Photo: Mathi et Mathi.
No one quite masters the art of whining and complaining like the French, which means the world’s ultimate râleurs and blasés find the deepest kind of pleasure in cursing.
Some French musicians have now taken it to the next level, singing songs essentially based around the use of the word “merde”, or “c’est d’la merde” (“this is bullsh*t”). French newspaper Libération focused on three of them this week — Mathi et Mathi, Jo Dahan and Fabien Martin — who have made it their mission to grumble and insult the universe.
Mathi et Mathi use their song “C’est d’la merde” as a kind of catharsis, notes Libération, expressing their deep dissatisfaction with the shittiness of all that surrounds them: work, love, friends, family — even holidays. Everything is nothing but “d’la merde”:
Fabien Martin instead uses the word more to share his boredom and fatigue with life. He says “merde” too, but adds “s’emmerde” (“so fu**ing bored”) to the music.
Jo Dahan resorts to rock’n’roll rhythms and profanity to communicate nostalgia. Just like Mathi et Mathi, he counts off all the things in life that were “mieux avant.” Music, cars, movies … Merde itself, it seems, was “better before.”
