A private tour of Maison Gainsbourg
“There you go, this is my place. I don't know what it is: a sitting room, a music room, a brothel, a museum... » Simple presentiment or real premonition? Thirty-two years after the disappearance of Serge Gainsbourg, the mythical address of 5 bis rue de Verneuil writes a new page in its history with Charlotte's story as a backdrop: a new chapter written this time with his audience.
This ancient place of pilgrimage for all fans can now be visited with the greatest respect, and also in the greatest secrecy. With the phones turned off, we enter two by two into the lair of this night owl guided by the voice of his daughter. Here, nothing has moved, not even this box of Smarties placed carelessly on the bedside table nor the ashtray filled with cigarette butts next to the packet of Gitanes. Everything has been preserved religiously, while Serge never seems to have left.
Between modesty and nostalgia, this time capsule continues on the sidewalk opposite, at 14 rue de Verneuil. There we discover a rich collection of 450 extremely rare pieces displayed in a 23-meter long corridor designed as a sumptuous cabinet of curiosities. Between the original manuscript of La Marseillaise by Rouget de Lisle and Butterfly Hunting by Salvador Dalí, the letters, photos and trinkets paint a tender portrait of the Man with the Head of a Butterfly. Cabbage. An intimate and simply unique dive into the lair of one of the greatest icons of French song.
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