Interview with Phoenix

[Rashomon00]

Thomas Mars looks like Roman Polanski circa 1960

[dontreallycare3]

LOVE. WANT. WORSHIP.

[lukerr87]

Oh, those accents are awesome! and so are they!

[XdisXesXwhyXimXhawtX]

God French people are so awesome

[MrCasperexpress]

The Beatles of my time god dammnit

[emaoneluv]

sexy french accents... gadayum... they don't seem to have a french accent when they sing!

[rufiredup90]

I think I'm falling in love with Phoenix! Ohmigaaad! They are so good! :D

[Aldrin8ter22]

These guys seem really down to earth. I had no idea they were French, now Im even more impressed!

[cheer4sunshine123]

hehe their accents are so cute <3 his french accent while he sings makes his voice so unique, and makes the lyrics and music that much better. wolfgang is a wonderful creation.

[jenson12son]

do i sound irish in my video? ooh wait this is a french accent video lol!

[arlykay]

is it just me or if you look carefully at Thomas's eyes at 0:15 you can see him glance at her boobs lol.

[LuizaLulita]

@arlykay I realized that LOOL

[MetallMania717]

0:53 guy from "Wrong Turn" (movie)

[artisticagi]

what she means is, 'HALF of the french band...'

[davidsanft]

Zut Alors! Tres bien!

[artisticagi]

why does everyone keep on saying they have accents but when THEY sing...theres one singer! thomas! not a 'they'.

plus french accents are gorgeous ♥

[harmansg]

CLEFT LIP MUCH??

[hippiekyd416]

French accents are cute :3 haha

[laurendekomkommer]

AMAZING how much the accents change when they're singing.

[meadish]

Thomas Mars' speaking accent is not particularly strong. Sure, it's not a native British or American accent, but it's fully comprehensible once your ear is tuned in. The reason you can't hear as much of an accent when he's singing is because the melodic and rhythmic elements of a song take precedence before the prosodic elements (rhythm, stress and intonation).

[griffin419]

They have the thickest French accents but when they sing.. god.

[Funketeshitman]

The guitar player had a cleft lip repair?

[jocerey24]

omg i love their acsents!!!!(: FRENCH ALL THE WAY BITCHES!!!!(:

[Emelia2cool]

wow i never knew they were french! that just makes them so much cooler :)

[danielgman1]

The singer doesn't sound like that in the songs

[mimictt]

wow its when they speak that I hear their french accent

[soccerdam15]

"but at the end is still Phoenix"

[noazark94]

god damn they are so french.

[lilacifyable]

"but in the end its still Phoenix" so true

[keekikins]

I am so impressed with their English. Seriously.

[jediryhme]

@keekikins I know right? just listen to how he speaks in this video and then listen to lisztomania,,..the live radio version video

[valsaucedo93]

phoenix is so good and so different, its relieving :)

[keziahunter3]

I FREAKING LOOOOOOOOOOOVE FRENCH ACCENTTTTTSSSS THEY ARE SO DANG ATTRACTIVE ( but these guys arent lol)

[chdl009]

I first though they were British:)

[titou78210]

french touch comes back

[FanChrisproductions]

They don't even sound French in their songs.

[aylafiala]

Its amazing how good their english accents are when they sing! its incredible!

[PetiteMarie2014]

@farasofya thats the power of a sound booth.... but they still sound awesome live, too.

[Hockyluv21]

See, gramatically, Thomas' english is mostly perfect (It has to be; the band writes all the songs in English). But he does speak w/ a marked Parisian accent. It actually shows in the song

[StaciaAMMA]

Go us French!

[DOOMcal1ber]

@SeaNanners hi

[Nongamblerpokerfan]

@farasofya

....they don't sound american ...i was thinking more british. rofl.

[xeniax70]

fake accent

[DrSlizzard]

Do they have any songs in french?, if so i would love to hear them! :D

[caroletho]

@DrSlizzard

well, maybe i'm late!

i've seen that they've sung live an old french song called "la fille aux cheveux clairs" de Johnny Hallyday

[KittyKatttx3333]

Their accents make me smile xDD

[jknightglfr]

Heellooo Rebecca.

[theinck]

the interview microphone they're using sounds amazing.

[MissMargotAnastasia]

J'ADORE PHOENIX! Vous etes trops cool, je vous adores!!!!!!!!!!!

[maribelurie]

I didn't know they were French. Until I Heard Thomas Mars on Alt Nation.

Which is CRAZY because I really can't hear the accent on their music when he sings.

But this is amazing! I LOVE their accent!

& I love the fact that they're singing in English :)

[titemoms]

@maribelurie OMG, their accent is so frenchy! All the French people don't have that accent, but if you love it, then I don't have to worry about mine!

