RIP Mano Solo

Bas Dekker wrote a small IM for French singer-songwriter Mano Solo:



On 10 January 2010, French singer Mano Solo passed away at age 46. HIV positive since Christmas 1986, he continued to practice the Holy Trinity of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Although Solo never wanted to be considered 'the AIDS singer' and avoided that label in all his interviews, his lyrics were full of a violent plea for life, addressing death directly without any compromise, from his first hit album in 1993 La Marmaille nue, until his last one Rentrer au Port in 2009.

Whether it was punk, African rhythms, soul or funk, Mano Solo found musical inspiration anywhere he could. He liked to combine electric sounds with strings and brass, and his multiple musical personalities could even be compared to those of Serge Gainsbourg who also liked to combine different types of music. Besides singing, Solo also developed his skills at drawing and painting, again much like Gainsbourg did.

Look at some of Mano Solo’s work here