Alan Vega & Christophe

 I have two special funny souvenirs, one with Alan Vega, the other with Christophe.

Alan Vega was in Berlin when my friend Alex Chilton opened Alans $how in Berlin at "Quartier Latin".

Backstage @ Quartier Latin pic by Alex Chilton

They kind of knew each other but it was before their comon project Cubist Blues.

Nevertheless Alex introduced me to Alan: This my friend Coco from France.. Alan said: ah.; tu es français with a perfect accentn so i went on speaking french with him, but then he came: "Moi, non" (I don't)

Anyway Alans show that night in Berlin was just incredible !

He was backed by a redhair lady on some sequencer machine and a guy lookinkg like something between a redneck and a porn producer on a "headless guitar"

Alan came on stage and asked for more monitor, less, more...The whole thing lasted for about 20 ultra dramatic minutes after Alan eventually smashed the mic and left stage. That was it !

To my surprise the audiance didn't Riot or something..It was just a perfect Rock'N'Roll $how !

Christophe now called me in Paris while I stayed a little while at my mums place in Paris in the middle night, 3:00 am or something...

he was a notorious nightowl. The story was that he wante'd my band Lolitas to back him on some TV $how for his record hit "Aline" that we had Covered on our record "Fusée d'amour" produced by Alex Chilton.

It eventually didn't happen because the producer on TV didn't agree on that.

Nevertheless a couple of years later Alan worked with Alex and Christophe...

The Legendary Coco Nut $how @ Pepina's New Orleans, La

 In 1993 Coco Nut stayed a little while in New Orleans, La . Along with Bar owner Pepina from Venezuela he hosted the legendary "Coco $how" @ Pepina's on Melpomene Street with a bunch of famous and unfamous guests as Joe Triola Drake, Scary Mary,Peggy O'Neil, Melinda Pendleton, Brezel Göring, Françoise Cactus, Jacques Palminger, Jerry Anderson and many others.

Coco and Pepina  

Lucky Joe Drake,  &  unknown

Coco & Brezel Göring

 Françoise Cactus, Brezel Göring & Melinda Pendleton

Jacques Palminger, Melinda Pendleton, Coco & Lucky Ioe Drake

Unknown Musician from Cuba & Coco

Jean Caffeine & Melinda Pendleton

 Pepina &  Françoise Cactus

 Bartender Greg &  Françoise Cactus

With Scary Mary

Scary Mary

This is a very nice memory. When I moved to New Orleans in 1992,

Françoise Cactusand Brezel Göring came to visit me on 2425 Barracks. By this time we cut a couple of Stereo Total Tracks wih me on Guitar & Bass, Alex Chilton on the drums and Lucky Joe Drake on Bass.

The tracks where : "Souvenir Souvenir","Get Down Tonight" and "Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais". Françoise & Brezel had also participated to the Lengendary Coco Nut Pepina $how:

Coco Rocks again !

1993 I am still in Berlin, but my heart is no longer there. German reunification bores me to the core. 

In April 1991 I attended Johnny Thunders for what was his last electric concert at the "Extacy"Club  in Berlin Schöneberg.

He flew to New Orleans with the intention of recording a new record with local musicians there and died a few days later. Thay kind of made me decide to follow in his footsteps.

Marquis de Coco Nut · Shotgun Wedding 

recorded 1993 @ Chez Flame recording Studio New Orleans, La

Arrived in New Orleans I spend all my nights in Clubs and fill myself with Jazz, blues, Rhytm & Blues, Zydeco, Gospel .....

From this moment I only play the acoustic guitar or the banjo and find more pleasure in this sound, soul and rhythm than in the saturation of Marshal amp.

1998 in Guadeloupe FWI

When I returned to Europe in 2003, many were amazed at this change.

Some folks even teased me: hey Coco, you don't do Rock'n'Roll anymore?

Meanwhile thinking  that what I was doing was 100% Rock'N'Roll and finding pathetic to see grey haired folks playing rebellious teenage music.

In 2021, when my friend and bandmate Françoise Cactus died, the desire to resume what I was doing with Lolitas came back to me. I received at this time a phone call from Raphaël Poncelet who offered me his condolences having been a Fan of the Lolitas.