I didn't know they were French either, but that makes me proud of my country! They aren't really known in France and that's a shame! French artists are sooo boring, and THIS IS REAL GOOD MUSIC!

(sorry if my English isn't perfect ^-^)

[mrtictac94]

I guess it's a lie when they say ALL the best music comes from the U.K :/

[enzenzoroca]

@mrtictac94 well, they were still schooled by u.k. greats..

[TheJelly1990]

@mrtictac94 not all but MOST music

[alxvga80]

@WomanWhoFarts dont talk about your mom like that!

[lambymam]

They have the sexiest accents on earth. Screw the British.

[mypatchworklife]

@lambymam Hell YEAH!

[TheLionessofGod]

you guys are all cracking me up! "OMGSH THEY'RE FRIGGIN FRENCH!" but I'm guilty too. it's all i can think about... o.0 omgsh they're friggin french!

[sha22218]

SHIT!!!! they are REALLLLLLLYYYYYY FRENCH!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT STILL LOVE THEM!!!

[hellohome]

WELL i think it is sexyyyy.

[fionaspencer8]

So when Thomas says something about their superstitions and "little things" like how they "always change the second verse so it's very different than the first verse"... I have noticed a pattern with their lyrics on alphabetical there is one phrase that is repeated in more than one verse each song. like "not to cross the line" it's in "victim of the crime" and "love for granted" & the words "illusion" &"disillusion" are in almost every song on that album too. is that one of their superstitions?

[omgitspattydee]

Thomas Marsssss. <3

[r0m12]

2:42 "Do you think it's " what? bowzy? What does that mean? pretentious?

[fionaspencer8]

@r0m12

i think he is saying "ballsy".

[bam17100]

at first i thought they where American because when he sings you cant hear that accident

[bam17100]

at first i thought they where americanbecuase when he sings you cant hear that accicent

[balamuthia]

What you people are looking for is something called "diction" they probably studied American diction, just like vocalists singing in German or French study the diction of those languages. Laurent Brancowitz is amazing and confident and is proof that those things combined with talent overshadow any perceived "flaw".

[bleucherries]

@balamuthia who said it was a flaw?

[jellybelly903]

I like the lead singer, he sounds honest and down-to-earth. What really captivates me is that he can sing so English when he speaks like that haha :)

[254sneak]

love this band!! the lead singer looks like spenny off of kenny vs. spenny

[malinkulasekera69]

Wow, how does the guy sings like that with such a thick accent, simply amazing.

[Shortneyjunesmith]

My best friend Shianne thinks that Christian Mazzalai is the cutest thing ever!!! As much as I disagree shes in love with him and the band.

[jiimmy567]

"it's just the language of the music we're doing."

sickk!

[KombiPode]

man if I was the CEO of the company who is paying that girl I would fire her for one reason and one discriminatory reason only - that outfit is so bad I dont know if you are out of the 50s the 60s or the 70s or hey maybe you are not even on this planet. 

[lamestguyintown]

Go back to EuropE! EUrope is the best!!!!

[SuperiorSwagon1]

If these guys were to tour with Mew and Passion Pit i think i might die...just a thought.

[McSFraNtic71]

i love how his accent disapears when he sings :)

[KombiPode]

@McSFraNtic71

Dood, does he speak in a low voice or a high voice like when he sings? I mean I cant believe the stupidty of the comments on here. You love how his accent disappears when he sings?

[rooneyisRAD]

love me some french hunks .

[falcoperegrinus82]

Jim Halpert?

[lllVaPoRlll]

No offense? But does the guitarist have some type of minor cleft lip, or is it just the french accent?

[Speak2U2]

@lllVaPoRlll

I read in an interview that Christian Mazzali and his brother, Laurent Brancowitz, who are both in the band were both born with cleft palettes but had surgeries when they were younger.

[KombiPode]

@Speak2U2

I guess you are not very observant. It is obvious they both are brothers and were both born with cleft lips. No one cares.

[KombiPode]

@lllVaPoRlll

Yeh I find it offensive how superficial and fucking stupid you are. its like saying, "No offense, but does that man have only one arm or is it a french thing?"

[lllVaPoRlll]

@KombiPode You don't get it, One... I said french accent. I obviously know that french people talk differently, Also that the french language has a lot to do with their lip motion and position. I was just curious since his upper lip is very high and far apart from his bottom. Maybe if you weren't such an ignorant asshole you would understand my point.

[DetectiveUtah]

hahaha i see so many people here messin with their accents when the fact is that theres nothing more ridiculous than any english spoken person trying to do french (or spanish or italian).BTW,Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is just so fucking good that i cant stop listening to it,what a beautiful thing these guys had created.

