Cover image: Felice Rosser as a study abroad student in Paris
Image courtesy of Felice Rosser
Musician and writer Felice Rosser participated in Day 4 of our Art & Conversation event, sharing her perspective on Creation as Medicine – Art as Self-care. She recently came to Paris and performed at the Jeu de Paume art center. I had the pleasure of meeting her in person and learned that she studied in Paris during the 1970s. She graciously granted WIF this interview, in which she shares the story of her time in the City of Light.
WIF: When did you first come to Paris and for what reason?
FR: I came to Paris in September 1977 for my senior year abroad at Barnard College through Reid Hall.
WIF: How long did you stay here?
FR: I stayed until June 1978. I came again September 1979 and stayed until June 1980.
WIF: What neighborhood(s) did you live in and frequent?
FR: When I first arrived, I stayed in a small hotel in the 14th arrondissement (district) near my school, Reid HalI. I then moved in with other American students near metro Ledru-Rollin in the 12th. I finally found my own place near Place de Clichy in the 17th.
When I returned to Paris in September 1979, I lived with a French friend near metro Jules Joffrin, then shared an apartment with an American student near Château Rouge in the 18th. My last residence in Paris was with a French friend and his family in the 14th near Montparnasse.
Left: Courtyard at Reid Hall; Right: Place de Clichy
WIF: How would you compare your experience living in Paris at that time with your experience living in the U.S.?
FR: Coming to Paris was an extraordinary experience for me. I felt I’d left America and stepped out into another world. At that time, without the internet and modern devices that connect us, I had never seen so many North Africans, Africans, so many people from all over the world.
I lunched every day in a Vietnamese restaurant for 12 francs. I walked near Place de la République and saw North African shops with huge barrels of spices and olives right on the street and calf’s heads hanging from hooks in the ceiling. The scarves and prayer rugs, the incense and music of Idir, Ait Mengelait, and Nass el Ghiwane were mesmerizing.
WIF: Did you perform when you lived here?
FR: I didn’t perform in Paris. I was just beginning to play the bass. I rehearsed with my friends. We started a band and did some recording.
WIF: What was your favorite thing about the city?
FR: My favorite thing about the city was its mystery, and how I could feel so free and anonymous. I made discoveries on every block – the Opéra lit at night on a cold walk from Montparnasse to Clichy, looking for an apartment in Libération (a French newspaper) and going to the address in the 10th, some mysterious place that catered to immigrants, opening the downstairs door and listening to the silence: “Does anyone live here?” No answer … just a feeling. Keep moving.
Opéra at night
WIF: What is your fondest memory of that time?
FR: I attended a concert by the group Nass El Ghiwane. I’d been going to concerts since childhood, but was unprepared for that joyous, truly all-ages show. The crowd spanned babies to the elderly, and was a wonderful celebration.
WIF: Where else did you travel when you lived here?
FR: Amsterdam, London, Chartres, and Brussels.
WIF: How did living abroad change your life?
FR: It let me know there is s big world out there, so many traditions and ways of life. It sparked an enormous curiosity about the world. My French language improved, and opened the world of French Africa to me.
WIF: You recently returned to Paris. Please tell us the circumstances that brought you back to the City of Light.
FR: My friend, filmmaker Vivienne Dick, had a retrospective at Musée Jeu de Paume. I’m in one of her films that was shown, so my husband and a group of friends came to see the retrospective. I also sang three songs during the first night of the retrospective.
WIF: Aside from performing at the Jeu de Paume, what did you do during this trip?
FR: I have a large size foot and there are 2 shoe stores in Paris that cater to women with my size. I was able to TRY SHOES ON IN THE STORE!!!!
We went to my old addresses, mostly just to conjure up the girl I once was, to feel her once again. We walked the city. I’d never spent much time in the 7th where our hotel was, so we walked to Invalides and Place de la Concorde.
Place de la Concorde
WIF: What changes did you observe in the city compared to when you lived here?
FR: Château Rouge was a quiet area when I lived there. Now it’s a bustling international metropolis. Busy, diverse and fascinating.
Metro at Château Rouge
WIF: What advice would you give to young people who are considering studying abroad?
FR: Do it!!!!
WIF: What advice would you give to performers who want to come to Paris to work?
FR: When the door opens, do whatever you have to do to go through it.
WIF: Any final thoughts?
FR: I’m so grateful I’ve had the opportunity to travel abroad.
