marie-andrée de rougemont

From Marie-Andrée

Dear Avoca,

I wasn't in Beirut and I couldn't hear Mika's mentioning his father on any of the Utube recordings.

I don't believe that in Stuck in the middle he addresses his father. I rather see it as a poignant love song dedicated to his mother, with some nostalgia, some bitterness, where he expresses his need to break free from her and apologizes for hurting her in the process. I don't think any mother who once saw her children fly from the nest can listen to it without being deeply touched.

Actually I am showing off : the lyrics had to be translated for me. But once I understood them that's what I was feeling.

Any other interpretation ?

Love,

Marie-Andrée

From Marie-Thérèse, courtesy of Marie-Andrée

This is my third attempt at answering Racha : every time I am almost finished, the Wifi connection pops off. Most annoying.

Thank you, Racha ! Your videos are brilliant, they put mine to shame and when I found them on Utube I was delighted. I am sorry I mentioned scarce and short recordings, I guess I must have been impatient. Did you manage to sneak in a camera to the Golden cage where you must have been standing ? True to say the frisking at the gates was not very thorough and I was sorry I only brought my mobile.

I taped about 2/3 of the press conference which should be readable by you all after the computer genius who came to my place this afternoon has done to them whatever they do to change mud into gold (I am mixing my metaphores... I meant, 'the alchemist'). Good to know that there are people more gifted than I am in such matters. To tell you how hopeless I am : only the evening before the Beirut gig did I realize that far from screwing up my recording of the London February 28th show I had got 75 mn of a 90 mn set, missing only the last two songs (incidentally that was not too bad for a dummy who was using her cell phone for the first time). I don't think I am going to share it with you all, though : we have already seen beautiful and extensive coverage of that night ; Suzie's recording of Any other world is superb, thanks a load to her for sharing.

Apart from Mika and his entourage I must have been the one who came to Beirut from farthest away : I live in Marseilles, in the Mediterranean, but had to fly north to Paris then back south ie a good extra 1 000 miles. Looking at the reports there doesn't seem to have been many people coming from Europe. We MFC members are lucky you went there from Dubai, dear Cheshire cat !

Now we are looking forward to the new album and the tour to come. My mother, who couldn't make it to London (sitting tickets sold out) or to any of the summer tour dates (she is really old and very sensitive to heat) is getting frantic. But aren't we all ?

So long,

M.-Th.

From Marie-Thérèse, courtesy of Marie-Andrée

So happy you enjoyed the report, guylainem 123, and looking forward to sharing with MFC members my coverage of about 2/3 of July 26th press conference as a computer wizard is coming to my place this pm (August 1st) to help me with it.

So long,

M.-Th.

Marie-Thérèse, courtesy of Marie-Andrée

Robertina, rejoice : a genius is coming to my place this pm (August 1st) to help me share my coverage of at least 2/3 of the July 26th press conference ! Fortunately not everybody is as illiterate as I am.

I don't really know how my mother will manage to get in touch with Mika to ask him if she can tell you all about the adorable thing he did ; and even if she does I feel that he is so private and modest that he might well ask her to keep mum about it. Definitely his privilege : she wouldn't dream of unveiling something if he is anxious for it not to be known.

So long,

M.-Th.

Marie-Thérèse, courtesy of Marie-Andrée

Violet_sky, happy you enjoyed the report and looking forward to sharing with you all my coverage of at least 2/3 of the July 26th press conference as a friend of mine is coming to my place this pm to help me with it.

So long,

M. Th.

Marie-Thérèse, courtesy of Marie-Andrée

Marina,

So happy you enjoyed it... and looking forward to sharing the two-thirds of the press conference I taped on July 26th : a friend of mine who, contrary to me, is not illiterate is coming to my place this pm to help me with it..

So long,

M. Th.

Marie-Thérèse, courtesy of Marie-Andrée

August 1st, 2008

Aimee, don't tell us that you didn't tape the TV coverage ?! Or that you can't find somebody who did record it ?...

