Biography
Dissard was born in Tarbes, France, and grew up in the countryside near the French city of Toulouse before moving at the age of 16 to Mesa, Arizona in the United States following her parents. Dissard relocated to Los Angeles in 1989, briefly roommating to musician Howe Gelb while attending film school at the University of Southern California. Active in Los Angeles' independent film-making scene, she collaborated with directors Clay Walker (filmmaker) and Gregg Araki as well as French distribution company Haut Et Court with the selection of the "Inédits d'Amérique" film series by Jon Jost, Allison Anders and Alex Cox. In 1994, Dissard arrived in Tucson, Arizona to direct a documentary on Howe Gelb's alt-Americana band Giant Sand. She remained in Tucson for nearly two decades, taking an increasingly active part in the city's music scene, from lyricist and muse, to full-fledged producer and performer with her own touring career. Her eleven-year marriage with French musician Naïm Amor ended in 2008. Dissard left Tucson and moved back to Europe in 2013. She lives in Glasgow, Scotland. She was based in Ramsgate, England from 2017 to 2022, with one foot still in Tucson, Arizona and another in Paris, France.Creative life
Dissard has collaborated with Tucson band Calexico (band), Calexico's Joey Burns, who composed her first two albums: lo-fi demo debut 'Dedicated To Your Walls' (2006) and 'L'Entredeux' (2008), which he also produced. An album of bitter love songs, ''L'Entredeux'' won a Coup de Coeur prize from France's Académie Charles Cros in 2009 and was released in Europe by labels Le Pop Musik and Vacilando'68. Dissard's second album, ''L'Abandon'' (2011), also garnered worldwide accolades. Co-produced by BK-One, it tackled subject matters such as her hometown of Tucson, List of songs about abortion#cite note-69, abortion, Mexican porn comic books and marriage. Third album ''The Cat. Not Me'' (2013) was co-written by Dissard and composer Sergio Mendoza of the Tucson mambo ensemble Orkesta Mendoza. Dealing with emotional and physical exhaustion, nightmares, addiction and botched connections, the nonetheless upbeat album premiered at SXSW in 2013, with Seattle producer/musician Budo (musician), Budo and violinist Andrew Joslyn. The live studio album, 2009 ''Paris One Takes (City Series)'' ("a fantastic album") is the first in the ongoing Cities Series of albums recorded with band while on tours. ''Berlin Two Takes (City Series)'', the series' second album, was released in 2012 and included a duet with Belgian singer Arno. Third in the series, ''Cologne Vier Takes (City Series)'' was recorded in Germany in 2015 with guitarist Yan Péchin and vocalist Allyson Ezell. A compilation album ''Cibola Gold: Best Of 2008-2015'' was released in 2016, tracklisted by BK-One. A series of covers recorded from 2020 to 2022 in collaboration with producer Raphael Mann were compiled as album 'Rappel' released by Frizz Records in April 2022. Marianne Dissard has performed from Europe to North America, China as well as Turkey, New Zealand and Australia. Most notable live shows include those at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City in July 2010 and in Europe, at the Dortmund's KonzertHaus in 2010, but also a walking tour of the Pyrénées with donkey in 2010. Festival performances include New Zealand's Sounday in 2010, South By Southwest in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, Joshua Tree Roots Festival, USA (2010) and Split Works' Black Rabbit Festival in China (2011). As a documentary filmmaker, Marianne Dissard has collaborated with Tucson band Giant Sand and Howe Gelb on the music documentary 'Drunken Bees' (1996) and with artists Robbie Conal ('Post No Bills' (1993, co-producing credit), funded by ITVS/PBS), Robert Kramer on camera for French TV-funded film 'Low Y Cool' (2006) and Keja Kramer. Dissard's first fiction film, 'Lonesome Cowgirls', a remake of Andy Warhol's 'Lonesome Cowboys', was conceived as a conceptual companion piece to album 'L'Abandon' and shot in Tucson, Arizona over a strictly-timed 24hrs period in June 2010. Several music videos and short video pieces are also credited to Dissard, including collaborations with Orkesta Mendoza, Bones & Beeker and Amor Belhom Duo. Marianne Dissard's performance collaborations with American-born, Berlin-based choreographer Ami Garmon have been presented at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (exhibit Hiver de l'Amour by Purple Prose 1994), Fondation Cartier (1994), Galleries D'Art Contemporain de Marseille (in residency, 1994) and Videoteca de Lisbon (1994), Arte TV Lounge (2010), Dortmund Konzerthaus (2011), Zurich's Rote Fabrik (2011), Tanz im August Festival in Berlin (2013). Solo performances in 2018-2019 include works for POW Festival Margate and Screaming Alley Ramsgate. As a lyricist, Marianne Dissard has written for Naïm Amor, Fredda, Françoiz Breut, Giant Sand's Howe Gelb, Christian Ravaglioli, Allyson Ezell and herself. She was the main lyricist for French avant-pop duo Amor Belhom Duo. Her bilingual French-English poetry and writings have been published in ''Spork'' and other English-language literary magazines. Her first book ''Not Me'', a lauded memoir of her life struggles with eating disorders, was released in 2019. The book was adapted to the stage in 2018 with Megan Garrett-Jones, and toured in a walking tour of East Kent in 2019. All 2020 UK-wide theatrical performances of ''Not Me'' were cancelled by the pandemic. In 2020, Dissard turned to street photography, creating a first body of work entitled ''Hands, Faces, Ramsgate: The Year Christmas Was Cancelled.'' A public outdoor installation of the photographic series was presented in Ramsgate in summer 2021 followed by an invitation to exhibit at Turner Contemporary Gallery's 2021 Open and an invitation to join the roster of Ramsgate-based UK gallerist Laurent Delaye. In January 2022, the photos were exhibited in Paris at Louxor Cinema. Her first UK gallery solo show in summer 2022 was held at The Glasgow Gallery of Photography and the occasion of the publication of two photobooks.Discography
