My Hall of Fame

Mathieu Laca, Mrs. X, 2010

Fame! What a strange concept! I sincerely believe that I never met an artist who didn’t secretly desire fame and fortune; quite normal when you think that the vast majority of artists are not sure they’ll have something to eat tomorrow. Warhol believed that everybody is supposed to be famous for fifteen minutes in his life; but, that’s not the type of cheap short-lasting fame we’re all dreaming of, artist or not. At the same time, it is rather common to meet artists that seem to be ashamed to even pronounce that four-letter-word. If fame inevitably brings fortune, like most people believe, can I remain the same authentic and incorruptible Me with all that cash flowing out of my pockets and all those paparazzi peeping through the keyhole of my bathroom? Will I grow long and curled whiskers with flies on the tips? Or will I get fat and bald and start wearing funny looking Gaultier-like striped tee shirts and baggy shorts? For most of us, fame is attractive and scary at the same time. Odd, isn’t it?

Like everybody else, I have my own Hall of Fame. I have my own collection of people I admire, those models I envy, and I sometimes wonder how they became famous.

In a recent post on this blog, I wrote about Jean Cocteau. This poet, novelist, visual artist, playwright and filmmaker stands at the top of my list. With thousands of poems, five novels, more than twenty plays, a few dozen essays, ten films, five scenarios, four dialogues for films, tons of drawings, ceramics and frescos, countless hours of recordings, speeches and public performances, I believe he deserves all my respect. I often wondered if the man ever ate and slept!

Very high on the same list stands Pier Paolo Pasolini. He wrote more or less fifty books. Two dozen films. Recordings, speeches, public performances and interviews. Did he ever eat and sleep?

Hold on! Stand by! Here it comes! I just love Hildegard Knef! She’s the one who sings the so beautiful "Für mich soll's rote Rosen regnen". 54 films! On my iTunes list, I have 356 of her songs, some with the fresh and clear voice of a young singer, some with the slightly out-of-tune tired older woman, still the same sensuous and appealing flashy artist. Her life was not an easy one, believe me; that's why she called her autobiography Der geschenkte Gaul - Bericht aus einem Leben (The Gift Horse - Report of a Life). But she never stopped creating. Time to eat and sleep?

I could go on like that for pages because my Hall of Fame is very long. There are so many great artists worth being admired. But every time I think about one of them, I always end up asking: “But, what about eating and sleeping? They gave so much! They loved so much!”

So, maybe that’s what fame is all about: giving and loving. Maybe Fame and Fortune don’t necessarily go together. Maybe it’s true that anybody can have, not only fifteen minutes of fame, but a whole lifetime at the Pantheon as long as he accepts a life made of nothing else but love and generosity. Quite an agenda!

That’s why I have such a faith in my beloved husband’s future. His entire life is made of nothing else but work, love and generosity.

The only thing I must be very aware of is that he never forgets to eat and to sleep. Quite a job, believe me!

Comeau