Travelling Through... London, the World and Life
STEPHANIE MAIR is an accordionist and singer with her band Oh la la! They gig across the UK and play regularly at Brasserie Zedel in Piccadilly, London. Stephanie's show name is Fifi La Mer and she plays solo as well as in a duo. You may have met her playing French songs and pavement strolling in Lower Marsh on Bastile Day. She joined us at Travelling Through after a gig on our last day as a bookshop and played "Je ne regrette rien". A moment never to be forgotten by those present. Born in London, Stephanie was brought up in Paris by her French mother, also spending time in the north of Scotland with her Scottish father. She travelled to Australia at 17 years old, and on her return to Paris, she began a career singing on the boat tours in Paris. Stephanie came to London and "accidentally" stayed. She was encouraged to sing French songs with an accordionist but her quest for one was futile so she decided to master the skill herself!
THIS IS STEPHANIE'S (Fifi La Mer's) UNIQUE STORY ABOUT LONDON, THE WORLD AND LIFE.
"It was tough,
Financially it was tough, because places don't pay very well,
But I don't mind tough,
If you're going to do something you like,
You have to have some down sides,
If it was easy to do,
Then everybody would be doing it.
And, I feel privileged to be doing what I am doing,
And to make a living from what I enjoy doing,
But it's not easy,
But that's part of it,
It probably makes you play better,
A bit of a challenge is not a bad thing,
You always have to be on top of your game, and always have new ideas."
STEPHANIE’S LONDON MUSINGS…
She likes ice skating at Alexandra Palace.
She loves the level of humidity in the London air it’s just perfect for her.
She doesn’t like public transport but she has to take the tube, or she walks.
Her favourite place on a summer’s day is the pub, with a pub garden. She likes it to spontaneous.
Her favourite English word is “DIABOLICAL”.
She likes to eat, she has a preference for lovely food not defined by a particulr place.
Enjoys the theatre when she gets free tickets to see her friends performing. Not really in to musicals.
Stephanie finds cinema too expensive but loves films.
She likes dinner out as she loves food, and nightlife when it is accidental with friends.
She knows a few nice Turkish places to eat in Wood Green.
Likes to walk to Muswell Hill and to Alexandra Palace to collect her thoughts.
She loves London otherwise she would in the place where she wanted to be.
STEPHANIE’S PARIS MUSINGS…
She was brought up near the rond-point Champs Elysees just around the corner from the stamp market in the film Charade.
Mornings were spent ice skating and school lessons were in the afternoon.
She has no desire to go back to live in Paris.
Stephanie’s fondest memory is ice-skating at the old Patinoire de Champs Elysees now a theatre and when it closed she skated at an even more beautiful open air ice rink called the Patinoire Molitor now a hotel with a swimming pool. When it closed she stopped skating.
Her advise would be to take the boat from the Eiffel Tower with Bateaux Parisienne - the trip is good way to orientate yourself.
STEPHANIE’S OTHER MUSINGS…
She’d like to go places but if there is work to do for example to play on a 10-day cruise.
She loves New York and Luna Park although taking the big wheel was a bit scary for her.
Trips for work take her to Brighton, Yorkshire and other places for a few days, which she loves.
Australia had a big impact on her (curious to go because of the TV series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo). When travelling in Austraila she found she saw a different part of herself and came back to Paris more confident, with lots of enthusiasm so she was getting the jobs.
“London is such a big place, there’s enough people to get on with.”
Although playing live is her main source of income Stephanie remarks:
“to buy our CDs,
Puts a little butter on the spinach.”
MUSIC arrangements are by members of the band Oh la la! The music played throughout this podcast has been inserted with the complete agreement of Stephanie Mair and Oh La La!
Link to PURCHASE their music is https://www.ohlalamusic.co.uk/buy-cds.php
Songs in order of play are:
Amélie: Oh la la! Ensemble Vol.1
Je te veux: Oh la la! Ensemble Vol.2
Les Champs-Élysées: Oh la la! Ensemble Vol.1
Ma p'tite chanson: Oh la la! Ensemble Vol.2
Pigalle: Oh la la! Ensemble Vol.1
C'est si bon: Oh la la! Ensemble Vo.1
Them there eyes: Oh la la! Ensemble Vol.2
J'ai la mémoire qui flanche: Oh la la! Ensemble Vol.2
STEPHANIE'S CONTACT DETAILS ARE...
OH LA LA! website is https://www.ohlalamusic.co.uk/index.php
Find out more and PURCHASE CD's at https://www.ohlalamusic.co.uk/buy-cds.php
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fifi.la.Mer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fifi_la_mer/?hl=en
Oh la la! play regularly at Brasserie Zédel, check them out here https://www.brasseriezedel.com/
ABOUT THIS PODCAST...
Podcast Host Emma, and Travelling Through can be found at: https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/
The Travelling Through Jingle was written and produced by the lovely Mariska Martina https://www.mariskamartina.com/
Show notes 011 STEPHANIE MAIR can be found at this link https://travellingthrough.podbean.com
Thanks to Stephanie Mair for hosting this podcast recording at her home on 05.03.2020.
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