Gojira Made some serious waves around the world when they ripped through “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça Ira!)” during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics earlier this year. And with that level of exposure comes a pretty big boost in fame, doesn’t it? Not really.
in an interview with Serious consequence, Gojira drummer Mario Duplantier He said his recognition from people has increased a bit, but otherwise it’s business as usual for the French Quarter.
“It’s really subtle. Because we have been a band for 30 years and we already had a career and toured around the world,” he said. Duplantier. “But, yes, it’s a plus, it’s a bonus. You go to a store and some people say, for example, “I saw you at the Olympics.” But it’s not like a crazy change.
“Also, it’s a group playing, it’s not like one person. We’re a band and an entity, so it’s not like one of us is the main guy with a name. It really is. Gojira performing there, but most people don’t realize I’m playing Gojiraas a group too. But, no, what we can say is total respect for the band because we did it. And, like I said, we, we were very fortunate to be able to do that and have this bonus.”
Duplantier also referred to the fact that Gojira had to keep the performance a secret for the better part of a year. Duplantier said he was initially offended Gojira couldn’t play one of their songs (my vote goes to “Esoteric Surgery”) but they ended up having a blast.
“We received the call in November 2023, and the ceremony took place in July 2024. So a few months. We have to keep it a secret. We worked with the composer of the music for the ceremony because we were not allowed. To play our music. So we, for example, “it’s strange”, because we really thought that if we could play a song, it would be an amazing revolution.
“So it was a big challenge, but also a lot of fun, and we worked together Victor Le Manswith the guy who writes the music for the entire ceremony. And, yes, the relationship was perfect, very cool. No drama, no tension, nothing. Mrs Joe: and me, because mostly we worked Joe: and I—we had a lot of say in this project, and we were very free to do pretty much whatever we wanted because [long] because it fits the theme and all that. So yeah, amazing.”
Gojira currently have a 2025 tour in France as they work on a new album.
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