The Peace That Was Before

This weekend a new short film, The Peace That Was Before, is premiering in Beirut at the Lebanese Outdoor Film Festival. The film follows two young freeriders, Mikhailo from Ukraine and Alex from Russia, who meet to escape the memories of war and disappear for one day in the mountains. 

The Peace That Was Before is directed by Paris-based Roudy Doumit and Munich-based Florian Handschuh. I wrote the script, inspired by reading French and Lebanese poetry from the 1920s. The narration is from the perspective of the mountain. Lea Pietrosante of the Aegean Film Festival wrote,      the "script is strong, poetic and beautifully crafted." 

The film's world premiere takes place at Metropolis Cinema on Sunday, September 21st at 8:30 pm. It will also be screened at other film festivals. It was filmed off-piste in the Alps, on the border between France and Italy. The directors skied behind the protagonists (who are Olympic-level skiers) on rough off-piste terrain, causing one of them to injure his back. (He's now recovered.) It's an adventurous short piece of poetry, meant to question war and identity. 

Here come the animals

We have a new album out! It’s called ‘Des Animaux Pires Que Moi’, featuring music by Louis Fontaine, and vocals by Yzoula, formerly in the French band La Femme. (An English translation could be ‘Creatures Crueler Than Me.’) 

After the positive experience we had working on our song ‘Tormento’, composer and multi-instrumentalist Louis Fontaine asked if I would like to brainstorm and write the lyrics for his next album with the singer Yzoula. We met up in his studio in Paris. Pointing to an old film poster above one of his 1970s synthesizers, he said he wanted to make an album about a vampire or a young witch. He played some of the tracks he had composed and I took some notes in my sketchbook. 

Excited about the project, I walked to my local library and checked out a stack of books about witchcraft and the history of the occult in Paris. Fontaine sent me the music, along with more specifics: one song should have the mood of chanson française, another should be a speech, another a kind of spell, another a spoken story, and the last song should be a bit melancholy.  I walked the rainy streets of Paris, crossing the Seine, singing poems to myself, and remembering the times I could have used some magic powers. 

From there, I created the character of the album's protagonist: a kind of sorceress with my personality and experiences combined with elements of the singer. Then I wrote the songs in French, layering my stories and moments with my research, along with inspiration of witchy movies and 1970s pulp books, (which I collect) plus a sprinkle of imagination… and a dash of dark humor. I also came up with the titles of the instrumental songs, except for the second song on the record. Fontaine liked the lyrics, recorded Yzoula’s dreamy vocals, brought in a harpist and a violinist, and spent many hours mastering and perfecting the songs. 

‘Des Animaux…’ tells a story about supernatural powers, taking risks, playing with seduction and revenge, and prowling around Paris. Broc Recordz is releasing ‘Des Animaux Pires Que Moi’ on April 18th, 2025 on vinyl. You can listen to the first single here or watch the video here. If you don’t have a record player, you can stream the album to get in the midnight mood.

My First Disco Song

I've loved disco music since I was a teenager, growing up in the right city but in the wrong decade. It was easy to find cheap disco records in New York City, if you knew how to hunt. I started collecting records when I was about 14, and began taking it more seriously four years later. 

Fast forward to a recent unexpected encounter in Paris: I met the composer Louis Fontaine in a cafe in Le Marais. Sharing a fondness for 1970s music, films, and hairstyles, we struck up a kind of friendship. He asked if I wanted to write lyrics for him. We started with a soft disco track. He had heard singer/ music supervisor Alix Brown performing in bands (including La Femme and Daisy Glaze), and wanted her to sing the song. I wrote a late night-tale about a strange love triangle I nearly interfaced with while living in Madrid. We recorded the song and heard from labels a few months later. On February 14th, 2025 the cult Italian record label Four Flies released our song 'Tormento' on vinyl. You can listen to it here.

