Toog is a tall, thin French man named Gilles Weinzaepflen. He is a poet and a quirky artist who makes eccentric electronic music. “Poetry makes the world new”, Gilles says. His music has the same femininity and electronic feel as Air (French Band) but there is a more perverse and eccentric nature in his themes. He basically sings or recites his little poems over his quirky electronic music. He has toured all over the world with Momus and Kahimi Karie and even played keyboards on stage with them too. Usually, his stage show and his recordings are minimalist electronic pop music half sung/half spoken in French. His debut album “6633” (released on Le Grand Magistery and Momus’ own label, Analog Baroque) consists of 16 songs all in French and all with weird electronic bleeps and bloops. “Jonah” is about a fish, put in a swimming pool that grew to be huge. Eventually, this fish eats the narrator’s father. During live performances, Toog remarks that this is a true story. Another weird song is “La’Amour Dentaire” which translates to “Dental Love” about a man who cannot stand ugly or bad teeth. While Toog had some success with this album, his latest album “Easy Toog For Beginners” crossed cultures since it included some very special songs that were sung in English. “The General Says” is about a statue of a general that wishes to wage war against the pigeons that plop their droppings on him and his other bronze solders. “Maitresse” (translates to “Mistress”) is about a masochistic relationship of a slave to his mistress. Other amazing songs on “Easy Toog For Beginners” include “A Secret Son”, “L’echec De Perec”, “A New Job”, and “Clumsy”. Toog’s accent is thick and his music is becoming much more thicker too. His new album has guest musicians like Momus, Florence Manlik, and Francisco Lopez. While “6633” was all solely made from electronic keyboards, “Easy Toog For Beginners” includes electric guitar, flutes, and even saxophones. The bizarre themes and quirky nature remain. Gilles Weinzaepflen is an artist at heart. His artist girlfriend, Florence Manlik (who had a song named after her on the “Stars Forever” album by Momus), illustrated much of the artwork for his last album. Toog and Florence also recorded an entire album worth of material for a joke group they call Panda 43. On top of that, Toog has teamed up with the wild producer Digiki and Asia Argento (daughter of Italy’s famous horror director) to record “Lou Etendue”, a concept record about terrorism. Toog describes “Lou Etendue” as “a deep dive into an electronic swamp, filled with water lilies and poisoned creatures.” Toog is by far one of the most unique and interesting artists coming out of France since Trisomie 21 and Stereolab. Gilles Weinzaepflen may make odd minimalist electronic pop music but he is an intelligent man of wit and culture. His love of art, poetry, cinema, and music goes deeper than most people. So, the lesson begins here. Whether you are English, American, Japanese, or French. This is the definitive Toog interview. This is Toog for dummies.

T.JONES: “What goes on?”
TOOG: “I am currently trying to launch a poetry magazine called TO. Trying to raise funds. I will also take a shower.”

T.JONES: “The last album you released was ‘Easy Toog For Beginners’. Tell us about it.”
TOOG: “This album followed my first album ‘6633’; the sounds are more sophisticated and I started to think and write some of the songs in English, after having toured the US 3 times with Momus and Kahimi. It's an album about jackalopes, football, God, army, disasters, love, love disasters. It's also an album about plastic, it's what the CD is made of.”

T.JONES: “Do you have a favorite song on ‘Easy Toog For Beginners’?”
TOOG: “The text I prefer is ‘The General says’, the music I prefer is the song called ‘Pierre’.”

T.JONES: “What does the name Toog mean? What made you pick this for your artist name?”
TOOG: “A sound made after a Moog sound (97). The title of a 98 album by Gilles Weinzaepflen. My email address in 1999. My artist name in 1999. Also, a tree, a Tolkien-like character, a Canadian police branch, a bank, a bar in Holland, a skate shop in Paris.”

T.JONES: “What does your real name mean? How do you pronounce it?”
TOOG: “Weinzaepflen means "little wine cork". It sounds like an Indian nickname. Weinzaepflen also means ‘like God’ in the jewish texts. It's impossible to pronounce. The difference between God and me is that he prefers white wine.”

