VICKIE'S WORLD

(for photos of Garou, please click PHOTO COMPANION TO MUSIC DISCUSSION POSTS)

So then, very shortly on the heels of collecting music by Bruno Pelletier - the guy who played Gringoire in "Notre Dame de Paris", I checked out some of the recording career releases from Garou - the guy who played Quasimodo. I obtained his CD "Reviens"...the second CD of the only 2 he'd released thus far. And I have to admit...at first...I wasn't impressed. There were only 3 or so songs I found immediately attractive. Like Pelletier, Garou is not a monogamous musical act. But if I had to pin down his musical style, it would be to say that he's pop, but with a harder edge, and with sprinklings of jazz, contemporary and even the kind of grand stage performances you were getting out of the more upbeat and exciting singers prior to rock and roll. The songs I did like, however, sounded very much like the softer stuff Bruce Springsteen has done.

And for the longest time, even my friends found his music less appealing than Pelletier's. But then I found that Garou isn't as restricted as Pelletier when it comes to merchandising. But then again, his management machine is the husband and wife team of Celine Dion and Rene Angelil. Celine saw him in "Notre Dame" and fell immediately in love with him, in a sisterly way, then introduced him to Rene during a lunch she'd invited Garou to. There, she popped the question to both of them about Garou joining their "family", business-wise. Garou said he nearly choked on his food. Until "Notre Dame", Garou was a local club performer with a small non-professional band. The "Notre Dame" folks saw him and asked him to audition for the show, and gave him the part of Quasimodo. It was only after this happened - latter 1990's - that Garou entered the realm of the professional music industry, and indeed, the public eye. His performance as Quasimodo was breathtaking, and you would never had known he was a completely inexperienced actor. He performed like a highly trained, seasoned professional! Very dramatic and emotional! But his recording career is very young, indeed. His first album was released just in 2000.

But Garou also records and releases concert videos. One for each tour, so far...making 2. So, I got the one that had been released thus far, at that time. It was from his first concert tour, using the music from his first CD, "Seul". It was released in 2002...and if you take post production into consideration, it would make sense that most of it was recorded during 2001...just one year following his first album.

My first impression was "Holy shit!" just because of the size of the audience he drew! It was inside, but I still couldn't see the back or sides where the sea of people ended. Outside of the Freddie Mercury tribute concert following his death, I have never seen an audience this massive! This guy is JUST this famous all over Canada, Europe and Japan...and probably a great many other countries. Yet, absolutely unheard of in America. It's funny...Americans can scarcely imagine anything THAT big, entertainment wise, that could completely pass us by, unnoticed...especially when it's based within 100 miles of New York!
You can learn all you want about Garou on his web page. www.garouland.com You can choose to view it in English, too! He has song files, and complete music videos to see there!

My second impression was "WOW!! This guy is a complete NUT!" After such an extremely dramatic performance in Notre Dame, I was totally not expecting a guy with a constant, and huge, smile. I was not expecting a guy who cracked himself up onstage, and sometimes in the middle of songs. I swear! The man's a giggler! He's a goofball who shoots funny faces, cracks jokes and is just all around silly!
The funny thing is, he's just as serious and intense at other times. I learned that Garou is a very open man, still a wide-eyed babe who can't believe this amazing stardom is his. He truly loves his audiences, and is as open with himself in front of thousands of people as he would be among friends. When a particular song strikes him emotionally, you can see that emotion, and his isn't ashamed of it. During the song "Le Monde est Stone" (the world is stone) you can see him beginning to lose it toward the end. His facial expression are nearly anguish as his fights to keep control of his voice - which he does magnificently. For one held note particularly, you can see him fighting for it. It's just amazing!

My third impression was "Oh my God! What an amazing performer!!!!" Despite his 6 foot-several inches, well fleshed frame, the man is a tireless dynamo. His concert was comprised of original French language tunes from his album, a few French covers, and several English pieces, including a blues medley that would just never end! That is the sort of music he chose to do when he did English on that tour. His first song was "You Can Leave Your Hat On". Next, he did a version of "Georgia on my Mind" that would have had Ray Charles sitting up out of his grave going "Damn! That boy can sing!" And finally...that Blues medley...a piece that would have left Jake and Elwood Blues coughing in the dust.

In the end, I came away with a much greater appreciation of the man and his music than I had before. His audio recordings and still pictures just do not do him justice. On stage, the man becomes incredibly sexy...and because he jokes around with this image and doesn't take it seriously, it makes him more genuinely sexy. A fact that he still has trouble believing. And, as with many other musical artists I've encountered, having been able to see the music performed has opened the door to me being more readily able to appreciate the music in audio only. On first listen, I didn't like any song from "Seul". After the concert, however, I completely adore 9 of the 14 tracks.

Just a few months after I had obtained Garou's first concert DVD, his second one was released, supporting his second album, "Reviens". This one leaned more toward rock than the first, and his concert performance showed it. The first time around, his musicians were older guys with a lot of experience under their belts. He had a full horn section and a trio of grade-A back up singers...including one male. It was grandiose and smacked of the glitter and golden days of Hollywood. This time around, it was obvious that his tour managers wanted to take a more gritty, youthful rock approach. Almost everyone was replaced with a young, skinny, pretty person...which wasn't necessarily better. Never replace quality with window dressing! I wasn't pleased with this treatment, but was very pleased to see many of my favorite songs from "Reviens" being performed. But, as I said, it was more rock oriented, and so we did get quite a few rock performances out of him...a few of which were really on the harder side of rock. But he's still a goofball, and did a piece where he described to the audience the musical stages he went through while growing up. For each new stage he mentioned, the showed a large picture of him on the back screen, dressed up in that musical style. He then came to "heavy metal", and to demonstrate, he did a few lines from AC/DC's, "Back In Black". Man!!! He was GOOD!