[dashboardhula]

@DetectiveUtah agreed. I picked up wolfgang about four months ago and haven't taken it out of my player yet. No lie. I should be in bed right now, but I'm watching "If I ever feel Better" and "Girlfriend" videos instead!

[ANIKANSKYWALKERG]

its so weird how different the singers voic sounds when hes singing and hen hes talking..its almost like a different person

[TheBatchGuy]

@ANIKANSKYWALKERG Because when you're singing you're pushing air to make noise through a diaphragmatic process to make vowels and not words.

[fionaspencer8]

Did he really say "your grandma liked the beatles"?? Wow, harsh! This is one of the only interviews that I have watched where Thomas's accent isn't really prominent. But, it's from 2009. He's had a lot of practice with speaking English since then; he's the lead singer so naturally he does most of the talking during the interviews. And his wife (?) is American; it's like living in the Northeast of America and picking up a Southern accent from being there for a bit. It's the same language but not.

[ThePinkScissors]

Ballsy.

 :D

[AbandonGod]

I love Thomas

[sokthearrith]

i love his their accents!

[Treehugga18]

"yeah, it is ballsy"

that was beautiful

[andrewp6262]

I knew they were French, but dayum, they are REALLY French.

[niftyflowers]

@andrewp6262 LMFAO.

[CoreyL11]

@andrewp6262 haha I know.. It's weird cause they don't sound French at all when they sing. Like I didn't even know they were French until I looked them up on Wikipedia

[tok291]

@andrewp6262 From my observation (after speaking to a lot of French people in France and America, and in both languages mind you) French people have the thickest accents when it comes to speaking English, my German friend almost completely lost her accent after being in America for 6 months, but my French teacher has been here for 20 years and she is sometimes hard to understand.

[BmxHyyer]

Knowing they're french makes me fuken love them more!

[Amigirl19]

@BmxHyyer ikr!!!

[xolemonlime2]

This isn't meant to sound mean, but Christian's messed up lips kind of make me feel bad for him. Hahaha. He's still awesome though

[s0d00]

@xolemonlime2 i think he had a cleft lip

[xolemonlime2]

@s0d00 AW! Seriously?!

[mrjonathancivil]

ugh he needs a shower! and a nose job lol!

[SuperiorSwagon1]

@mrjonathancivil Fuck you

[fionaspencer8]

@mrjonathancivil

What!! Dude, he's hot. Let him be scruffy and rock the French nose.

[kittimonstir]

love his accent<3 :D cute cute cute

[scarletwoman8]

there french!?!? wow i love them but i never would have known....

[bogercs]

Let's take you back to 1901 and hang out 4 minutes with Phoenix

[rockingirl09]

Hey ii Love Their accent nd no i dont thinkk there faking it this band is awsome....(:

[08riddlec]

Omg! When he sings he sounds so american! But when he talks normally, the accent is so strong! Love the band!

[lollymuse]

Obviously they're faking the accent.

[snowdew222]

@lollymuse The guy who plays house is British and has a very smart, offical sounding British accent, Hugh Laurie. It is easy for people to change their accent if they want too. Look up his Late Late Show interview.

[lollymuse]

@snowdew222 Well yeah, what I wanted to say is that I'm sure Thomas Mars can have a perfect English accent if he wants, but in the interviews he pretends having this awful french accent, at least he exaggerates it, because he knows the "french touch" is an asset!

[boerama]

@lollymuse Agree. I'm french as well and can speak without any accent, but girls seem to like this accent.

[pauloolem]

@lollymuse don't think so acc

[BriiJorable]

poor man waddup with his top lip (not thomas mars)

[BriiJorable]

their french accents totally pop!. hoottt [;

[ConnecticutsBest]

Every album has an instrumental? What are they all? Ive never bought an album but I think they are so super

[rockandpop932]

lol christian mazzalai has a funny accent! thomas mars has a better accent lol

like there : 0:50 when he said "energy" or "without any help"...

but im not here to say nasty things about phoenix :) because i love this band !

[niloc141414]

haven't had a group come around in a while that has truly deserved their success. awesome, awesome band.

[IndonesiaNegaraKu]

its amazing how he can sing in a perfect american accent when he has the one of the thickest french accents ive ever heard

[c0nst1patedn1nja]

@IndonesiaNegaraKu It's kind of like Oasis. The singer sings perfectly, but in interviews, you could barely understand him. Lol.

[antislug]

his french lips are excellent!

[acjab]

For the French, this accent is not sexy at all. "Lame" would be a more accurate adjective :P

[ShAdOwHaWk80]

lisztomania is my fave song :D

[suuperpoww]

They`re amazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing!

[sonyae87]

cool music and sexy accents :)

[twiggyloveschiodos]

Thomas Mars is just amazing it doesn't matter if he has an accent. it only adds to his sexyness. btw The band is simply fantastic they keep getting better and better.

