We know him as the frontman of La Gespe. We remember seeing him on stage, with Ghetto in the 70s, and with Les Thénardiers, with whom he toured extensively throughout Europe. More recently, he performed with Les Colporteurs and their famous song "J’écris ton nom UMP" (I Write Your Name UMP). Today, we find Pierre Domengès as a writer. From "Raccourcis" (Shortcuts), written in 2008, to "Un chemin de Harlow" (A Path of Harlow), just released, and including the novel "Poison Heart" and numerous collaborative works, Pierre Domengès takes his readers on a journey into the heart of the Rock spirit. This includes colorful characters, young people searching for their future, and genuine moments of humanity. An encounter with a man who has made rock his traveling companion.
Where does this connection with 70s British rock come from?
I'm a child of the punk revolution: I was reborn in 1977. I was 15 when it exploded. It was the Giscard era. We were bored, we started talking about unemployment because it was the only future we saw. I was already listening to music, but there was nothing yet that channeled the anger inside us. When punk rock arrived, it was a shock. When we listened to the first Clash album, we found Tarbes more beautiful; it seemed like we belonged there. This punk background carries our anger, carries an unapologetic activism.
Did punk carry you?
It opened up a whole new world because we didn't know how to play, but punk told us, "Do it yourself." So we went for it! We started playing, badly, but that wasn't the point. Punk allowed us to export our anger, add a bit of provocation, and have fun too. Without ever taking ourselves too seriously.
After playing, you write. Is that another way to keep that rock spirit?
I stopped singing, how can I put it, seriously. I still sing with friends, but I don't do concerts anymore and I've ended my musical career. I used to write songs, and writing short stories allows me to continue with a format that's in the same spirit as a song. It's quite short; you have to be efficient and find a punchline. And it allows me to say other things and go further because when I sang, people couldn't hear the lyrics, and you had to have one or two lines that they would hear because it's the chorus, to give them an idea of the lyrics when they couldn't hear them.
What values does rock music embody?
Rock is music of wonder and play. It's the music of kids who believe in Santa Claus, who are full of dreams. But there are also always dramas and excesses. But behind it all, there's always someone, always a lot of humanity. That's the heart of rock.
In your books, you also often talk about Spain and the Republicans.
Spain is both the punk rock scene that was emerging, not far from us, and incredible figures who shaped the history of Republican Spain. The music is the Movida, the punk revolution with a Spanish twist, with a much broader cultural dimension than what I had seen in England. There, it touched literature, comics, painting. Everything!
“A Road to Harlow”
“I’m in the realm of American rock and blues. I was inspired by the film Stand by Me, which resonates with my own story, coming from a drab working-class neighborhood. Even if Tarbes isn’t Manchester. Like the kids in the film, I was saved by discovering rock; it’s been with me all my life.” And so, as the pages turn, like in a road movie, we encounter Ben E. King, Fréhel, Gene Vincent, Les Ablettes, Little Bob, Lorca, Tom Waits. And, of course, The Clash.
