Our edition of the day is entirely devoted to Jean-Marie Périer. Here is the third part that looks back to the 1960s of the French photographer.
After a marvellous childhood with my father and my adolescence handled by Daniel Filipacchi, unfortunately things got a bit harder. At this time in France young men had to give 28 months of their lives to the army 14 of which were spent in Algeria. Now you’re dealing with a war veteran. Well, let’s not exaggerate. Fortunately I didn’t have a gun but a camera in my hands. I was used by the army to work for the French TV.
(Photo No 1)
Soldier Pillu’s mission (that was my birth name) consisted in making light stories in order to help the french people of Algeria (their nickname was black feet) forget what the french politics named the “events” of Algeria. In other words, the war. And my hideout soon became a nightmare because the last year in Oran turned out to be a real chaos. The OAS (organization of the black feet) fighted ferociously against the fellaghas (Algerians fighters) who wanted them out of the country. I was allowed to dressed as a civilian and using my pass I could go through all the roadblocks, go everywhere and witness in live the drama of the end of this war.
(Photo No 2)
The terrifying nights with houses exploding, black feet murdered, Arabs burned in the explosions of their cars… During one year, I saw twelve people getting killed in front of me. My only weapon was my camera and I didn’t dare use it too much, with my tanned complexion, the black feet thought I was an Algerian, and the Algerians look at me as a black foot. I was laying low as much as possible. I was 21 years old, and I’ll never forget de Gaulle’s betrayal toward the black feet as well as the Algerians, nor the horrors I saw during this year of my life.
Back to Paris. It’s springtime. I’ve got a job at Télé7jours magazine. I have drinks at the terrace of the café “The Belle Ferronière”, the Paris-Match photographer’s hang out, I have the feeling I’m accepted by the group. One beautiful day I bump into Daniel Filipacchi. He had not changed. I’m not aware that he has a radio show for teenagers on “Europe No 1” radio. I did not know that “Salut les copains” was already a hit. I always found that title a bit stupid. “Salut les copains” meaning something like “Hi folks”. Daniel wanted to name it “Juke-Box”, but “Europe No 1” was commited and they wanted to keep it. “I’m going to make a magazine about music for teenagers, are you interested ?” I was fed up of shooting TV people so I jumped on the opportunity.
100.000 copies sold the first day, Daniel had to print 300.000 more copies in order to avoid a mess in the newsstands. Six months later the magazine reached one million copies. From then on, things went very fast. I met Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan, Claude François etc, all the young people who, like me,started their lives, and were catapulted very fast to stardom.
My affair with Françoise Hardy gave me a weird set up. I worked for the magazine but was also inside on the pages of the magazine. Daniel gave me the responsibility of handling the pictures of “SLC” and “Mlle Âge Tendre”, the two publications for teenagers, and gave my sister Anne-Marie the direction of this new magazine.
I hired other photographers, Tony Frank, Benjamin Auger, André Berg (actually he was there before me) and others… The only advice Daniel gave me when I started was: “All I ask of you is: try and make pictures the parents won’t like !” After that, not a word for twelve years. Absolute freedom and money to realize what I had in mind.
(Photos No 4, 5, 6, 7 et 8)
The 2nd of june 1963, Daniel decided to organize a free concert in Paris, Place de la Nation, featuring Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan and Richard Anthony. 5.000 teenagers were expected, 150.000 showed up. In a way, this was a first before Woodstock six years later. Scandal in the French press, only one great journalist, Edgar Morin, understood what was happening there. He created the word “Yéyé” to name the kids of the French sixties. This word will soon be used in the adult’s world and by the press to express their contempt for everything that came from that invading youth culture.
(Photos No 8 et 9)
During these 12 years, I could do everything I wanted, nobody ever said no. I realized how lucky I was, happily I was aware of it at the time. I could have sets built for my pictures, travel anywhere in the world, like when I went to Tokyo to meet Sylvie Vartan. “It will be funnier in Kyoto in 15 days” she told me.I went to Texas to join the Rolling Stones tours and went back to Kyoto 15 days later. That really was a dream life.
In 1963, I lived in two lofts with Jamie, Regis Pagniez and their two daughters. During daytime, I went to their side of the appartment, living the sweet life of a family, and enjoying Regis’s unique sense of humor, and at night it was party time on my side.
Between the “swinging London” of the Beatles and the Stones, America with Chuck Berry and James Brown, and the Paris life with Johnny Hallyday and Dutronc, I had the privilege to be in the center of what people like to remember. And they are not the only one, since this working harmony lasted for twelve years, I realize everyday the luck I had to be there at that time.
(Photos of Jean-Marie Périer et Régis Pagniez, No 11, and of artists from the 1960s, No 12)
Jean-Marie Périer