Hopefully I will be able to share my coverage of nearly two thirds of the July 26th Beyrouth press conference so watch the forum in the next few days.

So long,

M. Th.

From Marie-Thérèse, courtesy of Marie-Andrée

My pleasure. Sharing is at least 90% of enjoying, don't you think ?

A friend of mine is going to come to my place this afternoon (August 1st) and hopefully help me put my recording of the press conference (more than half of it as it turned out) at the fan's disposal. I don't know about the gig :Racha's coverage is absolutely brilliant and puts mine to shame ; she must have sneaked a real camera into the venue and have stood in the "Golden cage", the area nearest the stage. Thanks a load to her.

So long,

M. Th.

First I must tell the MFC members that I very recently had the opportunity to realize how genuinely good and immensely generous Mica Penniman is. It is so touching that I can't wait to share it with you but it might embarrass him to see it publicized so I must wait for his go-ahead to tell you about it.

Second, my daughter has -once again- screwed up her registration... forgotten her password or something, she is hopeless !

So I generously give her my space to report on the Beirut gig. Here it comes :

'I have just spent two days travelling to Beirut and back & two days there, plus an extravagant amount of money but it was worth it and more.

First info : Beirut is a danger zone... because of its drivers ! Pity though, because in spite of being deeply scarred the city is beautiful and best discovered by walking through its more secret streets.

Second, the people there are unbelievably welcoming and touchingly grateful when you come to Lebanon in spite of the troubles (just a little machine gun firing at night, coming from far away, nothing to write home about and to stop you from going there, you'll love it).

I had the privilege to attend Mika's press conference which, in spite of the stately room it took place in, had a village hall meeting atmosphere : kids running all over the place, playing with the mikes, happily fighting each other on the carpet, while their mothers chatted away (they did relax and take it easy) but it was rather sweet.

In dire need of a vacation Mika, when he arrived, looked rather drawn and tense but as soon as the press conference began he was his usual self, very much in command, giving each question due consideration before answering it carefully and with surgical precision ; let it be known : Mr Penniman is a tough guy. He had to reject two very kind offers : a proposal from a lady journalist and the mobile phone a little boy wanted to give him to replace his own, which is broken (please, do not each of you send him a cell phone or he will have to move to a much bigger place !)

His "mafia" was there, first and foremost his mother who, in spite of obviously being exhausted, had a kind word and a radiant smile for everybody who approached her ; the five Pennimans are very lucky indeed.

The gig started more than one hour late (the Lebanese way, a friend of mine from Beirut told me).

I was in the front row of the sitting area (a sponsor had chickened out and I got his seat) but I wish I had been standing in front of the stage, that's where the action is.

Technically it was not his best concert (in my view, the Werchter one remains the best gig ever) : shortish set, rather small stage... but to say, like Mika, that the atmosphere was electric is the understatement of the century. There was so much love coming up from the audience that it enveloped the whole venue in a kind of warm veil or breeze... words fail me, those of you who were there will know what I mean. And the crowd went wild, of course. Five middle age ladies were sitting next to me, one of them apparently a minister in the new government, and they were very dignified at first, legs elegantly crossed, smiling sweetly and sedately but after the fourth of fifth song they had nearly reached chair-breaking point and were shaking it like everybody else. Awesome ! As for the artists, I truly believe they were levitating ; actually I swear I could see them moving a couple of inches above the stage and I had not been drinking.

I wanted to thank Mika on behalf of my mother (see above) and his tour manager had told me at the press conference that I could see him after the show but for security reasons he left the venue just after the encore (which he hardly managed to sing, the audience doing it for him !)

Still I can say "I was there" although three days later it still feels slightly unreal, like some experience from an entirely different plane.