'Tormento' appeared in the press and soon featured on radio shows including KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. Shindig, the English magazine wrote "It's a beguiling song, the music combining a lilting keyboard arpeggio, sinewy bass and insistent rhythm with vocals that are at once intimate yet ethereal...Fontaine found his wordsmith when he met author and artist Margo Fortuny in a Paris bar." (Clive Webb.) A fun fact: Chuck D from Public Enemy loves Shindig and has been collecting issues for years! 

Italy's IndieVision wrote "This is a piece that owes a lot to the music of Serge Gainsbourg and the soundtracks of François de Roubaix, that is to say to those electronic sounds, precursors of the French touch à la Cerrone and Daft Punk, which pairs perfectly with sensually captivating and mischievous lyrics... From the union of these three artistic minds, all linked to the Italian cinematic aesthetics of the 70s, 'Tormento' was born, a song where Brown's dazzling and sensual voice marries perfectly with Fontaine's sexy late-'70s sound, dominated by analog synthesizers, thus giving life to Fortuny's story, a nocturnal tale of seduction, transgression and sensual tension where one does not listen to one's own rationality, one's own fears, but one lets oneself be involved and dragged into the inebriating vortex of the forbidden." (Edoardo Previti) 

Mexico's DNA magazine wrote "Vintage synthesizers, powerful bass, and rhythmic percussion dominate the instrumental of the piece, while Alix's intoned lyrics are inhabited by Odyssean and fantastical feelings, contemplated by desire. In a kind of erotic filmscape, the texture of the voice envelops the love of Alix, Louis, and Margo Fortuny, the lyricist and writer of the piece, for the seventies and the musical aesthetic that leaves its mark." (Sofo Tequiero) 

Flaunt magazine wrote "Tormento sweeps you away into the gleamy, glowy summer nights of the late sixties and seventies from the very first chord... Brown contributed vocals from L.A. to music composed by instrumentalist and soundtrack maestro Louis Fontaine with lyrics by Margo Fortuny. The shimmering recording captures Brown's Jane Birkin breathiness as she mouths a teasing mix of French and English couplets that dissect a forbidden desire...alongside references to Emile Zola and 'Twister'." (Hannah Bhuiya.) 

Taking the Train to Strasbourg

We woke up early and boarded a train heading east. If you’re looking for a quiet, cozy, picturesque trip Strasbourg could be the perfect spot. The tickets were very cheap, about 30 euros return from Paris because it was mid-week and just before the Christmas market opened, so there wasn’t much demand. Strasbourg has one of the best Christmas markets in the world but it’s just as enjoyable a few weeks before then, because you can still meander through the village-like streets in the snow, admire the architecture, and nibble on gingerbread, and sip hot spiced cider. One of my favorite foods was tarte flambée, a very thin kind of Germanic pizza usually with a base of crème fraiche and onions. There are a multitude of varieties, from melted cheese, goat cheese and honey, to sauteed apples and cinnamon drizzled with Calvados liquor. 

On the second day, we spontaneously decided to walk to Germany. It didn’t look too far on the map and we love walking long distances so we bundled up, packed drinks and snacks in our leather messenger bags, hoped it wouldn't rain or snow, and set out after a rather late breakfast. Luckily, I was wearing my comfortable cowboy boots. It was sunny but very cold. We only had one pair of wooly gloves between us so we each wore one and kept the other hands pocketed. 

First, we walked through the city of Strasbourg, then along a kind of highway, then through an industrial area, through a park, and finally we arrived at the French/ German border. Three flags billowed above us. There was nobody there so we just walked through the little gate. There was grass and a tiny hilly path. Suddenly I spotted a circus tent and besides that a stable and horses. I was delighted to see creatures on the walk. A beautiful brown horse stared at me as I pressed against the gate. We continued until we arrived at a bridge. There was a lovely view of a river and trees and old German houses. 

