With each piece, an emotion is shared. Grand Corps Malade gradually reveals himself. At the first sonnet of “Ma tête, mon corps et mes couilles” (“My Head, My Body, and My Balls”), the audience applauds this brilliant and amusing rhythmic exercise. The texts follow, each more original than the last. Among them: “J’ai oublié” (“I Forgot”), “Chercheur de phases” (“Seeker of Phrases”), “Attentat Verbal” (“Verbal Attack”), “Je ne connaissais pas Paris le matin” (“I Didn’t Know Paris in the Morning”). The poet tricks the audience, jokes with his musicians. At the last encore, he sings “Rencontre” (“Meeting”) and the fulfilled audience pays tribute to him with a standing ovation.
Fabien goes by the nickname Grand Corps Malade, in reference to the accident that almost left him tetraplegic. Deprived of sports, which he particularly loves, he turns to poetry and discovers Slam. He wins tournaments in this discipline and performs as an opening act for Elie Semoun, Mouss and Hakim, or Cheb Mami, among others. In 2005, he founded the association “Flow d’Encre” (“Ink Flow”), where he leads writing workshops. In early 2006, along with his composer friend S Petit Nico, he sets his texts to music and thus releases his first album “Midi 20”. Buoyed by success, the album becomes a gold record in less than a month. The media clamors for him, and he is compared to Prévert or even Renaud.
Slam has many enthusiasts. For Grand Corps Malade, “it’s mouths that give and ears that receive.” Artists expressing themselves in small venues, driven by poetry and sharing. Grand Corps Malade brought them a public audience. Originally from the United States, Slam is performed a cappella, under the principle of “a spoken text, a provided drink”. Gradually, it has been democratized and turned into a tournament, open to everyone. Between rap and French song, the slam performer doesn’t recite, he proclaims, loudly and clearly, his compositions.
On stage, Grand Corps Malade allows himself a few deviations from the rules of Slam. He doesn’t always perform a cappella. Accompanied by Feedback on percussion, S Petit Nico on piano, and Yannick on guitar, his texts gain in intensity. With an incredibly deep voice and a solemn pace, he proclaims texts with popular, intelligent, and human themes.
“Leave me my pen, there’s no way I’ll stop; I have a desire to write like you have a desire for a cigarette,” he says in “Toucher l’instant” (“Touch the Moment”). Deeply attached to writing, he uses and abuses rhyme. He uses his need for poetry to exorcise pain, to share his thirst for life. “It’s a verbal attack.”
