mamma mia j'ai pleuré.

Juste un retour en arrière, je suis allé voir la comédie musicale Mamma Mia un jour à la Seine Musicale y’a un an ou deux. J’avais zappé ce moment sublime de ma vie, une sorte de beau trauma.

J’accompagnais mes nièces et c’était une sortie en famille.
Comme tout le monde je connaissais un peu les chansons, c’est culte, normal.
Mais au bout de 20 ou 30 minutes, j’avais les larmes aux yeux, je pense que je vivais une période pas facile, mais pas forcémment, je devais être un poil sensible mais j’ai pleuré de cette expérience que je qualifierais presque de “out of body experience cry'“.
Je me suis demandé sur le moment si c’était ce jour là que peut-êtree je découvrai finalement que j’étais gay, quel soulagement, ou juste extrêmement sensible. Soit.
Mais c’était vraiment étrange comme sensation, je ne suis pas un ultra fan de Mamma Mia! Je connais un peu, comme tout le monde vu que ça passe à la radio depuis que j’ai la capacité de reconnaître les sons à la radio.

En réalité je crois que ce qui m’a vraiment boulversé c’était à ce moment là dans la salle la cohésion qui existait entre le public et les chanteurs, danseurs, et comédiens. Tout le monde en harmonie, qui chantait ensemble, un véritable univers qui vibrait à l’unisson sur une île musicale.

Chiquitita
You and I know
How the heartaches come and they go
And the scars they're leavin'
You'll be dancin' once again
And the pain will end
You will have no time for grievin'

Là j’ai chialé.

The Batman Vs Kodo

C’est quoi le délire avec The Batman et Robert Pattinson ?
Les critiques sont bonnes, je m’attendais à un bon film. Et non. Bien déçu.
Je comprends pas déjà dans le métro je vois les affiches encore plus dark et encore plus cinglé je me dis chouette j’aime bien ça dark et cinglé ça pourrait me définir convenablement.

Et là, catastrophe, on est allé le voir avec mes cousins la semaine dernière et bah sur 4 personnes on a tous trouvé ça pas terrible.
Y’a rien de "très dark”. Bon ok Gotham est noire, pluvieuse mais c’est assez banal. Un divertissement correct c’est tout.
Et rien de cinglé à part le méchant : oulala le Riddler est un fou ça c’est assez dingue non ? bah non.
Et joué par Paul Dano, toujours excellent mais j’avoue avoir été blasé car habitué à le voir dans des rôles de ce genre un peu inquiétant (cf. Prisoners). J’aurais pu parier que ça allait être lui sous la cagoule.

Bon ok c’est sympa sur le suivi de l’enquête et le côté détective. Mais parfois aussi assez ridicule : el rata alada (le rat ailé), ils ont besoin de 3 ou 4 essais avant de capter que c’est une chauve souris… Sérieusement ? ahahaha bordel. Au début ils disent the rat with wings… a pigeon!
Sans déconner ? J’ai faillit éclaté de rire.

N’y allez pas c’est vraiment pas terrible. Je mets 4/10 comme note.
3 points pour chaque heure du film. 3 heures bordel ! et un point pour les pop corn on a pris des sucrés et des salés.

Sinon tu peux mater le superbe film The Piano, la leçon de Piano pour une valeur sûre.

VS

On a été voir Kodō à la salle Pleyel.
En message WhatsApp un jour elle m’envoi ça te tente ça ? avec une photo de l'affiche.
Elle a des invitations. Je check je me dis ça doit être un truc qualitatif ça mais aucune idée de ce que ça peut bien être. Je fais une recherche : des types japonais qui tapent comme des dingues sur des tambours géants. ça a l’air hyper chelou ça ! Bah oui bien sûr qu’on y va, direct je lui dis ok !
Et c'était incroyable ! Sans déconner. La première partie j’ai rarement ressenti un truc aussi fort.
ça m’a pris aux tripes, l’acoustique de la salle Pleyel aidant. Le côté primitif des tambours et de leurs réverbérations sans doute aussi. Splendide !

Pour l’histoire la troupe se réunit sur l’île de Sado au Japon pour les répétitions et enchaîne sur des tournées mondiales. Le peu que j’ai lu sur le sujet me fait penser qu’il s’agit de stars en leur pays. Comme des Sumos un peu. Merci Renaud.
Merci pour ce moment c’était magique.

Allez vidéo pour toi. Attention ça n’a rien à voir avec l’émotion ressentie assis dans la salle et recevant de plein fouet les vibrations des tambours.

Voici le résumé sur le site de la Salle Pleyel.
Kodō One Earth Tour 2022: Tsuzumi

Avec le spectacle Legacy, Kodō avait rempli la Salle Pleyel début 2020. Le collectif revient en 2022, pour présenter Tsuzumi, à Paris et en tournée !

Kodō signifie « battement du coeur », mais aussi « enfant du tambour ». Installé depuis les années 70 sur l’île de Sado en mer du Japon, le collectif Kodō perpétue la tradition du taïko, un tambour géant aux combinaisons rythmiques infinies. Depuis des décennies, Kodō a voyagé à travers plus de 50 pays sur les 5 continents comme ambassadeur exceptionnel d’un Japon éternel.

Dans Tsuzumi, les musiciens remontent aux racines du taïko pour créer une toute nouvelle oeuvre. Chaque tambour taïko établit un lien entre la nature et l’homme.

