Monseiur Untel in his all-white attire resembles an ethereal being as he sits at the Taj lounge with a perplexed expression on his face.
He has just arrived from France. “Is it true, what I heard? That the crowd in Kerala don’t dance and don’t party,” he asks me, refusing to believe that it is even possible.
He accepts the challenge and says that he will make the crowd tap and groove. For 30 years, Untel has been wielding his guitar but he is more than just a guitarist.
He sings, dances, acts, writes and is also a filmmaker. What inspires him to write? “Love and girls of course,” he says with a wink.
“I am fascinated by Indian traditional music, especially the tabla and guitar and am a fan of Ravi Shankar,” he says. Untel has never been to India before and through his tourist eyes beneath the black shades, he has fallen for the scenic city.
Two albums under his belt and the third one in progress, Untel who is settled in Paris is in love with animals and owns a pet Kangaroo.
“I have done an album with eleven songs with animals as heroes. And the song most close to me is about a small grey donkey,” he says as he breaks the samosa into smaller chunks with a fork and knife.
“These songs are abundant with moo-moos and quack-quacks! It may sound childish but isn’t there a child in everyone? I enjoy hiding things between lines. Though it is just about animals, there is a veiled perspective,” he says.
It was during a book release in Paris that Untel met Walead, who has accompanied Untel for his show in Thiruvananthapuram.
“I was there for free drinks and I jammed with Untel and the chemistry was unbelievable. Eventually, we decided to get together to do an album which will be released sometime this year,” says Walead who is a percussionist from Morocco.
Untel has identified a spot in Varkala and says he would be back to write his book in French. “Some spaces invite us.
And this is exactly what I was looking for. I am coming to India at least for the samosas,” he says as he scrapes the last bit of chutney from the bowl. Walead smiles and nods, weighed down by the curly locks on his head.
