Manu Lanvin in interview: “My mission on Earth now, I know it”

At Blues Actu we know Manu Lanvin well, an artist we have had the opportunity to interview several times. Each time, the same concern arises and we wonder if we will still be able to renew ourselves. Then we sit down with him, start talking, and find ourselves carried away into the world of a passionate (and fascinating) musician, driven by his “mission.” This mission, he boldly displays on the cover of his brand new album recorded between Paris, Nashville, Montreal, Fort Lauderdale, and Sheffield.

Surrounded by his team of musicians and loyal friends (Axel Bauer, Beverly Jo Scott, etc.), Manu Lanvin explores his inner struggles, regrets, and longings for elsewhere, without ever losing the fire of the blues and the energy of rock and blues. Before his concert at the Bataclan on November 21, he talks about his album “Man on a mission,” his collaborations, and his desire to always share a little light through his music. Meet a blues missionary.

📻 Listen to the show (Part 1)

🎤 Manu Lanvin in Interview

Manu, let’s start with the album title, Man on a mission. It reminded me a bit of the Blues Brothers and the cult line “I’m on a mission from God.” So tell us, what is this mission you’re talking about?

My mission on Earth now, I know it. It’s simply to take my guitar, plug it into an amp, and every night try to give a little happiness to others. To make sure that their often difficult daily life can be exorcised together.

“Man on a mission” was Craig Walker who came up with that phrase for me. Craig Walker, with whom I co-wrote one of the tracks on the album and who has known me for a very long time. Every time he saw me, he would say: “Manu, I feel like you’re that kind of man, with your pilgrim’s staff, running around everywhere, traveling a lot. I see you as a warrior in revolt.”

So I don’t know if he’s right, I don’t know what revolt drives me, but I thought it fit this album well, the album of a traveler.

You say in the presentation of this record that it’s also an inner journey, and here too, we’d like you to tell us a bit more…

I don’t know if it’s age that now makes me able to open up more easily and say things I might not have said before. Almost 52, my friend, you know Cédric… We’re closer to the end than the beginning, so we let down our guard. We talk more easily about our pain, our inner struggles. We’re no longer afraid to open up. Because in fact, we’re no longer afraid of other people’s judgment.

You recorded this album in five different cities: Paris, Nashville, Montreal, Fort Lauderdale, and Sheffield. Why this choice and what did each place bring to the album?

I wanted to travel. As usual, I left with my little portable studio. I recorded the rhythm tracks in Normandy at my bassist Nicolas’ place, then a lot at the Chocolaterie. But I also wanted to work with several writers and sing elsewhere.

Sheffield is Joe Cocker’s city. Nashville, a goldmine of musical currents. I even recorded in the house of David Briggs, Elvis Presley’s pianist. It was a coincidence. To find the vibration I was looking for, I had to be close to the places where this music was born.

“When I talk about myself, it’s also to talk about others”

Your lyrics swing between the intimate — I’m thinking of Savigny-sur-Orge or Une nuit — and the universal with Make It Right or Could It Be Love. For you, what is the common thread between these different tracks?

When I make an album, I don’t necessarily think of a common thread. Inspiration often comes from introspective moments, so from personal stories. But when I talk about myself, it’s also to talk about others.

Sometimes certain things make me react, like current events or the violence of images. We’re privileged in our country, but when you look at the disasters around, at people who are struggling, it inspires other things. So I try to find keys for living together more joyfully, even if I know it’s a somewhat vain fight. Music is another possibility we offer people, to make them think.

In Change My Ways, you talk about past mistakes and redemption. So is it autobiographical?

It’s always autobiographical, of course. We use our personal experiences, but we romance them. A song has to speak to as many people as possible. Change My Ways expresses that regret: “I should have done things differently. I messed up. I wasn’t up to it.” Being able to say that to a woman, and say that you’re going to try to change.

