Glamsquad Magazine June 2022

FEATURE
GLAMSQUAD: What were
the important moments which
marked your education?
Alain Zirah: In 1973, I took
part in a month-long school trip
between England and Scotland
: The Franco-Scottish Encounter.
For the 15years old teenager I
was, it was a great opportunity
to discover the world, to speak
English… and to have my first
love stories. With several boys,
we lined up to have our farewell
kisstoo, with the beautiful sports
teacher on the last day. With
my friends, we discovered the
Rock and Pop music, the Rolling
Stones, Lou Reed, Andy Warhol,
Roxy Music and I watched David
Bowie at Top of the Pop. I went
back to Scotland the following
year with my little brother Patrick.
He was shocked to see me kissing
a young English girl, Mahry. Four
years later,my art teacher,Alain
Hontanx, appreciated my
drawings of women and the
comics I submitted to him. He
corrected and gave me tips for
improving perspectives.
In 1977, our teacher, Ferdinand
Lallemand, introduced himself
by explaining that before being our
professor of philosophy, he was an
adventurer who went in search of
Atlantis with Commander Cousteau
and a writer. After reading my
essay on the subject “Is it better to
know everything about nothing or
nothing about everything?”,told to
me in front of the students: “Alain
Zirah, you are the spiritual son of
Nietzsche”. So, I have been the
Saturday in a bookshop buying the
books So spoke Zaratustra and By
the Good and Evil. I was so surprised
to recognize my own universe in
these books written quite a century
before. Twenty years later, in 1997, I
dedicated my book ROCK FICTIONS
to Ferdinand Lallemand and
devoted a program 20/20 CULTURE
to him, in 2020.
GLAMSQUAD:That’s incredible.
This shows how important
education is and how essential is
the role of teachers for teenagers
to open them to curiosity. You are
now a complete artist and your
writing is especially dedicated to
women. How do you know usso
well? It’s a kind of fascination for
all kind of women?
Alain Zirah: My father was very
busy and often away. I was raised
by women. There were often four
women in the house. I watched
and listened to them. My aunt often
spoke with my mother, grandmother
and cousin in a language that I
couldn’t understand. They were
mysterious and fascinating. Women
have always been the source of
my inspiration, my driving force,
my energy. I have published six
books, to date, with a form of writing
specifically for women, from God
created Women at Her Image
to my latest book is Forbidden
to Men.(Éditions Thierry Sajat).My
unpublished texts from 1976 to 2016
were collected in the book ROCK
FICTIONS (Society of writers). When I
am asked, during book signings, how
long it takes to write a book, I explain
that it goes from 3 months (Glitter &
Glam) to 40 years.
Women have always been at
the center of my texts, illustrations
and photos. I like the paradox.
I appreciate femininity, fragility
and power of the women. With
photography, I am very directive, but
more contemplative with writing. The
sentences come out by themselves,
without erasures. I like the Girl Power
and introduce it in all my kind of art.
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