Culture: a look-alike of Jacques Brel brings the artist back to life

Of the great Jacques Brel, he has the look, the gestures, the intonations, and even certain facial features. On stage, Arnaud Askoy has an unsettling presence and he himself doesn’t know how to explain it. “I have the impression that he is by my side and besides when I go on stage, I need to feel that I am not alone”he expresses. He looks like Brel since adolescence. The look-alike was a police officer in the narcotics brigade and a private detective on his own. Eight years ago, in the middle of spinning, he came across a record by Jacques Brel and there it clicked.

“I who had never dared to sing too much until then, even ‘Happy Birthday’ with the family, I realized that my voice was wedged in a rather surprising way on his. I decided within a quarter of an hour to close the company and sing Jacques Brel”says the look-alike. Very quickly, Arnaud Askoy collects 80 euros per hour in the metro. A producer notices him at the Georges V station and together they create a show approved by the Brel Foundation.