If, like me, you ever had the privilege of seeing Taliep Petersen perform live, you too will have basked in his wonderful singing, warmth, and rapport with his audience. One left one of his shows with a smile and a warm glow.
But behind his engaging smile and warm stage performance lurked a more serious persona and a complex story.
In her new book, Mr Entertainment, Paula Fourie tells that largely unseen, other side of the Taliep Petersen story.
“This book asks and tries to answer the important questions posed by Taliep Petersen’s life. It dispenses with an artificial division between ‘life’ and ‘work, embracing the messiness of lived experience and celebrating that everything is always already intertwined. This is a story about a man whose life and work constituted rich, mutually replenishing wellsprings. To write about Taliep Petersen without submitting to their entanglement is unthinkable. As the biographer who never met him, I owe any such success to the collective memories of my interviewees.”
“There were the ones that basked in his broad smile, and soared on his voice, who were inspired by his enthusiasm, humbled by his work ethic, and sometimes found themselves at the receiving end of his legendary impatience.”
Fourie’s lengthy period of research and many interviews have resulted in a book that is masterly in its thoroughness, frequently ‘academic’ in tone, and also includes many wonderful passages (with footnote translations) of interviews written in the style and language of the interviewees. These interviews and the sections dealing with the Taliep Petersen-David Kramer collaborations, as well the book’s brilliant concluding chapter, were for me its highlights.
There is so much to savour in the broad scope and detailed brushstrokes of Paula Fourie’s treatment, her writing is exquisite, even when it veers more towards the academic in style.
I offer this as a regret, not a criticism – had Fourie met Taliep or seen him perform live, she may have been encouraged to be a little more showbizy in her treatment as the title “Mr Entertainment” suggests. As it is, the narrative is often socio-political heavy and overall, the showbiz spotlight does not dominate. I believe it would have added much value and counterbalance to have included interviews with some of Taliep’s fans.
There is much we learn not only about Taliep, but also the times in which he grew up and this gives the story context and weight.
I found the chapters leading to his murder in December 2006, still very harrowing to read – time has not lessened the shock of his tragic death.
As the Cape Times reported about his funeral: “The streets of Athlone came to a standstill yesterday as thousands of mourners gathered to say farewell to internationally acclaimed entertainer, Taliep Petersen.”
Mr Entertainment is certainly not light reading, but it is a magnificently written, detailed and thorough look at the life and times and complexities of Mr Taliep Petersen and as such, a fitting tribute.
Julian Richfield's Savourite Things 