I think many have found themselves in that situation. Me, I messed up a fair bit, let’s not lie. But it was also to devote myself more fully to music, which is energy-hungry and time-consuming. You become a bit selfish with your art. So you miss out on beautiful stories…

“Did u see Judy?“ is a nice surprise with reggae accents. I feel like you’re stepping a bit out of your comfort zone with this track…

It’s funny because you’re not the first person to tell me that. No, it absolutely wasn’t calculated. I obviously listened to many of the great names in reggae. I’m thinking of Lee “Scratch” Perry, of Bob Marley of course. But you know, the Rolling Stones listened to a lot of reggae.
Maybe it’s in the musicality, in the phrasing. I think there are things quite similar to the blues. This track is based on a single chord! It’s almost hypnotic, like certain little blues refrains. And with that slightly reggae phrasing, I hope it won’t work against me. But it happened naturally.

“Une nuit” is the only track in French on the album. So why did you choose to write this song specifically in your native language?

Once again, I didn’t choose. I’m undoubtedly guided. When I pick up my guitar and an idea comes — a riff, the seed of a melody — it’s often gibberish in English. And actually, Neal Black, with whom I collaborate a lot, often keeps many of my choruses born from that gibberish.
But with this track, who knows why, the words in French came naturally. I worked with Jean-Marc Fustier, a writer I work with a lot, and he kept 80% of my words. Because they sounded good, because they fit the chords. So it wasn’t a choice, but an obvious one.
And I find it cool that this track is practically at the end of the album, like a return to Montmartre, where I live. After all that journey, that invitation I extend to the audience, I ultimately come back home.

I realized that I had somewhat picked up Paul Personne’s phrasing. He listened to the album, he loved it. That really moved me. Yes, I’m French, and sometimes it’s good to try your hand at your own language again.

You end Une nuit with “I’m a man of the stage. Outside of it, I’m nothing.” Here again, it feels like a very introspective track. I almost want to say it’s a baring of the soul…

Yes, that’s true. That’s the story of my life. We musicians are just passing through. With the Devil Blues’ concert schedule, you can imagine… We arrive in a city, we spend a night there, then we leave. It’s hard to build something solid with a woman.

So I wanted to describe that moment: you have to leave, your van is waiting, they’re calling you, but at the same time you were comfortable in this woman’s arms. Those rare moments of pause, I loved them, when they rarely existed. And I wanted to make a little ode to those moments I’ve sometimes known.

“I like having the best by my side”

The album brings together an impressive cast, some of whom were at your side on the tribute album to Calvin Russell. I’m thinking in particular of Beverly Jo Scott. You can tell it’s important for you to always have your team by your side. Is that right?

I like having the best by my side. And I don’t have ego problems like some artists often do. Many of the musicians on this album are much better than me! But I think I’ve brought together some of the best drummers in France: Raphael Chassin, Julien Audigier, Jimmy Montout, Mickael Désir… On bass, Laurent Vernerey and my faithful Nicolas Bélanger. I also have the Haggis Horns, who have worked with Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse! You have to surround yourself with strength and not feel self-conscious about doing so. I’m proud to have very good people with me.

And then there’s Beverly Jo Scott… To me, she’s one of the most beautiful voices in classic rock today, not well known enough on the international scene. The fact that she comes to do backing vocals for me is a huge point of pride. I like to surround myself with talent, not with people who fear the spotlight — it makes me stronger. I love other people’s talent. On the album Tribute to Calvin Russell, I could have sung everything myself, but what’s the point? I prefer to share with performers far better than me. They’ve become people who are part of my family, and when you make an album you more easily turn to people who love you.

📻 Listen to the show (Part 2)

Part 2 of the show will be available here from September 29. A little more patience.

“Just Need Me“ is co-written and performed with Axel Bauer. So tell us how this track came about?

Here’s another guy I admired as a kid. What guitarist didn’t try to reproduce his riffs? We met several times, and one day, at his place, he played me some ideas. He always has a thousand projects.
And then suddenly, he pulls out a riff. Not yet Just Need Me, but a sketch. And I flipped! I told him: “That one, I want it!” That riff had that simple and complex side at the same time, with an ending that steps outside the traditional blues patterns.

