From hip to hunted: Punk’s not dead, but Vernon Subutex soon might be

Vernon Subutex used to run the hippest record store in Paris. Now he’s broke, without a home, and the target of would-be assassins.

A bearded man, with headphones around his neck, leans on a window.

Romain Duris as Vernon Subutex. Credit: JE Films / Tetra Media Fiction / Canal+

Vernon Subutex (Romain Duris) used to be the coolest man alive. Now that coolness is a distant memory, and the being alive side of things isn’t looking too promising either.

Twenty years ago, his record store Revolver was the heart of a thriving music scene. “I remember, we entered rock as if it was a church. It transported us to other worlds,” he says in a 1995 flashback, weaving his way through his crowded store, filled with a thriving community based around vinyl and Walkmans and physical music.

A flashback to when business was booming for Vernon Subutex (Romain Duris). Credit: Xavier Lahache / JE Films / Tetra Media Fiction / Canal+

We all know how that turned out, so it’s not that big a surprise that in the present day he’s being thrown out of his Paris apartment for owing 16 month’s back rent. Seems the bailiffs can’t be bribed with a test pressing of the first Thugs album, and now he’s out on the street.

Fortunately, Subutex still has famous friends from the old days – like international superstar Alex Bleach (Athaya Mokonzi), who’s in town on tour. What better place to crash out than on a rock star’s couch? But Bleach has secrets of his own, and when a night of truth-telling into Subutex’s video camera while its owner is passed out ends abruptly, our homeless hero is back on the streets, now reliant on the kindness of… well, they may not be strangers, but they’re certainly a little strange.

A bare-chested man in a long black coat and black leather pants stands on stage, pouring alcohol from a bottle on his head. Drums and a guitar can be seen behind him.

Athaya Mokonzi as Alex Bleach. Credit: Xavier Lahache / JE Films / Tetra Media Fiction / Canal+

When the first volume of Virginie Despentes’ trilogy of novels starring Vernon Subutex hit the shelves, The Guardian called it “an achingly cool punk burlesque” and “a foul-mouthed skewering of the morass that is modern society”. Critically acclaimed and a best seller, it was soon shortlisted for the Booker Prize – which seems like exactly the kind of award its lead character would reject (it didn’t win).

Subutex isn’t so much a man who’s refused to grow up as someone who’s never needed to. His arrested development made him the perfect lens through which Despentes took aim at both the trivialities of the internet age and the foolishness of clinging to a fading past. Praised for its satire and its insight, packed with punk energy and with a surprising compassion for their collection of washed-up wasters and upwardly mobile hustlers, the novels were perfect pop culture; it’s no surprise Subutex has now found his way to television screens, with Durif, one of France’s best actors, in the role.

This adaptation (this series covers the first book in the trilogy) captures the grime and energy of the novels in a way that’s authentically excessive. Subutex has spent the past 30 years making friends with artists, outcasts and oddballs, and the version of Paris he staggers through is realistic, comedic, and almost always just that little larger than life.

A man with a beard and chin-length wavy hair, wearing a black jacket, looks sideways.

Vernon Subutex (Romain Duris) has good reason to watch out for trouble. Credit: Xavier Lahache / JE Films / Tetra Media Fiction / Canal+

What makes both the books and this series more than just a holiday in Subutex’s misery is the irreverent attitude towards the pretentions of culture and those who claim to make it. The first character we meet after Subutex is Anais (French singer-songwriter Flora Fishbach), who’s just started work at the film and television production company run by Laurent Dopalet (Laurent Lucas). She’s so modern she’s not entirely sure what to do with physical mail; Laurent explains to her that she’s been hired because his teenage daughter refuses to watch any of his movies but she loves television series. Anais’ job? Come up with the kind of projects that will help him impress his daughter.

As for that letter she didn’t know what to do with, it’s a backstage pass to Alex Bleach’s show. Only Dopalet’s invite has a vague threat scrawled on the back: it seems Bleach has some things he wants to finally get off his chest. So the sudden end of Bleach’s tour should put Dopalet’s mind at ease – only the once-again homeless Subutex is now roaming the streets (and stopping by at fancy high society parties) telling everyone who’ll listen that he has Alex Bleach's confessions on his camera.

A bearded man runs along a street, as if being chased.

Will those chasing him catch up with Vernon Subutex (Romain Duris)? Credit: Xavier Lahache / JE Films / Tetra Media Fiction / Canal+

Soon he’s bouncing from couch to couch, using up favours and passing through the lives of a string of increasingly out-there media and cultural figures. Early on he’s crashing with struggling scriptwriters and former flames from the music scene; as the series goes on he’s tangling with dubious characters like Bleach’s slightly-too-intense ex and a drug-addled businesswoman who hires him to be her in-house DJ.

Hot in his heels throughout his journey is the cutting-edge investigator known as The Hyena (Celine Sallette). An expert in physical investigation and cyber-stalking, she’s been hired to use her skills in media manipulation to bring Subutex – and the recordings he’s carrying – to the surface.

As for what would happen to him if she succeeds… well, what would a rock legend be without a tragic demise?

Veron Subutex is streaming now at SBS On Demand.