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CD Review
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The World, CD Review >>
Few filmmakers use music more distinctively than Wes Anderson.
You may recall those obscure tracks from the Kinks and the Who he used in "Rushmore." Nico provided just the right tragic ambiance for Gwyneth Paltrow's character in "The Royal Tenenbaums."
And there are some unexpected tunes in Anderson's new film, "The Life Aqautic with Steve Zissou." They're written by David Bowie...and sung by a Brazilian musician, in Portuguese. The effect is...well, it's pretty weird. The World's Marco Werman has today's global hit.
Director Wes Anderson doesn't provide much backstory for why this scruffy black Brazilian appears with his guitar. But it doesn't matter. Once you hear Seu Jorge perform Rebel Rebel in Portuguese, you'll never listen to this David Bowie song the same way again.
Seu Jorge has been a star in Brazil for several years . First he led the group Farofa Carioca. Then his starpower grew after he cracked the big screen as well.
He played the ruthless slum mobster, Knockout Ned, in the 2002 hit, "City of God."
Seu Jorge has charisma...whether he's acting on the screen or singing and playing his guitar. His voice wanders in Portuguese between the growly quality of Sly Stone and the smooth crooning of Lou Rawls.
In real life, he sometimes displays the manic toughness of Knockout Ned from "City of God." But that edge is tempered by his reasons for making music.
Seu Jorge: Musique pour moi, c'est pour chanter pour l'amour...
Seu Jorge says music is to sing about love, it's to make people happy.
He says it's true, a lot of artists need to use music to express their political views, to talk about religion. But Jorge says his main preoccupation is to make people dance and bring them joy.
Then again, this song from Seu Jorge's debut solo album isn't exactly joyful. The late French singer Serge Gainsbourg wrote "Chatterton" about an 18th century English poet who committed suicide at the age of 17. Seu Jorge translated it into Portuguese.
Jorge reprised the tune not because, as the chorus says, he's not doing very well himself. He covered it because he doesn't understand suicide. The first verse evokes the memory of former Brazilian President Getulio Vargas. Vargas killed himself in 1954 when the army took away his power. His public suicide still haunts Brazilians.
Seu Jorge: En Bresil, tout le monde travail, travail, travail pour survive, pas pour suicider...
Seu Jorge says, in Brazil, everybody works so hard, just to survive. You don't work hard to kill yourself. Brazilians see life as a luxury. He asks, why waste that?
Seu Jorge cries like a little baby when he sings the line, "I'm not doing too well myself." He's being satirical. It's as if he's telling people in the west to stop being so self-absorbed...and smile.
Seu Jorge knows about keeping a stiff upper lip. He was born Jorge Mario da Silva. He grew up in a poor family outside Rio de Janeiro.
His home was a slum, much like the slum that was his home in the film "City of God." But he says, his was not a hopeless childhood.
Seu Jorge: Mon quartier s'appelle Baia...
Seu Jorge says he's got beautiful memories of his childhood and friends, even though a lot of them left for the city itself. But, he adds, he feels a responsibility to be a role model for the friends he left behind, to show them how to represent Brazil and Brazilian music.
There's something delightfully naïve and unstudied about Seu Jorge, despite the tough face and the street punk attitude. It's refreshing to see some rough edges in this age of marketed-to-death performers.
Seu Jorge rehearsed a number with a woman who was slated to sing with him at a recent concert in Germany. It wasn't perfect in the soundcheck. But then came the show itself. Seu Jorge doesn't hide his imperfections. But he knows how to perform.
Seu Jorge's album "Cru" has just come out in France.
The French public and media have embraced Seu Jorge. But he hasn't moved there. He's opted to stay home in Sao Paolo.
Seu Jorge: Je suis un music Bresilienne, non style bresilienne...
He says, "I am a Brazilian musician. But I don't play Brazilian-style music. I hope people hear that," he says.
Seu Jorge continues, "I will never make a cerebral or intellectual record. I make records for the people to touch their hearts."
Seu Jorge conveys a gentleness -- in person and in his music -- that is reassuring. And if a guy who grew up in the poverty and turmoil of Rio's favelas can sound as soft as this, there's hope that anything is possible.
-Marco Werman 11/17/05 >> go there
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