from mechanics to Music, meeting with a Music-loving mechanic

In a small village in the Hérault valley, near Saint-Guihem-le-Désert, Marc is an atypical mechanic. A colorful character, surrounded by his dogs, he combines his passion for mechanics with that of classical Music in his workshop. From Chopin to Verdi, every day his garage resonates with the greatest tunes, creating a unique atmosphere.

Marc is a country mechanic in a small village in the Hérault valley near Saint-Guihem-le-Désert. He has two passions: mechanics and classical music. In his workshop, among tires, tools and cans of oil, his head bowed and his hands immersed in the engine of a car, he works, surrounded by his dogs, Bill, Twist and Vanda. Music calls to us.

In his studio, the tunes of Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Verdi set the tone.Beautiful voices, opera, classical music, it relaxes me (…) and I am not alone, he says. And it’s also representative of who I am. I’m not a poet but music is always part of my world.“.

Classical music is his second passion. All week, Marc stays tuned to the France Musique FM band where the greatest musical classics and the latest contemporary works parade alongside mechanical repairs. The musical documentary, filmed like a show, sets the tone. Marc, like an orchestra conductor, with his tools as instruments, surrounded by his dogs, the spectators.

I don’t know if I’m an artist, but what’s certain is that to listen to the sound of an engine, you have to have an ear!

Marc, music-loving mechanic

A colorful, endearing, original character who, between two rhythmic sequences, tells us how his two passions took up so much space in his life. “I was bad at school and always tinkering with my bike“This is how his parents pushed him to turn to the profession of mechanic, somewhat by default.”And then I liked it” he said.

Marc spent his childhood in La Paillade, a popular district of Montpellier. His family life? He doesn’t want to talk about it.”There wasn’t too much love“he says briefly… On the other hand, he has good memories of life in the neighborhood when he was a child.”At the time, it was a village“. “And then at some point the friends, the things, the mopeds, the cars, it goes live“.

In apprenticeship at that time, his boss reframes him and explains life to him, as he says. “I wanted to get there as if to heal myself and then I didn’t want to disappoint him“. “He gave me his confidence and it strengthened me for years“.

Later Marc sets up on his own and recreates the atmosphere and the universe in which he evolved as an apprentice.It’s a garage that looks like me” he will say. But as today he prepares to retire, the memories come flooding back.

Slashing a piece of scrap metal with a saw, lending a key to someone who lives nearby, the old grandpas who come to drink coffee, the hunter who stops with his crazy carton or even the children from the village who stop by the garage “All my life, little ones came to inflate their balloon or their bike“. This is Marc’s daily life and he rarely misses an opportunity to chat: “TIt’s going to stop and it’s going to get lost. My only regret is not having a buyer. There will no longer be this small local business that is the mechanical workshop. Today, the automobile has changed a lot. All my tools are no longer up to standard with technology, he explains, and I’m tired.“.

His pension of around 940 euros per month will be meager. He could have remained an employee, but Marc, true to himself, accepts his choice.In the end you pay the bill, but I knew that“.

When you have contributed for a lifetime, you realize that in the end it is not very expensive

Marc, country mechanic

Marc looks back on his childhood, talking about his grandfather and his uncle, both musicians. He remembers this caring and inclusive associative structure of which he was a part and which brought together children of all ages and all origins in the neighborhood, “We had a fanfare called “The Red Berets Fanfare”. I played the bugle. We were dressed in white with a cord around our necks and a red beret. It was a bit folkloric. But you had to walk in step, get up in the morning and that built the character of some.”

One day we went to play at the Montpellier theater (…) We were like crazy. Johnny Hallyday, that was us!

Marc, music-loving mechanic

He tells us about this childhood friend who at the beginning was “really very bad“and who ended up boss of the Republican Guard in Paris and best drummer in France”He learned to drum at La Paillade in a supermarket parking lot“.

And then there was this serious accident in his youth. In a coma, then in intensive care, Mars was strictly immobilized for many weeks. He could do nothing but stare at the white ceiling of his hospital room. One day, a friend gave him a Walkman, he said: “It’s music that helped me“quoting the famous Pachelbel’s Canon that he listened to over and over again and which gave him the strength he needed to get back on track.

It’s the big day. Our mechanical artist is putting away his boxes. For his new life, he moved to Tarn-et-Garonne. A house with land: “In the future I want to take care of my family and I admit, of myself too. I go for a walk with my dogs and lend my hand here and there. I still have a passion for mechanics. I will do it differently“.

Going on a raid with his son in the desert. This is also his project, “Just the two of us” he said. Marc had to accompany his uncle who had to teach him to drive in the sand. But with work, he didn’t take the time. And then his uncle died. Today he is aware of it: He you have to take the time!

It’s time to say goodbye to your neighbors and customers. The garage is emptying. The doors close. The music continues.

“The harmony of mechanics”, a musical documentary by Fanny Cestier to be seen on Thursday November 14, 2024 at 10:50 p.m.. A France 3 Occitanie (FTV) co-production, Les Petits Provinciaux. In co-production with viàOccitanie