?
Exactly. No, it’s more about to take decision, and maybe don’t wait too much time in your life to do the big jump, because things don’t happen like that you know [snaps fingers, then adopts a really cartoony ‘relaxed’ poze]. You are not, you know, waiting on your couch during your life, and things don’t, you know, arrive to you like that. You have to push, to decide, to make the jump sometimes.
I’m here for you, too, if you have any questions about American popular music. I’ve printed out the Top 10 if this week’s Hot 100 Billboard charts. In case you have any questions.
The first one is Rhianna? I do not know this one.
Well, it’s with Calvin Harris. You must know him.
Oh yes, yes, of course.
Any idioms you don’t get? “LMFAO”?
LMFAO, they are just new in France, and I don’t really know them. I think it is really huge in the U.S.?
It is really huge in the U.S.
It’s really for kids, in France.
Here, too. Do you know what those letters stand for?
Oh. What is the translation for LMFAO?
“Laughing my Fucking Ass Off.” It’s a thing you say over IM.
[laughs] Okay. We just use ‘LOL’.
Hey, you have David Guetta! You have French in your top 10!
It’s to inspire you. You can do it, too! Oh, and there’s Jay Z and Kanye, that song is about Paris.
Oh, it is?
Well, not really, but it’s in the title.
Gym Class Heros – that is like, skateboard music? Something like punk rock?
It’s like radio punk rock. They were really popular like five years ago.
The guy of Gym Class Heroes is not the ex of Katy Perry?
Oh, yes! He is!
It’s funny because they are just following each other on the top 10.
You’ve of course worked with Katy Perry before.
It’s funny because I don’t know that song. She was not doing that on the show.
Oh, because you were just on tour with her.
Yeah, we toured for one month with her in the UK. It was good, it was huge – playing in front of 10,000 people every night. She was really nice, actually.
She wasn’t a diva? You weren’t forced to avoid eye contact with her at all times?
No, absolutely not. Of course, she is surrounded by a bunch of people, so it’s hard to have a real relation with her, to talk and everything. We had more of a twitter relation – we were chatting and talking on twitter, but not really in person. Because she’s really busy, you know? She’s taking care of her fans, spending lots of time with them .
Does she do those things, where she brings a bunch of fans backstage…
A meet and greet. She has a special room with lots of candies, photobooths, and they are taking pictures, but she is trying to spend lots of time with them all the time. Lots of bands don’t do that.
