Suis-Je Rock? : defining French rock and roll and rock artists in Rock & Folk , 1966–1967

Abstract

This article examines the magazine Rock & Folk's discourse on French rock and rock artists from its inception to the end of 1967. This discourse is one of legitimization, which constantly refers to Anglo-Saxon rock as a standard. This discursive stance denotes the tension created by an admiration for, and an inferiority complex vis-a-vis a model that French rock wants to emulate, while seeking to free itself from it in order to find its own voice. Close attention is paid to two debates that were at the forefront of most discussions on French rock at the time: that of the appropriateness of the French language as a conduit for rock and R&B, and on the legitimacy of so-called adaptations in French of British and American rock or pop songs.Cet article examine le discours sur le rock francais dans le magazine Rock & Folk, au cours de la premiere annee de son existence. Ce discours de legitimisation se base souvent sur un standard ideal que representait alors le rock anglo-saxon. Cette strategie discursive d...