- Title: French singer Michel Polnareff honoured by the City of Brussels
- Date: 17th November 2016
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NOVEMBER 17, 2016) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** FRENCH POP SINGER MICHEL POLNAREFF WAVING AT CROWD FROM 15TH CENTURY CITY HALL BALCONY POLNAREFF WAVING, SAYING FROM BALCONY (French): "I love you" POLNAREFF AND BRUSSELS MAYOR, YVAN MAYEUR, ENTERING RECEPTION ROOM / PEOPLE CLAPPING POLNAREFF WALKING TOWARDS STAGE POLNAREFF SHAKING HANDS WITH MEMBERS OF "THE FRIENDS OF MANNEKEN-PIS," AN ORGANISATION IN CHARGE OF MANAGING THE MANNEKEN PIS COSTUMES BANNER OF THE "FRIENDS OF MANNEKEN-PIS ORDER" POLNAREFF WITH BRUSSELS OFFICIALS AND MEMBERS OF THE "FRIENDS OF MANNEKEN-PIS ORDER' AUDIENCE CHEERING (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH POP SINGER, MICHEL POLNAREFF, SAYING: "I want to tell Belgium that I am truly touched by this gesture and I am obviously delighted to hand over to the Manneken Pis this costume, which dates back from my concerts at Olympia (Concert Hall in Paris). For this occasion, we could perhaps ask him to turn around? Anyway thank you everyone for coming. I'm really very, very touched and very attached to this city. Thank you very much." POLNAREFF'S WIFE, DANYELLAH POLNAREFF, AND SON LOUKA CLAPPING POLNAREFF HOLDING COSTUME, WAVING AT PHOTOGRAPHERS POLNAREFF'S SON LOUKA WEARING GLASSES IDENTICAL TO HIS FATHER'S POLNAREFF HOLDING CERTIFICATE HE RECEIVED FROM A MEMBER OF THE "FRIENDS OF MANNEKEN-PIS ORDER' POLNAREFF SIGNING VISITORS BOOK PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURES OF POLNAREFF SIGNING GOLDEN BOOK POLNAREFF'S SIGNATURE ON GOLDEN BOOK VARIOUS OF POLNAREFF WALKING TOWARD MANNEKEN PIS STATUE HIDDEN BEHIND BRUSSELS' FLAG FLAG BEING REMOVED TO UNVEIL MANNEKEN PIS STATUE DRESSED AS POLNAREFF CROWD TAKING PICTURES OF POLNAREFF POLNAREFF STANDING BY MANNEKEN PIS STATUE SURROUNDED BY CROWD MANNEKEN PIS STATUE WEARING BLONDE WIG AND GLASSES IDENTICAL TO MICHEL POLNAREFF'S (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH POP SINGER, MICHEL POLNAREFF, SAYING: "I love it. I love it. It’s great fun, great fun." COPY OF MANNEKEN PIS STATUE SPRAYING WATER ON POLNAREFF'S CAR AS IT DEPARTS VARIOUS OF MANNEKEN PIS STATUE DRESSED AS POLNAREFF
- Embargoed: 2nd December 2016 20:46
- Keywords: Belgium Brussels Music Singer Polnareff France French Pop
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- City: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Music
- Reuters ID: LVA00158U4G2H
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The City of Brussels honoured French singer Michel Polnareff on Thursday (November 17) by dressing up the Manneken Pis, the Belgian capital's iconic statue, in a sized-down version of one of the singer's exuberant stage costumes.
During a ceremony at the city hall hosted by Brussels' mayor Yvan Mayeur, Polnareff said he was happy to offer a replica of a costume he wore at Paris' Olympia Concert Hall in 1972 to be worn by the statue.
"I want to tell Belgium that I am truly touched by this gesture and I am obviously delighted to hand over to the Manneken Pis this costume, which dates back from my concerts at Olympia (Concert Hall in Paris). For this occasion, we could perhaps ask him to turn around?" he said, in an apparent reference to the concert's poster where he showed his buttocks and for which a French court fined him for public breach of decency in 1972.
After a ceremony that took place at a 15th century city hall, Polnareff waved at the public gathered underneath the building's balcony.
Polnareff then headed towards the iconic statue of the Manneken Pis, where the costume was revealed to the general public, many of them foreign tourists who did not know who Polnareff was.
Before leaving, he told Reuters that he was thrilled with the tribute.
"I love it. I love it. It's great fun, great fun," Polnareff said.
Polnareff, 72, hit fame in 1966 with the song "La Poupee qui fait non" ("The Doll That Says No"), on which he was accompanied by Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, future members of iconic band Led Zeppelin.
The song was followed by many more French chart hits such as 'Mes regrets', 'Le Bal des Laze' and 'Lettre a France.'
According to his publicist, Polnareff sold a total number of 60 million records during his 50-year career.
On Friday (November 18), Polnareff will perform at Forest National, one of Brussels' largest concert halls with a capacity of 8,000 people.
Polnareff is expected to release a live album on December 2, which was recorded at Paris' Olympia concert hall on July 14. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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