Tuesday, April 28, 2009

L'Etat C'est Blick

Paul Cézanne, Mount Sainte-Victoire

Mount Ste-Victoire, April, 1999

The staff at Blicky Kitty are celebrating all things French today!

The South of France is an ancient Gallic marvel of Papal Palaces, which produced minds like St. Exupery and Cézanne, plus there is killer rock climbing around Mount Sainte-Victoire. As you wander around the rocky terrain it's like walking into a Cézanne canvas with the darkly defined linear structure of the trees, growing as if they've been slathered with daubs of black ochre paint. The quality of greens that you can see on the landscape seem to change with each variation in light. The lenticular clouds float untouched by the mistral winds and scatter moody colors across farm buildings and woodlands. This unique landscape had as profound an effect on the development of early modern painting at anything hanging in far off Paris at the Musée d'Orsay or the Musée de l'Orangerie.

I'm sending Blicky over for a spa getaway while I clean the house and get ready for an afternoon playdate. He assures me that his French is impeccable. It's so weird, Blicky Kitty is HUGE in France. I know, who would've thunk it? The paparazzi and mainstream press are following him into his spa treatments. He emailed me the transcript of an interview he did:

French Reporter: Blicky Kitty, what do you think of France so far?
BK: Sur le pont d'Avignon, L'on y danse, l'on y danse, Sur le pont d'Avignon, L'on y danse tout en rond.
FR: Um, yes that's a 15th century folk song about the Pont d'Avignon. It's OK, I speak English. Tell me, how are you enjoying your spa day?
BK: L'Etat c'est moi. Pomme frittes. Je voudrais un chocolat chaud; grand avec du lait de soya, pas de creme. Quelle heure est-il?
FR: Blicky Kitty, that doesn't make any sense. Could you please speak in English? Can you tell me anything of value that I can pass along to my readers?
BK. Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
FR: Ah merci bien alors Monsieur Kitty!

Et voici votre amusement obligatoire:

12 comments:

Marie Reed said...

Blick's French is tip top! That's really all I say all day too:) I reign at home while drinking hot chocolate and munching on fries!

expateek said...

Fantastique! It's like The Streets, mais en français! Well done, Blicky!

MuseSwings said...

Quelle heure est-il?

Le petit chat est aussi français que des pommes frites.

Mes pieds blessés et peint des orteils.

Blicky told me to say this to Mlle. Bijoux and now she will not tell me what time my next massage appointment is. :
La lumière de porche est sur mais personne n'est maison.

Blicky Kitty said...

Hahaa awesome translations Musie! Mercci bien Marie et Expateek!

Jeanne Estridge said...

M'sieur Blicky est un chat formidable!

Nanny Goats In Panties said...

Never have I read so much French and laughed.

Bone Swah!

Kitten said...

Ah, zut alors! Blicky Chaton parle francais!

Pommes frites et chocolat chaud...une combination tres delicieuse!

ChaChaneen said...

Sorry Blicky for the late check-in... reality interrupted my spa day! I lurve your spa day French video! ha ha I'll NEVER think of French Rap the same again - who knew? Your hilarious! (sigh)... let me kick off my shoes and pour some vino while I visit the others!

DouglasDyer said...

Wow. You started at Cezanne and wound up at Glace de Vanille. French culture in a shell de nut.

Kat Mortensen said...

It's no surprise you're big in France. As Colette said, "Il n'y a aucun chat ordinaire."

Certainement, au sujet de vous c'est vrai.

Vous êtes singulier.

Kat

The Self-Deprechaun said...

I understood everything that was said there. Thank God for AP french!

Le MAO!

Margo said...

Blicky likes hot chocolate with soy milk - pas de creme? Travestissement! I was curious if that funny French rap was obligatoire for spa goers or just Blicky? Not that I don't love it!