TAPE: Nick Cave

Nick Cave

TAPE : Nick Cave

TAPE

Austere face, dark looks, tormented psyche: at first glance, Nick Cave is a gothic hero. But the king of indie music and the world of darkness have more of a love/hate relationship.

United States, Gabon, Bahamas... Serge Gainsbourg wasn't just an artist, he was also a traveller. The wanderings of this icon led him to Jamaica, the Mecca of musical renewal.

Tape

United States, Gabon, Bahamas... Serge Gainsbourg wasn't just an artist, he was also a traveller

Serge Gainsbourg

Pharrell Williams manages to combine coolness and super-geekdom à la Star Trek. But how?

Pharrell Williams manages to combine coolness and super-geekdom. But how?

Pharrell Williams

When international superstar Beyoncé wanted some new dance moves for her latest video, she chose little known Mozambique dance trio Tofo Tofo to create the choreography.

When international superstar Beyoncé wanted some new dance moves for her latest video, she chose little known Mozambique dance trio, Tofo Tofo to create the choreography.

TAPE: Beyoncé

Céline Dion married her agent. Was it him who made her career or was it the other way around?

Céline Dion

Metallica's 35-year career is still going strong: they are timeless. To celebrate their latest album, 
Hardwired…to Self-Destruct, TAPE revisits the history of a music group that became a global movement. 

Metallica's 35-year career is still going strong: they are timeless

TAPE: Metallica

TAPE looks at the relationship between the Red Hot Chili Peppers and on-again-off-again band member John Frusciante, a toxic love affair.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

To accompany the release of their first album in 1967, the Doors send their biographies to the press. The bio of their singer Jim Morrison is worth a second look. Full name: Jim Douglas Morrison. Eye color: blue. Parents: dead. Hmm… Really?

The Doors

Why did Jim Morrison lie to the press about his parents being dead?

Rammstein, from their choice of name to their lyrics and dark videos, are out to shock and scare. Their spectacular live performances helped catapault them to the top of their industry. But underneath it all, are they really that different from other major music groups?

Rammstein, from their choice of name to their lyrics and dark videos, are out to shock and scare

Rammstein: Just Like the Beach Boys, Really

How did counter-culture icon Patti Smith get invited to the most hallowed hall of the French republic?

Patti Smith

Apple launched its streaming service in 2015, and to celebrate, the company made their customers an offer they couldn't refuse: three months free subscription. The problem: during these three months, the artists streamed will not receive a penny. But that was without reckoning for Taylor Swift, who published an open letter to the firm on her Tumblr detailing why refusing to pay artists for their work was unacceptable. Apple backtracked. 

Taylor Swift

In the 1990s Marilyn Manson got a kick out of upsetting American society. His videos and stage shows were designed to provoke and force the USA to face its cultural contradictions.

In the 1990s Marilyn Manson got a kick out of upsetting American society.

TAPE: Marilyn Manson

Old and young, everyone seems to agree that Kate Bush is amazing. TAPE looks into the success of the most discrete and the most creative star in pop. 

Kate Bush

Old and young, everyone seems to agree that Kate Bush is amazing. TAPE looks into the success of the most discrete and the most creative star in pop.

July 4, 2020. To pay tribute to the doctors on the frontlines of COVID-19, the Japanese consul in New York, Kanji Yamanouchi, performed a Jimi Hendrix-style rendition of the American national anthem. 50 years after his death, the artist has become the patron saint of all apprentice guitarists in the world.

Jimi Hendrix

What if guitar enthusiasts who love Jimi Hendrix have got the wrong end of the stick?

Allegations against R. Kelly have dogged the R’n’B star for decades. With alleged sexual abuse and child pornography, can we still listen to R. Kelly songs?

TAPE: R. Kelly

Death is a theme dear to the hearts of metallers. Some, however, have a more personal relationship with the grim reaper... like the lead singer of Korn for example. TAPE tells his story.

Korn

When Pussy Riot founder Nadezhda Tolokonnikova opened an OnlyFans account, did she betray her punk-feminist values?

Pussy Riot

Back in the early 1990s Madonna’s provocative sexual persona was seen as a threat to the Catholic Church.

