L’Observateur : FFF3 Edition

The Fiery Furnaces performed on France 3’s “Ce Soir (Ou Jamais!)” last night, taking the stage mere seconds after a typically protracted French intellectual round-table discussion on “L’Eglise Catholique et la Pedophilie” – a title which they then inexplicably superimposed over the band while they were playing. (The cutaway shots to the panel watching them play are also priceless.)

It’s a long-standing source of wonder why the French don’t “get” rock music, but after last night, I’m thinking that maybe it’s because they air it after protracted round-table discussions on pedophilia. Just a theory. Performance begins at the 1h10m mark. [UPDATE: The person responsible for putting this graphic up was fired.]

L’Observateur : Wow What Are the Chances Edition

Franz Ferdinand and their newly minted gold records

Last week, our friend Eleanor invited us to come see her boyfriend Alex Kapranos’ band play. We were backstage after the show when they were presented gold records for their album which came out last week. Apparently, the last time they were presented gold records, they got into a no-holds-barred fistfight, so everyone in attendance was a little expectant. No matter, the point of this anecdote is that two days later I was at the FNAC bookstore when I opened a book of aperitif trivia questions (expecting to see liquor-related tidbits), and the answer to the question on the random page I chose was “Alexander Kapranos” ... wow, what are the chances?!?

Later that night, we happened to see our friend Mark in the street. This happens in Paris more than you might think, but still ... what are the chances?!?

The night after that, we randomly chose to eat in the same restaurant as our friends Andrew and Laurence ... but running into three of the twenty people we know in Paris on consecutive days? ... what are the chances?!?

Then the next day, (about 15 minutes after I was browsing at the FNAC) we were bicycling down Rue de Rivoli by the Louvre and randomly spotted Robin, the girlfriend of one of my friends from Oklahoma (Allan), waiting for the crosswalk light to change ... seriously ... what are the chances?!?

[Update: We just ran into John and Sara on the canal.]

Does Anybody Remember Laughter?

“This next one’s about leaving. And I see my friend Taylor Holland standing in the back there, because he’s the tallest person in the room. He just moved to Paris from Texas. Let’s hear it for leaving!”

And so, my first international shout-out was followed by a smattering of half-hearted, confused applause from some French hipsters who braved the rail strike to go see the Fiery Furnaces.

Of note, the bass player (left) is Jason Lowenstein from Sebadoh.