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Part One - Nine Dead Gay Guys

July 5th was the fifth anniversary of my moving to London. A date I feel much more inclined to celebrate than my birthday to be honest.

In those five years I have come to do things I would never have had the chance to do in a lifetime, had I stayed in Haute-Marne. With the Chorus, I have sung in several very prestigious venues around the world and my name appears in two of their CDs (there is a third one in preparation for Christmas). I have appeared in Court... on the prosecution side, representing the Council I work for. I am the moderator of a gay reading group for which I have designed the website. Although I have never met him, I have an open invitation from David Bowie to come and check out his collection of first editions the next (read: first) time I am in New York.... (don't ask!)

Just a few months after I arrived in London, I saw an advert in the Pink Paper asking for volunteers to take part as extras in a club scene for a small budget film. As was no working yet and had therefore plenty of time on my hands, I decided to go along and see what it was like. We went through the casting process in building just off Carnaby Street. The crew took pictures of us and all that. Some time later, I got contacted by them and they asked me if I didn't mind growing a beard. I was not going to be part of the gay club scene after all but I would walk back and forth on a street in a couple of scene for the film... as an orthodox jew!

We spent the whole day to shoot only a few seconds of the film and that was it. I didn't hear anything else for a couple of years, until the film finally got shown at the Cannes Festival and then was released in UK. I saw the film and although it didn't do to badly, I wasn't particularly impressed. A failed attempt at doing something different, is how I would describe it. The strange thing is that a friend of mine, who did not know I was in it, saw the film and actually recognised me... They made a DVD out of it of which I bought a copy I never watched (for my archives).

When I saw the film, I was quite surprised to see that I had actually been listed in the credits at the end. I was no less surprised some time later to discover that I now had a filmography and a profile on the reputed Internet Movie Database.

A few days ago. I got an email through the Chorus from someone asking for extras in a few club scenes. I booked two days off work and contacted the guy, saying I would be there. The shooting was taking place today and will carry on tomorrow.

To be continued....



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