Walking to Germany while doing a Monty Python impression

We watched the sun set from the banks of Germany and then explored the closest town. Hungry, we picked a random restaurant and shared a plate of fried dumplings filled with vegetables and covered in melted cheese, an onion and potato salad, and a leafy salad with shredded celeriac. It was delicious. A drank a strange local specialty: beer mixed with Coca Cola. I guess it’s the German equivalent of Kalimotxo. We also stopped by a everything-for-a-euro shop because those can be interesting when you travel to different countries. I found some tasty marzipan chocolates. They also sold the smallest jar of Nutella I had ever seen – it was about the size of a silver dollar coin. A picked up some local pastries minutes before the pâtisserie shut and then we got a ride back to France.

Here are some local foods to try in Strasbourg:

-The cheesy spetzle and hot apple cider at La Corde à Linge.

-Big soft pretzels at any bakery.

-Tarte flambée at Binchstub (6 Rue du Tonnelet Rouge.) So tasty we took one on the train with us.

-Grog or mulled wine anywhere. (We enjoyed Le Schluch and Jeanette et les Cycleux for casual drinks.)

-Gingerbread cookies at Christian bakery (12 Rue de l’Outre.)

Here are a few places to visit:

-Le Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain. They have several works by the amazing Gustave Doré.

-Le Musée Alsacien – a museum housed in an ancient building dedicated to local history and furniture.

-There’s also a museum of illustration but it was closed to install the next exhibition while we were in town.

-Uncle T’s record shop for fair-priced vinyls and assorted comic books.

-Le Bouclier d’Or is the most charming hotel in Strasbourg, and they have large discounts when it’s off-season/ before the Christmas Market.

-The Christmas Market (if you don’t mind crowds.)

-La Grande Île neighborhood. It's full of storybook historic houses. Walk around here on your first day.

Dear Jack Kerouac: Reading in Gala Knorr's 'Tumbleweeds'

A few weeks ago, I read Gala Knörr's letters to Jack Kerouac, along with four other artists, for her exhibition 'Tumbleweeds' in Bilbao. We read lively letters in a seance-like performance on Zoom (due to the pandemic), in between jazz played by a live saxophonist. The reading premiered on December 14th on Youtube. (Mine is in English at 36:10 if you're curious.)

"Tumbleweeds' is a project based on the fictitious epistolary relationship that artist Gala Knörr established with her "silent mentor" Jack Kerouac. A mentor whose answers could only be found within his oeuvre. Modelling her writing after Satori in Paris, a cognac infused short novel based on Jack Kerouac's search for his family origins on a ten day trip to Paris and Brest, in which the author alludes to a spiritual awakening, yet finds said 'kick in the eye' in a series of Parisian pilgrimage-like extravagant encounters. Knörr narrates similar anecdotical rendez-vous over a four month period at a residency at Cité Internationale des Arts. Utilizing the figure as the one of a confidant, she invokes Jack's spirit, in a seance like performative activation reading of her letters as if we were in a 'Shakespeare&Co' tea party."  -Nicolas de Ribou/ Gala Knörr

The exhibition is on until January 8, 2021 at Torre de Arriz. Go see it if you're in Bilbao. 

The Night is Tender on the Côte d'Azur

They fed us cherries on a baron’s yacht. We lay on the deck in Pucci bikinis before jumping into the sea dangerously close to an island guarded by thousands of pink jellyfish. After dancing all night we threw breakfast parties at our house, featuring hot brioche with vanilla pear jam, scrambled eggs and cocktails by the piano. Witty Swiss chaps joked on the balcony at dawn as a pretty South African nymph sunk into a Madeleine-scented bubble bath with a French Dionysus. In the afternoon, underwear-clad, we read books in the searing sunlight as birds cruised over the palm trees. The air in Cannes was scented with flowers and toast. 

Took the train to Nice, left our luggage at the station. After walking to the old town and exploring the beautiful baroque churches we enjoyed strange gelato at Fenocchio: refreshing tomato and basil flavour, orange blossom, and almond flower. We strolled to the beach and saw a man walk on water. Back by Place de Yves Klein, breakdancers practiced their moves by the contemporary art museum.