Madonna

Dave Grohl is the co-author of only one Nirvana song: Scentless Apprentice, on the 1993 In Utero album. Frontman Kurt Cobain said, "I found it a bit stupid." But since the end of Nirvana, Grohl went on to release ten albums with the Foo Fights, wrote 76 songs and had 9 US hits. Not bad for a once-overlooked drummer.

Foo Fighters

Was Dave Grohl's talent ignored in Nirvana?

Since his birth, Keith Richards has been burning the candle at both ends, and yet he's still fighting fit. He's even survived 2016. Is the Rolling Stones guitarist too rocky for The Reaper? Quite possibly... 

Since his birth, Keith Richards has been burning the candle at both ends, and yet he's still fighting fit

Keith Richards

Satanist texts and bloody imagery are standard fare for Iron Maiden. But at the beginning of the 90s, the US government decided to use them in a road safety campaign. Road deaths fell significantly in the space of a year.

Iron Maiden

All his life, Lou Reed spat in the face of the establishment. Politicians, bigots, the self-righteous… All have drawn the ire of the Velvet Underground founder. But he reserved the worst of his contempt for journalists.

Lou Reed

The child-star of the Cosby Show, Raven-Symoné signed her first contract by the age of five. In 1993, Raven-Symoné came out with the hit song That's What Little Girls Are Made Of, featuring Miss Elliott - but in the music video, Missy was replaced by an actress. Missy didn't look the part. That was devastating to her... but it didn't stop her rise and rise. 

Missy Elliott

The music industry tried to break Miss Elliott - but she changed the game instead. 

Freddie Mercury and Queen brought Queer culture into the family home in a series of audacious music videos and live performances shown on TV at a time when homosexuality was still taboo in the media.

TAPE: Queen

Rock is dead, long live hip-hop? TAPE takes a look through the infamous clash between rapper Jay-Z and Britpop legend Noel Gallagher.

Jay-Z

Sting was an ecologically-conscious yogi hipster before it was even a thing. He's always been fighting for our right to enjoy a better future than the one we are making for ourselves. Perhaps a strange mission for someone with punk musical roots?

Sting was an ecologically-conscious yogi hipster before it was even a thing

Sting

Miles Davis made his comeback on the stage of the very prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in 1984. In his tracklist, the trumpeter includes Time After Time, a cover of a slow song by Cyndi Lauper. And that, for jazz purists who considered Miles Davis a living God, was an act of high treason.

Miles Davis

How the God of jazz, Miles Davis, shocked jazz purists

January 20, 1997. Daft Punk released Homework and began their conquest of the planet. But Inrockuptibles music critic Christophe Conte was scathing. 24 years, 6 grammys and 11 million albums sold later, he's had to eat his words. Daft Punk's victory begs the question: what if everything the journalist hated about them was precisely what made the band so successful?

Daft Punk

What if everything that critics hated about Daft Punk was precisely what made the band so successful?

On October 1, 2014, Snoop Dogg made the guests of his Youtube show laugh by attacking Migos and their signature flow. But the Atlanta's technique is nothing new! So what annoys Snoop so much about the Migos rap style?

Migos

What annoys Snoop Dogg so much about the Migos rap style?

Phil Collins is the king of pop who doesn't make waves. Patrick Bateman, the anti-hero of American Psycho. But Bateman is quite the Collins fan... how come?

Phil Collins

Patrick Bateman, the anti-hero of American Psycho, is a Phil Collins fan

At a time when the climate emergency is being felt everywhere, we need to be all hands on deck to solve it. And that includes rock stars. Even Deep Purple might need to get a little green...

Deep Purple

Last year, Lil Nas X drew the ire of  American pastor Greg Locke, who filmed himself reacting to the Montero music video. Lil Nas X broke onto the music scene with his country-rap hit Old Town Road in 2019, but this new song was different. It features inverted pentagrams, devilish cosplay, and a lapdance to Lucifer. What is the meaning of Lil Nas X's satanic twerking?

Lil Nas X

What is the meaning of Lil Nas X's satanic twerking?

In 2017, Justin Bieber attended the Hillsong Church conference with his pal Carl Lentz, the star pastor of this powerful evangelical church. Thanks to him, and after going through an existential crisis, the pop star said he was finally saved. But their close relationship wasn't to last...

