(313) Laurent Garnier's troubles

[Michael . Elliot-Knight]

I just got this email from F Comm -
Welcome to the home of the brave and the land of the free - as long as you
can get past the bouncer
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   DATES THIS WEEKEND IN ATLANTA, NEW YORK AND CHICAGO CANCELLED                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
    I'm again not coming for my gigs in the States this weekend. Really believe 
me I've tried everything, but here is 
   what we have to deal with now with the US embassy in Paris.                  
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   After obtaining a new passport 2 weeks ago, it was sent directly to the US 
Embassy.                                
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   Since the Iraq conflict, it is totally forbidden to access the premises. You 
can only send documents by special    
   courier like "Chronopost" (our equivalent to Fedex or DHL)                   
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   There is no way you can speak to anybody on the phone, free of charge, 
unless a matter of life or death!!!!,       
   otherwise you have to pay via credit card 15 Euros (= 15 dollars) for a 
"recorded" conversation to be able to ask  
   a question !!!!! (believe me we tried it and we only go one person once on 
the phone for about 10 trials).         
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   So far it is simple !!! ....... But that is nothing.                         
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   It says on the Embassy's web site that a visa takes 5 days to get done 
......(this was true in the past as I       
   already applied for about 8 visas for the past 10 years, without any 
trouble)                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   After waiting for 8 days with no reply whatsoever ......(remember it's 
impossible to get in touch with them) we    
   then decided to send a fax to ask about my visa, the following day somebody 
got back on the phone to my agent      
   literally insulting her, asking her who the hell did she think she was to 
ask things like that !!!!!........       
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   We finally got back my passport this afternoon ....and guess what !!!! it 
says that my request was incomplete ???? 
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   01)  My pictures were not conform to the new demand of the US Embassy 
...they were of course regular passport      
   pictures (sounds pretty obvious doesn't it) but these don't work anymore for 
a US visa in France. They actually    
   now request a very precise size, back drop colour, and format for the 
pictures, (they now give you a couple of     
   addresses where to go and get those pictures done).............I got my 
little ruler out, checked the size,        
   everything is conform regarding size and colour, but they still refused it 
.....I don't know but maybe they don't  
   accept people wearing tee shirts anymore on the photos !!!!! This had never 
been specified before to me.           
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   02)  They now asked me to fill a new form that is compulsory for people 
living in Iraq, Iran, Libya, Ireland,      
   Syria, North Korea, Sudan ,Cuba .!!!!!!!                                     
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   Yes you are not dreaming .......... It looks like France is now either 
considered as a terrorist ,a communist or a 
   threatening country !!!!!                                                    
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   Here are just a few questions from this form:                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   -Give all the names of every single country you have visited in the last 10 
years, also give the years of each     
   visit  (I have roughly thought a minute about this one, each time I've been 
abroad in the past 10 years I would    
   have to put around 900 dates and countries)                                  
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   -Have you ever been involved in an armed conflict...?  (that's a good one, 
euhhh not really other than what the    
   television shows me every day....)                                           
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   -Have you got special experience with explosives, nuclear, chemical, 
biological weapons? (heuuu sorry I'm French,  
   we make very good Camembert, does that count??)                              
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
    This form has never EVER been required before .........                     
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
    So here are the facts: I have paid 3400 Dollars !!!(yes you've heard right 
3400 Dollars) to the US embassy in     
   December 2002 for a visa that they still won't give me yet.                  
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   They did not refuse it, it is more unclear than that, they are just making 
it impossible for me to receive it.     
   .......                                                                      
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   They were fully aware of my dates of departure ,they only waited until this 
morning to tell me that they needed    
   new things that they never requested before !!!!!!                           
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   Quite frankly I'm getting very sick and pissed off with the situation, and 
to see that we cannot access the        
   Embassy and have tried to move mountains I'll never get my visa before next 
week ........and even that is not      
   sure.                                                                        
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   This is what we have to go through now - is that the price that French 
artists have to pay because of our          
   government's position?                                                       
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   Well all I can say is that I hope that one day artists will be free again to 
travel to the States, but until that  
   date it doesn't look like I am going to be able to come over and play 
records for you.                             
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   With regret,                                                                 
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
                                                                                
                                      
   Laurent Garnier