The beautiful tribute of Paris to Coluche – Le Figaro

WE WERE THERE – June 19, 1986, a “fucking truck” we removed Michel Colucci. To commemorate the event, an exhibition dedicated to the actor has opened its doors this Thursday, October 6, in the capital, at the city hall. Between reverence and a good laugh, the emotion is at the rendezvous.

St Coluche pray for us. Such is the mantra assumed the Hotel de ville of Paris, which dedicated an exhibition free to the public until 7 January 2017. We enter a little into the world of Coluche as one enters in religion. It is this popular enthusiasm aroused by the comedian who finds himself entering into the strange sanctuary imagined by the Paris city Hall for the thirtieth anniversary of his death. The very numerous relics gathered for the occasion to give a fast impression of participating in a funny pilgrimage to earth “coluccienne”.

At the first opening day, this Thursday, October 6th, the faithful came in large numbers to admire the last vestiges of the polymorphic artist: the legendary jumpsuit, the shoes giant, the tutu, the wedding dress …the highlight of the show, his bike sits at the heart of the temple lay upright in his memory.

bursts of laughter coming from all sides

All of this could soon make a little mausoleum. Fortunately, video of interview or sketches cults remind us that we are mostly there to laugh. Once is not custom, the people crinkle at the museum. Bursts of laughter come from all sides thanks to the many multimedia formats that punctuate the course. At the turn of a costume or a poster, it is not uncommon to come across a unconditional recite everything down to the many sketches Coluche projected on the walls. One admits, “I know them all by heart”, with a big smile. “We’re missing a lot,” says another, obviously moved by the dozens of costumes the artist suspended above the heads of visitors.

Thanks to the staging, designed by Fabienne Bilal, who was close to him, is rediscovered as the elegant man behind the coarseness of the facade, the personality involved, who said of the policy that it was “his requirement is supreme”.

the exhibition shows also a poet and inventor of words. She reminds us that, thanks to him, it is all a social class that may forget temporarily to be ashamed of his language. “I speak for those who speak like that all day, but who have in front of them this yoke quasi-medieval language-the language of the tv and the radio,” he confided, very serious this time.

Lack a bit of madness and subversion

© André Perlstein private collection photo Credits : James Cuinières/© Jacques Cuinières / Roger-Viollet

The “proletarians”, those we never see on tv or the radio,” the little wop grew up in Montrouge knew them well. The last room of the exhibition, centred on his childhood, renders the course of Michel Colucci, son of an Italian immigrant who confess to “having had the chance to not have the mouth of a wop”. Poverty, he had escaped, but he will never forget.

When he speaks, it is as beautiful as Céline: “The misery , it is like a great wind that sweeps across the face and not stop to blow always in the same direction…you learn it when it is small.” It is moved in front of the family photos, that show it in child, with his father gone too soon. And we laugh out loud in front of the “certificate of good conduct’ obtained by the young Michel Colucci during his military service….

If the exposure faithfully reproduces the look biographical of the life of Coluche, the most nostalgic of the character will be missed without a doubt that all this lacks a bit of madness and subversion.

We would have loved to recreate the atmosphere happily foutraque that he knew how to infuse to the years of Giscard (you have to admit that it wasn’t won!), but the exposure remains, unfortunately, a little academic. The fault no doubt to the constraints imposed by the choice of museum: the space is relatively small lends itself quite poorly to the character, which would have deserved a few more pieces. But to curse one last time, “fucking truck”, and to see the wonderful news of the happy puppet, go and see a very beautiful expo dedicated the town hall.