Ambassador interviews reclusive French rock star

French Ambassador Daniel Rondeau has proved that a journalist’s passion to write is hard to suppress, as he landed an exclusive interview with rock demigod Johnny Hallyday which was published in France’s leading newspaper.

The writer/diplomat’s interview has been making waves across France because it is the first time Hallyday has spoken since he almost died a year ago after contracting colon cancer and suffering complications from an operation.

Once dubbed ‘the French Elvis’, Hallyday is one of France’s biggest stars, having sold 200 million records over the past 40 years. His music career spans half a century, going back to when the legendary Jimi Hendrix opened a concert for him in 1966. He also worked with rock legends like Jimmy Page and Peter Frampton.

His 2008 blues-flavoured album titled Le Coeur d’Un Homme (The Heart of a Man) hit the top in France and French-speaking Belgium. The album features a duet with bluesman Taj Mahal and a song, I Am the Blues, written in English for Hallyday by U2 frontman Bono.

At 66, Hallyday announced his retirement after one last tour and was quoted saying it was time to bow out as he had “too much respect” for the public, adding he did not “want to become pathetic”.

This tour was interrupted when he was diagnosed with colon cancer and operated on. He then had to undergo surgery in Paris to repair a herniated disc.

However, he suffered complications after this second operation and was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles where he was put into a medically induced coma to repair lesions that had formed.

Since then, Hallyday has been a recluse, avoiding any contact with the press and consequently leading his fans to believe “notre Johnny” was on his death bed.

Mr Rondeau, who has written a best-selling biography of the singer, said that in early August he received a call from Hallyday asking him to visit the French West Indies, where the rock star owns a home.

“Johnny Hallyday wanted to tell his fans about his close shave with death, about his wish to perform again and about his new outlook towards life in general,” Mr Rondeau told The Sunday Times.

“I told him that as Ambassador to Malta, I had a number of obligations to fulfil and could only see him at the end of the month during my holidays.

“I then travelled to the island where he lives and had planned to stay for a day and be back in France as I had (Resources) Minister George Pullicino visiting an important agricultural fair and meeting with Bruno Lemaire, the French agricultural minister. But my stay was prolonged as we were all locked indoors because of tropical storm Earl that hit the island.”

When the interview appeared last Sunday in Le Monde, the French public was taken by surprise and news of Hallyday’s return became the talk of the country.