Justin Bieber was close to star pastor Carl Lentz, member of a powerful evangelical church

Justin Bieber

At first glance, nothing connects Lil Wayne to Donald Trump: one is an African-American rapper from the poor neighborhoods of New Orleans, the other a rich white heir turned President of the United States. And yet without Donald Trump, Lil Wayne could have gone to prison for up to a decade. TAPE tells you all about this surprising relationship.

Lil Wayne

Without Donald Trump, Lil Wayne could have gone to prison for over a decade

Elvis Presley had a bone to pick with the Beatles. Their worlds couldn't have been more different. TAPE analyses the tensions between the icon of the 50s and the band of the hippie generation.

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley had a bone to pick with the Beatles

TAPE - Rewinding the History of Music

TAPE: George Michael

Highly influential indie rockers from Boston, famous for such tracks as Debaser and Where is my mind perform in Paris as part of a European tour for their latest album Doggerel.

Legendary and highly influential indie rockers perform in Paris as part of their European tour.

Pixies - Live at the Paris Olympia

To celebrate 50 years of French radio station FIP, Sting gives a special performance in the monumental surroundings of the Pantheon in Paris.

50 Years of FIP Radio

Sting at the Pantheon in Paris

Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers are Wet Leg, a rock duo from the Isle of Wight who became successful in 2021 with their brassy first single, Chaise Longue.
Live from the Route du Rock festival in St Malo, France.

La Route du Rock 2022

Live from the Route du Rock festival: Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers are rock duo Wet Leg.

Wet Leg

Hania Rani was born in Poland and now divides her time between Warsaw and Berlin. Between these two cities, the pianist composes subtle and sensitive music reminiscent of Philip Glass or Erik Satie.

Piano Day 2022

Hania Rani

London-based outfit Los Bitchos released their first album Let the Festivities Begin! in early 2022. They bring their psychedelic rock to the Route du Rock festival in Brittany.  

Los Bitchos

ARTE Concert Festival welcomes a legend, Damon Albarn. He performs his new album live: The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows.

ARTE Concert Festival 2021

ARTE Concert Festival welcomes a legend, Damon Albarn

Damon Albarn

Bonuses and Extracts

Discover more

Music director of the WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cristian Măcelaru takes his musicians on a tour of his homeland, Romania. A tour stopping in Timişoara, his hometown. On the programme: The Piano Concerto No. 2 by Johannes Brahms with soloist Simon Trpčeski.

Concert from the European Capital of Culture 2023

Conductor Cristian Măcelaru and the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne perform Brahms and Klaus Lang in Romania.

Cristian Mācelaru in Timişoara

At once seductive and dangerous, historical myth and male fantasy, the femme fatale represents both erotic promise and a death trap to the male observer. Conceived at the end of the 19th century in the works of Gustave Moreau, Franz von Stuck and Lovis Corinth, the femme fatale was completely reinvented in the 20th century by many female artists.

Seductive and dangerous, the figure of the femme fatale in art was completely reinvented in the 20th century.

The Femme Fatale in Art

An exclusive investigation into the Russian paramilitary organisation Wagner, headed by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin. 2,500 documents were leaked from Prigozhin’s servers by anti-Putin hackers, shedding light on this secretive group of mercenaries, a key element in the war in Ukraine.

Data Sources

An exclusive investigation into the Russian paramilitary organisation Wagner, headed by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin. 

The Prigozhin Papers

Behind his polite exterior lies a formidable leader with a ruthless character, ready to do anything to make China the world's leading power by the People’s Republic’s centenary in 2049. This well-documented portrait of the Chinese president gives an unprecedented insight into his politics and shows how Xi Jinping's personal journey has shaped his choices as he steers China towards world domination.

A portrait of the Chinese president giving an unprecedented insight into his politics and showing how Xi Jinping's personal journey has shaped his choices as he steers China towards world domination.

The New World of Xi Jinping

The Greek government is under intense pressure to explain how February’s tragic train accident happened. The crash has sparked widespread anti-government protests. We take a broad view of the state of gender equality across Europe and find out about a pioneering law to help menopausal women in Spain.

Greece train crash / Gender equality / Photography

Massive protests engulf Greece after a deadly train crash, with the public pointing fingers at the government.

