Sitting down with Fabienne recently, and in what is her first extensive interview in English since 2005, we first asked her about the early days and how her love and passion for music first came about?
I believe I am correct in saying that you started writing songs and composing your own music at an early age? - “It started when I was around 8 years old. I would look in the mirror and sing the popular French songs of the time. Around 11 years old I started to write songs. Mostly words. Every time I would take the dog out for a walk, it was a chance to be alone and compose a song. I would use the rhythm of my walk.”
“But songwriting was just a side project at this point. I wanted to act in movies and theatre. I joined Le théâtre de Paris where Georges Wilson was the master teacher, and I met a few actors with whom I made movies in Italy later on in my twenties. Like Pierre Clementi, who was the leading actor in European avant-garde films. Also, I met Federico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Paolo Taviani, and Joseph Losey.”
“In the meantime, I also wanted a guitar to be able to compose songs. I bought one for $10 and started learning to play. I got lucky one day and met a boyfriend who had a guitar with a beautiful sound, a Martin guitar. I was getting excited — it looked as though I was going somewhere.”
“Life at home was misery with my parents fighting every day, so I decided to leave and go on the road during school vacation and sing for people in the street, making a little money, mostly coins to be able to drink coffee all day.”
“Believe it or not, I would also go door to door. Knocking on people’s doors to ask to sing for them with my Martin guitar, of which I was so proud. I was charging 1 Franck per song, the equivalent of a dollar!”
“Then I went to London. It was so close to Paris with the train and the boat. Upon arriving there, I realized I was in my ambiance. People were dressed like the Beatles and the English language was becoming easier and easier. I stayed there 3 months at the time. I went to see bands and I felt so much happiness. Every time I went to a club, I was the last one to leave the place. Eventually, I went to La Poubelle in London and asked to DJ a few nights a week. I was learning rock ‘n’ roll.”
In the late 1960s you began working as a film actress in both Italy and France, under the name Fabienne Fabre, best-known today for your uncredited appearance as “The Woman of the Trees” (aka “Twiggy”) in Roger Vadim’s Barbarella. How did that role come about for you? - “I remember that Roger Vadim found me through my agency. I had “the look” they were after. He instructed me to interpret a tree doing a dance like a mime moving my arms as branches. Vadim thought I was a professional mime, so I must have done my job well.”
“In fact, Marcel Marceau, the most avant-garde mime in the world, was giving me hints on how to be a tree. The experience was phenomenal! Also, the English actor David Hemmings was in the forest, and I was dancing between the actors, improvising.”
“Also, on Barbarella I met Anita Pallenberg, Keith Richard’s girlfriend. Every evening, we would party at Villa Medici in Villa Borghese with Prince Stash. Of course, we couldn’t stay late since we were working at the studio for Dino De Laurentiis early each morning. Keith Richards was fascinating to me. He was the first rock ‘n’ roll star I encountered. It was hard to comprehend that they were real people, and Keith turned out to be a decent human being. I felt very comfortable living this high life, if only briefly.”
“After Barbarella, I was in other movies. The Taviani Brothers brought me to the Venice Film Festival, which was a thrill. I was living with my first husband, painter Richard Dayne Blandford. We had a son and decided to leave Italy. That turned out to be a mistake in regard to my movie career. Life in France wasn’t easy. It was around this time that I started to think about making music again. I went back to my guitar and composed more songs. I tried to connect with musicians by placing adverts in newspapers. I also sang with a few unknown bands, but it was good practice.”
“Then, I met The New York Dolls when they played a matinee in 1973 at the Olympia Theatre in Paris. I immediately changed my singing style to be more rock ‘n’ roll.”
“I eventually bought a ticket to NYC to see Johnny Thunders and the rest of the Dolls. I stayed at the Chelsea Hotel at the same time Patti Smith was living there. I knew she was going to be big. Her style was unique. She was a poet.”
