Interview with Alex Ayrault of Les Rasoirs Electriques

So wonderful! I love these guys. You can check them out here on facebook, here on their website, or here when Idle reviewed them. French pop punk = the greatest. Alex doesn't speak English, and we worked together pretty hard to make this in english for you guys, so if there are any awkward sentences/grammar errors, don't be an asshole. I could've just interviewed him in french and made you guys deal with it. :)

How strong would you say the pop punk scene in France is?

I don't know if there is a real "pop punk" scene in France. Bands like Teenage Bottlerocket or Screeching Weasel have influenced lots of French, that's for sure. But in France, people prefer to sing in English (or in yogurt as we say) because the audience can't understand a single word. It's weird.

What made you decide to sing in French instead of English? I know this is pretty rare- how do other people react to it?

As you can see my English is quite limited. And when I sing, it's worse. So I've decided (naturally) to sing in French. It's easier, and my mom can understand the lyrics.

How many bands do you and the other members play in?

Many. I play drums in Guerilla Poubelle, which is a punk rock band from Paris. The drummer plays bass in Zephyr 21 and guitar in Pretty Johnny. The bassist plays guitar in Stony Broke and lots of other bands that I can't remember the name of. And the second guitarist is the singer of an old band that we had together before called Leptik Ficus. You have to listen to it.

Do you have any plans to tour America at any point?

Not yet. But we would like to tour in America ! We will try to made this possible in the next few years.

What are your favorite french bands? American?

My favorite french bands are Svinkels, Menpenti or Les Sherrif. In America there are too many! But I will say NOFX, The Queers, The Briefs, Screeching Weasel...

What is the best experience you've had so far with Les Rasoirs?

We did 15 gigs last year and that's our best experience ever. We are really excited to do it again.

How prevalent is sexism in the french punk scene? Can you compare it to the American scene?

Sexism, like racism, is a deep problem in our society, so we find it in the punk scene, like elsewhere. We try to fight it at our level.

What's the craziest thing that has ever happened at a show of yours?

One day, I broke a string on stage. Sorry I'm really novice as a guitarist!

What's your favorite song to play live?

For now "Casser du suc," but we've got lots of new songs ! I hope we could record it this year.

Thanks so much Alex! Merci beaucoup! We love you! Nous t'aimons!

-Bear