For a few years now, the music sector has been reflecting on how to reduce the high climate footprint of tours, concerts and festivals. Bands like Coldplay have even considered scrapping tours due to their environmental impact and there are many initiatives in this area that claim to reduce waste or emissions. A particular case is that of the French musician Yann Tiersen (Brest, 54 years old), composer of the soundtracks of films such as Amelia either Goodbye, Lenin!who is currently touring Spain traveling by sailboat and van with “eco-responsible” driving. Since 2022 he no longer uses planes on his tours, so to tour Spanish venues with his music he left by boat a few weeks ago from the southern coast of France in the Mediterranean. First he gave several concerts in the Balearic Islands, then he headed towards Valencia and in the next few dates he will play in different parts of the Peninsula, moving slowly by van. As he explains, “the idea is to do only 200 kilometers a day and not drive at more than 100 kilometers per hour to save fuel and be as sustainable as possible.”
Ask. Why do you start touring by boat or driving a maximum of 200 kilometers a day?
Answer. What a question. Because I don’t want to continue touring by plane, we have to live with the times and we can’t afford these things in our time.
Q. But if you did use the plane before, what happens to stop doing so.
R. I think that in our time we have to act. There was a reflection, I was not okay with myself going on tour by plane or spending my time on a bus. We live in an ultra-capitalist world in which money is God, I want to try to disobey those rules and tour in a different way, in which money is not the center. On my sailing tour last year I did many free concerts. My job is to play music, not make pasta. I wanted to react and act according to my ideas.
Q. Don’t you tour to make money?
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R. Yes of course. But not only.
Q. Is traveling more slowly, at a maximum of 100 kilometers per hour, just for ecology?
R. In this case it is really to save gasoline, because it is not fun.
Q. Sometimes the best path is the one that involves the most complications?
R. It is a complication, but sought after. It’s a lot of work, a lot of preparation, a lot of complications and a lot of happiness too. Because it’s difficult, but things happen, it’s better than waiting in the hall of an airport.
Q. Do you also take the environment into account when creating music?
R. Music is inspired by what one lives, I live on a small island in the west of Brittany, so nature inspires my music a lot.
Q. Don’t the messages of modern music often go in the opposite direction?
R. No, on the contrary, I think that we live in a quite exciting period and that a lot of things are happening. There are a lot of young groups and a lot of reflection.
Q. Also the big music stars?
R. What is interesting in life is not necessarily the big stars and very commercial things. I think more about small groups and more alternative music. That’s where I come from. And then there are people who, regardless of how successful they are, are also quite responsible.
Q. So don’t you think that musicians should get more involved in facing challenges such as the climate crisis?
R. I don’t care if musicians are responsible in their music. This is a matter of creativity. I simply think it’s time to consider whether touring cannot be done any other way. Well, tours can have a very impact on carbon dioxide emissions, especially the big ones.
Q. But culture is key to changing very impactful dynamics and habits of society.
R. That’s more like politics. You have to vote for good people and this way the world will get better. We musicians are responsible when we go to vote. That’s all.
Q. Can the mega tours of the big stars be changed?
R. I take my sailing boat tours to act according to my convictions, but it is not worth wasting saliva or paper to say that there are others who do something else and that it is not right. I don’t care. Furthermore, each one has their problems. I believe that the resolution of problems is political, the world needs to act. We have to make the revolution and go down to the streets. But we live in an ultra-capitalist world where there are people looking to do business. Maybe we have to find a new way to do all this, but I don’t know anything.