We made it into Just Need Me. For me, it’s a great source of pride to have Axel with me. When people whom I consider more badass than me share something, it’s uplifting.

On Make It Right, we find your friend Ahmed Mouici, and you can feel this track is a refreshing rock ’n’ roll parenthesis on which you both had a lot of fun.

It was obvious! Ahmed has that love for 50s–60s rock. He’s got the groove, the voice, the culture. When I made this track, I knew he had to be there. I wanted Beach Boys-style harmonies, and he could do it. Plus, Ahmed is more than a friend; he’s an older brother.

We have to talk about someone who’s also very often mentioned but doesn’t play on the album. That’s Neal Black, with whom you wrote a large part of the songs. Can you tell us about this collaboration?

Of course. With Neal Black, we’re a real duo. We’ve been writing together for several albums. I arrive with my gibberish, which isn’t really gibberish because there are already choruses, complete phrases. He has the intelligence to keep the essential and make it better.

With him, it’s instinctive and fast. We know each other well, we share the same codes. He’s an incredible songwriter, and working with him is always a joy.

Let’s talk about your guitar sound… I found it very raw and very upfront. It’s quite close to a Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) type of production. Is that band an influence for you?

You’re making me happy, Cédric. No, we didn’t try to copy. But to me, Dan Auerbach is a huge reference, as is Jack White. We look at them with admiration, of course.

That said, that raw sound is largely the work of Nico Bonnière, my artistic partner. He’s a bit of a man in the shadows, but he’s behind the Devil Blues’ sound. From the beginning, we’ve tried to produce a different guitar tone, with its own identity. Not to do what everyone else is doing.

And Nico, ex-guitarist of Dolly, now with Eiffel, is very good at that. He’s respected in the scene, and he’s become a brother. With him, we constantly experiment; we rack our brains to find atypical formulations. I think that’s what makes us a bit close to Dan Auerbach: a culture of sound.

By the way, it’s funny, we’re talking about The Black Keys, but there’s a track called Man on a mission on their very latest album!

It’s totally a coincidence! When I was told, I almost passed out. But then I saw it was just a single, and that there were already quite a few tracks with that name. Maybe it’s a feeling shared by many artists — feeling “on a mission.” Making music is a way of the cross, especially in France with the style I offer. We’re not helped by the mainstream media, so we go underground and we go to battle.

Maybe that’s what other artists felt too. Wasn’t Nina Simone, for example, on a mission as well?

You’ll play the Bataclan to launch this album on November 21. How do you envision bringing Man on the Mission to the stage? And will any of the album’s guests join you on stage?

As for the guests, I don’t know yet. But what’s certain is that we won’t just be a trio. I want more musicians with me on stage. I’ll have Bennett Holland, for example, who did all the keyboards on the album.

That’s important to me: to defend this new album with a real, expanded band sound. We’ve toured a lot with the old repertoire, but now I want to offer the audience something else. The mission is also a new challenge, and I need that.

The Bataclan inevitably evokes a very painful episode. Was it truly your intention to play in that venue?

Yes, of course. We’ve already done a sold-out show at La Cigale; we needed to challenge ourselves with a bigger venue. And the Bataclan is my heart’s venue. I’ve played there, I’ve seen concerts there by FFF, Bernie Bonvoisin, Paul Personne…

What happened is atrocious. But the fact that the venue still lives is a slap in the face to human stupidity. Of course I’ll have a thought for all the victims. But I’m convinced they’d want us to keep plugging in our guitars and annoying those who are bothered by music.

To finish: what final message would you like to pass on to all Blues Actu Radio listeners?

Blues Actu Radio listeners are fans of authentic music: blues, rock, soul… We’re so in that word, with so many musical currents. Thank you for your encouragement, for your support. Thank you to you too, Cédric, and to all the media that share this music. Without you, it would be complicated to continue the mission.

Thank you, Manu. See you very soon, and we wish you all the best for the new album Man on a mission.

See you very soon, my friend — see you soon, Cédric.