Gaston Couté

Poems recited and sung by Dan Grall, accompanied by Nico Brung on the accordion.

Born in 1880 on the banks of the Loire, Gaston Couté spent his entire adolescence at the mill his father had bought. With little interest in school, he developed a passion for poetry. At the age of 18, he moved to Paris, where he frequented the cabarets; after a difficult start, he met successful chansonniers (Bruant, Botrel, Mac Orlan) who introduced him to renowned cabarets. Absinthe and the precarious living conditions in his attic room took their toll on him. He died in June 1911 at the age of 31!
His lyrics, written in dialect, harsh towards the wealthy and tender towards the poor, earned him the sympathy of anarchist circles, which he joined by becoming a contributor to the newspaper *La Guerre Sociale*.