A musical oasis, rooted in the heart of the Lollapalooza 2022 furnace. On the second afternoon of the Parisian festival, such was the fate of the so-called “alternative” scene. While the majority of feet are dragging themselves on the Longchamp racecourse, ready to pile up for the slightest millimeter of shade, others are waiting firm in front of seven blue letters: “Fanzine”.
3:30 p.m. Waxx and C. Cole tumble onto the stage, guitars slung over their shoulders. Their drummer follows them. Robust chords and solid drumsticks. Several dozen pairs of ears recognize the program’s crazy credits. Hair bun clinging to his black mane, white t-shirt with holes, Waxx smiles. “Welcome to Fanzine, it’s our first concert!”
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This July 17, the duo of distinguished musicians left their parallel world on YouTube. Facing them, most festival-goers remain aficionados of the yellow chick studio in which their show is recorded. The concept of Fanzines? Waxx, on guitar and C. Cole, on machines, receive a singer for a 100% musical encounter. “The song that made you want to make music?” “The track we’re not expecting you on?”… A few questions are enough for the two maestros to propose a discussion and four rehearsals with the guest. Results ? Hundreds of thousands of views, and fifty stories.
The first was Chilla’s. On November 14, 2019, the rapper resumed her first musical slap: Stronger Than Me by Amy Winehouse. More than two and a half years later, Waxx summarizes the genesis of the show, before inviting the singer on stage for two live songs, punctuated by a kneeling solo. “We want to do a somewhat bizarre concept: make “what the fuck” songs [improbables]which is not done anywhere else.”
However, in the delirious crowd, some followed the guitar hero of French YouTube long before Fanzine. “I knew him when he was playing with PV Nova”, recalls Etienne, himself a guitar lover. Between 2014 and 2017, Waxx already officiated as half of another duo: that of the Cover Committee, with the youtuber/musician PV Nova.
Meanwhile, Waxx meets a new jam partner. From a trainee in his original structure, Chris (known as C. Cole) becomes his “sidekick forever”. And the idea ends up crystallizing. “Mmyself an artist since the 2000s, on each show I was asked for the same guitar/vocals. Without unique performance, staggeredhe confides to Franceinfo. Then, more generally, I would have liked to hear just about music, to really understand the art of an artist”. Fanzine therefore changes into this cocoon filled with musicality and positivity.
On the stage and in the pit, a rock variant of musical chairs is launched. During the three-quarters of an hour of Fanzine’s frenzied live, fans glue themselves to the crash barriers and then unscotch themselves to the liking of the guests. When some commune on the powerful cover of Linkin Park (Leave Out All The Rest) by Tsew The Kid, others swing on the Little Marie by Francis Cabrel, revisited by the reggae of Biga Ranx.
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The common point between all their guests and the duo of super-music lovers? Their love of music with a capital M. “When I listen to music, I don’t hear a style, but an attitudesays Waxx. A lot of rappers today, I hear rock’n’roll.” And his career is in perfect harmony with the philosophy of the guitarist. He discovered rap at the age of 5, Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana) at the age of 11, to do his classes with acoustic covers of the Saïan Supa Crew alongside one of its members: Vicelow. Years later, his message remains as clear as his smile: “Do you want to make music with us? Come”.
Of the approximately fifty guests on the channel, the Fanzine team has not closed any doors: the flayed rapper Georgio who hums the Goettingen of Barbara, the pride of Eurovision Barbara Pravi who reinterprets Wake Me Up When September Ends punk-rockers from Green Day… “The artist impresses me every time, it’s magic”, Waxx beams. And the creations even end up escaping the two creators. “Youssoupha took over Koffi Olomide [chanteur congolais star]and after he saw the video, he invited him to his Stade de Francerecalls the guitarist. Same thing with Poupie: it was after Jul saw his cover of one of his songs that they collaborated…”
Conquered spectator, Hélène nevertheless experiences a micro-frustration. “We would like it to come to Spotify, so we can listen to them elsewhere than on YouTube”laughs the young woman. With time and success, this question turned into an increasingly recurring ostinato for the duo. Blocked by the barricade of copyright, Waxx offers a glimmer of hope for their next season.
“To Back to school, Fanzine will continue to be a medium, with its editorial line, its broadcasts…” And his two even more ambitious projects, pinned on the 2023 calendar: an album of original songs with rappers and rappers, on grunge and rap instrumentals; and another album of folk covers with a host of performers. No names yet, but voices already heard on the show have a good chance of receiving their second invitation.