On this day 20 years ago, Daft Punk’s hit "Around The World" entered the Aussie singles chart at number 14. Lifted from their debut album Homework and blessed with a memorable Michel Gondry music video, the hit predated the French duo Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter’s adoption of their familiar “robot” personalities and the masks which have become their trademark. It wasn’t until 2001 when they first donned the metal headwear, with a strange cult film from the ‘70s offering one of their biggest inspirations.
A cinematic flop on its release, Phantom Of The Paradise was a surreal reworking of the Phantom Of The Opera story which combined the surreal ‘70s aesthetic of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with music traversing doo-wop, Jim Steinman-esque rock opera, queer glam, maudlin Carpenters pop and disco.
A brief synopsis: songwriter Winslow Leach is ripped off by evil record executive Swan, who, thanks to a Faustian pact with the Devil, has been able to ascend to the top of the music industry. Despite Swan’s dodgy deals, thuggish goons and questionable ‘casting couch’ auditions for young female singers, the music exec outsmarts the hapless Leach, who ends up jailed, disfigured and hungry for revenge.
As cheesy and dated as a roller-disco tournament, it’s a surreal film that is gaudy, camp, amoral and somewhat macabre. Yet despite the films ‘70s misogyny and dated palette, Daft Punk are not only massive fans of the film, their choice of headwear was directly influenced by the mask worn by Leach, who becomes ‘The Phantom’ after an accident at a record pressing plant. According to a Guardian interview, you can read here, Daft Punk’s love of Phantom Of The Paradise bordered on teen obsession.
Instead of donning cheap silver bird-like masks like the film’s rather pitiful lead character Leach, these days Daft Punk wear impressive personalised helmets which are valued at US$65,000 each. Even though their helmet budget dwarfs those of director Brian (Scarface, The Untouchables, Carrie) De Palma’s early romp, the film’s hold on the French producers remains strong. The proof? Their last hit album, 2013’s Random Access Memories, pulled Phantom Of The Paradise star Paul Williams into the studio for a vocal appearance on the song "Touch". It was a long way from the grand MOR orchestral sweeps of Williams’ moderately successful 1970 Reprise solo release Someday Man (or for that matter his famous songs such as "The Rainbow Connection", "The Loveboat Theme" and Carpenters hit "We’ve Only Just Begun"), but Touch’s synthesised vocal and bleak theatrical heart echoed the eccentricities of Phantom Of The Paradise.
If you’re looking for a film with a fairytale ending or sermonising, you won’t find it in Phantom Of The Paradise, but if you’ve never been privy to its demented flurry it’s worth seeking out. As for those mad French robots Daft Punk, you can get an insight into their first 20 years of recordings on the This Is: Daft Punk Spotify playlist right here.
-SM