Evening tiptoed in and it was time to return to London. I can’t wait to see the rest of the south of France. Send your invitations…

p.s. Here are some pictures of Nice and Cannes around 1900-1925, from Editions Giletta:

 Colour photo (at beginning of post) by Megan MacKay. 2014.

MARGO'S GUIDE TO PARIS (PART VIII)

Just in time for Paris fashion week I whipped up a list for my friend Gareth and my other favourite creatures heading there this weekend. Read on, mes amis...

EXCITING THINGS TO DO

Honour the spirit of Serge Gainsbourg, Robert Desnos, and Sartre at the Cimetière de Montparnasse.

Check out the large format French paintings section in the Louvre (room 77?)

Go to the Centre Pompidou. If you get there before nightfall go to the top of the escalator and check out the view- you can see the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, and the skyline in between. If you get there after 7 pm (it’s open late on the weekend) there will be smaller queues. Right now there’s a great Dali exhibition on.

Buy ‘Pariscope’ at the newsstand to see what’s on. (It’s similar to ‘Time Out.’) There are so many fantastic museums in Paris. There are also lots of queues so make sure you’ve eaten first and you’re bundled up or you won’t be in the mood for culture by the time you get in.

Wander through the morning flea markets in outer Paris.

Walk by the Seine and think about life.

Pick out cheese at markets like Le Marché des Enfants Rouges.

Buy a 60s dress at Mamz'Elle Swing at 35 Rue du Roi de Sicile. Last Saturday I found a beautiful white crochet Jane Birkin number for 50 euros.

Visit Sacre-Coeur and pretend you’re in Amelie.

Watch endless amount of films (look for v.o.  version originale to see stuff in english or original language) Paris is the best city in the world for cinema and revival houses.

Explore St Germaine, Le Marais, Rue des Martyrs, Les Abesses, and Belleville.

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WHERE TO NIBBLE

Lunch

Candelaria, 52 Rue de Saintonge, metro: filles de calvaire. Affordable, fantastic proper Mexican food. Try the cactus or verdes tacos. Cool décor- check out the loo. The soundtrack adds to the ambience: Television and Patti Smith were on last time I was there. Also, the neighbourhood is good for a stroll. There are some cool galleries nearby.

Le Loir dans la Théière – Métro Saint Paul , 3, rue des rosiers, in the marais neighbourhood. Low-key fantastic affordable bistro, no laptops or talking on your mobile allowed. Nice vibe. Try the courgette omelette and the camembert epinard tart, and the famous lemon meringue pie. Best pie in France. The queue outside is totally worth it.

L'Eclair de Génie, Métro Saint Paul, 14 Rue Pavée. Actually this is for after lunch. It’s around the corner from Le Loir dans la Théière. Even if you went there for lunch-and you should- and you had the famous tarte au citron, pick up one of these mindblowing eclairs. They are worth the 5 euros and the wait. Seriously.

Dinner (make a reservation first)

For a romantic but slightly expensive and super delicious dinner:

Hotel Amour, 8 rue de nevarin, metro: St George or Pigalle, 75009 (Try the memorable  lemon soup, the roast goat cheese salad, and the ravioli  is amazing!)

Le Derrière, 75003 (Explore the whole place and go inside the secret armoire upstairs and lean back- see what happens. The experience will be more exciting if you don't read anything about this place beforehand.)

Nightclubs:

Le Silencio- This is David Lynch’s club. It can be hard to get into so wear something original and pretend you're friends with a band David likes. I was hoping it would be like the bordello in Twin Peaks but it's more of a fancy disco with a cinema inside. Random crowd, cool décor,  drinks are 18 euros.  Le Social Club, 75001, right by Silencio. Electro, techno, not pretentious. Le Baron- hit or miss. Actually forget nightclubs- why don’t you just get drunk and shag in an alley?          You’re in Paris.

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Merci  Zoe et Thomas, my favourite Parisians.


p.s. here’s  another little guide to Paris...

