Who the f*** is Myriam G.S. Mestiaen?
(written by Chris Van Camp /
English translation by Jessica Ballenger)

Around two decades ago, when a guy came up to you twirling his car keys around and launched a courageous "Don't I know you from somewhere?" -it meant that you had a high "wow-factor" in his eyes. Then the inevitable happened. You danced together to a slow song, had three kids, and he called you "honey", or some variation of this, for the rest of your days together.

Today, everything's different. It's no longer a slightly tranparent pick-up line, but more of a variation on Nero's verdict. If they don't know you from somewhere, you'll get a thumbs down and be banished to obscurity. If they do know you from somewhere-it doesn't matter if it was the Miss Strawberry pageant or the Nobel Prize for Kids-you'll get a thumbs up. After all, fame in itself opens every door these days. The modern Renaissance man is a V.I.P.; living it up in every possible artistic discipline and void of any visible talent.

It's very likely that a publisher can praise your work to high heaven, but not know how to market it to the public because...nobody knows you.
Maybe it's always been this way. Otherwise, why was Van Gogh abandoned in his poverty and Kafka left to languish in his room? Why did Anais Nin have to publish Henry Miller's work and her own diaries on a hand press before it had a right to exist?

Apparently it's very difficult to recognize a genius even when they're right under your nose. So God forgive the publisher who first realized how good the material was and then closed the books with a "but...who the F*** is Myriam G.S. Mestiaen?". Being a psychic doesn't even have to be one of your hobbies to predict that this exact question in the mind of the publisher takes priority over any form of uninhibited value judgement of the work itself.

But sometimes, if you're lucky, you get struck by a sudden flash of insight. The understanding that someone unique has crossed your path. Myriam Mestiaen is that kind of someone. Her passion alone, which enabled her to add something everyday since 1999 to her mammoth work. The subtlety of her humor. The "outsider"-perspective she provides in situations she's actually taking part in. The way she can take a few telling lines, some small details, and above all leave out the frills and in doing so hold up a mirror to ourselves. She takes you through a seemingly innocent exhibition of her honest drawings, but along the way she unmasks the emptiness of the art scene, the vanity of insecure people, and her own personal angst. There's no way around it, somewhere between Nina Simone and B.B. King, Priscilla and Filip, you'll be standing face to face with yourself. Whether you know Myriam or not.

But before jumping into the deep end, get your feet wet with a behind the scenes look at the Mestiaen-empire. Indeed, and
Relax. Pucker up your lips and experience her Kiss of Life. They say the first one's the most exciting. Bet you'll be back for more: Interview with CHRIS VAN CAMP (in Dutch)

KISS OF LIFE CD ALBUM BY JESSICA BALLENGER:

"Myriam G.S. Mestiaen makes music that speaks to the soul. More than that, if the theory that music has the power to heal rings true,  then “Kiss of Life”, the first full length CD (released in 2008, produced by singer songwriter/producer dirk Blanchart) from multidisciplinary artist Myriam G.S. Mestiaen  goes a step further in exploring the intricate role it plays in the human experience. Without assigning the inaccurate label of concept  album, the songs as a whole invite the listener into an intimate emotional bubble where mystery, nostalgia and longing pave the way for death and rebirth.
 
Musically, the once solo pianist Mestiaen, fills in her raw and delicate vocals with an eclectic but classically trained hand accompanied by a skilled rhythm section and digital samples that don’t interfere with the timeless sound. Somewhere between jazz, rhythm and blues, world music and rock with the vocal styling of a smoky lounge chanteuse donning Kate Bush theatrics, Mestiaen experiments with all the angles to create a simultaneously unique and familiar sound.  The collaboration with producer and musician dirk Blanchart on Kiss of Life reflects a movement back to basics without sacrificing virtuosity in lyrics or music; a polished production that still allows for surprises and improvisation during live performance.
 
Kiss Of Life encompasses not only the recent CD but also a book of Mestiaen’s picture diaries, the website www.kissoflife.be, an online archive of illustrated diary entries going back to 1993, a four song EP released in 2004 and a series of live performances over the past 5 years throughout Belgium. "

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