How often do you get to watch a free lecture by an educated, articulate American who has led a tour of Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica? Today is your lucky day! In the video below, John Merriman, professor of history at Yale, favors you with his thoughts.
As fans of Alizée know, she spent her childhood in Ajaccio, then set out to conquer much of Europe, and even some places beyond it, however briefly. Retiring from the field, she eventually returned, and has remained active far beyond a Hundred Days! Today she makes her professional headquarters in the artsy Paris neighborhood of
Montmartre, as a musician and sometime glamor-puss at Institubes.
I hope you know that another Corsican August baby had a somewhat parallel experience! After spending his first decade in Ajaccio, Napoleon received a military education in continental France. His later exploits did not shame the effectiveness of his preparation, and he went on to conquer much of Europe, and even some places beyond it, however briefly. Alas for his ambitions, others cut short his career, and the most interesting part of his life ended with Russian Cossacks encamped in the very same Montmartre where today Alizée hangs her beret, as Professor Merriman relates in the video below. And after a long time abroad, these days the ex-Emperor himself also hangs out in the Paris he briefly made the capital of Europe.
An enormous part of the lecture below examines the question of how "Corsican" Napoleon really was, both in his sentiments and in his methods. Members of AAm who are not Americans, especially those who are French, may especially enjoy the opportunity to hear what at least one informed American, and frequent French resident, thinks about France, including issues which transcend the Little Corporal.
Four years ago, the
Yale Daily News profiled the musical interests of this aging 6'2" Baby Boomer academician. A single-minded fan of the
Rolling Stones, he still manages to get along with his wife, a fan of the
Beatles.
To my surprise, he finds that listening to the
Stones helps him focus on writing! "[I’ve] never written a thing without a record on," he says, "or else I get bored." Do you think Alizée could get her
little woodland friends to whistle Angie for this Yale professor? I'm not sure the two would get along too well - Merriman seems to be too angry and Bohemian - not to mention bookish and obsessive - for the Alizée I think I know. But if you disagree, you can sing her praises to him by e-mail. His address is recorded on his university Web page
here.
Napoleon - "Corsican" or not?
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/I2JgaYCUuH0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/I2JgaYCUuH0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
Tempête by Alizée
<object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/464KVSS0RxI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/464KVSS0RxI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object>
Angie by the Rolling Stones
<object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/2RTWzsGO4Zc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/2RTWzsGO4Zc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object>