Michael Gondry: “Spread Your Chickens!…”

THE CD THAT MAKES ME THINK OF MY CYCLE
Björk, Debut
Elektra, 1993
“Guys have cycles too, and sometimes, we feel feverish and we don’t know why. When I heard this album for the first time, I was in the subway in Paris and I was wearing an orange jacket and feeling feverish. I was feeling very anxious — I wanted to make a video with her because each song inspired me, but also because I wanted to keep in touch with her. It’s not every day you meet someone with a brain like hers.”

THE CD TO GET STUCK IN TRAFFIC TO
N.E.R.D., Fly or Die
Virgin, 2004
“I was in a car on my way to do the Charlie Rose Show and I asked the driver to play this. When ‘Wonderful Place’ came on, the driver, who was in his 60s, and a publicist both caught the beat. We were in traffic, but we didn’t care because we were having such a happy moment! We played that song 10 times, and when we arrived, I gave the driver my copy. He was happy to hear music from younger people he could really dig.”

THE CD THAT REMINDS ME OF FARTING
Michael Jackson, History: Past, Present and Future, Book 1
Epic, 1995
“At 2 a.m. every night during holidays, my brother and I sat on his bed to watch TV with a remote control made out of a broomstick. I’d go under the covers and fart, coughing to cover the noise, and he would get upset. The program Bonsoir le clip showed videos: That’s where I saw videos for Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’ and ‘Billie Jean.’ In terms of music, he’s a genius and way above everyone else.”

THE CD THAT MAKES ME FEEL YOUNG AGAIN
Ariel Ramírez, Misa Criolla
Philips, 1990
“My mom played this choir music when I was a kid. It’s from Argentina. The voices are very homogeneous. Their hearts are all on the same wavelength. It’s an odd record that Björk and I both see as being very influential. When I hear it, I remember being young and feeling good. Religion creates the most horrifying events in the world, but also the most beautiful, creative and pure. For me, this album illustrates that.”

THE CD THAT MAKES ME FEEL WHITE
Missy Elliott, This is not a Test!
Gold Mind/Elektra, 2003
“The first and last time I met her was at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She was in the gym. I was on the rowing machine and she was on the bicycle — just kidding! For a video, she wanted me to create a 3D effect that involved people wearing those glasses. Very impractical! So, by the time I figured out another idea, she was working with Hype Williams. This happens all the time in hip-hop. It’s very hard to break into the entourage.”

THE CD I THOUGHT I WOULD HATE
Ray Charles, Wish You Were Here Tonight
Columbia, 1983
“I was at the FNAC, a big retail store in France, looking for a new Charles record. You choose for the cover, and he was looking good on this one, so I got it. When I got home, I realized it was country music. I was so disappointed! But eventually, it became one of my favorites. It is so slow, you can hear every grain of sand of the texture of his voice. His voice has a bitterness that is addictive.”

THE CD RHYMING “CHICKENS” WITH “DICKENS”
Ian Dury & the Blockheads, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll: The Best…
Rhino, 1992
“He is a true funk man and his orchestra are the true funk. His voice is very human, and when I was young, I liked his odd sense of humor: ‘Spread your chickens when you think of next, what the Dickens if they’re highly sexed?’ I don’t know what that means, but I like it! I think he redeemed himself at the end of his career he didn’t sing so much about drugs, which I don’t like necessarily.”

THE CD THAT MAKES ME THINK OF MUSTACHES
Peaches, Fatherfucker
XL, 2003
“When I heard Peaches’s Fatherfucker, I imagined a salesman with a mustache who puts a briefcase on a table and out pops a girl who looks like him. She walks over to a table next to him, opens her own case and another salesman pops out! The word ‘fatherfucker’ is so satisfying to the ear. Peaches says the dirtiest things, and she’s still pure. There is this happiness in her that isn’t cynical.”

THE CD THAT MAKES DEATH SEEM LESS SCARY
Talking Heads, Remain in Light
Sire, 1980
“When this came out, I was in art school and it was the beginning of the Walkman craze. I can remember each little bit playing on my headset — the stereo on this album is totally amazing. It was before they used a lot of drum machines. There is a lot about death and decay in their lyrics. I’m scared of death but on this album, there is something serene about it. This album puts my cells in loops in the same direction!”

THE CD FOR WALLOWING IN SADNESS
Beck, Sea Change
Interscope, 2002
“Beck makes such beautiful music when he’s sad. This record is about the aftermath of a break-up with his girlfriend. When it came out, I had a break-up with my girlfriend, so these songs were very meaningful for me. The way he described his new record [out 2005] to me, the music seems more uplifting. I can’t wait to hear it!”