Johnny it was great to see you again! Life’s Work exhibition of Johnny Hallyday at Brussels

I have had the very special privilege of meeting many celebrities in my life, actors, musicians and singers. I’ve been interviewed for as long as I met the celebrity until the interview was done and then I never saw them again. This was the less. I was always very interested in celebrities but I never interested in the star, always the person behind the star.

I myself was surprised at how easily, almost joyfully, they always dropped the star mask and revealed their true selves. The bigger the star, the easier it was. And behind every star was a love-starved, unloved child. It was very easy to make out with them, to find common ground and even to develop a closer relationship.

That’s what happened when I met Johnny Hallyday. On the paternal side, he is Belgian but a national hero of the French, the pop and rock singer and actor Hallyday was came to Hungary in 1986 to make the film “Terminus”. I was appointed by the Hungarian Radio to interview him. Some scenes of the film were shot in the studio in Fót. Here I ran with the film’s creators, the actors and of course Johnny. The very first he was kind, attentive, direct and easy-going. He immediately said yes to my interview request and motioned me to sit on the bench next to him.

After the interview, he invited me to stay for lunch with them. After lunch I put two of his discs under his nose and asked him to sign them. He told me to throw them away, he sang much better since then. “No way!” – I replied – “The first love of my life gave it to me back in 1962, for me it’s a sacred relic.” “Fine”, he said, “I’ll sign it, but come to the hotel, I’ll give you my new record, you’ll see, it’s much better”. It was at this time that the Hungarian Elvis Club was organising a cruise on the Danube, so I thought I’d ask him to come. He came and had a great time.

We exchanged addresses, he left and I thought I would never see him again.

One day a letter came in the post. It was from her, an invitation to her wedding. Of course, under socialism you couldn’t just pop over to France, I couldn’t go. The last time he invited me was to the Paris stop of the “Tour 66”, and then our relationship ended. Although I followed his life on the Internet, we never met in person.

I am telling you all this now because an exhibition of his life’s work, or rather life, has opened in Brussels. An exhibition that really follows the life of this great singer, actor, performer and showman from his birth to his death, and visitors can follow the many stages of his life through his albums, concerts and films. Because Johnny’s life can only be understood through his work.

It’s incredible what he has achieved in a career spanning 57 years: 3253 concerts, 187 tours in 40 countries, 110 million records sold, including 5 diamonds, 22 platinum and 40 gold. He has also appeared in 40 films. From Life’s Work exhibition is a great summary of his life. You can see his treasured photo album featuring his beloved photos of his beloved mother, admire his room as a teenager with his idol Elvis Presley records, see his early rehearsals, his soldier’s outfit, his many performing outfits, there his concerts at the Olympia in Paris, see his records, enjoy his most famous concerts in the central hall, see his motorbikes that took him in the US on Route 66,  his study in Marnes-la-Coquette and, sadly, his funeral.

Johnny it was great to see you again!

Barcs Endre

Venue of the exhibition
Brussels Expo (Heysel) – Palais 2
Place de Belgique 1
1020 Bruxelles
The exhibition will move to Paris in January 2024