Then you met Led Zeppelin, becoming romantically involved with Jimmy Page. How did that come about? - “While I was in NYC, I met a producer who invited me to Jamaica. He brought me to see a band he was interested in, which turned out to be Bob Marley & the Wailers. It was incredible, the universe was giving me the opportunity to meet all these fantastic musicians before they exploded onto the global scene.”
“When I got back to Paris, I couldn’t stop talking about Jamaica and this new music coming from the island. All I wanted was to go back there. My husband was OK with the idea so we moved there. Things did not go well. Everything was expensive and almost all our belongings were stolen from our car. Fortunately, I still had my Martin acoustic guitar so I could play; I even learned to play some reggae and write lyrics in that style.”
“One day I was alone in the street, and someone shouted, “Hey you look like a musician!” I liked the attention, so I stopped and talked to this pair of young Jamaicans. Out of the blue, they asked if I knew Keith Richards. I answered “Yes!” and soon I was invited to Keith’s villa on the island where everyone was smoking big jumbo joints.”
“When I eventually returned home, my husband was curious why I was so late. I explained what had happened and told him that the next day we could return to our beautiful house overlooking the ocean. But after a few days, I really felt an intense need to go back to Paris to get my son! We had left him with my parents.”
“My husband didn’t agree with my decision. He refused to have my 3-year-old son living with us. So, I left him, collected my son, and never returned to my husband.”
“I kept in touch with Keith’s best friend who told me he was going to invite me to see an incredibly exciting new band. It turned out to be Led Zeppelin. The introduction was very strange. I felt something magical happening. It was 1975, around the time of Physical Graffiti. Jimmy Page invited me to go on tour together with him. I felt like I was living a rock ‘n’ roll fairytale.”
“I had my guitar with me, and I played with Jimmy every day. Sometimes he would lock me in a room for an entire day until I could play a certain chord. I would practice and practice until I could play it well.”
“After the tour, I returned to Paris to see my parents and my son. Then I went back to Jimmy in London. My songwriting was improving, especially when Jimmy played lead guitar with me. It was very beautiful.”
“Robert would play harmonica, Jimmy would play lead, and I would play rhythm and sing. One morning Robert said to me that I was ready and that I should get a band.”
So, in 1975, alongside guitarist Eric Lévi, you formed a group in Paris that eventually became known as Shakin’ Street. What are your memories of first meeting Eric and who came up with the band’s name? - “Paris! Yes, I decided to look for a band in Paris! Every night I would go to clubs and jam with my friends. One day I was approached by a young man who asked if I wanted to form a band. I replied, yes, but I will only play with good musicians. The guy turned out to be Eric Lévi, who became the guitarist of Shakin’ Street.”
“We started to bring in musicians and we practiced for around two years! Eventually we met the legendary manager Marc Zermati, who wanted to sign us and gave us the opportunity to go to England and play the club circuit. We opened for Eddie & the Hot Rods, The Damned, The Flamin’ Groovies, The Police, Cherry Vanilla, Chelsea, Siouxsie & the Banshees, etc. We toured England many times because it was so close to Paris. Only a one-hour flight.”
“Marc was building a reputation as a great manager, and a finder of talent. He created the first Punk Rock Festival in France. The event was in the South of France at Mont de Marsan. He made rock ‘n’ roll history in France! At first, we called ourselves Speedball. Then, Marc decided to change it to Shakin’ Street without telling us. He called us on the microphone to come to the stage at the Punk Festival, but we wouldn’t come because we were not aware that our name had been changed to Shakin’ Street!”
“That night we stole the show from The Clash! I was wearing shorts, and my pictures were all over the English rock magazines. In fact, one of those photos is on the back cover of our new Scarlet: The Old Waldorf 1979 album.”