I taped a good quarter of an hour of the press conference and at least three songs during the show but I am rubbish at anything even mildly technical. If one of you could tell me how to make a mobile phone recording pass onto a portable computer then onto the forum (stop it, one shouldn't laugh at an intellectually handicapped person !) let them give me some instructions on the forum or leave their email or phone number so that I can get in touch with them, I would be so happy to share it with everybody, not many of you could make it to Beirut on that day and the recordings I have seen on utube so far are scarce and short.

Thank you for the great pictures of the gig.

So long,

Marie-Thérèse'

I told you, she is hopeless !

Marie-Andrée

First I must tell the MFC members that I very recently had the opportunity to realize how genuinely good and immensely generous Mica Penniman is. It is so touching that I can't wait to share it with you but it might embarrass him to see it publicized so I must wait for his go-ahead to tell you about it.

Second, my daughter has -once again- screwed up her registration... forgotten her password or something, she is hopeless !

So I generously give her my space to report on the Beirut gig. Here it comes :

'I have just spent two days travelling to Beirut and back & two days there, plus an extravagant amount of money but it was worth it and more.

First info : Beirut is a danger zone... because of its drivers ! Pity though, because in spite of being deeply scarred the city is beautiful and best discovered by walking through its more secret streets.

Second, the people are unbelievably welcoming and touchingly grateful when you come to Lebanon in spite of the troubles (just a little machine gun firing at night, coming from far away, nothing to write home about and to stop you from going there, you'll love it).

I had the privilege to attend Mika's press conference which, in spite of the stately room it took place in, had a village hall meeting atmosphere : kids running all over the place, playing with the mikes, happily fighting each other on the carpet while their mothers chatted away (they did relax and take it easy) but it was rather sweet.

In dire need of a vacation Mika, when he arrived, looked rather drawn and tense but as soon as the press conference began he was his usual self, very much in command, giving each question due consideration before answering it carefully and with surgical precision ; let it be known : Mr Penniman is a tough guy. He had to reject two very kind offers : a proposal from a lady journalist and the mobile phone a little boy wanted to give him to replace his own, which is broken (please, do not each of you send him a cell phone or he will have to move to a much bigger place !)

His "mafia" was there, first and foremost his mother who, in spite of obviously being exhausted, had a kind word and a radiant smile for everybody who approached her ; the five Pennimans are very lucky indeed.

The gig started more than one hour late (the Lebanese way, a friend of mine from Beirut told me).

I was in the front row of the sitting area (a sponsor had chickened out and I got his seat) but I wish I had been standing in front of the stage, that's where the action is.

Technically it was not his best concert (in my view, the Werchter one remains the best gig ever) : shortish set, rather small stage... but to say, like Mika, that the atmosphere was electric is the understatement of the century. There was so much love coming up from the audience that it enveloped the whole venue in a kind of warm veil or breeze... words fail me, those of you who were there will know what I mean. And the crowd went wild, of course. Five middle age ladies were sitting next to me, one of them apparently a minister in the new government, and they were very dignified at first, legs elegantly crossed, smiling sweetly and sedately but after the fourth of fifth song they had nearly reached chair-breaking point and were shaking it like everybody else. Awesome ! As for the artists, I truly believe they were levitating ; actually I swear I could see them moving a couple of inches above the stage and I had not been drinking.

I wanted to thank Mika on behalf of my mother (see above) and his tour manager had told me at the press conference that I could see him after the show but for security reasons he left the venue just after the encore (which he hardly managed to sing, the audience doing it for him !)

Still I can say "I was there" although three days later it still feels slightly unreal, like some experience from an entirely different plane.

I taped a good quarter of an hour of the press conference and at least three songs during the show but I am rubbish at anything even mildly technical. If one of you could tell me how to make a mobile phone recording pass onto a portable computer then onto the forum (stop it, one shouldn't laugh at an intellectually handicapped person !) let them give me some instructions on the forum or leave their email or phone number so that I can get in touch with them, I would be so happy to share it with everybody, not many of you could make it to Beirut on that day and the recordings I have seen on utube so far are scarce and short.

