Completely
forgot I was going to the Bout du Monde music festival with Karl
until he phoned yesterday morning. He sounded very enthusiastic
about it. He's got me a ticket and won't tell me how much it cost. He
said I can come and help him look for baby boars soon and also give a
hand to pick up some furniture next week. I told him about the
pancake festival and meeting Celine. He had an extra ticket which he
said Celine could have. He told me he'd asked a woman he'd met to go
with him but she'd made some excuse. I got the feeling he didn't want
to talk about it.
Celine
sounded pleased when I phoned and suggested we pick her up in Karl's
van. She lives just outside Vannes in a pretty little cottage in the
grounds of a large maison. Karl asked her if the owners had any
antique furniture to sell, but she doesn't see them that often as the
landlord is a politician and spends most of his time in Paris.
On
the way to Crozon in Finisterre Karl played his old tapes; Muddy
waters, BB king, Robert Cray, etc. Celine asked if he'd heard of
Madeleine Peyroux, a Canadian singer, but neither of us had (I had to
look her up when I got home). She asked Karl what he thought of
Seasick Steve, but he hadn't heard of him either. I think he likes to
stick to his old stuff.
The
festival was packed. We got a couple of local beers each and watched
Finlandia; Brazilian cellist and an Argentinian accordionist/pianist
- Rodrigo would have been interested! We had a while to wait before
the next act (Maya) came on, so we got something to eat. I told
Celine and Karl about my time in Brazil when I worked for the Booth
line and used to sail up the Amazon (I think their eyes glazed over a
bit). I had paella, Celine had crepes and Karl had two kebabs. He
told us about the woman he had met when picking up a dressing table
and bureau. They'd ended up in her four poster bed that first time
but whenever he phones her she always makes excuses. She told him she
was divorcing her rich husband and selling off all his furniture.
Celine told him to forget her. I think Karl is quite sensitive about
these sort of things, and finds them difficult to talk about.
I
liked the next act, Maya. When she sings she plays a kayamba (looks a
bit like a washboard) which she explained comes from the Mascarene
islands, somewhere between Mauritius and Madagascar. Karl said he
liked Ben L'Oncle Soul and Monophobics and Celine seemed to be into
Lisa Le Blanc; Canadian singer/guitarist. She told us she had lived
in Montreal for a few years, teaching in a girls school. I asked her
what she thought of her namesake, Celine Dion. She shrugged her
shoulders."She is - what is the word, ennui,
boring!"
I
shared the driving on the way back with Karl. Celine said she was
tired and fell asleep between us. I had to wake her up when we
arrived at her place and she asked us in for a coffee. Her place is
small and packed with stuff; paintings, sea-shells, candles, books,
old maps of Brittany, but couldn't see any stamp albums amongst the
clutter. A very old tabby cat appeared from somewhere which Celine
introduced as Bonaparte. Her sofa was so comfortable I thought I was
going to fall asleep.
Karl
dropped me back at my place and I watched his van speed off with John
Lee Hooker pumped up to full volume.
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