He worked both as a longshoreman and as a licensed hairdresser. His friends included Pablo Picasso and Jean-Paul Sartre. And, he could sing his cul off.
In songs like “Les Fleurs Mortes” and “Un P’tit Bock” he sang both existential poetry and of the simple pleasure of drinking beer.
This Tuesday July 14, we celebrate Bastille Day, commemorating the 1789 storming of the Bastille prison, a pivotal event that dismantled the absolute monarchy and launched the French Revolution.
For modern democracies (c’est nous?) the day symbolizes the triumph of popular sovereignty over tyranny, the power of collective civic action, and the universal principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
