According to metalinjection.net, during an interview with Heavy Consequence, Gojira drummer Mario Duplantier said his recognition by people in public has kicked up a bit but otherwise it is all business as usual for the band: “It’s really subtle. Because we’ve been a band for 30 years and we already had a career and we were touring worldwide. But, yeah, it’s a plus, it’s a bonus. You go to a store and some people are, like, ‘I saw you at the Olympics.’ But it’s not like a crazy change.”

The drummer adds: “Also, it’s a band that played; it’s not like one person. We’re a band and an entity, so it’s not like one of us was the main guy with a name. It’s really Gojira performing over there, but many people don’t realize I’m playing in Gojira, as a band also. But, no, what we can tell it’s the overall respect for the band now, since we did that. And, as I said, we, we were very lucky to be able to do it and having this fucking bonus.”

Duplantier also touched on the fact that Gojira had to keep their performance at the Olympics a secret for the better part of a year: “We received the call back in November 2023, and the ceremony was in July 2024. So, a good couple of months. We had to keep it secret. We worked with the writer of the music of the ceremony, because we were not allowed to play our music. So at first we were, like, ‘That’s weird,’ because we really thought if we could play a song, that would be amazing. But in fact, we really had to create something that fit with the theme of the revolution.”

The artist continues with: “So it was a big challenge, but a very fun challenge as well. And we worked together with Victor Le Manse, with the guy who writes the entire music of the entire ceremony. And, yeah, the relation was perfect and very chill. No drama, no tension, nothing. Joe and I, we had a lot of things to say and we were very free to do almost whatever we wanted, as [long] as it fit with the theme and all that. So yeah, amazing.”

Photo Credit: Ekaterina Gorbacheva