Shortly afterwards the same Raphaël Poncelet asked me to participate in a "Rock" compilation. Eric Pelle a drummer with whom I had been playing for some time in a Cover band had told me that if I had to take a more original path, he would gladly take part of it .

Coco Rox Art $how 2019

Roxane, musician, bassist and also painter, with whom I had already organized art exhibitions, finally also responded to record "Louie Louie" by Richard Berry in the summer of 2021 It was then that I took back my good old Melody Maker

Also summer in the summer 2021 I  got in touch with Cathy Fortineau who had set up a funraising for Henri Paul Tortosa . I offerd her to organize a Rock $how in order to gather some cash for the Fundraising  

Concerts & Shows I have attended

 

Johnny Thunders December 19^th 1984 Loft, Berlin you can see my bandmate Françoise Cactus on the right

Great $hows I have attended that I can remember 

(Of course I've seen many others that I can't really recall when and where...)

Deep Purle April 5^th 1975 Saarlandhalle, Saarbrücken, Germany

Santana & Earth Wind & Fire October 10 th 1975 Messehall , Saarbrücken, Germany

Leonard Cohen May 2^nd 1976 Saarlandhalle, Saarbrücken, Germany

Black Sabbath - AC⚡ DC Apr 5^th 1977 Pavillon de Paris, Paris, France 

Queen April 23rd 1978 - Pavillon De Paris, Paris

Rory Gallagher Oct 2 3^rd Hippodrome, Paris 

Joan Baez September 3rd 1978 Ludwigsparkstadium Saarbrücken, Germany

Jeff Beck July 3rd 1979 Pavillon de Paris, Paris

Led Zeppelin August 11th 1979 Knebworth

Motörhead Féb 21st 1980 Bataclan Paris

Iggy Pop May 28^th 1980 Palais des Sports, Paris, France

Van Halen June 3 1980 Palais des Sport Paris France

Nina Hagen September 22^nd & 23^rd 1980 Olympia Paris 1980

Siouxie & the Banshees October 1^st 1980 Bataclan, Paris

The Clash May 8^th 1981 Hippodrome, Paris 

Bow Wow Wow November 5^th Kant Kino, Berlin

Rolling Stones June 8^th 1982 Berlin, Waldbühne

Johnny Thunders December 19^th 1984 Loft, Berlin

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds  October 7^th 1986 Elysée Montmartre, Paris 

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts August 24^th Tipitina »s New orleans,La

Roy Orbison September 1^st 1988  Pier Six Pavillon, Baltimore, Md

Wampas, Lolitas, Soucoupe Violente April 2 »rd 1989 Bataclan, Paris

Aerosmith - The Cult November 1^st 1989 Deusclandhalle, Berlin

Les Paul Trio April 1990 Fat Tuesdays New York, NY

Johnny Thunders  April 20^th 1991 Ectasy, Berlin

Ice T  September 18th 1991 Metropol, Berlin

Cramps November 5th Quartier Latin, Berlin

Metallica January 29^th 1992 Pyramid Arena, Memphis,TN

Chuck Berry Nov 25^th 1992  Huxley's Neue Welt, Berlin, Germany

Gérard Laviny 1998 Le Moule Place de la Liberté, Guadeloupe

Bookman Experience 1999 Festival Gwo Ka,St Anne Guadeloupe

Preservation Hall Jazz Band 1999 Pointe a Pitre Place de la Victoire, Guadeloupe

Alex Chilton February 13^th 1997 The Knitting Factory, New York, NY, USA 

Ernie K-Doe May 13th 2001 Mother in Law Lounge New Orleans,La

Brian Setzer & Rockabilly Riot March 8^th 2017 th Parc des Exposition Tours,

LohArano June 15th 2023 Le Foudre, Tours

Amadou & Mariam June 25th 2023 chateau de Cangé, St Avertin

Johnny Thunders @ Gibus 1984

PICS OF JOHNNY THUNDERS SHOW @ GIBUS THAT I 'VE ATTENDED BACK IN 1984. THE SHOW WAS BRILLIANT AND VERY PROFESSIONAL. THE NEXT DAY HE HAD ANOTHER SHOW À GIBUS DRESSED UP IN A RED SUIT WITH MICKEY BLOW ON HARP IT WAS TOTALLY DIFERENT, A LOT OF FUN, PRETTY "UNPROFESSIONAL" AND ROUGH.....

pics by © max well