À ce jour (et à l’avenir), une chose est sûre : Kodō est synonyme de tambours entêtants et de réverbérations illimitées. Tsuzumi est une oeuvre commémorative incarnant la genèse du battement ininterrompu de Kodō.

Venez ressentir le son de Kodō vous bouleverser l’âme !

Inivisibilia Podcast

Quand je cours j’écoute des podcasts. C’est ma carrotte pour me motiver.

Dernièrement j’ai découvert Invisibilia de NPR (le best de la radio US) au sujet des forces intérieurs qui nous poussent à agir et à vivre (émotions, sentiments)

Le premier épisode traite des pensées et des domaines de la psychothérapie. Domaine que je connais en pratique.
ça explique que :

• le 1er courant était l’inteprétation des pensées autour de figures comme Freud.
  Nos pensées ont un sens. Elles peuvent expliquer quelque chose.

• Le 2nd courant est celui de la CBT (Cognitive BEhavioral Theapy) ou TCC en français pour Thérapie Comportementale et Cognitive. Dans cette pratique il s’agit de lister les pensées négatives que l’on a sur soi ou sur les choses et de noter le tout afin de considérer comment l’inverse s’applique. Si je pense “je suis une merde” alors je vais lister les éléments qui me prouvent le contraire. et je vais découvrir qu’en vrai je suis pas vraiment une merde.

• La 3ème vague, celle actuelle, est une évolution de ça qui se base sur la méditation et le moment présent. Je ne suis pas mes pensées. Mes pensées ne me définissent pas. Je suis au dessus.

  ça correspond à la tendance actuelle que l’on observe pour la méditation, le yoga, Mindfulness, la présence au moment. J’observe mes pensées et je passe au dessus. Je laisse aller.

Ce podcast est extraordinaire et celui sur la peur m’avait aussi marqué sur l’analyse de la peur des serpents.
on a peur des serpents car on ne comprend pas comment ils se déplacent. ils glissent et ça nous semble être l’oeuvre du diable. En fait, ils ressentent les choses et si l’on a peut ou s’il y a du danger ils vont encore plus vite.

“Sakes are cruising on currents of our own fear.”

Bref, vive NPR et les podcasts.
Ah oui NPR, c’est aussi la chaîne derrière THIS AMERICAN LIFE, l’un des meilleurs podcast du monde.
BISOUS

MArc MAron is angry and a great podcaster! WTF changed my life a bit. His comedy not so much.

Marc is a great guy, I love his podcast but i really don’t appreciate his stand up shows.

There is some deep truth inside but it doesn’t make me laugh. It made me think right. But i don’t laugh and it’s a comedy show. It’s not a lecture about life of a grumpy 50 year old.

Fascinating to see this dude and his human struggle, the man whom podcast I’ve been listenning for the last 6 years. I’d say in 2014 or 2015 I openned the stand up comedy pandora box with his comedians interviews on WTF and then I didn’t stop listenning and watching stand up comedy until I started it in London in 2018 at the Angel COmedy Club.
Even on the podcast, the intro i always pass when he is ranting about stuff… I’m like ok we get it Marc you have nevrosis and you are angry about stuff today but i’m here to listen to the interview with Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio… Great episode by the way when Marc struggles with his recorder and the audio seems to have problems in front of 2 of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood.

Well now I’ve seen End Times Fun and this special I liked.

So MArc became better at comedy I guess and I don’t only like his podcast, but let’s say I love Marc for What the F*** not the comedy.

Congrats on the amazing work man and wish you the best with life.

Love,

Renaud.

La série Rectify est une merveille.

ça fait longtemps que je dois écrire ça.

Un billet, une critique, un post je ne sais pas pour expliquer la nécessité de regarder Rectify. C'est presque un devoir à notre époque.

Je parle de l'une des plus belles séries de ces dernières années qui est passée sous les radars car pas mainstream et nécessitant un peu de patience et de concentration. Oui, voir même un peu de travail, un effort au début avant de se laisser porter par la grâce d'un bijou artistique. Je comprends l’épuisement à la fin de la journée de travail qui rend Koh Lanta ou tout autre série grand public plus facile à regarder que de lire un livre ou de voir un film classique en N&B mais parfois je considère qu’il est nécessaire de faire l’effort de voir des choses plus profondes, qui marquent et qui vous interrogent, vous sortent du confort.

Rectify est une grande beauté.

Elle fait partie de la liste des oeuvres qui touchent juste.

Lente, sans action, peu de sexe, sans histoire incroyable, sans retournements de situation. La beauté du quotidien, de la vie qui passe et de l'ennui.
L’histoire est celle d’un type condamné à la prison à vie depuis son adolescence pour meurte et qui ressort après 20 ans de prison suite à la découverte d’une preuve ADN qui pourrait bien l’innocenter. L’histoire est surtout celle du retour à la vie d’un homme condamné à la prison. La redécouverte du parfum des fleurs et des petites choses simples qui rendent grâce au quotidien.

Je la mets sur le même niveau que La Grande Bellezza ou Detectorists (BBC mon amour) dans la capacité à sublimer le rien et à faire de la contemplation notre unique devoir en temps que spectateur.

Ces oeuvres nous montrent le beau, pointent le focus sur des détails, les petits riens qui font une grande vie, riche de tout et de rien.

Regardez Rectify c'est voir le beau un peu plus partout, dans l'arrière-plan. C'est aussi décider de ne pas se contenter de la soupe sur Netflix (ok le jeu de la Reine est bon mais je reverrais pas cette série à 6/10 dans mon système de notation alors que Rectify passe largement les 9/10 à mes yeux).

