"I admit it, I'm not a great traveller. In my life, I must have made a few short visits here and there; once to Tunisia, another time to Morocco. They were very beautiful places, but I never felt the need to go back. To say how attached I am to other details, I remember this cruise around the most beautiful cities of the Mediterranean. Well, the most exciting thing I found was the boat itself: an eleven-storey building!
I think the most important part of a trip is elsewhere. It's not the places you discover that count, it's the moments you experience with the person accompanying you. The most important thing about a trip is being able to share the emotions you feel. I don't see much point in going it alone.
But that doesn't mean I'm a homebody. I need to get out and about, especially nearAvignonwhere I live. I like walking very early in the morning, when there are few people around and I can enjoy the peace and quiet. I'm also part of a choir, and we sometimes travel to other towns.
A few years ago, we had a wonderful trip to Italynot far from Rome. All the members of the choir were on the same bus! The atmosphere during the journey was exceptional. We were fooling around, taking photos of people who had fallen asleep in ridiculous positions. It was really funny. And then, of course, we sang. That's the idea of happiness sharing a journey with people whose company you enjoy. Choirs from different countries travel to each other's homes. There's a real sense of sharing.
I particularly like long TGV journeys. I find the atmosphere in stations galvanising.
As part of my job as designerI've also travelled around France, taking part in festivals and book fairs. Getting away from my daily routine and taking the train is an immense pleasure for me. I particularly like trips that last a very long time in TGV. I find the atmosphere in railway stations galvanising. Watching people hurrying along with their suitcases on wheels, couples chatting to each other, hearing the announcements echoing in the concourse, it all appeals to me. I love this atmosphere. The airports inspires me a little less, I find there a little anxiety-inducing. I don't hate flying, mind you, but I'm always a little apprehensive when it comes to boarding.
No, really, for me there's nothing better than travelling by train. Sitting quietly with the scenery outside your window, the houses, the fields, the cows grazing. You plunge peacefully into a book, or chat with your neighbour, or even do nothing at all, and fall asleep.
I remember the day a ticket inspector arrived and, instead of checking tickets, he started making jokes with clown gadgets. He made the whole carriage laugh, and nobody was fined! There should be a lot more people like this guy! Of course, I've never seen him since. That's a shame.
This is typically the kind of thing that can inspire me to draw my comic strips. I write my ideas down all the time on anything I can find, a piece of paper, a piece of napkin, a cheque, even the back of my hand if I have to! My livelihood is all around me, in these situations of the everyday life that are my raw material.
Interview by Agnès Abécassis
KEY DATES
- 1940 : Born in Heliopolis, near Cairo, on 17 December.
- 1968 and 1969: His two sons were born in Lebanon, where he lived for some fifteen years.
- 1976 : Arrival in France.
- 1981 : Publication of his first comic Debiloff profondikoum.