Thank you for the great pictures of the gig.

So long,

Marie-Thérèse'

I told you, she is hopeless !

Marie-Andrée

First I must tell the MFC members that I very recently had the opportunity to realize how genuinely good and immensely generous Mica Penniman is. It is so touching that I can't wait to share it with you but it might embarrass him to see it publicized so I must wait for his go-ahead to tell you about it.

Second, my daughter has -once again- screwed up her registration... forgotten her password or something, she is hopeless !

So I generously give her my space to report on the Beirut gig. Here it comes :

'I have just spent two days travelling to Beirut and back & two days there, plus an extravagant amount of money but it was worth it and more.

First info : Beirut is a danger zone... because of its drivers ! Pity though, because in spite of being deeply scarred the city is beautiful and best discovered by walking through its more secret streets.

Second, the people are unbelievably welcoming and touchingly grateful when you come to Lebanon in spite of the troubles (just a little machine gun firing at night, coming from far away, nothing to write home about and to stop you from going there, you'll love it).

I had the privilege to attend Mika's press conference which, in spite of the stately room it took place in, had a village hall meeting atmosphere : kids running all over the place, playing with the mikes, happily fighting each other on the carpet while their mothers chatted away (they did relax and take it easy) but it was rather sweet.

In dire need of a vacation Mika, when he arrived, looked rather drawn and tense but as soon as the press conference began he was his usual self, very much in command, giving each question due consideration before answering it carefully and with surgical precision ; let it be known : Mr Penniman is a tough guy. He had to reject two very kind offers : a proposal from a lady journalist and the mobile phone a little boy wanted to give him to replace his own, which is broken (please, do not each of you send him a cell phone or he will have to move to a much bigger place !)

His "mafia" was there, first and foremost his mother who, in spite of obviously being exhausted, had a kind word and a radiant smile for everybody who approached her ; the five Pennimans are very lucky indeed.

The gig started more than one hour late (the Lebanese way, a friend of mine from Beirut told me).

I was in the front row of the sitting area (a sponsor had chickened out and I got his seat) but I wish I had been standing in front of the stage, that's where the action is.

Technically it was not his best concert (in my view, the Werchter one remains the best gig ever) : shortish set, rather small stage... but to say, like Mika, that the atmosphere was electric is the understatement of the century. There was so much love coming up from the audience that it enveloped the whole venue in a kind of warm weil or breeze... words fail me, those of you who were there will know what I mean. And the crowd went wild, of course. Five middle age ladies were sitting next to me, one of them apparently a minister in the new government, and they were very dignified at first, legs elegantly crossed, smiling sweetly and sedately but after the fourth of fifth song they had nearly reached chair-breaking point and were shaking it like everybody else. Awesome ! As for the artists, I truly believe they were levitating ; actually I swear I could see them moving a couple of inches above the stage and I had not been drinking.

I wanted to thank Mika on behalf of my mother (see above) and his tour manager had told me at the press conference that I could see him after the show but for security reasons he left the venue just after the encore (which he hardly managed to sing, the audience doing it for him !)

Still I can say "I was there" although three days later it still feels slightly unreal, like some experience from an entirely different plane.

I taped a good quarter of an hour of the press conference and at least three songs during the show but I am rubbish at anything even mildly technical. If one of you could tell me how to make a mobile phone recording pass onto a portable computer then onto the forum (stop it, one shouldn't laugh at an intellectually handicapped person !) let them give me some instructions on the forum or leave their email or phone number so that I can get in touch with them, I would be so happy to share it with everybody, not many of you could make it to Beirut on that day and the recordings I have seen on utube so far are scarce and short.

Thank you for the great pictures of the gig.

So long,

Marie-Thérèse'

I told you, she is hopeless !

Marie-Andrée