J'ai vu un article du créateur de la série qui disait qu'il ne fallait pas être sur son portable ou faire autre chose en regardant la série, qu'il fallait prendre le temps de se laisser happer et je trouve qu'il dit là l'essentiel.

Tout couper et s'y plonger entièrement pour pouvoir contempler la beauté totale.

Allez, fais toi du bien et regarde Rectify.

Vivre sa vie, 1962 - La beauté et la mort.

1h8min - Dialogue entre Nana et le philosophe.

« - C’est terrible oui mais c’est une indication. Je crois qu’on arrive a bien parler que quand on a renoncé à la vie pour un certains temps. C’est presque le prix.

-Parler c’est mortel.

-Parler c’est presque une résurrection par rapport à la vie en ce sens que quand on parle c’est une autre vie que quand on ne parle pas. Vous comprenez ?

Et alors pour vivre en parlant il faut avoir passé par la mort de la vie sans parler. »

… Sorte d’ascèse qui fait que l’on ne peut bien parler que quand on regarde la vie avec détachement. »

"Vie supérieure vie avec la pensée. Cette vie avec la pensée suppose qu’on a tué la vie quotidienne, la vie trop élémentaire. »

Trouver le mot juste, il faut travailler.

Il faut passer par l’erreur pour arriver à la vérité.

L’amour est une solution mais à condition qu’il soit vrai. »

Euphoria est Fade - HBO fail - Note 2 sur 10, à éviter.

Sans aucune saveur.
Voici ce que je ressens quand je regarde cette série.
Le titre principale et d’autre “ohh” de la BO retentissent toutes les 3 secondes, à chaque scène, comme un réflexe pavlovien pour nous rappeler que là c’est une scène “choc”… ça en devient ridicule et se transforme en Overdose de son.

Euphoria est une mise à jour à notre époque des choses les plus tendances et qui continuent de vendre en terme de divertissement :
- des sexes en masse, comme jamais on en a vu dès les premiers épisodes oulala,
- des scènes de sexe,
- du gobage de drogues bien “cool” ,
- du “mental health”, dépression, anxiété, etc. car oui c’est un sujet très “actuel” et presque devenu “cool”
- un mélange de recherche de sexualité et de multiplicité des genres (LGBT, trans, Bi, Gay, etc.)

Bref un gros mélange trop bien pensé et stratégique, donc sans saveur, des sujets de la jeunesse actuelle, bardé de bonnes musiques et de plans de caméra "qualis" et bien léchés. Merci les têtes de HBO.

L’algorithme pour un “Hit” est parfait, heureusement nous ne sommes pas des machines qui consomment des shows sans réfléchir… hein ? Les gars vous êtes là ?

Je vous la refait avec le moodboard de chez HBO pour le brainstorming : Sexe+Sexes+Drogues+Sexy+Jeunesse+Ados+Santé Mentale = Tendance = Gros succès bah oui.

C'est stylé, c’est sur.
C’est de la bonne soundtrack hyper recherchée, c’est sur.
Mais c'est tellement fade, tellement vu et revu, juste une mise à jour bien "hype" et trendy mais nulle.

Skins (version UK) était 10 fois meilleures en son temps.
On croirait voir la version US 2019 d'un mélange de Skins, Trainspotting, Romeo + Juliet, etc... à la sauce HBO Amérique, avec comme héroïne une star Disney Channel (Zendaya). Rien que là on devrait commencer à se méfier…

Ça veut choquer mais ça respire l’Amérique toujours aussi prude au plus profond d’elle même.

C’est presque drôle car montrer autant de sexes et de sexe résonne vraiment ici comme une façon de sur-compenser. Donc d’avouer le vide, l’absence de matière dure dans cette oeuvre.

Ça se veut choquant, cool, trash mais c'est absolument nul,
et le drame c'est que tout le monde va adorer...

J’en pleure à l’avance, ça va être un carton…

Carol by Todd Haynes

What if you knew love in the first and last look ?
When there is love, only eyes talk.
Carol tells how difficult it was to simple be at a certain time.

Netflix, humoristes du monde : NICK SWARDSON : TOO MANY SMELLS, un bijou.

Coup de coeur pour le special de Nick Swardson sur Netflix, j’ai ri, seul, pour de vrai. C’est rare.

Je veux pas faire le connard mais si je rie à haute voix à du stand up, qui plus est à un special que je regarde sur l’ordi, alors je considère que c’est de l’or.

Et là j’ai beaucoup ri en 30 minutes... Un excellent show

Note : 8,5/10 

Et je tape après son nom sur google et réalise qu’il s’agit de l’acteur qui joue Terry dans Reno 911, l’un des personnages les plus drôles de la série :

Toujours arqué sur des patins à roulettes, il joue un homosexuel qui a tendance à vendre ses services et sa bouche un peu partout autour de la ville et nie en bloc toute accusation avant de tenter en vain de fuir en mini short et patins à roulettes. Best of

Merci Terry, merci Nick, what a grat fucking special ! 

PS : J’ai du appuyer sur pause à la fin de ce special tellement je rais.
Sur pause les gens ! Sur Pause…
Un bijou. 

——————————

Greatest special I’ve seen on Netflix Comedians of the world yet.

