Rant

That Effing Guy in Front of L’Opera de Paris

Be warned…

This is a rant, and not a nice one, and if I learned anything from previous rants on my blog, it’s that some people take major offense. Well I will tell you what, I take major offense every time I see this effing guy singing his pop music covers in front of the Opéra de Paris as if he were at Montmartre with all the beer swilling and “‘No woman No Cry” renditions you can handle, or can’t. I get so upset when I see him there, in front of my favorite monument that is a temple for the artists inside it who work through blood sweat and tears to produce some of the most beautiful and talented stage performances seen anywhere in the world.
Opera Garnier façade detalAnd this effing guy, is there with his effing microphone, belting out top those effing top 40’s shit songs. I just can’t handle it.   Blurry Sacre Coeur
Once, I even went up to him and shouted my opinion at him,(yeah, I did)… but I have no idea if he understood what I was saying. My friends who were with me walked quickly away from me…with *we aren’t with her* horrified looks on their faces.face-screaming-in-fear

 

I know I was not marching to the drum of bien séance that this country so loves. You know : never step out and make yourself a conspicuous mess, never stick out like a sore thumb, never make a scene etc etc… Well you can take the girl out of the wild ranting country of America, but you can’t take the wild ranting America out of the girl. So I shouted at him how that time I was with my horrified friends, that I was appalled that he could sing such industrial crap in front of this OPERA house where there were real artists inside working their butts off literally, creating real art. My words were lost under the first few notes of some John Mayer song. I like John Mayer, too bad this effing guy was trying to ruin John Mayer for me. Not cool.

I understand that this guy has found a way to make some money, and I totally understand that. We all need an income, but DUDE! Go sing somewhere else. Seriously. It’s offensive to the integrity of the Opera house and the excellence it stands for and the artists that work themselves to exhaustion inside.

There, rant done.

But actually my post is not quite done…because, in my search online for an image of this “effing guy”, I found out who he is, Youri Menna is his name, and although he does sing a lot of pop covers, he also writes his own songs and is even now gaining performance gigs in Paris. Real gigs. He was booked at Le Reservoir on September 22nd. And if I hadn’t have been sick, and needed to be home with Bébé Chéri, I would have gone and paid to see him play there. He actually has a decent voice, and he is pretty talented with it. Plus his original songs aren’t bad. He even wrote one for his mama… That melts my heart a little.

I just have a profound problem with that pop music on the steps of the Garnier Palace.

What’s your opinion of this guy singing pop music at the steps of the Opéra de Paris?

Leave your comment, rants or oppositions  below.

4 Comments

  1. I totally agree! When I was in Paris last April I visited the Palais Garnier and was extolling the incredible beauty of the building (it’s like Versailles inside, I swear) and when I exited at last to the front steps to take pictures do the famous statues that grace the portico, there he was. This bawdy ballad singer, strumming his guitar and playing out of date American pop music. I do not agree that his voice was good. Kind of nasally. But I am sick to death of all those songs and I couldn’t understand why he was there. It was like putting an elephant next to the Eiffel Tower. It must be an American thing because I wanted to shout at him too! Haha. Oh Mon Dieu, what has Paris come to?!

  2. I was in Paris a couple of months ago and went to the Opera Garnier. This guy was actually out front singing. He’s not really that good. But it is important to note you started your rant with a photo of the Mozart icon photo, a musician that was every bit as poor as the guy out front singing. Perhaps he’ll get better, but based on my experience, probably not. I do understand what your saying, but your are giving away too much of your personal happiness by allowing him to impact you so. Obviously, most of the buskers in the Metro are far superior to him, but what can you do, other than to say to yourself, he’ll NEVER be as good as the people who play here, poor bastard? I did enjoy your rant and how you phrased it.

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