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CULTURE

France’s self-proclaimed disco pioneer and nightclub queen dies

French singer and actress Regine, who claimed the invention of the modern discotheque and once ran a nightclub empire from Paris to Los Angeles, died on Sunday aged 92, her grand-daughter told AFP.

n this file photo taken on January 01, 2015 French singer, actress and businesswoman Regine waves to the crowds during a parade, along the Champs-Elysees in Paris to celebrate the New Year.
French singer, actress and businesswoman Regine waves to the crowds during a parade, along the Champs-Elysees in Paris to celebrate the New Year, January 1st, 2015. Regine died at the age of 92, her grand-daughter told AFP on May 1st, 2022. Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP

Regine, born Regina Zylberberg in Belgium, opened her first club in Paris’s Latin Quarter in the 1950s, replacing the juke-box, ubiquitous in dance venues at the time, with turntables and disc jockeys.

The new format, she often said, justified her claim to “the invention of the discotheque”. She famously said: “If you can’t dance, you can’t make love.”

The new discos caught on with the jet set and Regine, who became known as the “queen of the night”, opened several more venues, including “Regine’s” in New York in the 1970s, and others in Miami, Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles.

“Regine left us peacefully at 11 am (0900 GMT) on this May 1st,” her grand-daughter Daphne Rotcajg said.

In a statement sent on behalf of Regine’s family her friend, the comic Pierre Palmade said: “The queen of the night has left. Closing time following a long and great career.”

Regine “had the stars of the whole world dancing in her nightclubs”, he added.

A picture shows photographs of French singer and night clubs owner Regine prior to an auction at the Mirabaud-Mercier auction house in Paris, on January 14, 2021.

Photographs of Regine, prior to an auction at the Mirabaud-Mercier auction house in Paris, on January 14th, 2021. Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP

At its height, Regine’s disco empire comprised 22 establishments, and some 20,000 people owned an exclusive membership card in the 1980s that gave them access to all of them.

Pop artist Andy Warhol, showbiz star Liza Minelli, bankers the Rothschilds, and the Kennedys were among her customers.

Her name “became synonymous with the crazy nights that lasted until the small hours”, Palmade said, adding that Regine herself would “hit the dance floor until closing time”.

Among people paying tribute to Regine was former French culture minister Jack Lang who called her a “poetic and glittering Parisian legend”.

British singer Boy George tweeted: “R.I.P to the legendary French Diva Regine! x”, and included a picture of himself with her.

“The night is orphaned, having lost its queen,” said veteran French singer Line Renaud, also on Twitter.

‘Made her city vibrate’

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said Regine “made her city vibrate like nobody else could”.

While most famous internationally as a nightclub entrepreneur, back home Regine was always considered more for her contribution to French songwriting.

French singer Renaud called her the last historic representative of the French chanson, inspiring an entire generation of singer songwriters, including Serge Gainsbourg and Barbara.

After performing in the legendary Olympia venue in the French capital in the 1960s, Regine sang in New York’s Carnegie Hall to a warm reception by an American audience, a feat that among French singers only Edith Piaf could match.

“It would make me very happy if people still listened to my songs 50 years from now,” she told AFP in 2020, adding that she was “very proud” that some of them had become part of France’s standard repertoire.

French singer Regine poses on the red carpet during the 42nd Deauville US Film Festival, on September 10th, 2016

Regine poses on the red carpet during the 42nd Deauville US Film Festival, on September 10th, 2016 in the French northwestern sea resort of Deauville. Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP

“My first profession was discotheques,” she said. “For a long time, songs were just a hobby. But now I realise that the stage has been the most important part of my life.”

She also acted in several films, including by star directors Claude Lelouch and Claude Zidi.

Having sold all of her nightclubs by the late 2000s, Regine — who had boasted that she spent “a fortune” each day — declared herself “ruined”.

French actress and singer Regine poses with a long Ted Lapidus skirt drawn by Erte with the famous "boa" at the Tajan galery in Paris, January 9th, 2012.

Regine poses with her famous “boa” at the Tajan galery in Paris, January 9th, 2012. Photo by Eric Feferberg / AFP

But she went on to harness her showbiz connections for causes close to her heart, such as the fight against drug abuse, and continued to perform on stage and participate in talk shows.