Louis C.K. - One night in Paris, how the french don't care if you're a pig

…‘cause we’re all made of dirt.

READ THIS ARTICLE WITH THIS IN MIND :
YOU DON’T HAVE TO AGREE,
I DON’T CARE THAT YOU DO OR DON’T,
I ONLY CARE FOR YOU AND ME BEING ABLE TO DISAGREE WITH LOVE AND RESPECT

Last week, an historical event happened in Paris.
Dimanche 21 Avril 2019, I went to see Louis C.K. at L’Européen.

As a stand-up aficionado I was so mad at myself for missing the first time C.K. was in Paris in November last year. I just came back from 2 years in London, where I started comedy, and I was going to open mics, performing in french, thinking I was “IN”. But I wasn’t, as the next day after his “under the radar” show, I saw on social media that C.K. did a gig in MY city, the one I came back to, without telling me… I was raging for having missed that opportunity to see the guy who lit comedy fire to my generation.

Notre-Dame could burn, I didn’t care that much, whereas missing Louis in France felt like a hard one, especially when comedy is your religion and Louis your second name.

So here we are, second chance, I got my ticket, I meet some fellow french comedians and we wait in the queue outside. I sneaked in a can of beer someone gave me, as if to say “here, take care of that”. I hide it in my pocket, show my bag in front of me to the security guy while covering the mischief, and we’re in.

What a night ! This gig was amazing, honest.
I won’t say much about it to keep the mystery but fuck yeah, he still got it and it was superb !
I was moved. Like when I saw Monsieur Fraize at the same place a week before.
Great comedy doesn’t make me laugh anymore, it moves me. I was thrilled he addressed the whole story, what happened last year, what broke him. He did it raw, honest, brutal, in the first 2 minutes. He killed us all, the vibe was mad. Fire in the room is easy when the audience is already so damn hot though, but still : History.

After a great Joe List warm up, C.K. entered the stage. I rarely seen so much enthusiasm and cheers, like he was a hero, coming back from war. And I smiled inside, thinking how us, the french, as great and shitty people, cowards, cocky and not really liked around the globe, were actually giving a standing ovation to a man accused of masturbating naked in front of women in hotel rooms. Ah ah, that’s a good opener !
I smiled at this idea and cheered as well because fuck you America,
he’s not Harvey Weinstein, he’s funnier.

And don’t get me wrong, I’m on Louis’ side, if there is any.
I’m on Blanche’s side as well when she decides to defend the guy.
I hate America for that prude and soft state of mind they are turning the world into. Everything is too much policed, people can’t agree to disagree, you have to reach consensus all the time and that’s hell.
And the best person to summarise the french point of view on this Louis C.K. thing is, the one and only, my mom.

Here is her view on this whole deal when I told her the story :

- “Ok maman, you have this guy, Louis C.K., he’s the N.1 comedian in the USA, hence, the world.
Then, scandal. Some female comedians say he masturbated in front of them, naked, in an hotel room. He admits. He would say to them to go up in his room to talk about comedy and tadaaa ! The truth broke out last year when his movie just got out, big loss, millions, blacklisted in America. The End… And that’s the guy I saw perform tonight Mom!
- I’m proud of you Renaud. (This part I added but thanks Mom)”

Facing this story, my mom first reaction was a sigh (soupir). She thinks these women knew what to expect, they are adult women, they know what’s happening when told to go up in the room.
What I believe my mom is trying to say is this : we are french, sex is life, part of our culture as well. We are less prude and fake about it. And knowing that, we also know that a naked man masturbating in front of you is not the same as a violent, direct, sexual assault. Let’s not put Louis C.K. and Harvey Weinstein in the same dirty basket.
Both are men, both are pigs, but it’s still different cases.

She is quite close to what Dave Chapelle has to say on this (listen), and I’d say it’s a good take on some of what the french think of these times.

And I tell her YES ! Of course these women knew…
But maybe he also used his power, his status as king of comedy, to have this situation happening. Because they were comedians, and he was the king, they were like both like “Ok, let’s go up".

Of course he is responsible, for abusing of his power, of his status. If Louis C.K. was a non famous 50 year old bald fat dude asking these ladies, they would have said “No way !” but maybe… because he was who he is, they agreed. Thinking of their comedy career and dream.

So when the show ended, and the whole room stood up for a standing ovation, I waited a for a bit, and stayed seated. Just because I couldn’t decide whereas I was comfortable to stand up for someone who used his power to take advantage of a situation and a woman. Didn’t know how to act. But I stood up finally, knowing I am not a saint, nor a devil, just a man who’s ok to accept the mistakes of other and is fine admitting he’s probably as dirty as any other man, but that’s alright as long as I’m not American.

I hope when clapping, the rest of the audience kept their critical mind as well, in order to realise he is not a hero, nor a murderer, just a really funny man who made mistakes.

He’s wrong, he’s a pig, we all are somehow, yes you too.
But he’s also a man, a dad, who doesn’t deserve to have his life destroyed for that.

And these women are victims, of course, but they are also adults, who decided to join another man in his hotel room, for selfish reason, hence their careers if we are real honest here. But celebrity and stardom blurred their mind, like it did with the parents of the kids who used to hang out with Michael Jackson…

I hereby engage, will you marry me?

Iliza Shlesinger : Elder Millennial, Political correctness is not good in stand up.

