busker

Sacha Distel, RIP

I seem to be going thru a francophile stage, or at least writing about the frogs.

No one will know of Sacha Distel these days, but back in 1960 I rather envied him for hooking up with Brigitte Bardot, the galactic sexpot of the time. (Zut alors! In kitting my reference with a link, I've just seen la BB's dates: wait til it gets out that my best wanks were over a pout n cleavage born 1934. I feel like some remnant of l'ancien régime).

Anyway, I'd moved to a new school and a new smoothie guitar teacher whose first words were, "Did you catch the Palladium show last night on the tele?" I had not. "Not bad - Distel was on, playing a piece by Reinhardt."

Playboy Sacha D playing a Django R piece? Surely not, I thought? I didn't mind him having those odious gallic looks that pull every bit of crumpet around, but to also star on the guitar ... de trop.

But he did, and I went on to buy many of his albums and, in 1967, even brave Parisian rioters to hear him in concert.