Additional Information
Bernardino Femminieli is someone to be studied. Whether that study happens in psychiatric journals, police reports depends on how you read this homoerotic, masochistic philosopher’s words. Is it the fantasy of a perverted schizophrenic, or some kind of Marxist evangelist gospel. In a world weighed down by Judeo Christian guilt and ritual self punishment, Bernardino Femminieli plays the role of Max Cady, the sly antagonist who shrugs off conventional morality. Since the release of L’Exil in 2016, he has steadily ramped up the shock value of this persona. With the new video for Apprenti Gendarme, it is hard to imagine where he could go next. Shock turns into awe. Disgust turns into laughter. It is art. Not just because he lives in Paris now, but because he commits to it fully. It is clearly not made to please the masses.
If I tried describing the video it would feel incriminating. You just have to watch it:
If the video feels like a provocation, the man behind it speaks with a disarming calm. Off stage, the shock tactics give way to dry humor, blunt admissions, and the occasional romantic confession. We asked Bernardino Femminieli about rituals, exile, rejection, prison fantasies, and Valentine’s Day.
PAN M 360: Before recording vocals on a track or singing live, do you have any preparation or specific ritual to get into the mood?
Bernardino Femminieli: In the studio, I like to drink a beer and have a few notes on hand. For live shows, I like to be alone before the performance, if possible, and warm up.
PAN M 360: Why did you decide to move to France? Was it to be closer to your Italian roots?
Bernardino Femminieli: For many reasons, but mostly to start a new life somewhere else.
PAN M 360: On your latest album released in 2024, all the tracks were produced in Paris except for “La vie Gigi !”, produced in Grey Valley, a remote spot in the Laurentians. What came out of that session at Studio Panique?
Bernardino Femminieli: It is a particular record, recorded in 2020 after the first lockdown. Julien Gasc approached me to make an album in less than two weeks, him doing the music and me writing the lyrics. It was a kind of road movie about a broken man wandering around and meeting people with whom he would open his heart.
Bernardino Femminieli: “La vie, Gigi !” is the only track I composed with Adrien Belkout, my spiritual coach, and with Gasc. I even invited Mr. Flash to play on it and asked Dominic to mix the track from his home, since I was unable to return to Canada.
Bernardino Femminieli: The album took several years to come out and was categorically rejected and ignored by everyone in France, even though it was a tribute to a France struggling to find its bearings. Haha.
PAN M 360: This track was mixed by Dominic Vanchesteing, with whom you worked on L’Exil and several other projects. The public wants to know: are you in love?
Bernardino Femminieli: Yes. Since forever.
PAN M 360: If you could bring a musician back to life to collaborate on your next album, who would it be and why?
Bernardino Femminieli: I think it is better to leave the dead where they are.
PAN M 360: Hypothetically, if Bernardino Femminieli ended up in prison, what crime would he have committed to get there?
Bernardino Femminieli: Torture and kidnapping. Not for ransom. On principle.
PAN M 360: What do you say to people who claim you are the sex symbol of our time?
Bernardino Femminieli: You are cute.
PAN M 360: What can we expect from your Valentine’s Day concert at Taverne Tour? Would you recommend bringing a first date?
Bernardino Femminieli: Anti French anachronistic disco songs. Obviously. I am the break dealer.