This is a personal critic of why I didn’t like this Netflix special. It’s me, not you…

Apparently the world disagree with me and that’s what’s good in the world :

Score is 7.2 on https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8697266/

I watch too much stand up not to know what I like in comedy now and here is 3 reasons i didn’t like Iliza Shlesinger : Elder Millennial special on Netflix.

FR/
3 bonnes raisons de ne pas regarder le comedy special de Iliza Shlesinger : Elder Millennial sur Netflix

1 - Don’t put hashtags on your comedy special, please don’t.

2 - Please don’t push Political Correctness to the limits. This ending is too much.
This look and this talk captured in the same picture is what i call Irony. But I’m not sure what’s irony.

I’m getting so fed up of these parts of comedy specials when everyone claps and cheers how much they agree with what you believe, especially when what you say is so dull and obvious.

Smash an open door is the french expression for that. “Enfoncer une porte ouverte” :-)

You : “Yeah, being an asshole is bad !”

Your audience : Woooooh yeah ! She’s right !

Oh what courage it took you to say that. Check Bill Hicks for PC please.

There is a fine line between stand up and saying things everyone agrees with.

FR/ On ne peut pas faire plus consensuelle que Ilina sur ce screenshot.

3 - Don’t hold the mic like a rapper, you are doing stand up.

Also this bit below is amazing and you are a great comedian obviously, I just didn’t like your special and didn’t appreciate your style of comedy.

Love.

FR/ Tiens pas le mic comme Eminem. Ce passage là ci dessous est fantastique.

La folie d'ours, Grizzly Man.

19 oct. 2016
Un dément, un fou qui veut devenir un ours parce que la société ne lui convient pas. Soit. 
Son choix est respectable, mais sur sa mort, je préfère le silence du pilote d'avion aux pleurs de ses amis. Un voyage dans la nature sauvage d'un homme, dérangé. Passionnante exploration des ressorts psychologiques de celui qui s'échappe de la société pour se trouver une autre mission, dénuée de tout sens mais auquel il s'accroche par besoin de survie.
Ce n'est pas les grizzlys qu'il cherche à sauver, mais son âme, en se donnant une raison de vivre, n'importe laquelle, à savoir sauver la peau de l'ours. 

C'est un documentaire de Werner herzog sur un illuminé, un gentil qui s'auto proclame gardien des grizzlis, protection dont n'ont nul besoin ces colosses à en écouter un expert sur place.

Non, pris d'une mission divine, Timothy Treadwell, en sait plus que tous, puisqu'il est sur le chemin de devenir cet animal qu'il chérie.
Ces petits moments devant la caméra où il replace ses cheveux au dessus de ses lunettes pour sa 4ème prise révèlent le désespoir d'un homme qui cherche à plaire, à trouver sa place, à se filmer pour se montrer en héros, en sauveur d'un peuple qui ne peut pas lui dire d'aller se faire foutre, à par grogner, voir finalement le manger.
En effet je peux aussi devenir le protecteur des manchots du monde entier, être le porte parole de ceux qui n'ont pas de voix, mais peut être que s'il pouvaient parler, ils me diraient que je suis un con et que ma place n'est pas sur la glace...

Car elle est peut être là l’explication de sa fin, un ours qui en a eu marre d'entendre cette voix nasillarde sur son territoire et a juste répondu présent à l'appel de la nature, ce simple besoin de nourriture, qu'elle soit à tête blonde ou à écailles.

En vain, il va terminer dans le ventre d'un grizzly affamé. Quête et succès ultime pour ce doux timbré et sa voie d'enfant innocent. Oh pauvre idiot, tu auras vécu heureux sans antidépresseurs.
A entendre l'enregistrement audio de ta mort, ça a du piquer de se faire croquer par la bête, mais tes cris resteront à jamais dans ma mémoire comme la voix d'un homme qu'on libère.
Entre les cris d’horreur et la jouissance d'accomplir ce pourquoi il a vécu.
Mais il y'a aussi là les animaux eux mêmes et leur indifférence vis à vis de cet homme dont ils n'avaient nullement besoin, cet imbécile heureux qu'ils ont accueillit assez longtemps sur leur territoire pour finalement s'en nourrir.

Herzog de conclure : "…dans leurs visages, il n'y a pas de reconnaissance, de lien ou de compréhension. Aucune pitié."
Pas de pitié pour cet humain présent sur la chaîne alimentaire empruntée par le grizzly l'ayant dévoré. Lui qui voyait en l’ours le salut, n'était pour eux qu'un simple morceaux de viande blonde.
Mourir et renaître en ours, Avoir vécu heureux et imbécile. 

Comedians in cars getting coffee

I like this show, because I have a fascination for comedy, stand up and the people who make it. 

But this program is frustrating to me. They never go deep in the conversation, each time a good question is asked by Seinfeld, the guest replies with a joke and it’s cut to another scene, shot of the car on the road and on to another question, an easier one. 

I guess it’s how most of them works, a question that is hard to answer, too personal, will be dodged with a joke. 

Great show because of the host and the guests, cars are nice as well, but I don’t really care for cars. 

A big frustration after watching more than 10 episodes, it’s really like a cup of coffee but there is no connection, no deep impact, no digging. It's quick, short and a bit silly, just a catch up.
Maybe Tea would help to settle, meditate and create a conversation, a connection, deeper...  
It’s like Seinfeld is lazy and just wants a nice little chat, no hassle. That’s what we have here, nice little jam sessions with famous funny people, but I miss the juice, the gold, some secrets, confessions, darkness. 