T.JONES: “Musically, who are your major influences?”
TOOG: “In the early eighties, I was a new wave kid. The Stranglers, Magazine, The Sound, The Cure, Polyphonic Size, Taxi Girl, Gary Numan, were these people who were mixing electronic sounds and pop / rock. It was hard to get rid of these influences. I made a pause in listening to music between 1985 to 1990. Then it was Lilac Time, House of Love, My Bloody Valentine, Dominic Sonic. Later, I met people with a better taste than me and they introduced me to better stuff, like Roger Roger, Bruce Haack, Takako Minekawa, Dominic A, Beck, Cornelius, and The Magnetic Fields.”

T.JONES: “What is the song ‘A Secret Son’ about?”
TOOG: “It's a song about God. Like almost every man, God also had a mistress, apart the virgin Maria. I was this bastard son. In fact, if you're a Christian, you can accept the idea of being a secret child of God; God betrays every dad, he has an affair with every mother. Since the gospel says that everybody's the child of God.”

T.JONES: “What is ‘Perec’s Failure’?”
TOOG: “It's written after a George Perec book, ‘Tentative d'épuisement d'un lieu parisien’. He was a french conceptual writer. He spent a few days on Place Saint Sulpice in Paris and his project was to write all what he saw, an impossible goal to reach. The song is made after this book, but it says that the guy is watching everything while waiting for a girl, which isn't in the book.”

T.JONES: “In an older email to me, you talked about the song ‘The General Says’ (one of my favorite Toog songs). You wrote about the similarities between the general and God. Can you expand on that?”
TOOG: “'The General Says' is a song about the statues of army people in the world, who decide to give their last fight against the pigeons, who always and everywhere cover their heads with sh*t. I wrote this song while observing a statue of the virgin Maria, on the Eglise Notre-Dame de Lorette, facing my apartment.”

T.JONES: “Your new project is called ‘Lou Etendue’. Tell us about it. When will it come out? What label will it come out on? Will it be out in the US too?”
TOOG: “I don't know right now. I just finished it and posted it. Lou Etendue is a concept album. I started to write this project on 09/11 because my airflight to NYC was cancelled, and the CMJ festival postponed. I imagined a love story in a time of terrorism thread, inspired by the incredible love story between the french poet Apollinaire and Lou (Louise de Coligny-Chatillon), at the beginning of WWI. It was how ‘Anna Lou’, the first version of ‘Lou Etendue’, came out in Japan, in November 2001, on L'Appareil Photo Bis. A 4 tracks mini-album.”

T.JONES: “How did you meet Asia Argento? What was it like working with her? How is she different from other female artists you worked with?”
TOOG: “I met Asia a few days before 09/11 in Paris, as I just saw her movie ‘Scarlet Diva’. By chance, she made a lecture for her autobiography "I Love You Kirk" next to my home. I gave her my CD with my card, and she sent me a fax, saying that her baby Anna Lou ‘falls asleep to the sound of my voice’. That was a nice compliment.
I went to LA in feb 2003 and we recorded two songs in her house, in Marina del Rey. Then she took me to a punk rock festival, to see her friends the Demolition Doll Rods. Asia is now working on her second movie as a director and starring role, ‘the heart is deceitful above all things’, based on J.T. Leroy semi-autobiographical stories.”

T.JONES: “Digiki produced ‘Lou Etendue’ but most of your other work is self-produced. What was it like being produced by him? How is his approach to production different from yours? How did you meet him?”
TOOG: “Digiki's love and curiosity for music is infinite. He also has the capacity to analyze music and he could envision the possibilities of a song. This is why I asked him to produce ‘Lou Etendue’. I asked him to produce, which means to create the whole CD approach, to build the story, starting at the 4 ‘Anna Lou’ tracks. It turned to a project with 10 tracks. He wanted to create a climate based on my music and lyrics, avoiding the classical verse/chorus habit I had. He worked on my separate tracks and created a lot of new structures, sounds, and rhythms. He also suppressed, which was new for me. He worked on Acid Pro 4, a software he knows very well. We met 4 years ago, at a friend's place, sitting around a table with french singer Katerine and Kahimi. He knew Toog since he knows everything like you do. We first were good friends. I couldn't have asked someone else to produce ‘Lou Etendue’, since it's the most intimate music I wrote.  Check his website: http://mapage.noos.fr/castellane You can also listen to a preview of ‘Lou Etendue’ and other Digiki works.”