MY FIRST TIME IN CANNES: The Evening Hours

Le Genou de Claire, Eric Rohmer, 1970

Recently I travelled to Cannes, thanks to some wonderful people I work for. We lived in an airy villa near the beach that week. An enchanting photographer named Robyn stayed with us; she spruced the space with white peonies and plates of sliced honeydew melon. The sun, the boardwalks, the palms against the summer sky, the old town with narrow streets leading up to a museum that houses ancient swords edged with pointed animal teeth…it was magical.

One evening a band from London played at our party.  Afterwards my friend Tara and I had a drink (or seven) with them in the Carlton Hotel. Someone kind treated everybody to massive bottles of pink champagne. We told dad jokes and talked about music and then Tara invited everybody back to the yacht she was staying on. We crammed into a car and sped towards the port and tumbled out onto the dock and crept onto the yacht.

“Let’s go swimming!” Three of us headed to the water, and stripped off our clothes. The sun was rising now and the sea enveloped us. We swam out to the rocks and climbed around, slipping and laughing and bruising our shins. “I swear my cock is usually bigger than this. It’s just because it’s cold,” the keyboard player joked. I waved towards the shore, “Come on in!”  The rest waded in and splashed around. Upon returning to the boat an old man hosed us down. It wasn’t clear if it was his yacht or if he was an important person I vaguely worked for.  Who could contemplate such matters on a cloudless morning in France? We drank red wine in our underwear and talked about John Waters’ films. The side of my face stung a bit.  I took another sip of wine. It was already warm out.

A few minutes later it transpired that my friend and the bassist had been stung by jellyfish.  The handsome fellow turned to show us his welted, scarlet bum. “Anyone want to piss on me?”

“I don’t think your missus would like that,” Tara answered, wrapped up in a big towel. The old man appeared, brandishing vinegar and talc to treat the sting.  “Thank you so much, if you ever want to come to one of our gigs, I’ll make sure you’re on the list…” The old man drove us back to our respective dwellings. It was touching how gentlemanly the band was, staying arm’s length from the girls, since they had sweethearts at home.

One afternoon I saw Debbie Harry, one of my heroes, give an interview. She is still the epitome of New York cool, with the grace of Marlene Dietrich. She moved with such finesse. It was thrilling to have her just a few feet away. She even stood up in her Dolce + Gabbana pencil dress and sang “Heart of Glass” a cappella.

Another evening, a friend and I walked into a dark afterparty filled with Canadians. Right away a man came up to me and started chatting. I was pretty blotto so I began arguing with him about what he was wearing.

“What? Girls don’t like this?” he asked, gesturing towards his Quantum Leap blazer and loose trousers.

“Depends what kind of girl you’re looking for.”

“Wait a second…” he unbuttoned the blazer and pulled off the shirt underneath and then unzipped his trousers and stepped out of them – to reveal a completely different outfit underneath. What an impressive move.

“That’s better,” I laughed, and we transferred to the sofa, clutching whisky cokes, and talked for an hour.

Later in the week, after a cocktail party followed by a dreamy Swedish pool party then a stop at the Gutter Bar, some of us meandered home in the moonlight. As we passed a gazebo I scampered over the rail and beckoned everyone to join me. It was perfect weather for dancing around to the songs on my tinny cellphone. After some moves and relaxing in a mint green Mini Moke, we disbanded. Emily and I traipsed home. When we got back to the villa we realized we didn’t have keys to the main house, where she was staying. 

Since I’m quite flexible and fond of scaling things, I whipped off my floor-length 70s dress and started the ascent in my underwear.  As I stood with one foot balancing on a pile of table and chairs, I reached up and grasped the balcony, semi-dangling, wishing I did push-ups occasionally and hoping my boss, who was sleeping near my attempted break-in, wouldn’t wake to this fracas. I was so close! Alas, at this early hour, it wasn’t possible. I dropped down to the courtyard, put the furniture back, and told Emily she could sleep in my bed.

Two afternoons of winning (three) awards was very exciting and motivating.

The last night was the most decadent, but it’s late, so the story shall end here for now.