It’s just a stroll in a car… maybe walking would have make people more talkative. 

Try, comedians in parks taking a stroll. 

Come on back this way.

J'écoute Jack Ladder - COME ON BACK THIS WAY et là un insecte tombe de mes cheveux sur mon sweatshirt gris, et la musique, le synthé, cette nostalgie me mets au bord des larmes, quand je regarde cet étrange bête qui se ballade sur ma poitrine, sur mon pull gris, et mes yeux humides suivent le chemin simple de cette chose que je ne reconnais pas. C'est un joli moment, moi, triste et qui essaye de ne pas retenir mes larmes, tout en observant cet être inconnu et joli, tombé du ciel, du plafond ou de mes cheveux pour venir danser sur moi et sur cette chanson. 

Demetri Martin, not my kind of guy.

Just saw Demetri Martin's special, Person (2007). 
It's not for me. 
I don't like this "folk-joke" telling with a guitar and an harmonica as a punchline. It's exactly like Steven Wright and I already didn't enjoy A Steven Wright Special.
I respect the writing, the funny ideas, puns and worlds on words, but it doesn't make me laugh, once perhaps the side of my lips twitched, that's about it for a smile. 
Too much poetry, when I want comedy. Nice poetry though...
"I wonder where my jokes goes... (insert guitar, harmonica) after they leave my head, into space..."

I want intimate truth, not your goofy emotional thoughts.
That's cute, don't get me wrong, but I'm not watching comedy for cuteness.
So long Demetri. 

Samuel T. Herring is a beast.

I don't really care that much for Future Islands, I mean by that I am not a huge "hardcore everlasting fan", one or two songs I play on my phone and that's it, because they are easy to like, with a tune that sticks, "catchy" as you'd hate to admit.  They stay there, as a ghost, haunting me when I walk the streets of London, playing the lead role in the movie, but the song is not the reason it holds on, it's the man with the voice inside. 

Samuel T. Herring is the thing that I really look up for, his Live performances with the band. That's a knock out, a sucker punch I received, with the stinging pain that settles in, long after the fight. 

He's a boxer, giving it all, smashing the stage in order to transcend the song he plays. I have an utmost admiration and I stay hypnotised by some of his acts on stage. There is a level of emotion I never reached before, watching a live music show, even in reality, and I only saw him on youtube yet. It still resonates way stronger than all the things I witnessed in the real world, outside. 
It’s hard to express the passion it awakes, like a spark of fire reaching deep. Each time I hear Tin Man or Ran in my earphones, walking in Fuckin'L, I see the Tin Man on stage, this thing screaming his heart out, torn, removing the mask at the end, the sweat, the distortion in the voice. A beautiful monster he is then, this creature holds my hand every time and I never let go.

Just watch this whole performance below and feel the heat:

I have never, in the last years, seen something as strong on a live performance as what Samuel T. Herring delivers. The stronger the lyrics, the deeper the transformation.
His physique makes it more of a treasure, he’s not the fittest, he’s not the best looking guy, but he has a presence, a charisma that makes him the greatest when I see him perform, move and live. It’s like a demonic possession, this body, random, a bit chubby, acting and dancing on stage, exorcism of the story he's telling, expressing the words with his being and more.

I mean just check these lives, the level of sweat and energy he puts in these are really exceptional, just compare this to the clean acts we see on stage all the time.
It all started in 2014 on Letterman where, on their first national TV appearance, Sam's moves brought a lot of attention to the band and since then continued to improve his act. 
On the same level, I laughed at Albert Hammond Jr. Live on Conan recently for the absence of it all.

Mac DeMarco, who's forever in our hearts, finishes his Live naked or with his pants only on but he’s always relaxed, cigarette in the mouth, beer in the hand and I love him for that because he looks like my friend just went on stage for a karaoke session and I have a smile on the whole time, but still, I don't feel as much as I feel Samuel. The reason might be the lyrics, being french, I need an act, a presence to enhance the story.
Sam Herring would crush Mac's beer in his hands and swallow it whole if it ever finds itself there. He just throws himself on stage, in the song, and just for that I am in owe. The acting is fantastic and it’s even more interesting to realize he’s a rapper, his real passion being hip hop and rap.
But in his performances with Future Islands Live he creates this vessel for the songs that I simply adore. Moving strangely, almost inventing his own, as a Ian Curtis once did and is still remembered not only for the songwriting but also for the trance he'd get into. 

Samuel T. Herring is a Live Performance, he acts, moves, dances, sings and we are the audience of something raw and authentic happening, a scene of emotions, feeling it all.  

Watch these videos and then listen to the songs. His face, his moves will haunt you for the following days and never leave you alone with the music. You’ll always have the beast dancing around in your head as Tin Man or Ran plays. A beautiful beast.

George Carlin is not funny anymore, comedy's ghosts and monsters to come.

Comedy is a beautiful craft, being able to make me laugh with the dark truth of us all, as people and society, its flaws and lows. I love the way comedians make me question us as a whole, human beings, our twisted minds, habits, and laugh at the same time, laying down the pain for everybody to look at and make fun of, sharing.
The worst is still to come though and it might not be that funny at all in the end... at least we'll be real. 
Will the future of comedy be blunt truth, not looking for laughter but just pure honesty, as it is, saying the darkest truth and having the courage of honesty ? Just a thought. 