T.JONES: “Momus has been a huge part of your life and your career. How did you meet Nick Currie and eventually start touring and perfoming with him?”
TOOG: “Momus's music accompanied our installation in Marseille, back in 91. We met Nick when he lived in Paris, close to our flat, at the end of 96. He then moved to Place du Tertre. He was working on 'Slender Sherbet' and lived with Shazna. We became friends because we both loved velvet clothes at this time. I wasn't expecting anything when we met. I was just happy to make a friend in Paris. Nick asked me to open for him in December 97, for an European tour, and to play keyboards on his songs. Our music and style did fit very well together.”

T.JONES: “What is your favorite Momus album?”  
TOOG: “The new one, 'Summerisle', with Anne Laplantine.”

T.JONES: “Momus and you collaborate on stage together and he even plays on your new album. Is there any hope of a project between you two? An entire LP?”
TOOG: “I'd love to, but we are too individual. We also are searching for new ways all the time. We are not self-confident enough for working together. Or maybe too much. Like mirrors. Maybe when we will get old, we will make an album for children together.”

T.JONES: “Your music is classified as quirky French minimalist electronic pop. Would you say that is an accurate description?”
TOOG: “I would love to be more experimental and catchy. To make slow music that takes you in a dream in which you dance and make love all the time.”

T.JONES: “Keyboards play an important role in your music. What is it about vintage keyboards that you love?”
TOOG: “I'm a little bit bored with the 70's vintage keyboards revivalism. I would love to have DX7 sounds, end of the eighties sounds, bad imitations of real instruments mixed with real instruments.”

T.JONES: “What instruments are your favorites?”
TOOG: “I'm definitely a Piano sound addict. I feel very close to Ryuichi Sakamoto. Recently I bought an old German harmonium.”

T.JONES: “Where were you during the September 11th Terrorist attack? How did you deal with it? How do you think it has affected music in general?”
TOOG: “I was in Paris. It was a big trauma. This is why I started to write the ‘Lou Etendue’ tracks. It seems to have had no effect on the music industry. They should have moved to relativity, instead of continuing the business the same way, trying to build towers above towers. 09/11 was a good opportunity to think differently: you can smash the towers with only a knife. The music industry should invest in such knives.”

T.JONES: “What do you think about the relationship between The United States and France?”
TOOG: “It's all made of cliches. We don't know each others. The pride of France is made of cold ashes. But we can build new things on this background, since there are still embers. And creativity. On another hand, I love our tradition of moderation and dialogue. We can teach the dialogue to the US and we can learn quick decision ability from the USA.”

T.JONES: “Your home town is Mulhouse. What was it like? Is it much different now?”
TOOG: “When I was in my teens, there was a real musical energy blooming up there. Many local bands, parties, concerts, rock places to go, Basel or Germany. My brother organized concerts, he even made a Gun Club concert in Mulhouse. We are influenced by 1000 years of being alternatively German and Swiss. This is why I'm not totally thinking like a French man. Mulhouse is also the hometown of William Wyler (Ben Hur). Ancestors of the Marx brothers were Alsatian too. Many 'Weinzaepflen' moved to Texas in the 19th century. There was an office for emigrating to Texas, it promised huge and free territories. But they didn't talk about the Indians who lived there. It's not a very interesting city right now. But the nature around the city is beautiful, especially the 'Sundgau' in summer, the 'Vosges', the hot springs in Germany; and 30 km from Mulhouse, the Vitra museum. The collection 'Schlumpf' in Mulhouse is probably one of the most beautiful collection of old cars in the world.”

T.JONES: “What kind of child were you? A bad kid? A good kid?”
TOOG: “A very good kid. Then a bad kid, but too shy to become really bad. I didn't go to the high school very often. I drove my motorbike in the forest, played in bands, tried to f*ck the girls without love as you're taught when you're 16.”

T.JONES: “Are you still romantically involved with Florence Manlik? If not, what happened? If yes, how did you two meet?”
TOOG: “We first met in a drawing class in Mulhouse, when we were 17. Then we met again 6 years later, when I moved back to Alsace after having worked in Paris, as a real estate representative. I wasn't passionate as she was with drawing. She can draw for one week without stopping.  We live on the same floor in 2 separate apartments and gather when we want. We are strongly in love. We don't have children.”

T.JONES: “What is going on with Panda 43? Could you explain the group? The album is recorded. Will it come out?”
TOOG: “Panda 43 was a duet with Florence. It was a joke, with an old organ called Panda. The album will never come out. We only did a 7" in 2000.”

