Salut!

Tin snails and upturned prams: a festival of Citröen 2CVs

Image: Kathleen Conkin

A flurry of interest in this article about Citröen's charming old Deux Chevaux cars (the 2CV), coming from Facebook, has inspired me to post it again with a great new photo - see http://www.francesalut.com/2015/06/tin-snails-and-upturned-prams-the-2cv-festival-is-back.html. I'd be grateful to hear from one of those belatedly visiting this posting on the origin of this rekindled interest ...

Norway mass murder, Islam's bad press and Christianity's soft ride

Image: No Luiz

Tommy Sands captured in music - see this entry in the Song of the Day series at Salut! Live - what religious and political fanaticism does to people ...

When a deranged French father fled from the scene of the horrendous massacre of his wife and four children, becoming the No 1 and indeed only suspect, there was the suggestion that cranky religious thoughts played a part.

The dust had barely settled on Anders Behring Breivik's murderous rampage in Norway, before his fundamentalist beliefs were shown to be part of the makeup of an evil or, as his lawyer now say, probably insane menace.

And in neither case could anyone blame Islam or, more specifically, Islamist fanatics using their own wildly distorted interpretation of religious duty as justification for wicked deeds.

I say no one could apportion such blame, but of course they already had for the bloodshed in and near Oslo. The kneejerk reaction to the bombing and shootings did no credit to the media outlets that made it, or indeed those who accepted it as fact.

Monsieur les Beatles: (2) on preferring John

An impertinent comment on Part One suggested that a re-run of I Love Lucy was presumably on the cards. Here, all the same, is the second part of the interview between Salut! and Eric Krasker, a father-of-five who took advantage of his native France's generous provisions for familles nombreuses to produce important books* on the Beatles. Since this originally appeared at Salut! last year, I have invited Eric to offer updated information on the projects he mentions, and on his family ...

Do you have a favourite Beatle?


Well, I always considered that John Lennon was the most interesting personality of the group, firstly because his songs are more personal, introspective and authentic. He really had a versatile talent as a song writer. He could as well compose great rock ’n’ roll songs such as I Call Your Name and Hey Bulldog, and creating unforgettable pop numbers such as It Won’t Be Long, I Should Have Known Better, Nowhere Man or Don’t Let Me Down. His surrealistic style is also outstanding and brilliant in songs such as I’m Only Sleeping, Strawberry Fields Forever, Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite or I Am The Walrus. Secondly, I am very sensitive to his sharp wit and his offbeat sense of humour. His attitude was also the one of a rebel who quickly took a minimum of distance with the show-business and star-system (while also using it sometimes). For instance, he was able to stand back as early as 1964, while Beatlemania was increasing everyday and, although rich and famous, he was already conscious that the Beatles had lost a part of their authenticity and freshness, and from then on simply were to promote their own same 11 or 12 hits at every show.

Monsieur les Beatles: (1) a passionate Frenchman

As promised (threatened?) yesterday, this is the start of a re-run of the long question-and-answer interview I conducted with one of the world's most committed Beatles fans. It first appeared a few months ago but I want to make it available to the wider audience now enjoyed by Salut!.
The world has an abiding fascination with the Beatles. And when you want to know something about the band, especially the early days, you can do a lot worse than turn to Eric Krasker. And why not? The first name has an Anglo-Saxon feel, the surname gives little away. But Eric is French. I first interviewed him in Paris five years ago but he's been hard at it, as a recognised authority on the Beatles, for a lot longer. On the publication, in English, of The Beatles – Fact and Fiction 1960-1962, an updated, extended version of his first book, which originally appeared only in French, Salut! decided to fire some questions at him ...

Remind me of how you managed to find time to research and write the book

When I was still a student preparing my master diploma in history, I decided that my future research would be a combination of my two interests in life: music and history. And as the Beatles were my favorite band since 1972, it was natural that I would go in for this particular subject, especially because up to a recent time, there were very few academic studies dealing with the Fab Four. And now that the Beatles’ career belongs more to history than to present, I thought it was time to go to the nitty gritty and debunk some old legends and myths once and for all. So, in the early Nineties, as a father of five children and thanks to the French system of les familles nombreuses (big families), I had the possibility to take a long off-work period (twelve years) during which I made a thorough research dedicated to the beginnings of the Beatles in Hamburg (1960-1962). Of course, during this special time off I had a family allowance of around £457 per month, but the main income was provided from my wife who is a scientific researcher in philosophy.

The Beatles in France: but first, les Beatles v les Stones

One of the world's most ardent fans of the Beatles has nothing to do with Liverpool or even the UK. He is a Frenchman called Eric Krasker and I am about to run for a wider new audience the two-part interview he did for Salut!.

What gave me the idea of doing so was another outing, this time at Facebook today, of that familiar old either/or poser: the Beatles or the Stones?

My Canadian colleague Alison (I shall give only first names) started it off with the simple question "Who'd you rather be? The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?" before turning it into a straight "who was/is better?" exercise with her own answer: "Ahhh, Rolling Stones. The leather pants won my vote."

Eva Joly: a bit green in political strategy or refreshingly honest?

Photo: Wikipedia

Who occupies the high moral ground in the row between Eva Joly and much of the French political establishment over the wisdom or otherwise of holding a military parade every Bastille Day? She, of course, is in trouble for wanting the parades to be free of military connotations.

Well I can think of two sets of people: those who agree with her, and those who disagree.

A weekend in Provence, night and day

Peter Mayle tired of it, or perhaps the coach parties to his doorstep tired him. The streams of tourists heading for La Madrague certainly tire Brigitte Bardot. But even Mayle came back, and BB never left.

Provence has a magic, night and day, that captures the imagination and also the spirit.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy: 'how mon mari infuriates the Parisian elite'

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and I may not be quite kindred spirits. But there is common ground.

Wherever she stays when in the Var, at the family pad at Cap Nègre or - as now - in the presidential retreat, the Fort de Brégançon, we're neighbours, sort of.

We are also, albeit after a fashion in her case, folkies. Someone will doubtless point me in the right direction of a potential Carla track to add to the renowned Song of the Day series at Salut! Live.

Bastille Night rage as the tyranny of Line Dancing sweeps France

With thanks to Dumdad for spotting the headline gaffe, now corrected ...

July 14. Le quatorze juillet to the French, Bastille Day to us. How did you spend yours?

Three hundred or so hoodlums, or alleged hoodlums as we should say, were arrested in Paris and its surrounds.

The Green presidential candidate Eva Joly called for an end to the tradition military parade, Carlo Bruni-Sarkozy entertained sailors' wives at the Fort de Brégançon. The English-language newspaper Connexion finally caught up with my story about the toddler who wandered off by himself 1.5km down the road on Saturday night.

The Paris hoteliers with no room in the Palaces

Image: Jukka1

While I am no great fan of ultra-posh hotels, the glitzy end of the market, they do have their moments.

I have dined well in the Crillon in Paris (at the expense of a delightful hostess, Mireille Guiliano, in a meal at which I began the campaign of gentle persuasion that may have led to her bestseller from French Women Don't Get Fat acquiring the more accurate title in French Ces françaises qui ne grossissent pas).