Bernie Constantin

Bernie Constantin
Born(1947-06-18)18 June 1947
Ayent, Valais, Switzerland
Died2 January 2025(2025-01-02) (aged 77)
Anzère, Valais, Switzerland
Occupation(s)Songwriter
Radio show host

Bernie Constantin (18 June 1947 – 2 January 2025) was a Swiss songwriter and radio show host.[1]

Life and career

Born in Ayent on 18 June 1947, Constantin joined his first band, Les Anges Blancs, in the 1960s.[2] The band was named after the wrestler L'Ange Blanc. After a performance at the Swiss National Exhibition in Lausanne, he abandoned his studies in the graphic arts in 1964. He then met musician Brian Jones and took part in a BBC show in Montreux. He then traveled to the United States, where he met Frank Zappa. In the late 1970s, he returned to Switzerland, where he opened a bistro called Funky Pétard. In the 1980s, he became more well-known, releasing the songs "Switzerland Reggae" and "Lola Berlingot", which sold 275,000 and 250,000 discs, respectively.[3]

Every Thursday from 2005 to 2012, Constantin hosted the radio show Les Jeudis de Bernie, broadcast on RTS Couleur 3.[4] He was often nicknamed the "Alpine Iguana" due to his resemblance to Iggy Pop and a young Mick Jagger.[5] His son, Jessie Kobel, was a comedian and hosted Get Up, Stand Up, which prompted an invitation to the Festival Morges Sous-rire in 2016.[6][7] In the summer of 2024, Constantin joined his son on the radio show Mon bel été en Suisse, broadcast on RTS Première.[8]

Constantin died in Anzère on 2 January 2025, at the age of 77.[9]

Publications

  • Ma vie en rock au pays du rhododendron (2022)[10]
  • Preface of Nouvelleaks : les chroniques du nouvelliste : 2010-2013 by Slobodan Despot (2014)

References

  1. ^ "Le rockeur valaisan Bernie Constantin est décédé à l'âge de 77 ans". Radio Télévision Suisse (in French). 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  2. ^ Barras, François (3 July 2008). "Bernie Constantin, l'iguane rock de Switzerland". 24 heures (in French). Archived from the original on 18 December 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  3. ^ Cerutti, Joël (18 June 2011). "L'Iguane des Alpes". Le Matin (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  4. ^ "Bernie Constantin en son jardin". Le Nouvelliste (in French). Ayent. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  5. ^ Flückiger, Laurent (1 August 2015). ""Après mon AVC, ça a été difficile de chanter"". Le Matin (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  6. ^ Seppey, Agathe (19 September 2016). "Bernie Constantin et Jessie Kobel: la scène dans le sang". Le Nouvelliste (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  7. ^ Genier, Myriam (15 December 2020). ""Je suis le roi des sauces"" (PDF). Coopération (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  8. ^ "Jessie Kobel & Bernie Constantin". Radio Télévision Suisse (in French). 7 July 2024.
  9. ^ Siebenmann, Laurent (2 January 2025). "Le chanteur suisse Bernie Constantin est décédé". Le Matin (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  10. ^ MA VIE EN ROCK AU PAYS DU RHODODENDRON - Autobiographie (in French). {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
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