T.JONES: “What is the significance of ‘6633’ for the LP? What does it mean?”
TOOG: “I'm not accepting my age, but I was born in 66. First album released in 99 at the age of 33. All multiples of 33. It's also the fight between evil and the good, 6633 is 66(33), the last 6 is made impossible by the 33. It's fake numerology.”

T.JONES: “On the LP ‘6633’, what is the significance of the orange?”
TOOG: “To listen to an orange proves that you respect fruits. The object is also a person.”

T.JONES: “Tell me about the ‘Anna Lou’ album.”
TOOG: “Anna Lou is Asia's daughter. ‘Anna Lou’ is a mini-album, a mini-adult.”

T.JONES: “You composed tracks for a film called ‘Monika’. Can you explain?”
TOOG: “It's for my friend Francois Brunet, who shot a music video for me, on Super 16mm. He is a strange minded artist, I met him when we were in the real estate business school.”

T.JONES: “Can you explain the song ‘Terroriste’?”
TOOG: “The lyrics say, ‘Tu es une terroriste dans un monde de minéraux et de fossiles’. It translates to, ‘You are a terrorist in a world of minerals and fossils.’ It's about being alive, in a world where all is asleep.”

T.JONES: “Where are you living now?”
TOOG: “Paris.”

T.JONES: “Since most of your songs are in French, how have different cities responded to your music? United States? Japan?”
TOOG: “United States, New York, gave me self-confidence. Very good response. My best show was in Cologne. I also loved the shows in Tokyo, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. I wish I can go back to sing in the United States.”

T.JONES: “Abortion – pro-life or pro-choice?”
TOOG: “It's a ‘cas par cas’ question; never a law but a dialogue.”

T.JONES: “Death penalty – for or against?”
TOOG: “Life penalty.”

T.JONES: “Drug of choice?”
TOOG: “The exploration of the self is the best drug.”

T.JONES: “What have you been listening to lately?”
TOOG: “’The Love Below’ by Andre 3000 of Outkast. Thanks to Antonin-Digiki!”

T.JONES: “What artist would you like to collaborate with in the future?”
TOOG: “An artist I haven't met yet.”

T.JONES: “What producer would you like to collaborate with in the future?”
TOOG: “Digiki. If he doesn't stop making music.”

T.JONES: “Word association. I am going to say a name of an artist and you say the first word that pops into your head. So, if I said ‘The Beatles’, you may say ‘John Lennon’ or ‘Apple’. Ok?”
T.JONES: “Stereolab.”
TOOG: “Where is Mary?”
T.JONES: “The Beatles.”
TOOG: “A pedestrian crossing.”
T.JONES: “Momus.”
TOOG: “A  genius who often thinks he's a journalist.”
T.JONES: “Trisomie 21.”
TOOG: “A band before becoming a disease.”
T.JONES: “Serge Gainsbourg.”
TOOG: “The fur was inside.”
T.JONES: “Dead Can Dance.”
TOOG: “Totentanz.”
T.JONES: “Richard Ashcroft (of The Verve).”
TOOG: “Une belle gueule.”
T.JONES: “Primal Scream.”
TOOG: “To not miss the train.”
T.JONES: “Severed Heads.”
TOOG: “600 MP3 free download.”
T.JONES: “Close Lobsters.”
TOOG: “Loose clubsters.”
T.JONES: “Public Enemy.”
TOOG: “Public Friend.”
T.JONES: “The Beautiful South.”
TOOG: “Texas.”
T.JONES: “The Roots.”
TOOG: “Of teeth, of trees.”
T.JONES: “The Stone Roses.”
TOOG: “Bandanas and tatoos.”
T.JONES: “Happy Mondays.”
TOOG: “Beer, pubs, over hairy girlfriends.”
T.JONES: “Gil-Scott Heron.”
TOOG: “To live on one leg.”
T.JONES: “Adnan Kashoggi.”
TOOG: “Money is greasy.”
T.JONES: “Prince William.”
TOOG: “A blonde victim.”
T.JONES: “Chirac.”
TOOG: “Ch-irak, ex good friend of Saddam.”
T.JONES: “George Bush.”
TOOG: “A bush hides a snake.”

T.JONES: “What are some of your favorite books?”
TOOG: “Murakami Haruki, the minimal poetry of Sandro Penna.”