You’ve gone on record several times stating that you never considered Shakin’ Street a punk band. Instead, you always referred to it as a hard rock band. Did you ever find yourself opening for bands whose music you just didn’t feel was the right fit for yours? - “We always chose the bands that played before us based on the quality of their music and if they had a style like ours. That meant hard rock, and occasionally, punk bands. I love punk music.”
You released the debut album Vampire Rock on CBS Records in 1978. Recorded at Olympic Sound Studio (Londres) and mixed at studio Aquarium (Paris), what are your memories of recording that album and the days spent in the studio? - “In 1978, we got signed by CBS France and had the opportunity to record at Olympic Studios. It was where the biggest bands in the world recorded. Unfortunately, I don’t have the best memories from the experience because we didn’t get along, but we managed to finish our debut album, Vampire Rock. The album was a success in Europe, and we played many concerts. I sang in English on Vampire Rock because I wanted the album to reach as wide an audience as possible.”
“I wrote the song “Vampire Rock” for Jimmy Page because of our lifestyle when we were together. We were both vampires — going out at 2:00 AM dressed in black. I used to do his eye makeup before we would go out. After a long night out, we would have his chauffeur drive us home in his limousine along the ocean until sunrise. I’ve never told that story before. It’s something special I am revealing for Scarlet: The Old Waldorf 1979.”
“When it came time to record our second LP, the director of CBS France wanted us to sing in French. CBS had a French band called Trust that was selling a lot more than us. I understood his position. I tried to sing in French, but it didn’t sound good enough for me or for them. This album was never completed. It was meant to include a studio version of “Scarlet,” the song which provides our new Scarlet: The Old Waldorf 1979 with its title. Jimmy and Robert loved this unreleased album.”
“Sandy Pearlman wanted Shakin’ Street to change guitarists, not because Armik Tigrane was a bad musician but because he had a bad drinking problem. So, one day we saw an American boy going down the steps of the University of Sciences in Paris called Jussieu, with a Gibson in his hand, and wearing a cap and leather pants. It turned out be Ross “The Boss” from the Dictators, and Sandy was bringing him round to meet us. Our rehearsal room was several floors underground, beneath Jussieu. We ended up jamming with Ross and he was a perfect fit for Shakin’ Street.”
Shakin’ Street then relocated to San Francisco to cut its self-titled sophomore LP, which was released in 1980, and features a raw blend of alt-garage and hard rock. A formidable album, at the time of recording were you convinced that this album would be leading to yet another one, or was there already a sense that the band was going to break up? - “That’s right, we left for San Francisco to record with Columbia Records. I was happy because they definitely wanted me to sing in English! Sandy Pearlman told me that when he went to see the director of Columbia Records, the director said “Who is that boy? He’s got a beautiful voice.” Sandy answered, “Yes, a beautiful voice… and a beautiful body, too!””
“Scarlet: The Old Waldorf was recorded in August 1979. We were trying out material that we would record a few months later with Sandy for our official second album, Shakin’ Street.”
Scarlet: The Old Waldorf 1979 was recorded during the same period as the Automatt sessions for 1980’s Shakin’ Street LP. You were opening for the Jim Carroll Band and the show was captured by KALX radio deejay and producer Terry Hammer. Did you even know that this show was being recorded at the time and, if so, were you amazed to subsequently learn that some 45 years later that very same recording would now be released on both CD and vinyl? - “At the time of the show in San Francisco, no, I was not aware that it was being recorded. But it would have been of no importance to me because I wouldn’t have tried to be a better singer because of the recording. I was actually very shy and scared because it was one of my first times performing in America. America had been my dream since the beginning of Shakin’ Street!”
“It’s funny when I listen to the new live album, I can hear that I was very tense. But everything went well. To answer your question, it was a shock that this show was going to be an album in 2024. I remember Terry Hammer at the gig, hanging out at the console. The lineup of Shakin’ Street that recorded this live album was myself and Ross, Eric Lévi on rhythm guitar, Mick Winter on bass, Jean-Lou Kalinowsky on drums.”