Louis C.K. was the first to put the light on this craft for me and many aspirant comedians. I deliberately mention him and his recent fall was a big punch in the stomach but not a surprise, weirdly I did not need a lot of convincing to accept it when I learned the truth. Deep down I believe he could do shit like that, how can you make me laugh so much with such dark shit if you are clean ? Do you have to fall low in order to dig up the gold, so low that moral has disappeared? There is some darkness and twisted mind for sure there but that's where I wanna look. 
I have this question in mind:  "Can happiness make us laugh?" I tend to prefer darkness. Comedy is a martial art, turn drama into laughter. 
Latest example of bad comedy was Kevin Hart show on netflix "what now?"... Just the intro made me cringe of sadness and when he started talking about his huge house, long driveway and wealth I did not laugh, nor connected to that. He is wearing a gold chain and trying to make me sympathise with his life and "struggles", him being too successful ? Well it failed, spectacularly, with special effects, fireworks and a whole stadium... That his audience could connect to that and laugh so hard was for me mind blowing, I understood why LeBron James could though.

That's not the point here. George Carlin is. 

It's been 5 years I dig deep into comedy's whole universe, listening to WTF podcast with Marc Maron non stop, diving into the brains of guys like Robin Williams, watching specials and stand up shows, I naturally looked into George Carlin as he was referred and looked up to by many of the funny geniuses I cherished.

I watched 5 of his shows : On location, George Carlin at Phoenix (or George Carlin Again !) 1978, Carlin at Carnegie 1982, Jammin' In New York 1992, Life is worth Loosing 2005 and It's bad for Ya 2008. 
There is still a lot to watch from him but I believe it's enough to start writing about. 

The last one I just watched is On Location: GC at Phoenix (also referred as George Carlin Again !), taped in 1978. 

I DID NOT LAUGHED ONCE. And I can assure you I was on it 100%. I don't do something else, I don't watched my phone all the time (just a bit of Instagram) and I tried to be fully focused, in the present. But it was too much of the past already...
This type of observational comedy doesn't do it for me, at all, or the observations are too dated. I especially didn't like when he observes random life stuff like people asking him :

- "Do you have time ?"
- "Not one me, I don't own time !"

and then proceeds to read funny news headlines : "A 107 year old woman in Florida is reported to be pregnant. Physicians claim that because of her advanced age she will have a grown up." 

or weird stuff he thinks of like: "Do you think directors dreams end with credits ?". It's smart and witty but doesn't make a crowd die of laughter now anymore, but believe me it did back in 1978. People are loving it, he is a real rock star, slick with his blue pants and shirt. Cheers of the crowd are huge. I wanted to be on his side, stylish and smart like he was, but hell I did not enjoy it and I feel terrible for that. 

Surely it was at the time mind blowing but now it's just  "kids play" with words, puns and imagination openly expressed, funny headlines like I can see a thousand on social networks in 2017... Nothing worth a 2 hours special. And I am amazed by that, 40 years later it's becoming real useless and tasteless comedy. No one of my generation would laugh hard to these and I find it fascinating. On a positive note, his energy, anger and denunciation of everyday bullshit, politics, society and flaws is to me truly inspirational, he says it blunt and gives the finger to them all, me first. He is the perfect Conscientious Objector, and for me it's the highest and most respectable thing to be, anytime. 
For that I look up to him. He would hate me and be right to. 

You're welcome. 

On the same period, as a devil's advocate, Richard Pryor's: Live in Concert, 1979 is on my top list of comedy stand up show... The year doesn't explain everything. I remembered being in south of France and watching Live in Concert with my brother and an American guy and I was dying, he was killing me and I loved it, especially thinking of the 40 years gap, the magic still being there and strong. Gold.

At that early age of stand up, puns and observational comedy, "weird shit thought of and said out loud" was the highlight and the material. Nows it's old uncles jokes. Or if you think weird shits, you tweet it, you have to fly real high because everyone is in space now. Being funny and original is not enough anymore, the level is way higher, or way deeper, darker... We dig nowadays, into our brains and minds, our pain, and it doesn't look good, but hell it's funny ! 

I like C.K. and Bill Burr because they show me their darkness, sadness, share it with me, and turn it into gold. That is real. Bill Burr I believe would be a serial killer if not that genius of a comedian. His anger is huge and he turns it into art. That sparks light in me, it's pure beauty.

When I watched Carlin latest shows (Life is worth loosing 2005, It's bad for ya 2008) first I was appalled, "How can this old grumpy man be my heroes' hero ?". These shows are 2 hours of an old 6O yo man's runt : "I don't like that and that" "THIS IS SHIT !"... Wow really.

Times change, and comedy fades away and it made me very sad not being able to appreciate the comedic genius of this man.
I respect him because I understand that at the time it was never seen, never heard and mind blowing. But when I watched these 5 shows I was nodding my head thinking: "This is not possible, I am not laughing once nor smiling AT ALL". And trust me it was not a challenge or forced.

He was a comedic genius that does not make me laugh. I'm sure I would have been a groupie in 1978 though...

I don't think George Carling is funny anymore. Good thing is, I don't matter to him and he will never give a fuck ! For that I love him sincerely and deeply. 

I hereby engage, will you marry me?  

The masterpiece of The art of the steal.

The art of the Steal is a 2009 documentary made by Don Argott and his 9.14 Pictures production company. It portrays the story of Dr Barnes' personal art collection, a breath taking hall of beauty, turned into a big pile of money for some men trying to get a piece of it, not for the art but for the dollar signs they see when staring at masters' pieces. It is a beautiful and moving story. 

