Paris Nuggets

When I listen to early Iron Maiden, or Bon Scott era AC/DC, I remember one particular “nugget” of Paris, France: a record store on George V called Nuggets.   Somehow I doubt it’s there anymore, but I remember it fondly.   I bought AC/DC’s High Voltage (US/European version) from there, and I recall an Iron Maiden display in the entrance windows.  It wasn’t nearly as large as FNAC, nor as claustrophobic as other record stores in Paris.  The prices were reasonable, and they had lots of other stuff – as you might find in a FYE in the US these days.

While I’m on the topic of Paris, I might as well bring up other issues, though not the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, the Champs Elysees, the Louvre or any other tourist locations.

Roscoe’s.   This was a dingy bar a few blocks off the Champs Elysees.  I have to admit I never went there when we were still going to the American School of Paris, but I certainly went there while back in Paris during college: the drinking age in Paris is something low like 14.  We could usually expect to run into a fair amount of ASP alumni there.   I exclusively drank Heineken there.

The Marine House.   Around the corner from Roscoe’s was the Marine House, on Boetie.  We went to a few parties there, and I worked in the building, the RAMC department, in summer 1989.  It has a small café on the ground floor, but for lunch we’d have to go to the cafeteria at the Embassy – not too far to walk – or simply eat something at McDonalds or Burger King on the Champs Elysees.   I had to laugh about bringing our friend John Ellis here after he graduated from Boston University – and ROTC.  Since the highest ranking Marine was the commanding sergeant, 2LT Ellis (newly minted) outranked the entire Marine detachment. 

Neuilly Compound.  The US Embassy had two apartment complexes on the west side of town.  This one, next to the Bois de Boulogne, on Rue de la Ferme (“Farm Street” – no farm there anymore) had two four story buildings and a playground.  We lived here from February 1979 to March 1984.

Boulogne Compound.   When my parents swung by this place, I was amazed:  I had no idea it existed.  The same types of buildings, except 3 three story buildings.  The Marines would host Fourth of July parties there during the summer, which was our main reason to go there.  We also trick-or-treated there for Halloween (in addition to doing so earlier at our home compound).

Clignancourt.   North central Paris, right inside the Peripherique (Paris’ Beltway) is this huge outdoor flea market.  My initial quest going there was trying to find – with zero success – a WWI German pickelhaube.  Instead we discovered it was a great place to score heavy metal t-shirts and patches.  They also sold back issues of porno mags and US letter jackets for the French teenagers to wear – for some reason, looking like a 50’s US teenager was in style for some time.

La Defense & Les Quatre Temps.   La Defense is a big network of skyscrapers west of Paris.   Nestled underneath, along with a huge RER and SNCF station, is a mall: Les Quatre Temps.  Not exactly identical to a US mall, but it was close enough.  A small record store, a big toy store, a Cafeteria Casino, and much more.

Puteaux.   This was an outdoor swimming pool within walking distance of the Neuilly compound.  It had a high diving board, and you could also rent large inner tubes.  After running off the high dive a few times, we’d relax in the inner tubes.

Courbevoie.  Up northwest of Paris, this had a small mall, a pool, and a bowling alley.  I recall getting firecrackers there once. 

Le Vesinet & Abbe Pierre.  The latter was a huge flea market with a river of broken toilets and pottery.  If you were looking for a used toilet or all kinds of stuff, you might find it here.  I can’t remember what my parents bought here, but it was nothing that interested me.   Out further, at Le Vesinet, was an English bookstore, Tridias.  I believed we went to a Casino supermarket in Le Peq.

Sunday Brunch.   Our Catholic family went to mass at St. Joseph’s, on Ave.  Hoche right off the Etoile.  After church, we’d go somewhere.  First was a McDonald’s near a Rex Theater, which had a video arcade next to it.  This McDonald’s was a first generation greasy spoon, with horrendous green fries, greasy tables, and flies.  The arcade was cleaner.   Second was brunch at the American Legion, a few blocks off the Champs Elysees.  My dad was like Rod Swanson, a big breakfast enthusiast.  But bacon, eggs, and orange juice were not my scene.  Third was breakfast at Burger King, right on the Champs, with a visit to the video arcade next door.  That one had Pacman, Space Invaders, Galaxian, and Rolling Thunder.  

A Tribute to FNAC

What is FNAC?  One of the largest record stores in Paris.  Now it has locations in Spain and Brazil.  But the ones I’m most familiar with are the locations at Wagram and Les Halles, Paris.

