French Music - Jaques Brel

Jacques the Lad
If Brussels sounds like all politics and no soul, a series of exhibitions about one of its famous sons hopes to prove otherwise, writes Gwyn Topham
• Gwyn Topham
• Guardian Unlimited,
• Tuesday December 31 2002

When your capital city is virtually synonymous with the faceless bureaucracy of the European Union, there's an urgent need to uncover a little of the romance, the tormented soul, that neighbouring France can effortlessly lay claim to. It's not surprising, then, that Brussels should now choose to promote a favourite son - albeit one who found fame in Paris - with the kind of soaring voice and rich, angst-filled lyrics that seem so impeccably French.
Jacques Brel was born in Brussels in 1929, and started both a singing career and a family there before leaving to perform in Paris in his early twenties. Fame arguably might not have been his object: throughout his career he would often eschew big cities in favour of audiences in smaller or rural locations, and towards the end of his short life he set off to live in retreat on a remote Pacific island. Now, though, 25 years after his death from lung cancer, he is set to become the face of Brussels in 2003 as a host of exhibitions and events take place in his honour.
Already established is a small gem among Brussels' attractions, the Fondation Internationale Jacques Brel, a couple of minutes' walk from the Grand Place. It houses a small and simple museum that, with some inventive flourishes and a mild suspension of disbelief on the part of the visitor, is hugely evocative.
Entering via what appears to be an old lift taking you to an upper floor, you find yourself backstage in a scene from many decades ago: an evening with Brel on tour. The first stop is the changing room; on the dressing table lie train tickets, song sheets, a half-eaten baguette and all the paraphernalia of a life spent on the road. As if in the mirrors of the dressing table, a video of Brel in interview recounts his opinions.
Through the dressing room you arrive in the wings, where the silhouette of Brel in the spotlight falls on the heavy curtains. It's cleverly combined with grainy black-and-white footage of the man himself in concert, playing on the other side of the drapes: a distinctively contoured face, all teeth and ears, and his shortish figure straining forward in his suit, arms flying out as if battling against some centrifugal force.
Beyond, there's further footage of a sweat-soaked Brel coming offstage, straight into an interview and a cigarette. The final port of call is a recreated station bar where you can play all your own favourite Brel tracks on the jukebox. The visit takes only 35 minutes, the literature advises, but fans might well like to linger longer.
Brel is undoubtedly less famous in Britain than elsewhere in Europe; probably in part because he refused to sing in anything other than French (the Fondation doesn't make any great concessions to the English speaker, either). Yet his influence can be seen directly in covers by the likes of David Bowie and Ray Charles, the dubious tribute of an album called Jacques by Marc Almond, and in the quiet revival of cabaret. Two years ago, when the music magazine Mojo asked leading British and American songwriters to nominate the greatest songs of all time, Brel's Ne me quitte pas was the only non-English song on their list.
• The Fondation Internationale's Jacques Brel's exhibition is open every day except Monday and bank holidays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last admission). Place de la vieille Halle aux Blés 11, 1000 Brussels. Bookings: +32 (0) 2.511.10.20
• There is also a dedicated site for Brussels' 2003 Brel festivities at www.brel-2003.be
• Gwyn Topham travelled to Brussels on Eurostar, tel: 08705 186 186. For more information, please contact the Belgian Tourist Office - Brussels & Wallonia on 020 7531 0390 or email info@belgiumtheplaceto.be