The internet furiously debated the identity of the hooded shredder, better known as Phoenix collaborator Noé Efira. He shares the hidden meaning behind his outfit, how he secured his ultra-rare aluminum guitar from another iconic French group – and why we wasn’t nervous performing in front of the audience of a lifetime
It’s safe to say that a cloaked guitarist delivering an intense shred solo wasn’t among anyone’s predictions for the Paris Olympics. However, the masked virtuoso who emerged, wielding an all-aluminum guitar, immediately captured the imagination of the global guitar community.
After 21-million viewers tuned in, the internet was abuzz with speculation about who the mystery guitarist could be, with rumors intensifying after no official statements were made. Some commentators even posited that Gojira’s Joe Duplantier had reprised his role from the opening ceremony.
Eventually, internet sleuths pointed to the little-known Noé Efira, a childhood friend of the French indie rock band Phoenix, as the guitarist behind the mask.
“Seeing headlines the next morning reading, ‘Who was the masked guitarist’ and all the related speculation just added to the excitement,” Efira tells Guitar World. “It was an artistic choice and I really think it paid off. The cat is definitely out of the bag now though!”
Efira’s artistic sensibilities are inextricably linked to his childhood. His father, an in-demand session guitarist in ’50s and ’60s Paris, recorded and toured with famous French artists, including Serge Gainsbourg, Eddy Mitchell, and Hugues Aufray.
“I remember seeing him performing on variety shows on French TV when I was just a toddler as our family gathered around the television set. His musical influence on me is paramount,” he says.
“Dad always knew I should be a guitarist, like himself. He bought me a little acoustic guitar when I was six but I had very little interest at first. It just seemed all so hard!”
