Connaissances
Aristide Bruant: the bard of Parisian streets
He sang about poverty-stricken weavers who had nothing to put on — and made a fortune from these songs. His own onstage persona, though, never changed: a black corduroy suit, a pair of trousers with legs tucked in high boot tops, a red shirt, a broad-brimmed hat, a walking stick, and a long red scarf. The first stand-up comedian ever, he would curse the customers, and they would laugh and jam…