Born in Algeria but living in France since he was 10, Taha was always passionately outspoken in his songs both against what he saw as the West's racism and unjust wars, and the Arab world's dictatorships and religious fanaticism. His father was a textile factory worker. His album Diwan was his bestseller and breakthrough as a solo artist.
As of 2021, Rachid Taha’s is not dating anyone.He was a provocateur since his first group, Carte de Séjour ("Immigrant's Permit"), having appeared on a cover with dyed blonde hair and blue contact lenses, and recorded controversial versions of songs such as “Douce France”, a classic French patriotic song by Charles Trenet.Taha's music, a cleverly crafted and highly effective mix of punkish rock and Arabic music, built him a solid audience. Eclectic Algerian singer known for successful albums like Barbes, Tekitoi, and Bonjour. The Algerian Rock Singer was born in Algeria on September 18, 1958.
He was not a desperate drinker as I thought he might be, but a genial one. "Rachid was up all last night, as usual," said his tour manager.I went backstage after a storming two-hour show, where he was sipping champagne and smoking, before we went off to one of his favourite haunts, the Baron club. A decade ago, I arranged to meet him at 6pm at the Bataclan in Paris where he was performing (and his spirit was the utter opposite of those who committed that terrorist outrage there), only to be told he was still asleep. His album Tékitoi (Algerian street-slang for "Who the hell are you?") had an introspective side alongside its outspoken politics, and his album, Diwan 2, featured classic Algerian love songs.As well as keeping his drinks bill low, the club was also a workshop for trying out ideas.He was always committed to nightlife, going out most nights, for most of the night.
Rachid Taha Wife Full Of Clichés
"It is quite a racist song, actually, full of clichés about oil and minarets. For Taha, as well as keeping his drinks bill low, the club was also a workshop for trying out ideas.I met a professor of oriental languages who translated the Clash's “Rock the Casbah” into Arabic for Taha's version, “Rock el Casbah”. He got up on the small stage and performed some improvised numbers with a couple of musicians. He held court like a king of bohemia. There was a uniquely Parisian and enjoyable mix of intellectuals, fashion types and artists, all of whom seemed to know Taha.
Most poor or oppressed people, I suggest, might prefer a good, fun night out than songs about politics. George Martin's background was in comedy records like Peter Sellars - everyone thought they were selling caviar but they were selling fish and chips." (Taha prefers the Animals and the Who.) He was a canny namedropper, weaving in both celeb friends and intellectuals: "Jacques Derrida, the philosopher, told me that France has yet to digest the reality of Algeria."There were actually few Algerians at his concert at the Bataclan instead of the alienated youth who rioted in the Paris suburbs in 2005, the audience were what Parisians call Bobos (bourgeois bohemians).Taha told me that the Algerians do not have a tradition of speaking out politically in songs, always using metaphors, "whereas I prefer to speak directly", and that in the Arab world "most singers are really prostitutes, doing what they are told by people with money". He thought the Beatles were "a cabaret act, music hall. Brian Eno sung backing vocals for Taha, and Taha sang with Patti Smith at the South Bank's Meltdown.He may have been chaotic, but he had a seductive charm, and it's not hard to see why such celebs sought him out - perhaps partly because he reminds them of how they used to be.Taha's conversations about music jumped all over the place - from the Algerian singers of Fifties and Sixties Paris such as Victor Leed, who had to "apologise for their existence", to the great Arabic singer Oum Khalsoum.
"That would be like them seeing me make love to a woman."At five in the morning, Taha took his leave to go to his next nocturnal appointment. When I asked if he got depressed he said "I have black moments like everyone else - but I try to remember black is just another colour."When I asked about his family background, he mentions that his Muslim parents have never seen him perform. I hope to become a writer - I'm working on a book."He was a mercurial figure and it was tricky to work out when he was being serious.
I always say that I read French from left to right and Arabic from right to left"He is survived by Véronique Pré, his longtime partner, and by their son, Lyes.
0 kommentar(er)