So now that I have all his music and both his concerts...many of my friends now appreciate him. One friend in particular has become SUCH a huge fan that she created Garou's first American fan website, and now corresponds and links regularly with web site owners in Canada and France. She's COMPLETELY enamored with the man. Most of my other female friends will come and watch the first concert again and again, just for the sexy factor, but we all have a genuine appreciation for what an all around performer this guy is. Even men who have watched this concert have had to say, "Damn...he's good." And these have been guys in their 20's and early 30's who otherwise listen to rock.
The man is impressive. I strongly urge you all to go to his website and view a few videos. But for a list of songs to find and check out:

From Seul:
Gitan (has kind of a Latin flavor, slow song)
Que l'Amour est Violent (amazing performance in the DVD! He jumped from the stage to walk amongst the audience, and when he climbed back to the stage, we got to see just how far that jump had been...he climbed back over a 4-foot fence that was at least 7 feet from the edge of the stage! He'd cleared it all in that one leap! We also calle this the "pretty mouth" song.)
Demande au Soliel (very powerful)
Seul (more upbeat, kind of pop with more sophistication)
Sous le Vent (a duet with Celine Dion)
Je n'Attendais que Vous (powerful ballad, but I really wouldn't call it rock...not contemporary, either. Dang but it's hard to categorize this guy!)
Au Plaisir de Ton Corps (a completely fun and playful song! Loved it in the video...love singing with it)
Lis Dans Mes Yeux (beautifully haunting ballad!)
L'adieu (not much to like when listening audio only, but it's the song he sings at the end of his concerts, and he does get very emotional with it. In the first video, it rips your heart out!)

From Reviens:
Passe ta Route (upbeat rock...with some English lyrics!)
Et Si On Dormait (this is kinda Springsteen)
Hemingway (hard rock...he even performed it with fog-spout effects in the concert video...a column of fog was shot upward from beneath the stage, and he'd stand in it)
L'aveu (emotionally powerful...another one for which he let anguish show on stage)
Reviens (another Springsteen style song)
Pour L'amour D'une Femme (one of the first song I really liked! It's upbeat Springsteen style...it's good)
Pendant Que Mes Cheveux Poussent (this one is really interesting, because the musical style itself reminds you of an old time church revival...though the song itself has nothing to do with church. It's a LOT of fun)
Les Filles (I like this one more from the concert than I do just to listen to...quirky folk tune about learning about girls and women)
Quand Passe La Passion (another one that I immediately liked upon listening...power ballad about when the passion's gone)
Tout Cet Amour La (kinda stadium rock sounding...very triumphant sounding...in the concert video, they completely darkened the house lights so that no one knew where he was while he was singing. But where he was, was running off the stage, back through the hallways so that he could emerge in the middle of the back rows of the crowd. When the lights came back up...there he was! And so ensued the mayhem.)
Ne Me Parlez Plus D'elle (the third I immediately liked...awesome song!)
Ton Premier Regard (very Springsteen)
Une Derniere A Fois Encore ( I didn't have much use for this song until I saw it performed...and learned what it was about. It's an incredibly sultry, yet powerfully performed - like an intense metal piece - song about demanding one last bout of sex with a woman who'd treated him like crap and tossed him away. Some of the lyrics suggest that it's what he feels entitled to, and if she doesn't agree, he'll take it by force. The song is like forceful sex with all the guttural screams and other vocalizations you may ordinarily hear behind a closed door...and DAMN!)

So, check out his website. Even if you don't acquire anything else, I strongly recommend obtaining a copy of the "Live a Bercy" concert DVD. You won't be disappointed. It's a performance like you've never seen before, and like the music industry in America hasn't seen in decades. Whether you like him or not...whether you like the music or not...no one has been able to deny this is an awesome show.

Okay, first off, I am the "COMPLETELY enamored" friend. Secondly, Vix - I cannot believe you are classifying this with Springsteen. I have to disagree here. I would say more of a Joe Cocker meets Bob Seger. But I really wouldnt say Springsteen. Thirdly - His music is out of this world. He has done a lot more with other artists such as Helene Segara, Liane Foly, Patrick Bruel, Johnny Hallyday and more. His new CD will be out on 6/27 and the new singles from that CD (L'injustice and Je suis le Meme) are absolutley FANTASTIC!!! Not that there was any doubt...but still. I have seen the new video for L'injustice as well as performances of both new singles and he gets very emotional when performing them. He has this wonderful ability to put all of his emotions into all of his songs and performances. Okay.. I think I have said enough. :)

What can I say, I love the man. :)
Toodles,
L'gitan (AKA-Laura)

One more thing. There are several fan sites out there that are in English as well. They have a lot of his music out there as well as video's and things.
http://lililo.neuf.fr/index.htm - Eternal Child
www.seulavecgarou.com - Click English.