In 2008 she received the highest French order of merit, the Legion d’Honneur, from then-president Nicolas Sarkozy.

As late as 2016, at 86, she appeared at the Parisian cabaret “Folies-Bergeres”, wearing her famous boa, and sang a French cover of “I will survive”, Gloria Gaynor’s hit.

“Retire? There’s absolutely no rush,” she told AFP at the time.

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LIVING IN FRANCE

5 tips to have the best possible night at France’s Fête de la musique

It can be the most fun day of the year - when France goes music crazy and bands suddenly appear on every street corner - but there are some tips to make your Fête de la musique experience as good as it can possibly be.

5 tips to have the best possible night at France's Fête de la musique

First, a caveat – this is an entirely personal manifesto based on the things that I have enjoyed over my Fête de la Musique outings over the years. It’s not intended as any kind of hard-and-fast rule and plenty of people will have different experiences.

Feel free to disagree and/or share your festival tips in the comments section below!

1 Ignore the big-name artists

There are always a few big-name artists or concerts in major venues on the Fête de la musique (which happens every year on June 21st).

Ignore them. Sure, stadiums gigs can be great and huge venues can have a wonderful atmosphere – but you can do that any night of the year. It’s not what Fête de la musique is about.

The true spirit of the Fête is the smaller acts who play on street corners, in bars and community venues. They’re free, you can wander between them and stay as long as you like – and there is always something else around the corner.

2 Ignore the big towns

You might think that the big cities have the best music, but if you have the choice, go for a small town or a suburb.

I’ve enjoyed some good Fêtes in Paris, but the best experiences had have been smaller towns or the Paris’ suburbs (Montreuil is good – a commune that carefully cultivates a small-town / village vibe, albeit a very diverse small town where everyone is a hippy, a leftist, or both).

It’s partly a practicality thing – in big cities the acts are spread out and you have to make plans to see something and meet up with friends. In small towns, you just wander along to the main square, then when you’ve seen the acts there, you can saunter up the side streets, each of which will have dozens of bands playing, pausing only to grab a beer and snacks.

But it’s also the vibe; in big cities you can hear good live music all the time and the population is consequently complacent – small towns truly appreciate the Fête de la musique and properly go wild.

Once, in Paris, I was watching a blues band play in the street when a woman tipped water on their heads from her apartment window because she was tired and wanted to go to sleep. Small towns appreciate it when bands play for them.

3 Experiment

There’s a lot of variety on the night, so take advantage – this is your opportunity to hear all kinds of live music from rock to swing, jazz to classical, choirs to DJs.

Didn’t think that a five-piece oud band is your thing? Fête de la musique may change your mind. It’s the night of the year when anything goes, musically, so it’s also the night to try something new.

If you hate it – well it’s free and there’s another band down the street that might be more your thing. But you might discover a lifetime passion for oud music – in fact, by this time next year you might be playing in the oud band. Thanks to the Fête de la musique.

4 Don’t insist on quality

You’ll hear some great bands, but you’ll also hear some that are more about enthusiasm – and that’s all part of the fun.

You’re going to be hearing everything from classic rock to reggae to blues to the above-mentioned five-piece oud band, and as well as the styles the quality may be variable to.

For me, the true spirit of Fête de la musique is the 50-year-old accountant rocking out on his guitar and enjoying the one night of the year when he can dream that if only he hadn’t given up on his high school band, he could now be rich, famous and selling out stadiums, as opposed to filing tax declarations in an office above the florist.

5 Dress comfortably

Some people like to dress up for the Fête and that’s great – it’s a party after all – but the key thing is to wear something that is comfortable and allows you to shake your stuff.

Yes, you will be dancing – you’ll be dancing on street corners, in parks, cafés and perhaps on street furniture if things really get going, and you’ll be dancing with kids, dapper 70-year-old gents and everyone in between.

You need comfortable shoes and clothes that you can really move in.

Dance like no-one is watching. They may be watching, but they won’t be judging. Much. It’s Fête de la musique.

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