I'm sorry, I cannot let that go through........ (just to let everybody
knows, I'm french !)
I think you're a bit biased in your opinions: he never claimed at any
moment that it is easy to get a visa to come to france, so why do you
call him a lier ? I'm not denying what you say: I know for a fact that
it's a complete nightmare to get a french visa (having french friends
married with girls from africa, with kids etc. and they've been through
hell just to get the wife's kids to get a visa); I think he's just
telling his story, sometimes with some arrogance (why would he be taken
as a special case ?, I agree with you !), sometimes even with humor
(reading your story, I understand that the camembert anecdote doesn't
make you laugh), but nothing more ! he's just expressing his frustration !
but you need to know that DJs can't get easily in the US on a tourist
visa (last example: Steve Rachmad, who flew from the netherlands, and
was sent back by the immigration); so that's why he needs a visa !
I then want to point that you're making false claims: for example, there
was a time after 1996 where you were actually going inside the ambassy
to get a visa, you were able to talk to to people etc. (I did it in
1999, for example); then, his points about not being able to get any
useful info from the ambassy is soooooo right (you can wait for months,
and then they tell you that the picture is the wrong size !); finally to
clarify, the money he spent was probably because he didn't do the
paperwork himself, but because he used a lawyer, so he's not on crack !
then, to answer your question "who cares ?": just a few thousand people
who wanted to see him play; not to mention himself, but you probably
don't care !
ok, now, back to music........
cheers,
sylvain
Sylvia wrote:
Crap!
See I told you about this guy back in years, now here we go.
What kind of propaganda he tries to organize here ?
I guess it is the style of thanking that he sends to UR as UR was keen to
play for one of his party at the Rex club in Paris, 3 weeks ago.
For people who knows me, they know I'm not affiliated with the US government
as the opposite I'm an activist and work for guerrilla news and indymedia
so.....
But I hate this kind of lies. Does Laurent Garnier think it's better for an
immigrant in France ? I can describe to him the process when people have not
a French nationality and want to come, leave or just study in France, it's a
daily struggle..! That's worst because not the same rules apply to
everybody, French immigration rules depend of the country you come from.
Someone says discrimination here ?
We have some French people on the list even if they don't participate yet,
and we went in US 2 weeks ago so....
I personally got a new passport as well, I travel to US for 18 years now
more than 4 times a year and I went in US during the Iraq "war".
True that since 09/11 2 new US rules apply today : now before the plane
takes off, the company you travel with must sent to the US administration
your full passport info but they warn you before the boarding plus your
passport must be valid six month after your return date.
I have to admit that time to time I have big trouble passing through the US
immigration, for US anti drugs dealer profilers I am suspect being a South
American black girl, traveling most of the time alone and according to them
too much.
Laurent Garnier wrote:
|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)
Wrong Since 1996 and due to bombs attack in Paris no one can access the
premises except if the American embassy sent to you an appointment, so
nothing new here. Process to avoid sending documents : people in charge of
the security embassy doors in Paris, have been trained and collect the
documents, give you the form you need to fill and so on and give you any
relevant information you need. You can also ask to them for an appointment
with an US embassy representative, but be sure to have a valid reason.
Laurent Garnier wrote:
|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)
Why this French guy needs a visa to go in USA ? I-94 W form is filling on
board and it's enough to pass through the US immigration, except if he wants
to leave in USA more than 3 months......Same process in France and French
embassy do not deliver anymore visas for people who come from North Africa,
west Africa, South America.
And if it is about a work visa I challenge whoever, any American Dj to ask
for a French work visa, good luck and let me know when you have one.
And French administration says on their website that it takes 5 days to
extend or renew a French passport, mine took 3 weeks last month !
Laurent Garnier wrote:
|Yes you are not dreaming .......... It looks like France is now
|either considered as a terrorist ,a communist or a
|threatening country !!!!!
Same for ages in France for people who come from North Africa, West Africa
and south America and I know I have not the entire list of French government
suspect countries.
Laurent Garnier wrote:
|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.
Whatever ! it's not about the size of the photo of the French passport but
the size of the photo that anyone has to enclose with any kind of US form
that you have to fill, for 18 years now this size as always been different
than the French size. And vice versa you have not the right to enclose an
American size photos with a French administration form. Nothing new here
yet.
Laurent Garnier wrote:
|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 .!!!!!!!
True if you have been in such countries and your passport is stamped with
these countries, do not even try to go through an US custom, better to
change your passport before. However it's not true anymore for Cuba- it's
had been true during 30 years.
|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??)
Is this guy stupid or what ? The same question are asking on the I-94W form-
The I -94W form, it's the form that French people fill on the plane while
flying to USA (that replaces a 3 month American visa), who is idiot enough
to even answer yes to a question they ask you ? I-94 W form exists since 20
years or so...
Laurent Garnier wrote:
|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 !!!!!!
Damn if this guy uses to travel for real or what ? This risk is clearly
identify and notify on any plane ticket. It is an IATTA rule and that's
nothing to do with the American embassy.
Laurent Garnier wrote:
|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.
All I hope is one day my family can obtain the authorization to simply visit
me in France and to travel free as a bird to France.
Laurent Garnier wrote:
|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.
Now ladies and gentlemen Laurent Garnier needs to get under psychotic drugs.
Laurent Garnier wrote:
|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.
Don't play in USA, dinosaur, who cares ?
|-----Original Message-----
|From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
|[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
|Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 6:03 PM
|To: [email protected]
|Subject: (313) Laurent Garnier's troubles
|
|
|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
|