J O U R N E Y S: P A R I S

So my best friend Diego and I went to Paris recently…

Paris is all about getting your culture and romance in. So the best things to do are checking out art exhibitions, going to the movies, eating delicious food, strolling through the skinny streets, and chasing Jarvis Cocker down train platforms. (Just kidding, I only did that ONCE.) If you’re all alone, you should read some melancholy French literature and cross bridges in the moonlight without throwing yourself into the Seine.


Another fantastic Parisian activities is le picnic. First, buy a baguette, some Brie, fresh fruit, a bottle of wine, and whatever else you fancy. Then head to the Père-Lachaise Cemetery (the first place I ever got drunk, how Romantic) or a grassy knoll, or if the weather is wet, enjoy your meal on the bed in your hotel room. If you’ve packed your ipod and speakers, put on some Serge Gainsbourg (Histoire de Melody Nelson) or Bridgitte Bardot (B.B.) to enhance your dining experience.

OUI
SLEEP: Good inexpensive hotels: Style Hotel, very cheap and cozy and quiet, though not the best location. 8, Rue Ganneron 75018 , 33 (0) 1 45 22 37 59. Or Hotel Tiquetonne, ace location near les Halles. 6, Rue Tiquetonne, 75002, 33 (0) 1 42 36 94 58

ART: Check out the view from the Centre Pompidou, the Delacroix paintings in the Louvre, the 60s floor of the Musée des Art Décoratifs (the design museum near the Louvre) and whatever looks good in Pariscope.

EAT: Go to Ladurée on the Champs Elysées (metro stop is Georges V) or in Saint Germaine. Buy a delicious pastry called La Religieuse and some macarons. If there’s someone you adore buy him or her a box of macarons-just make sure your love receives the gift within 2 or 3 days. Have French Onion soup at Le Pied au Couchon. Enjoy a croque monsieur if you’re not a vegetarian. Try a gallette. And Le Frommage! The Marais is full of tasty little restaurants too. Obviously, there are a million scrumptious places to go in Paris but I couldn’t afford to go on a gourmet tour on my most recent trip….

SHOP: You’ve surely heard it before, but check out Colette, and the vintage store on Rue Tiquetonne, around the corner from Rue Montmartre, by the Les Halles metro. The flea markets (Marché aux Puces) are hit or miss but I bought an old, faintly rusted dagger for two euros. Perfect for nestling between the antlers on my windowsill!

READ: Trax is a techno/electro magazine that also has listings of club nights in the back, so pick it up if you plan on going out, even if you can’t read French. Paris Vogue of course…Pariscope is like a low-budget Time Out, it has most listings for art exhibits and movies. Feeling moody? Bring some Camus or Sartre. (p.s. Les Jeux Sont Faits was the book that made me decide to learn French.)

NON
EAT: Worst café I’ve ever been to: Café Habana in Place de Cliché (not to be confused with my favourite Cuban joint in New York.)

GOING OUT: Le Night Life in Paris is expensive and not as cool as London or New York or Berlin. Here are your options: private party at some amazing flat (hard to find), major DJ at a club like the Rex , get glam at PONYSTEP, go to the movies (Paris has the best selection of films from every era all the time), or go out for a drink. Have a mulled wine at a café in Abbesses.

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A few things to pack; a bottle opener, a scarf, ipod and speakers or a violin (one time, when I was seventeen, I went to Paris with two fantastic people named Aaron and Dyresha, and they both played the violin and we had a magical time lounging on the balcony of our ancient hotel room with martinis and songs…) or a guitar, a sketchbook and charcoals, a camera, an umbrella, earplugs if you’re a light sleeper, and some chic warm clothes. Read The Beat Hotel by Barry Miles before you go, and the poem 'Ne Me Quitte Pas' by Jacques Brel (though he's actually Belgian.)

And a few youtube links for you:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za_6A0XnMyw&feature=related

And a few movies you can rent-feel free to add to this list: Jules et Jim, Amelie, The Dreamers and Paris Je T’aime and Les Amants Reguliers.



au revoir...