7th October 2018

Yesterday when I was young, the taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue....
Friday saw French President Macron pay tribute at the funeral of singer Charles Aznavour. A large crowd at Les Invalides in Paris heard that the young Emmanuel grew up singing Aznavour songs such as Hier encore, my own personal favourite. French singers are generally not lauded for the quality of their voice, but for the poetry of their lyrics. I challenge anyone who’s never heard it to listen to the words of Yesterday When I Was Young and not be moved to tears. Yet the Aznavour national tribute on Friday was more than that. He was rightly given the illustrious Wallenberg award in Tel Aviv for his and his family’s efforts in the ‘40s in hiding the persecuted, thereby saving many people’s lives against the tyranny of the Nazis. It’s why I wrote Vichyssoise about the French during WWII. In times of terror, everyone should emulate what the Aznavours did. .
....the friends I made all seemed somehow to drift away, and only I am left on stage to end the play.