The French Connection

Since it is April in Paris, as well as everywhere else (lol), I figured I'd bring up a topic that has a French connection. Awhile back someone posted a message questioning the inspiration behind one of Brian's videos, "The Knife Feels Like Justice", in the 1980's off the album of the same title. This topic is in the same vein as I'd like to take a stab at another tune from that album "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", as it's one of my all-time favorite Setzer songs both to play and listen to. The video link is posted below.



Aside from the fact that this is a great video, I've always wondered whether the homeless guitarist on the street with the "Maccaferri"-type acoustic guitar was a reference to Django Reinhardt, one of the best ever in my opinion. Everything else fits from the violinist (a ref. to Stephane Grappelli) and the rest of the quintet of the Hot Club of France (this was Django's band) to the shots of the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, and the rest of the places. In addition "For Lisa", off the Wolfgang's Big Night Out album, is definitely a Djano-like take on Beethoven's "Fur Elise". So I tend to believe the reference in my interpretation of the video, but I don't have any official evidence of this.

I'll close with a line from another famous frenchman, Inspector Clouseau, "Until we meet again and the case is solved."

The drummer in the vid is wearing a bandanna around his neck. Is he paying homage to Slim Jim?

ye davy this is one of my favorite setzer songs to man
Ive been listening to it alot recently and it just keeps gettin better
I think it could do well in the charts if it was releast today
lookin forward to your chord charts on it cheers

Thank the 'net' for YouTube. Back inthe 80's Brian vids were hard to come by. We had MTV, but they never played his stuff. Then i recall staying up through the night watching Music box. Just for a glimpse of anything that may be on. then it happened. Video paused all night (Shit! I really used to wait there all night with the vid on pause) on came this vid. It was brilliant. The vey next day, I went to the pub with my best ever mate, Mark and we came back to mine to watch the video.... except my mom had taped neigbours over it. To this day, i have never seen the video (until now).

ha ha ha.... I seek my rewengay.

Mikey the evil plotter.

Wow!

Just as an aside - i forgot how much Chuck Leavell brought to the BS sound back in the 'Knife' days. He is truly amazing.

mikey Reminiscabilly

Never seen it before, thanks!

Yeah Davey, the "Boulevard" video was a complete nod to Django. Brian and the video's director Julien Temple developed the idea. It was shot in both Paris and Soho, London. I only know that because I beat Brian's ear about it yesterday and begged him to tell me what he remembered about the shoot.

That remains one of my all-time favorite videos. I wish it was movie-length, the scenery is so cool. Brian and Tommy Byrnes in the rain under the Eiffel Tower.....kinda like Farm Aid! lol

The world is waiting for the sunrise,
Tommy Babik

Thanks for the reply Tommy.

Cool vid, I'd never seen it either. From Wikipedia:

Quote :

At the age of 18 Reinhardt was injured in a fire that ravaged the caravan he shared with Bella, his first wife. They were very poor, and to supplement their income Bella made imitation flowers out of celluloid and paper. Consequently, their home was full of this highly flammable material. Returning from a performance late one night, Django apparently knocked over a candle on his way to bed. While his family and neighbors were quick to pull him to safety, he received first- and second-degree burns over half his body. His right leg was paralyzed and the third and fourth fingers of his left hand were badly burnt. Doctors believed that he would never play guitar again and intended to amputate one of his legs. Reinhardt refused to have the surgery and left the hospital after a short time; he was able to walk within a year with the aid of a cane.

His brother Joseph Reinhardt, an accomplished guitarist himself, bought Django a new guitar. With painful rehabilitation and practice Django relearned his craft in a completely new way, even as his third and fourth fingers remained partially paralyzed. Hence, he played all of his guitar solos with only two fingers, and managed to use the two injured digits only for chord work.

In the video when the guitarist is playing he predominantly plays with two fingers of his left hand, and they focus on his hand with his pinky and ring finger curled under when he's sleeping on the street as well. That someone could play like Django with that kind of handicap gives me hope to be able to play at all!!

I also wonder if the Bobby Darin song "Artificial Flowers" is about Bella!