Albums
* ''Rappel'' (covers) (2021) * ''Cibola Gold: Best Of 2008-2015'' (2016) * ''Cologne Vier Takes (Cities Series road CD), Cologne Vier Takes'' (City Series) (2015) * ''The Cat. Not Me (album), The Cat. Not Me'' (2014) * ''Berlin Two Takes (Cities Series road CD), Berlin Two Takes'' (City Series) (2012) * ''L'Abandon (album), L'Abandon'' (2011) * ''Paris One Takes (Cities Series road CD), Paris One Takes'' (City Series) (2010) * ''L'Entredeux (album), L'Entredeux'' (2009) * ''Dedicated To Your Walls. May They Keep Blooming (demo album), Dedicated To Your Walls. May They Keep Blooming'' (2006)EPs
* ''Won't You Please'' (2022) * ''Limited-edition'' (2009), 7" split single with Desing * ''Limited-edition'' (2008), 7″ split single with Alaska in Winter * ''Limited-edition'' (2006), 7″ four songs from "Dedicated To Your Walls"Compilations and contributions
* I Saved Latin, A Wes Anderson Tribute - American Laundromat Records (2014) * Tucson Songs – Le Pop Musik (2011) * Rough Guide to Paris Lounge – Rough Guides (2011) * Le Pop 6 – Le Pop Musik (2010) * Eight for Matisse – Barbes Records / MOMA (2010) * Le Pop 5 – Le Pop Musik (2009) * Ballade En France – Universal Australia (2009) * Le Pop Les Filles – Le Pop Musik (2008) * Trikont's Christmas compilation (2008) * Christmas in Tucson – independent (2007) * Wish You – Trikont Records (2007) with Amparo Sanchez * Kris Kristofferson tribute – independent (2006) * Filles Fragiles – Filles Sourires (2006) * Loving Takes Its Toll, a Tribute to Kath Bloom on Chapter Music (2006)Collaborations – lyrics
* On Christian Ravaglioli's albums "Il giovane Valzer" (2014) and "Ti Confido Un Segreto", including single "Love Is Love" (2018) with Sara Jane Morris * On Vanessa Philippe's album "My Man" (2014) * On Fredda's album "L'Ancolie" (2012) * On Naïm Amor's EP ''Introducing... (Naïm Amor album), Introducing...'' (2008) * With Amparo Sánchez (2008) on track * On Giant Sand's album "All Over The Map" * On Naïm Amor's album ''Mistake Love'' (2005) * On Amor Belhom Duo's album "Live in Tucson" (2001) * On Amor Belhom Duo's album "Self-titled" (1999) * On Amor Belhom Duo's album "Wavelab Performance" (1998)Collaborations – singing
* "The Best" duo with The Inspector Cluzo (2018 and 2019) * On Christian Ravaglioli's album "Il giovane Valzer" (2014) and "Ti confido un segreto" (2018) * "Un Gros Chat" duo with Arno (2012) * Noah and the Megafaun – (2011) * Ultra – Brian Lopez (2011) * Ballad of Cable Hogue – on "Hot Rail" by Calexico (band), Calexico (2000) * Elevator Baby – on Tête A Tete" by ABBC (Amor Belhom Duo & Calexico (band), Calexico) (2001)Collaborations – producing
* Orso Jesenska - Album "Effacer La Mer" (2014) * Vanessa Philippe - Album "My Man" (2014)Bibliography
* ''Not Me'' (2018) MemoirFilmography
* ''Tortue'' (2016), 4 min music video for Dissard album "The Cat. Not Me". Director, producer, editor. * ''World Behind'' (2015), 4 min music video for Bones & Beeker. Director, editor. * ''Je Ne Le Savais Pas'' (2014), 4 min music video for Dissard album "The Cat. Not Me". Director, producer, editor. * ''Election'' (2014), 3 min music video for Dissard album "The Cat. Not Me". Director, producer, editor. * ''Mouton Bercail'' (2013), 3 min music video for Dissard album "The Cat. Not Me". Director, producer, editor. * ''Am Letzen'' (2013), 3 min music video for Dissard album "The Cat. Not Me". Director, producer, editor. * ''Close Your Eyes And Add A Touch of Nothing'' (2014), full-length video of Ami Garmon's and Frank Willens' dance performance. Director. * ''Mambo in the Dark'' (2012), 2 min music video for "Mambo Mexicano" by Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkesta. Director, editor. * ''Lonesome Cowgirls'' (2011), 52 min conceptual video remake of Andy Warhol's "Lonesome Cowboys". Director, producer, actor. * ''Eté, Hiver'' (2011), 5 min music video for Dissard album "L'Abandon". Director, producer, editor, actor. * ''The One And Only'' (2011), 5 min music video for Dissard album "L'Abandon". Director, producer, editor, actor. * ''Les Draps Sourds'' (2008), 3 min music video for Dissard album "L'Entredeux". Director, producer, actor. * ''Dublin: Celtic Traveler'' (2001), 52 min documentary for TV Breitzh, France. Director. * ''Reminds Me'' (2011), 4 min music video for Amor Belhom Duo. Director, producer, editor. * ''Low Y Cool'' (1997), 52 min documentary for Planête, France with Robert Kramer on camera. Director. * ''Low Y Cool (short)'' (1995), 8 min documentary. Director, producer, editor. * ''Drunken Bees'' (1995–2005), 30 min documentary on Giant Sand. Director, producer, editor. * ''Post No Bills'' (1993), 57 min documentary on Robbie Conal, funded for PBS by ITVS. Co-producer, sound recordist.References
External links