Brice Partouche Is Listening to Bruce Springsteen, David Allan Coe, and Danzig

This is “Add to Queue,” our attempt to sort through the cacophony of music floating in the algorithmic atmosphere by consulting the experts themselves. Our favorite people tell us about their favorite music—the sad, the happy, the dinner party-y, the songs they want played at their funeral. In this edition, we speak with the Parisian Brice Partouche, avid runner, punk rocker, former skater, and founder of Satisfy Running,a brand altering the perception of running with what Partouche calls  “a romanticized” approach to the running experience, making it less about performance and more about satisfaction. “It’s a Jim Jarmusch movie. It’s Easy Rider,” says the 43-year-old. Below, Interview spoke with Partouche about the music he’s listening to on the occasion of Satisfy’s Run! Punk Run!,  a capsule collection inspired by a picture of Joe Strummer, of The Clash, running the London marathon in 1983 wearing a ripped tank top looking “so cool and punk rock.”

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ERNESTO MACIAS: What have you been listening to lately?

BRICE PARTOUCHE: Lately, I’ve been listening to the latest Bruce Springsteen album, Letter to You. I think it’s a pretty good album.

MACIAS: Any song in particular?

PARTOUCHE: I watched the movie he did around the recording of the album. I like “Ghosts,” and “Letter to You” is great. “The Power of Prayer.” Of course, I prefer the old stuff. Also, I’ve been listening to a lot of Pink Floyd. I’ve been listening to a lot of reggae as well. I love the classic stuff, like Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, and Bunny Wailer. My background in music is punk rock, but what it says to me when you’re 15 and you listen to thrash metal or punk rock, it’s culture.

MACIAS: Who was the earliest musician to influence you, specifically when you were skating?

PARTOUCHE: When I was skating, I was really into heavy metal, specifically Metallica.

MACIAS: Where was your first concert and who was playing?

PARTOUCHE: I was 12, and it was a French punk band called Mano Negra, basically the French Clash. French people are very curious. They love to have their own version of what already exists, but 10 years after.

MACIAS: And where was the concert?

PARTOUCHE: My hometown of Grenoble. I was 12. I went with my cousin, she was 16. And I remember she had a beer, and she told me, “Don’t tell your uncle that I’m having a beer.”

MACIAS: What was the last concert you went to?

PARTOUCHE: The last concert I went to was Diiv. It’s like an indie band. The guy, the singer, wears a lot of animal liberation T-shirts and stuff. So I think that his background is punk rock and  Straight Edge.

MACIAS: What’s the song that always puts you in a running mood?

PARTOUCHE: I think that’s the whole Powerslave album from Iron Maiden. That’s the best album for running because it’s a 50-minutes album, and it’s perfect for 10K.

MACIAS: What song takes you back to your youth and why?

PARTOUCHE: Any AC/DC song. I discovered AC/DC when I was 10 or 11, and they’re my all-time favorite band. When I was eight, I got introduced to The Beatles, and I really loved them. I had a big Beatles and then a big Rolling Stones period. And then, because of the Rolling Stones, I got into blues and soul music.

MACIAS: What song is the best breakup anthem?

PARTOUCHE: I made the breakup playlist many times. Maybe it’s going to sound a bit strange, but there’s this song that resonates for me, “Please Come to Boston” from David Allan Coe.

MACIAS: What are some songs or artists that you would put on a dinner party playlist?

PARTOUCHE: Maybe some groovy stuff. So I will go for some soul, like Candi Staton, but it really depends on what type of friends. I have some friends, and we just listen to black metal during dinner. But as long as the music is good.

MACIAS: What about a playlist to walk around the city to?

PARTOUCHE: In Paris, I’ve been listening to the new War on Drugs album, Live Drugs. It’s very good. In the morning, I’ve been listening to some Zambian or Nigerian psychedelic rock music, especially from the label Now-Again.

MACIAS: What is your go-to karaoke song?

PARTOUCHE: Danzig, “Mother.”

MACIAS: When was the last time you did that song on karaoke?

PARTOUCHE: I think It was last Christmas with my friend. We had a pizza party at my place. It was a goth pizza party and then we went straight to the karaoke place after, dressed in goth. It was so fun.

MACIAS: What’s your favorite movie soundtrack?

PARTOUCHE: Well, any Sergio Leone movie, all the Ennio Morricone stuff. I’m a huge western fan. I like Americana through the lens of European directors.

MACIAS: If your life were a TV show, what would be the theme song?

PARTOUCHE: [Laughs] When you say that, I immediately thought about Curb Your Enthusiasm, because I can relate to Larry David so much.

Listen to Brice Patrouche’s “Add To Queue” playlist below, and follow Interview on Spotify for more.