[Thekidsareonfire]

i love Phoenix

[modestlyneutral]

Amazing band with one of the best albums of 09. The lead singer kinda looks like Paul Dano.

[Raidelle]

when he sings, you can't hear the accent ahah..,. but its great

[alxvga80]

@Raidelle yea.... i could of lived on without ever knowing they were french.

No accent! <3 phoenix!

[marshmelotz]

thomas mars is SO hot, and has a beautiful voice <3

[urquattro196]

I would give three bucks two fifty to sit down and chat with Thomas Mars, do bear in mind I would pay the same to chat with my most favorite author Lee Child and this is an increase from my normal two bucks two fifty. PHOENIX ROCKS! as does Lee Child, different venues, a writer and music

[DBprep8]

sorry you cant write a meaningful or poetic song in a second language unless you're seamus heaney or something

[Cangri203]

wow the accents are heavy

[3koukla]

it;s called being from france .... they are actully good in english compaired to most french people.

[jimmihshs]

the singers accent is not bad at all.

[warsaw117]

she takes it good.like a trooper.hahhahahhahahhahaha

[tbskms]

They sound alot like the Pretenders. I am suprized that they were not mentioned as an influence in their music. He sounds like Chrisy Hine! Awesome stuff!

[TomOliver93]

like how opera is in italian, never thought of it like that ha

[Nombre12]

wow check out that guys cleft lip

[CourteneySays]

i only watched this vid to hear his accent..i knew he had 1 because in Liztomania you heard it in the chorus when he said "think less but see it grow"???? i dont know the words...eh

[gillespieQMA]

its so weird how all of the foreign bands that naturally speak with accents sound like a regular american in their songs.. like the rolling stones, and the who.. phoenix sounds just like a regular american

[a5dr3]

@gillespieQMA You mean a regular Scottsman, or Frenchman? It's funny how other people have accents.

[Lectofun]

He has some accent problems when he speaks, but not in the songs...

[MrBrightside0295]

he doesn't have an accent problem. He just has an accent.

[weerpool14]

I love the old phoenix. The last two albums was just too commercial. I love them when only a handful of people I know knows about the bands music and actually loving it not because they get alot of airplay on a top 40 radio. It's part of the old Phoenix mystic. Still love though although not as much as before.

[lloe1]

i am thrilled they are on the radio more or getting more mainstream attention. if this allows more people to be moved by the music its a definite plus. personally, i think this is their best cd to date and i think their second cd was the weakest. but if you truly loved the first two cds wouldnt you want as many people as possible to appreciate it too? if the beatles had remained an underground british band, decades later i may never have gotten to experience hey jude.

[chimochimo100]

so you like them less because they are more popular now? ... just askin..

[sheepburn]

Just after 2:46 when he says that one line "yeah it is ballsy," he sounds so American.

It might just be me, but when many international artists sing in English, regardless of their *speaking* accent, it sounds so 'familiar' or 'normal.' Not that they're abnormal for having accents, just that it's really cool how regardless of where you're from, you don't really detect that difference in some singers. Like if they sang, you wouldn't even know they were from another place.

[andeaver1937]

haha! he does sound american.

[CalDreamingSky]

Non mais c'est quoi cet accent!

I'm french and I speak a lot in english but their accent really sucks!

Anyway, I still love them they're amazing! Go Phoenix and Go France!

[beeceebee1]

C'est quoi cet accent, tu demandes? Un accent de Français qui parle anglais...Ils parlent mieux anglais, surtout le chanteur, que la grande majorité des Français que j'ai rencontrés dans ma vie...

[Tvor1128]

aw he has a clef lip =(

[HamburglersUnited]

haha "ballsy" 2:45 <3

i love how thomas is so NORMAL. like the way he's sitting:P

LOVE. this band.

[0208lydia]

j'adore ce groupe.

je ne comprends pas pourquoi en france on ne vous passe ni à la radio ni à la télé.

décidément on a aucun goûts.

vous êtes géniaux!!!

[xxAdelineFcexx]

Je les ai entendu plein de fois àla radio  ....

[lemonjuicer]

wow i would have never guessed they're french! The singer's voice is so unique and pure, and when he sings it sounds like he has a perfect english accent

[javahippo]

Ditto. I was genuinely surprised when I watched an interview for the first time.

[KombiPode]

@lemonjuicer

thats a common trait of singing and not noticing the accent. its because when you are singing your accent is the song, not the accent of the language, but of the song and the way you are singing it.

[dahliadecapitate]

that girls outfit is disastrous

[Botchlae]

who cares about the outfit

[dahliadecapitate]

me....!! it makes me scowl and frown during the entire video than watch the interview

[Botchlae]

pinkophobia ?