I have read something very disturbing today. Disturbing in the sense that my ears are already hurting. Noël est là (Christmas is Here) is to be offered to us as the Christmas song by France’s version of Band Aid to help fight Ebola in West Africa. It is the brainchild of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy who will be joined in this world moving fundraiser by Vanessa Paradis, Louis Bertignac, Lou Doillon, Jean-Louis Aubert, Zaz, Shaka Ponk, Izïa Higelin, Thomas Dutronc, BB Brown (aka Brunes, sometimes) and Joey Starr. Johnny Hallyday and Daft Punk might be on it somewhere, floating about in the ionosphere no doubt, being stars. There appears to be an astounding number of people who cannot sing, Carla Bruni, Vanessa Paradis, Louis Bertignac and Jean-Louis Aubert already make four who can't actually sing, not even enough to qualify as 'petites voix' by all accounts.
After Carla's so-called 'involvement' in the Haitian earthquake disaster in 2010, that was in fact only whilst the emergency was in the news and involved publicity stunts like flying children back to France for adoption rather than any long term involvement by the country or the lady herself, I wonder what will come of this? Like all countries, there are always 'stars' who wake up one day, notice they are not even in the closing pages of those magazines that are strewn all over doctors' waiting rooms who come up with a plan. Her face is back in the papers today, the song will be overexposed on television, radio and oozing out of sewers no doubt. In principle I don't really mind. What I do not like is walking around with earplugs at the ready from the end of November until late December.
It's all Bob Geldof's fault you know, no doubt. But thank all the graces that he is not on this potentially dreadful offering as well. Then I might have to keep the earplugs in permanently!