I just want to tell you to watch it for it's delicate, true romantic vision of Art.
I won't say much as the movie is deep, intimate and philosophical in it's way, personal as art should be. How this culture around the world should be seen, made and shared to the eyes, I believe it's up to your own interpretation. 
The art of the steal raises amazing questions about the spread of art, shows and exhibitions around the world, not for art itself but for money and power purposes. How greed and men can destroy the vision of artists and lovers of the arts. 

I really found this fascinating here: should the most beautiful collection be kept to a small amount of art lovers, plumbers to students to enjoy, study and inspire or, should it be spread all over the world for the many masses to see, treated as a blockbuster.

Well, there is a little more to this simple equation in this documentary, you'll see that art, even if shown to the masses, which is a good will, can be sadly turned into a mass consumption product cashing up money for people with no sense of beauty, destroying the purity of it all. It's essence.

Deep one.
I hereby engage, will you marry me ? 

Sebastian Maniscalco, comedy's blacksmith.

Aren't you Embarrassed ? To like this type of comedy ? I could be... The guy is far from what I normally seek. 

At first I was sceptic, never heard of the guy and I am really looking, searching, into comedy, stand up and all, trying to watch as many specials as possible because I love the art and I often need the laugh. Sadness a blessing. 

Just received an email update from Conan youtube channel, a bit of interview with the guy, saying his on the Forbes list of top earning comedians, I’m like “what ?!”... First time I ever see the guy's face. 
Then I do some basic google, read the Forbes articles, “from waiter to Forbes” and the guy seems authentic, a real working man, been a waiter for years to keep his passion going, doing as many shows and open mics as possible, everywhere touring, in between shifts at the four seasons Beverly Hills if necessary. Here I kneel, I respect the love and dedication this dude shows toward his craft. Knew no one in LA, never had a tv show or a movie to shine the lights on him, just been standing up in front of people for years, enduring, performing, improving. For that I start looking into him. 

I watch the first 15 minutes of his only show on Netflix “aren’t you embarrassed ?” And at the beginning my scepticism hits back, he’s a doing the “Italian American Chicago” stereotype, the accent, the look, the hair, the tan, the muscles, the clothes, etc. Almost too much for me and I am ready to hate this act. He's playing on this line and I don't like clowns comedians. Usually the more you're doing the less you're saying to me. If you put on an "act" so much, it means to me you are not true and I want authenticity in comedy, realness and emotion to bring me the laughter. 

Sebastian Maniscalco

Tony Danza, Who’s the Boss.

But that’s where the magic operates, once I tell myself: “Ok ! So he is indeed an act and he’s doing loads to prove he’s this Italo-Chicago character”, but it’s show-business, and it’s a reality. You have to differentiate yourself and this role he’s doing comes from his life, he’s from an immigrant Italian-sicilian family (here he scores to my heart), so he’s no fraud. He just chose a role close to him and developed it to perfection.

So I just accept the act and the "over-doing" in character of this Italian Chicago Americano Macho type of dude and I keep watching for the sake of it. 

And that’s where the epiphany stroke, once you put aside this character, the guy is a pure comedy gold, the way he speaks, moves, describes and analyse the situations shows years of improving this craft, finding his voice, his moves and his style. Just assuming what he is, probably less in reality, but still, deep down it’s him. This traditional upbringing, old education, tough, but fair with strong work ethic and values. Sharing about this strange vision of things this gave him.

Great comedian ! I really liked his style and act, the way I never seen a comedian like that, the body, the face and all the moves along with his jokes. There is a big part of femininity during the show, when he's shocked, surprised or mad, it's assumed and goes perfectly in balance with the appearance of the Italian male type he "looks" like. There is intelligence and art in this alone. It's been long time I haven't really laughed by myself like that watching a special.

I think I got used to the comedians like C.K., just standing up and delivering the material, so much that it’s been great to see something different and in another comedic style. Opens new dimensions to the craft I didn't thought I'd be interested in. Really appreciated this one, I see the stand up “purists” saying that he’s doing too much of a clown, that it's too simple, but for the clown I hated Jimmy Carr the English but I loved Sebastian, because he's real despite the make up.

Keep laughin’. 

Jimmy Carr, Not Funny Business

Just saw this show, Funny Business, an English friend of mine told me about this guy once, when I arrived in London and was keen on discovering UK stand up or so. I’ve been wanting to check on him for a long time... Boy what a disappointment ! Just a terrible forced laugh used as a joke to his audience. 

I’ve done some research and his laugh is not as high as the one during his show, but he clearly emphasis on it to get more reaction from the public. What a sad point for a comedian to go this far for a reaction, au laugh. 

His jokes are just bits and pieces, puns and word plays that can be funny at a dinner party, once. But one hour of it as a full Netflix show is for me a disgrace to the art of stand up writing. 
The bit where he just perform his own laugh shows how good he is to pretend at doing it. My real laugh is not something I can pretend, and even watching this show I couldn’t have.

You are supposed to tell me about you, your life, your pain, your drama and turn it into comedy gold. Here you just look around in the car, the plane or the street and you pick up ideas like a one pound coin lost on the pavement. This mask you put on is spotless, there is no flaw, except for this laugh. Because I see nothing of you, I can't stand what you having pretend of given me. 
There is no honesty and truth here, just a fake. 

Jimmy Carr, just in case you did not got it, I don’t like your comedy.