 When I grew up in the US in the 70s, there was no Tower Records, no Virgin Records, no Target or Wal-Mart.  You could get music at K-Mart or Sears, but most likely you bought it at a small record store in a mall (Sam Goody or Kemp Mill Records).  The first two records we bought were Sha Na Na (me) and KISS Hotter Than Hell (my brother) at a small shop in Gaithersburg.  This was back when the stores stocked vinyl, cassettes, and 8-tracks.  But as a kid I wasn’t buying records, I couldn’t drive around, and my musical tastes were obviously immature:  Sha Na Na and the Beach Boys, that was it.

 Then we moved to Paris, France in January 1979.  I started growing up, becoming a teenager, and developing a taste for music and an insatiable desire for it – which continues to this day.  I quickly found out where the record stores were and how they were set up.

 Paris has a few small shops, but they had poor selections and high prices.  They obviously couldn’t compete with FNAC, the huge chain.  I was most familiar with the branch on Ave. Wagram, just a few blocks from the Etoile, but I’d also been to the Les Halles store a few times (where I bought The White Album on CD) and the Montparnasse store once.  That one was out of the way on the Left Bank, whereas the Wagram store was pretty much in my backyard.  In fact, it was on my way home from school where the late bus dropped us off.

I’d keep my lunch down to a Coke and fries at the school cafeteria (maybe a Raider – aka Twix – bar for dessert) and save the rest of the money to buy records.

 FNAC also sold concert tickets.  They posted the shows on a whiteboard in marker, and the tickets were all general admission.  They tore the tickets off a booklet, and rather than the plain generic blue/white ticket you get from Ticketmaster, these were in full color with the album cover.  

 FNAC did have some realistic competition.  A store called Nuggets, off George V, was fairly large.  The window display showed Iron Maiden and Killers, the first time I’d been exposed to that band.  But my shopping at this store was primary focused on getting as many AC/DC albums as I could: High Voltage, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Let There Be Rock, and Powerage (we got Highway to Hell and Back in Black for Christmas, and found If You Want Blood (You Got It) at the PX in Germany).  For Those About To Rock hadn’t come out yet.

 Another competitor was Bazar Hotel de Ville (BHV, pronounced “Bay Osh Vay”), a large department store next to... the Hotel de Ville (east side of Right Bank) with a huge record department.  I got my first Deep Purple album, Deepest Purple, on vinyl there.  I knew I wanted “Smoke on the Water” but also wanted as many other songs as possible, which is why I didn’t get Machine Head to start off with.

 Much later, about the time I was in college and coming back on semester break, Virgin Records opened a store on the Champs Elysees.  The store was about as large as FNAC and equally stocked and priced.  They were close enough together (within walking distance).  When I’d wake up from jet lag on returning to Paris, the first place I’d walk to was here.  I’d even browse through and come up with a “shopping” list to compare notes with my friend Ken about which import versions to get.

 A fourth, and unlikely, competitor, was Uncle Sam.  The Army-Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) runs the Post Exchanges (PXs) at various US military bases.  We went to the base at SHAPE, Belgium, as it was closest to Paris.  Normally you don’t expect a PX to have anything close to a decent selection, but somehow, every now and then, you’d find something really special.  I got Sad Wings of Destiny and Sin After Sin (Judas Priest) there – and got Master of Reality (Black Sabbath) on tape at the PX at Henderson Hall, a Marine base next to Arlington Cemetary.

 RIP Tower Records.  While I’m on the topic, I should give this issue a mention.  As a fan of a wide variety of obscure music – which you WON’T find at Sam Goody, FYE, or Best Buy – I was particularly addicted to Tower Records.  Bar none, the top place to find Hawkwind CDs, at least before Amazon.com rolled around.  Whoever did the buying at the Tyson’s store was a trooper.  I snagged the first Hawkwind CD (self-titled) and Space Ritual there, among many other fantastic finds.  In fact, it was so good I barely missed buying records overseas. 

 Online buying.  Amazon.com of course, but also Allthatsheavy.com (the Stoner Rock store), and the King Crimson website is a great source for their own music.  I still go to Best Buy and Borders occasionally, but for every CD I buy in the store, I probably buy 3-4 online.

 But for me it all started with FNAC in Paris.  It was living there that I got into AC/DC, heavy metal, and also started learning to play guitar.  FNAC was very much an important part of my life growing up in Paris.

P.S. 2019.  Fall of 2017 I went back to Paris for the first time since leaving there in August 1990.  You can bet I went to FNAC again - though the locations are slightly different.  Ample supply of CDs AND vinyl.  (Homer drooling)...