I was there too

Every evening on France Inter, Michka Assayas tells the story of rock and its innumerable anecdotes on her show. Very Good Trip. A sexagenarian who became an encyclopedia, he even edited one in the collection Book the "A" in All You Need is Love to the "Z" in "ZZ Top". Even if he's perfectly tuned in to current musical production, the radio man knows all about the history of this musical revolt, from the Beatles' adventure to Iggy Pop's recent albums, via the splendors of David Bowie, the brilliant melodies of Bob Marley or the convulsions of Prince, musicians to whom he has dedicated some fine summer series.

To the well-established genre of the rock review, Michka Assayas adds a grain of salt: his own. He skilfully mixes his well-documented comments with "I was there, I remember it well" whispered in the ear of the listener, who can't help but identify. All the more so as, given the average age of France Inter listeners, these are truly shared experiences. How could they not vibrate once again to the soundtracks of their youth, those of Procol Harum and Deep Purple? The subtitle of the book of interviews he published with his interlocutor Maud Berthomier, "Une histoire intime de la musique" (An intimate history of music), shows just how far Assayas has pushed the autobiographical approach. We'll pass over the few family photos, fortunately fewer in number than the concert images and album reproductions, some iconic and others rarer. And therein lies the central merit of this publication, enabling us to discover music that can now be listened to at leisure as we read, thanks to streaming platforms. A playlist even closes each chapter.

As for the discourse, it puts recent musical trends and movements into perspective with social phenomena, especially the voices of various minorities, whether women or Jamaicans in London. Sensitive to the voices of the lost and the excluded, Assayas is a reliable listener, recommending the "deviant" New Order or Elvis Costello over the elitists The Police and Genesis.

Michka Assayas: Very Good Trip, une histoire intime de la musique, interviews with Maud Berthomier 216 p., € 34.00, GM Editions, Paris 2022, ISBN 9782377971930