A new song, written especially for a French magazine I discovered recently : L’Humanologue. Hope you enjoy it !
song
Back together!
After three and a half months spent on either side of the Channel and quite a few online videos, here we are, finally back together. And to celebrate, we recorded (live!) one of our old classics: Dr Schmidtz and His Monster.
Flipped
A new video with One Voice, One Cello and A mad Belgian!
Some French!
This week, some French singing to cheer you up.
Mambo no.7
A new video with One Voice, One Cello and A mad Belgian. Enjoy!
Poker Game
This week on “A mad Belgian”: an A Capella song
Outer Space
Ten weeks already! Well this week we thought we’d share with you a lovely song Rupert wrote a while ago, which seems particularly relevant these days…
ESP
A new tune with One Voice, One Cello and A mad Belgian… Can you guess what it’s about?
Whiskey Joe and his 8 pound note
A new video with One voice, One Cello and A mad Belgian, dedicated to my friend Whiskey Mick who was courteous enough to appear in one of my dreams a few years ago.
The Mathematician
Brand new song with “One Voice, One Cello and A mad Belgian”, dedicated to all geeky mathematicians in the world.
Mary Magdalene
New installment of your weekly dose of One Voice, One Cello and A mad Belgian. This week, a quieter song, sung by both of us. Enjoy!
Another Murder on Baker Street
Did you know that when the Sherlock Holmes books were first published, people thought Sherlock was a real person and many wrote to him to ask for his help?
So much so, in fact, that someone had to get hired by the post office just to deal with the mail that kept coming for 221B Baker Street (which wasn’t even a real address at the time)!
What am I getting at? Well this week’s quarantine song with One Voice, One Cello and A mad Belgian tells the story of Another murder on Baker Street. Enjoy!
Close Encounter of the Second Kind
How many of you know what “A close encounter of the second kind” is (apart from an awesome song by Rupert Gillett)?
The 11th person to pm me the right answer wins a CD! (No googling, we trust you…)
(Musical) notes from a while ago…
Years ago, I was living in Brussels with this Italian guy. He came with a lot of olive oil and many different kinds of pasta (true story). He could cook, he could sing… And mostly, he could play the double bass beautifully!
Now we’re miles apart but have recorded this for you. Such a great standard by Eden Ahbez.
A mad Belgian 2 — Nature Boy & Ramesses II
A second episode of A mad Belgian, in which you’ll find a duo version of “Nature Boy” with double bass player Alessio Campanozzi, and some information about the colossal head of Ramesses II that stands in the British Museum. Enjoy!
Big Blue Ball
Second video of the Quarantine Sessions, a cross channel collaboration with One Voice, One Cello and A mad Belgian!
Tune in every Wednesday at 10am (11 on the continent) for more!
Across the channel…Don’t Look Now
First video of the Quarantine Sessions, a cross channel collaboration with One Voice, One Cello and A mad Belgian!
Tune in every Wednesday at 10am (11 on the continent) for more!
Cranky
Sometimes I get cranky I can't help it, really I do things on my own, Like an odd and lonely soul I'm told I'm too quirky But that's the only way for me I often don't realise That's not the regular path I'd love to be normal to do nothing special I'd love to be banal To go about my life in an orderly fashion And to stop asking questions But I'm trapped in myself I am done with pretence I've never been good at being someone else I am stuck with this brain With these thoughts, with those games The melancholy and the insecurities
And here you are, and I'm all sorted You're there and everything seems simple again And here you are and I'm just fine For as long as you'll give me your time
Sometimes I get cranky I let things get to me I'm oversensitive I've got nothing good to give It's all too much for me And I do get angry The wars, the extreme right Don't wanna live in a state of fright I'd love to be useful to do something meaningful I want to be crucial To go about my life in a decisive manner And to get much better at banter But I'm trapped in myself I am done with pretence I've never been good at being someone else I am stuck with this brain With these thoughts, with those games The melancholy and the insecurities
And here you are, and I'm all sorted You're there and everything seems simple again And here you are and I'm just fine For as long as you'll give me your time but...
Sometimes you get cranky And you leave suddenly Leaving me alone to fight The challenges of life I struggle and frankly It is far from easy To know you are around And won't lend me your hand I know you're struggling too you've got other things to do Than constantly save me You've got your own issues I wish I could help you Be truly happy But I'm trapped in myself I am done with pretense I've never been good at being someone else I am stuck with this brain With these thoughts, with those games The melancholy and the insecurities
Still here I am with all these flaws I'm here for you and everything seems simple again And here I am and you're just fine For as long as I'll give you my time
I don’t want to live this way
I ruminate on the meaning of life I ruminate on the meaning of love I ruminate on my jealousy On my inconsistencies I ruminate on my local pub I ruminate on friendship I ruminate on food, I ruminate on fitness
I ruminate on censorship I ruminate on sadness I ruminate on people around On how most are doing their best I ruminate on people’s best often not being enough I ruminate on Trump, Le Pen and all the others I ruminate on skills, on time, on age I ruminate on fear, on luck, on hate I ruminate on the meaning of things I ruminate on misunderstandings and the war that might be coming I ruminate on dreams and realism I ruminate on life and on what my cat thinks
But I don’t want to spend my life this way I would like to stop thinking and fly away With the man I love, my music and my bike We would spend our days giving new colours to life! But it can’t be stopped yet, My brain is always boiling With new things to understand In the Grand Scheme of things So…
I ruminate on relationships I ruminate on my man and On why finding me seems to Take him so much time I ruminate on solitude, on habits, on tap dance I ruminate on wilderness, adventure and balance I ruminate on how disappointing people often prove to be I ruminate on how I can be both full of myself and insecurity On who invented sports and On why musicals exist I ruminate on Tinder I ruminate on hipsters
But I don’t want to spend my life this way I would like to stop thinking and fly away With the man I love, my music and my bike We would spend our days giving new colours to life!
35 souls max
A song/poem inspired by a lovely concert I saw in Brussels, in a tiny venue. The artist, David Sire, was simply brilliant. And brilliantly mad (see his official “Ça me gonfle” clip below).
A tiny tiny gem in Central Brussels
35 seats max
You'll need patience and luck to discover the place
But you will go back
Arthème welcomes you to his living room cafe He shows you around the little cabaret Take a seat, make yourself at home Have a drink, the artist won't be long Take a sip, make yourself at home The show will soon be on
A random collection of human characters 35 souls max hippies, teachers, artists, bankers, too sane or too crazy, together they're sat
They've all come to listen to his wanderings To his illusions, his questions, his ramblings They've all sat down, ready to take off to leave their serious little lives behind For a moment, they'll stop thinking of Everything that's wrong
A tiny tiny stage near Saint-Catherine place 35 minds max A very small venue for a truly great artist Who'll leave us all gobsmacked
As he comes on stage, his energy fills the room He talks of his demons, his desires and his wounds His fears, his enthusiasms, his "bidules" and "boudoules" His encounters, his dreams, his artefacts Mystify the room
A tiny tiny gem in Central Brussels 35 seats max It took me time and luck to discover the place But I will go back
Sound Song
Sound. Safe and sound. I only feel safe when there's sound around. Sound. Safe and sound. It makes me feel less lonely. Which is why, I always leave the radio on, and listen on and on and on...
To the news, the news, and some terrible commercial, to more news, more news, and a few pop/rock mega hits to more news, more news, then a comedy show then back to news, news, news...
And it is so scary, it makes me feel lonely, it makes me feel weary of others.
And it is so scary, the world's too much for me and I will never leave the house
I crave some silence... but I need sound. Safe and sound. I only feel safe when there's sound around.