Interview: Yann Tiersen

On his music:

I try to be honest and make the music that I like, without thinking too much about public perception, but of course it’s good to have a response. I love playing live, more than ever.

I was quite boring on stage with piano and accordion. I wanted to move around more freely, so I use guitars more than ever now, even on the albums. In the past, I would start writing a lot of songs with guitar, very simply. It feels most natural. A reinvention? No, it’s a slow switch, an evolution.

On Amélie:

I don’t mind being known for that; it caused a real change when it was released. The soundtrack was like a combination of all the things I’d done before, so people were suddenly, without knowing, getting into my old stuff. When Amélie was released, I’d already moved on musically.

On inspiration:

I don’t listen to a lot of classical music. My parents were listening a lot when I was very young, but I grew up with bands and the radio. I liked the Velvet Underground’s album, and Astral Weeks by Van Morrison.

France, not good for rock music? I agree! I’m not from France, I’m from Brittany, it’s quite different, haha. Brittany has more musical tradition, more venues. When I was young I saw a lot of bands, not French bands a lot of the time. It’s a very strange part of France. It’s not very French at all; I went to London before I’d been to Paris.

I have a house on an island in Brittany, and I always start the albums there. I have a lot of friends nearby. It’s a tiny island full of crazy people. Artists? No, everybody’s just mad there. Even the old guys are like that. We have a lot of fun, we drink a lot; it helps to avoid the pressure to start new stuff, and allows music to really grow.

Check The Yorker tomorrow for our review of Yann Tiersen’s gig at the Duchess.

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