T.JONES: “Favorite films?”
TOOG: “’The Swimmer’ by Perry, ‘Aguirre’ by Herzog, ‘Lost Lost Lost’ by Jonas Mekas, ‘The Valley’ by Barbet Schroder, ‘Le Syndrome de Stendhal’ directed by Dario Argento, ‘Julian Donkey Boy’ by Harmony Korine, ‘La Cicatrice Interieure’ by Philippe Garrel, ‘Solaris’ by Soderbergh, ‘Go Go Second Time Virgin’ by Wakamatsu, ‘Behind The Green Door’, ‘Wild Side’ by Donald Cammel and Buster Keaton’s ‘The Navigator’ and ‘One Week’.”

T.JONES: “Favorite painters?”
TOOG: “Does it still exist? Who paints? I love my girlfriend Florence Manlik art. See her Colleen cover on Leaf! Also, www.inknight.free.fr .
Her exhibition starts on Jan. 15th 2004.”

T.JONES: “Poetry plays an important role in your life. What is it about poetry that you love?”
TOOG: “I love poetry. Poetry is a redifining reality, which is an illusion made of words. Poetry makes the world new. Poetry is probably the most essential art. I love minimal lyrical poetry.”

T.JONES: “Who are some of your favorite poets and your favorite poems?”
TOOG: “I don't read poetry. This is why I want to launch a poetry magazine, it will become necessary to read more contemporary poetry. I do love the Italian poet Saba. I would love to know and love EE Cummings. Apollinaire, track 9 on 'Lou Etendue'. I love all the lyric poets, and, on the opposite, the new current French sarcastic poetry on Al Dante, a French publisher. I like Stephane Berard or a poet who I met and writes under 110 pseudonym names, Pierre Ivart. One of his pseudonym is Evelyne ‘Salope’ Nourtier. She is a great nymphomaniac and mystic poet. She sat naked on a pumpkin one night, after having prayed God.”

T.JONES: “What is the biggest mistake you have made in your life?”
TOOG: “To hesitate.”

T.JONES: “What are some major misconceptions people have of you?”
TOOG: “People think I'm a musician. I'm not. I'm drawing figures with my fingers on the keyboard.”

T.JONES: “Do you smoke pot? Are you for the legalization of marijuania?”
TOOG: “No. I smoke cigarettes. I have no opinion about it. I only think that we have enough inner drugs to deal with, it's not worth using extra drugs.”

T.JONES: “Would you consider yourself a political person? What are some issues that you feel must be addressed and what your stance on those issues?”
TOOG: “I think that art is political by essence. I have chosen to resist and defend the territory for which I'm proud to live. Do the same: make a new territory and defend it with chop sticks.”

T.JONES: “In a previous email, you told me you used to listen to the French gothic / industrial / electronic group Trisomie 21 aka T21. (I run the official website for Trisomie 21 aka T21.) What was it you liked about them? What songs you liked? Have many people heard of them in France?”
TOOG: “They were one of the darkest cold wave bands in the early eighties. It was a celebration of the darkness and death. We had an album with my elder brother, a black and white sleeve. (“Works”) I loved their use of electronics and the theatre of pain they created. I think they had a small audience. I preferred this French band called Kas Product. They were excellent, with the singer Mona Soyoc. Great French pioneers of electro clash.”

T.JONES: “On ‘East Toog For Beginners’, there are some songs sung in English. In the future , will you be singing in English more?”
TOOG: “Yes, of course. But also songs in Bengali, Japanese and ewe.”

T.JONES: “The song ‘Maitresse’ or ‘Mistress’ is about sadism and masochism. In real life, are you into dominance and/or submission?”
TOOG: “I'm a little bit of a masochist. Masochism is a way to approach one side of the truth, which is our weakness, our nothingness. Masochism is linked with sadism. It is the sadist in me who wants me to become masochist. It's a game with oneself. There is a good movie with Bulle Ogier and a very young Gerard Depardieu called ‘Maitresse’, by Barbet Schroder. And, of course, 'Venus in Furs' by Sacher Masoch.”

T.JONES: “Will the new Toog projects come out on Le Grand Magistery or Momus’ label?”
TOOG: “I thought Matthew Le Grand Magistery went hunting black bears and cougars near Nelson, in the far mountains of BC. As for Momus, you should ask him. I'm far too shy.”

T.JONES: “Any future musical projects coming up in the future?”
TOOG: “I have the title for the next 3 albums. It all comes from words.”

T.JONES: “Any final words for the people who will be reading this?”
TOOG: “Cherish the people you live with, read 'Poem A Lou' by Apollinaire, and don't forget the key inside.”