ARTE Europe Weekly

The UK and the EU reach a new agreement on Northern Ireland, a focus on how bad fast fashion is for the environment, and the rise of literary influencers on Tiktok.

New Northern Ireland Agreement / Fast Fashion in Europe

The UK and the EU reach a new agreement on Northern Ireland and a focus on how bad fast fashion is for the environment, plus literary Tiktok,

In El Salvador, gangs have terrorised the country for decades. But when Nayib Bukele was elected president in 2019, becoming the youngest head of state in Latin America, he vowed to take back control from the gangs by installing a state of emergency.

El Salvador: The coolest dictator in the world?

When Nayib Bukele was elected president in 2019, he vowed to take back control from the gangs by installing a state of emergency.

ARTE Reportage

The decisive moment in 1618 that triggered the Thirty Years' War between Catholics and Protestants and changed the course of European history.

The decisive moment in 1618 that triggered the Thirty Years' War between Catholics and Protestants. 

The Defenestration of Prague

Far from the metropolitan centre of Tel Aviv, Sderot show another side of Israel. One with high-levels of social deprivation and strong support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government’s controversial judicial reforms.

Sderot - The Other Israel

Far from the metropolitan centre of Tel Aviv, Sderot is a different Israel with strong support for Netanjahu and high levels of social deprivation.

Palestinian prisoners in Israeli gaols have fathered around one hundred children over the last ten years. Their sperm is smuggled out of prison to be used in IVF with their partners.

Israel-Palestine: Secret Babies of the Intifada

Palestinian prisoners in Israeli gaols have fathered around one hundred children over the last ten years.

Working her way out of poverty as a sex worker all while supporting her family in Romania. That’s Andrada’s goal. She speaks confidently and openly about her work in a red-light district in Germany’s Ruhr region.  
This programme by German channel ARD is part of The European Collection, a joint initiative of European public media (ARD, ARTE, France Télévisions, SRG SSR and ZDF), coordinated by ARTE.

Portrait of a sex worker in the Ruhr region, Germany.  

Hard Life – I sell sex for money

One aspect of the war in Ukraine is being played out in the shadows. Our reporter met partisans in the Kherson region, which was occupied by Russian forces until last November. These Ukrainian civilians have set up resistance networks in Russian-occupied territories.

Ukraine: Resistance in Occupied Territories

Our reporters met partisans in the Kherson region, which was occupied by Russian forces until last November. Ukrainian civilians there have set up resistance networks in Russian-occupied territories.

Lyubov, which means love in Russian, is 80 years old and lives alone on the shores of Lake Baikal. She bears witness to this wonder of nature and possesses and unbreakable bond with the world’s deepest lake in Siberia. Her life here is hard, especially in winter, but she would not live anywhere else.

On the shores of Lake Baikal, an old woman lives alone in a beautiful place that is dear to her heart.

The Old Woman and the Lake

With all the religious wars, the 17th century was a tense time in Europe. And in art one theme caught everyone’s imagination: the Virgin Mary.

Assumption of the Virgin - Nicolas Poussin

Look But Don't Touch

Cosmetic surgery is becoming more popular in Europe and the world. We talk about the plastic surgery craze with French plastic surgeons Mauricio de Maio and Oren Marco and philosopher Heather Widdows.

We talk about the plastic surgery craze with French plastic surgeons Mauricio de Maio and Oren Marco and philosopher Heather Widdows.

Crazy for Plastic Surgery

Piano/electric duo Grandbrothers perform at Cologne Cathedral to celebrate the 700th anniversary of its consecration, in a spectacular show featuring their ‘augmented’ piano and light show.

Grandbrothers from Cologne Cathedral

Less than 40 kilometres separate the French coast from England at Calais. The crossing seems easy to many, although in reality it is highly dangerous. Smugglers have recently been launching more and more small boats from the French beaches crammed with young people in the hope of a better life.

Children of Calais

Smugglers have been launching more and more small boats from the French beaches crammed with young people in the hope of a better life in England.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were once little-known countries nestled away in northeastern Europe, but they now have a front row seat to the invasion of Ukraine. Former members of the Soviet Union and neighbours of Russia, they see the war as a threat to their own security. They fear that they'll be next.

Baltic States: On the Edge of War

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania view the Ukraine war as a threat to their own security.

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Céline Dion

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