“I think my father would be condemned in every move he made”
Charlotte Gainsbourg has spoken out about reactions to her work in what she calls a “politically correct” culture, and suggested the art made by her father – legendary singer, actor and director Serge Gainsbourg – would have been heavily censored today.
Speaking to The Guardian in a new interview, the musician and actor discussed how songs like her father’s ‘Lemon Incest’ would have caused significantly more outrage in today’s climate. Gainsbourg made her musical debut in the infamous video, aged 12, which depicted her sprawled on a bed with her topless father. Recorded in 1984, the song was accused of glamorising abuse and paedophilia at the time, but peaked at Number 2 in the French charts.
Serge Gainsbourg with Jane Birkin
“Incest is so shocking and so taboo,” she stated in the interview. “It’s as if he was amusing himself with that. But when you listen to the lyrics, he’s just talking about the infinite love of a father for his daughter and of a daughter for her father – and you can’t condemn that. Because there’s nothing physical.
“So, yes, he says incest, but that’s it… You hear the word ‘incest’ and conversation gets shut off. There’s no dialogue.” Watch Charlotte Gainsbourg’s music video for ‘Rest’ below.
In spite of the controversy surrounding the ‘Lemon Incest’ video at the time, the ‘Deadly Valentine’ singer believes the outcry would be far greater today. “Everything now is so politically correct. So boring. So expected. And everyone is so scared of what will happen if they go too far. A few tweets and it’s done… their career is over.”
Charlotte Gainsbourg released her last album ‘Rest’ in 2017, during which time she was also covering Kanye West’s ‘Runaway’ in live performances.
