[78-L] New blog devoted to 78rpm records

[Thomas HENRY]

Nice to read that you know this song by Gainsbourg ! Well, it's not
that easy to understand what he meant with "seins de bakelite", there
can be several interpretations, according to me, he meant "firm
breasts" (and not fake plastic breasts) [I must say I never expected
to talk about breasts on a list devoted to 78s records]. I also think
he just liked the word bakelite like you and thought it would sound
good in the song.

By the way, many many thanks for the very interesting comments you put
on my blog, that's exactly the kind of information and testimonies I
was expected ! Merci beaucoup !

Thomas


2012/1/29 Michael Biel <mbiel at mbiel.com>:
>
>
> On 1/28/2012 4:54 PM, Malcolm Rockwell wrote:
>> O god, another punster. This time in French!!
>> Mal
>>
>> *******
>>
>> On 1/28/2012 11:39 AM, Thomas HENRY wrote:
>>> Yes, the common sense is that 78s were made of bakelite, but my blog's
>>> name is also a reference to a famous French song by Serge Gainsbourg
>>> mentioning "seins de bakelite" (breasts of bakelite), "ceints de
>>> bakelite" (my blog's name, pronounced in the same way) meaning
>>> "surrounded by bakelite". OK, this reference is hardly understandable
>>> outside of France...
> It might be a good idea to put this explanation of the origin of the
> name and the pun in your "about" page, along with a statement that 78s
> were mostly made of SHELLAC.   Of all of the common plastics, Bakelite
> is the least likely to be used for making records, partially because of
> how it has to be moulded, but also because it is not re-meltable.
>
> But the idea of breasts of bakelite in a Serge Gainsbourg song is
> interesting.  What does he mean?  Is he complaining about hard
> implants?   One source in Englisn by Jerome Viger-Kohler said "'Tes
> petits sens de bakelite me surexcitent'.  I just have to say I love the
> word 'Bakelite'. Since I am a kid (my parents used to listen to
> Gainsbourg a lot), I think 'Bakelite' sounds very sexy. It sounds like
> Kryptonite with love power!"  Since Superman LOSES his power with
> Kryptonite, this also is a strange image.  But looking at a translation
> of the whole song it seems that he is singing about girls "Twenty years,
> eighteen, seventeen years on the edge" who excite him with "Your small
> breasts bakelite Fluttering".   Sounds like the image of Jane Birkin!
>
> By the way, your blog is interesting, and I have put in comments on your
> two recent Soviet records.
>
> Mike Biel mbiel at mbiel.com
>
>
>>>
>>> 2012/1/28 David Breneman<david_breneman at yahoo.com>:
>>>> From: Thomas HENRY<thomashenry81 at gmail.com>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I'm a new member in this list. I created a few months ago the blog
>>>>> "Ceints de bakelite" devoted to my 78rpm records collection.
>>>> Are 78s popularly believed to be made of Bakelite in France?
>>>> As you probably know, many Americans thought they were made
>>>> of wax.
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