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A Thought for Today
Humility is the mirror on the inside.
Hi Ken,
Hello from a wet and miserable England.
Ever since my wife (a life long fan of Rod) obtained the CD "The French Connection" a few years ago, we have been fascinated and enchanted by Rod's presentation of Jacques Brel's amusing song "Les Bourgeois".
We would be obliged if you would print the lyric, and commend this song to all friends and fans of Rod.
Also, three cheers for the Flight Plan site; it certainly fills a vacuum here in the UK where record and book retailers seem to have abandoned Rod.
Regards
Richard Escritt
York
Nice to hear
from you, Richard, and it sounds as though you're in need of a trip to
sunny South Africa where we're having the most glorious weather right
now. Hope the storms you've been experiencing of late have abated by
now.
"Les
Bourgeois" is an amusing song, isn't it? An unusual one,
too, and one that caused some degree of controversy when first performed
by Brel. The following is taken from Rod's liner notes:
"Like
"If You Go Away" and "Seasons in the Sun", "Les
Bourgeois" is an adaptation
of a work by my favorite writer and performer, Jacques Brel. It is a
funny, irreverent song that did not amuse some of the bourgeoisie in
Brussels and Paris, but delighted his audiences everywhere he performed
it.
As
friends and as musical collaborators Brel and I traveled, toured and
wrote - together and apart - the events of our lives as if they were
songs, and I guess they were".
The album
this particular version is taken from, "The French
Connection", is recommended to all serious McKuen fans as an
essential addition to their collection.
Thanks, too,
for the kind words about the Flight Plan, Richard. I don't think it's a
case of retailers abandoning Rod, it's more a case of product not being
available to them for the past few years. Thank goodness for Stanyan By
Mail - if you can't find what you're looking for there chances are you
won't find it anywhere. If you haven't already done so, check it out at
the following address: http://members.aol.com/StanyanByMail
I'm off back
to the television to catch up on The Election. Boy, it's been a
close one and as I write I've just heard that George Bush has taken the
key state of Florida. That could be it!
If you have
a favorite McKuen song or poem you'd like to share with us drop me a
line at ken@mckuen.com and I'll do
the rest.
- Ken, Johannesburg, November 8 |