In 1980, Shakin’ Street embarked on “The Black and Blue Tour” as openers for the Ronnie James Dio lineup of Black Sabbath, alongside Blue Öyster Cult. What are your memories of those live performances back then? - “The Shakin’ Street album landed us a tour opening for Blue Öyster Cult and the Ronnie James Dio lineup of Black Sabbath in the USA. The tour happened in October 1980. I was excited because my son would be able to come along. During the show there was a stage bit where I would climb on the back of Allan Lannier, so we practiced that during rehearsals and soundchecks. We were all a big family. Sandy Pearlman was happy for our success and would check in with us often — he had been there for us since the beginning.”
“I was still seeing Jimmy Page at the time — I would either go to London or he would come to Paris. Jimmy was very concerned about what was happening with the band, but he also had other things on this mind. Right before Shakin’ Street’s big tour with BÖC and Black Sabbath, John Bonham had died at Jimmy’s house. Bonzo and Jimmy had spent the night playing music together, just the two of them, which they often did. Jimmy and Bonzo were very close, so his loss was devastating. Jimmy called me in California and asked me to come to England. He sent me a ticket and waited at Heathrow for me. When I arrived, his eyes were red from not sleeping, and crying. He told me that he didn’t think Led Zeppelin would continue without Bonzo, and he was right.”
You once said: “I try to write for all the people who listen to lyrics, since a lot of people don’t because they get more into the beat. Sure that’s important too, in fact the beat means the same thing as the words; it’s just another way of expressing.” In the past five years, due to evolving politics and gender roles, have you considered updating any of your earlier lyrics to be more in tune with 2024? - “No, I never considered updating my lyrics for political reasons. I wrote those lyrics for the youth, they were related to social issues. I was telling young people that they can do anything. My message was that even though I come from a poor family, I was still able to get a good education at bilingual schools so that I could work and make money to support myself and my son.”
It’s been close to 45 years since you released your debut Shakin’ Street album. In reflection, is there anything you would have done differently? - “Yes, many things I would have done differently! I should have left my first husband sooner; that would have put me on a track to success at an earlier age. Because he was holding me back, in his mind, trying to protect me, from moving forward with my life and finding success. Freedom of expression has always been important to me. My lyrics have always been close to my heart and my voice is unique.”
Going a little left of center (so please do stick with me here), as I am currently putting together a children’s book, I ask everyone this very simple question: What do you like about penguins? (the flightless bird, not the delicious chocolate biscuit!) Have you ever encountered a penguin, and if so, do you have a story to tell about it? Have you ever given a penguin toy or figurine to anyone as a gift? - “I adore penguins because they always wear a tuxedo. I wish I could do the same when I go out! I enjoy seeing them walk with a little waddle from side to side. And they are tough creatures, enduring those frigid Arctic winds. But no, I have never given a penguin toy to anyone. But I will now show my respect for penguins.”
I shall bring this chat to a close by simply asking you this: We are not called Exclusive Magazine for nothing, and so, and without further ado, please dig deep and kindly reveal something that has not already been discussed, and most definitely has not yet been announced to the world (whether it is from your past or something new) - “I don’t think I’ve mentioned to you that I’m back in the studio with Shakin’ Street recording a new album. We are recording a song which Sandy wrote for me. I am flying from my home in California to Queens, NY, to work on the record with Ross “The Boss.””
“What I would like to do soon is write a book. A book about the beauty of being a human, sharing this world with so many fabulous and exotic animals. I used to write books when I was 15 but my father stopped me. He said I was too young to be wasting my time on that.”
Official Purchase Link
Shakin Street - Scarlet [Official Video]
By: Russ Trunk and Randy Haecker
![[NEW] Fabienne Shine (Shakin’ Street)](images/exclusive/interviews/thumbnailSS.jpg)
[NEW] Fabienne Shine (Shakin’ Street)