ME AND J.C DOWN BY SACRE COUER

I'm singing away on these steps leading up to the immense beauty of the Sacre Couer cathedral, and when I open them next there's a vision in black velvet to my left. Long hair falls over his tanned and stubbled face, over piercing blue eyes that are peering curiously at me. He's decked out in gear from another century - shiny black buckled shoes, over black knee socks, over black breeches and of course the velvet jacket in this Parisien heat! An eternal cigarette dangles from the side of his nouth and for the first time (but not the last!) I notice the clear and dangerous looking bottle of liquor in his pocket. He offers it to me and I politely shake my head before he shrugs, takes a drag and tries to tip me in cigarettes.

I see addictions have gotten a hold of him - nicotine stains cover his fingers and his brain seems bent a little too far, though he's still beautiful in a kind of tortured Jim Morrison - druggie Jesus kind of way, just ravaged by various demons is all...

He likes the music. He also loves 'Chreest' and when I see him point behind us to the cathedral and then up to the sky I know he's talking about the son of god. Someone translates for him and I learn that he thinks I come from the planet Venus. Cool! He then requests a song by the Beatles - it takes me a while to work out what 'Elp!' means but then I remember the French don't pronounce their 'H's the same way I do...

There's a good crowd today. It's been so hot that now a slightly overcast sky brings only relief to these souls that come to sit and stare over the panorama of the city. People clap after each song - it's almost a gig! - and the rest of my time in Paris feels redeemed somewhat - up til now it's pretty much been all sun, sweat, blisters and tears no matter how much I've tried to look on the bright side of things, so I'm happy to stay here and play till the sun finally sets for the evening.

Dahmony is there- an Algerian guitarist - and when I finish, he plays beautiful songs that I harmonise to. His version of 'Me and Julio down by the School Yard' becomes 'Me and everyone down at the Sacre Couer' and on hearing this, the crowd cheers. Its a great moment! Mark from the U.S.A takes what must be a great photo of us - me and Jesus and the rest of the day's gang, Sacre Couer behind us, J.C holding his rum / vodka / whatever high and me laughing with the hilarity of it all.

Next day... I make it back for a last few hours before i head to Amsterdam on the overnight bus. I must admit I'll be grateful to get out of this city I loved so much last year - we haven't been getting on at all. I even got moved on today by the angry, over-masculine energy of a local street performer as I was playing under 'his' bridge down at Paris Palace (the fake summer beach - its quite beautiful actually...) He didn't speak much English but I made sure I told him how rude he was anyway - I just feel worn out from this rat race...

Anyway, back at Sacre Couer Jesus is in full force. A bit too much actually, and I have to tell him to leave me alone as he keeps trying to touch my hair. I can't play for laughing later though, when as I play 'Let it Be' he gets so excited he lies on his back in front of my case and does a kind of ecstatic dance whilst bicycling his skinny legs in the air. What a character... Later on, as a Spanish belly dancer shakes her hips for money, he has no qualms about doing his own dance beside her - unravelling the white scarf that is around his head today and acting like some kind of rhythmic gymnast. He looks so ridiculous that everyone is keeling over and I'm happy I have these memories of this beautiful place to leave on. Bring on another city, I say... Au Revoir, Au Revoir...