NARRATIVE – Symbol of a dizzying life made of shadows and lights, the Domain of Spirits was ransacked after the death of the “Singing Madman” in 2001. Furthermore, on site, his memory was erased due to a sexual scandal . As for the wars over his legacy, they stifled his posthumous career.
In front of the gates of the ghost house, the “private property” sign slams under the assault of the mistral. The entrance to the residence of the “Singing Madman”, in Aix-en-Provence, recalls that of the Xanadu mansion by Orson Welles in Citizen Kane. Or Michael Jackson's Neverland. Charles Trenet, a global star who brought jazz and swing back to France, lived here intermittently from 1952 until his death on February 19, 2001 at the age of 88. Since then, the Spirit Realm has been pillaged and ransacked.
At the request of the current owner, the municipal council has just given the green light for its rehabilitation. The State, represented by the Prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône, also supports the project. The opportunity to re-present the fantastical universe of the great melodist of the 20th centurye century. And to make the people of Aix forget his sexual escapades which caused so much scandal in the 1960s.
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