A lot of young people in this world of ours are hooked in by chart music. Less drip fed, more completely thrust upon them, the likes of Rihanna, Kanye West et al are seen plastered all over popular culture. I am partial to a bit of chart music from time to time, but if I was asked who my favourite artist or musician of all time was, I'm guessing most of you would look back at me blankly.
Jacques Brel, who died in October 1978, sold over 25 million records, making him the 3rd most successful Belgian artist of all time. Most of his songs were recorded in French, which probably doesn't put him at the top of many people's lists of top singers. However, his songs were so theatrical and performed so grandly that it is simply impossible to not like him. Furthermore, the list of artists that have covered his songs almost reach three figures. This list includes the likes of David Bowie. Dame Shirley Bassey. Nina Simone. Neil Diamond. Sting. Frank Sinatra. The list goes on and on. For such an influential musician, he is not widely known, especially to the ears of young people.
Earlier this year, I travelled to London to watch a show called, 'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'. A brilliant review of this can be read here: https://therealchrisparkle.wordpress.com/tag/jacques-brel/ , written by my friend Chris who accompanied me to the show. It confirmed my love of Jacques Brel with some of my favourite songs being showcased on the stage of the Charing Cross Theatre. Songs such as 'Madeleine', 'Amsterdam' and 'Next' a few of the stunning, spine-tingling musical offerings on show. 'Ne Me Quitte Pas', possibly Brel's most famous song must be up there as one of the most covered songs in musical history. Jacques Brel's death at the age of 49 was untimely.
I mention Jacques Brel as I had a dream that I was on stage singing 'Amsterdam' last night. Very recently, I have acquired the skill of lucid dreaming, that means I can control my own movements and actions in dreams. It is something you can learn, and something I discovered at the beginning of this year and have been trying to learn ever since. It's a mysterious skill and one can never really pinpoint when you definitely know how to do it. Only in the last few weeks have I known that I have this skill, mainly because I can remember pretty much every moment of every dream I have, every night. In the past week, I have been involved in a rugby match against Wales where we won 29-19, performed 'Amsterdam' on stage as I said and fulfilled some pretty cool sexual fantasies...
I said that out loud didn't I...?
I have mastered lucid dreaming to such a degree now that I realise I am in a dream as soon as the dream begins, knowing I am in no mortal danger and I can quite literally do what I want. The only thing I can't control is the specific situations I land in, but I'm not sure that's at all possible anyway. It seems an odd thing to learn, but once you have learnt, it is one of the coolest things in the world. I look forward to going to sleep now!
How to link a 1960's French musician and your sleeping pattern. Easy.
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