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Augustinus (Guus) Vleugel (Goes, 29 April 1932 - Amsterdam, 12 August 1998) was a lyricist, playwright and writer of (cabaret) songs and novels. [1] He became best known as the regular lyricist of the cabaret Lurelei and Jasperina de Jong.
Partner Ton Vorstenbosch
Queer Places:
De Nieuwe Ooster
Amsterdam, Amsterdam Municipality, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Augustinus (Guus) Vleugel (Goes, 29 April 1932 - Amsterdam, 12 August 1998) was a lyricist, playwright and writer of (cabaret) songs and novels. [1] He became best known as the regular lyricist of the cabaret Lurelei and Jasperina de Jong.
Guus Vleugel was born on 29 April 1932 in Goes. He is the youngest in a family of ten children (nine boys and one girl). His father is a baker by profession and also an elder in the Reformed Church. Guus grew up in a dutiful and religious family. He gradually discovers in his youth that he does not feel at home in it. The relationship with his father is not good and the one-eyed Guus has little connection with other children. Poetry began in his youth and continued at the gymnasium in Middelburg. Together with a classmate, he writes poems, a novel and philosophizes about literature. Meanwhile, life in Zeeland oppresses him to such an extent that he wants to leave. He leaves for Paris after graduating from the gymnasium. There a world opens up for him: he enjoys art, literature and going out in the gay scene. After living in Paris for a while, he comes back to the Netherlands. Building a life in Zeeland is no longer an option. As an excuse to no longer live in Zeeland, he therefore starts studying French language and literature at the University of Amsterdam. Vleugel moves from room to room and in the meantime enjoys the living environment in Amsterdam, all the freedoms and enters the artistic and literary life. He breaks off the study prematurely. When writing poems, his interest gradually shifted to more narrative poems, song and cabaret lyrics. For het Parool and de Telegraaf he writes children's verses and stories and columns (italics). Wim Sonneveld asked him to write two new songs for Conny Stuart, the star of his cabaret, in 1954. Guus writes for Sonneveld's program "Waar de blanke top..." for Stuart the songs I don't talk to the people and Deep in my heart I'm not a lady. These songs are popular. The influence of Vleugels' great example Annie M.G. Schmidt can be heard in it. Gaining a foothold as a lyricist and being able to make a living from it is not yet possible for him in this period. In the second half of the 1950s, Vleugel occasionally roamed France and Portugal when he was out of work. When he is in Amsterdam he works on individual assignments, including songs for the radio and new cabaret programs by Sonneveld. He also shows a different side of his talent and makes his debut as a poet. Under the pseudonym Guus Valleide he published Sun, moon and their spoiled audience in 1956 and in the same year a small laziness with linocuts by Gerard Bruning followed. The collection Fluitles was published in 1958. In the same year he wrote the musical Oh Venus for Karin Larsen's cabaret company, collaborating with composer Harry Bannink. He also wrote the Sinterklaas musical Flea Game for the KRO at the end of 1958. At the end of the 1950s, Vleugel saw British cabaret in London that appealed to him more than the neat and rather good Dutch cabaret.
In the early sixties, Guus Vleugel's star rose as a writer of cabaret songs. Eric Herfst and Ben Rowold, the founders of Kabaret Lurelei, ask Vleugel to provide texts for the group. Vleugel eventually agrees and joins the group because he has been impressed by Jasperina de Jong, in whom he sees a perfect interpreter for his lyrics. From 1962 to 1968 he was the regular lyricist of Lurelei. The group is supported by Herfst, De Jong and Vleugel. Many texts kick against sacred social houses, taboos and religion. A few sharp, sarcastic songs such as God is not dead and In church context yield parliamentary questions, angry letters and disapproving newspaper comments. For the song Poor Old, in which the then Queen Juliana is sung by a provo who does not throw a smoke bomb at the Golden Coach because the queen reminds him so endearingly of his mother, there is even a police report for desecration of majesty. The group's success is growing and is at its peak in the mid-sixties. More and more, Vleugel focuses on Lurelei's star, Jasperina de Jong and develops as her body writer. When she leaves the group because she wants to spread her wings further in larger halls and in other areas, Vleugel also follows. Together with composer Ruud Bos, he writes the Lurelei musical The Stunt for De Jong. However, the performance is not a great success. The musical about Lila (Jasperina de Jong) and the hip Amsterdam hairdresser Nero (Willem Nijholt) contains controversial topics such as LSD use and a progressive sexual morality and that appears to be far ahead of its time outside the capital. The musical is considered too "Amsterdams". Outside Amsterdam, the halls often remain largely empty, which leads to the musical ending prematurely. De Jong then gets the lead role in the musical Sweet Charity and Vleugel focuses on writing a "television comic" for Lurelei, called Rust noch duur, with a number of songs for Jasperina de Jong in each episode. After twelve episodes, the curtain falls on the KRO series. A new challenge beckons; Vleugel will write his own theatre show for De Jong. Together with Eric Herfst, he brainstorms ideas. Together they work on the show all night long and Autumn is the impetus behind his text production. Vleugel himself finds it very difficult to write and increasingly suffers from depressive moods.
Kabaret Lurelei has disintegrated after the departure of Jasperina de Jong and Guus Vleugel. Vleugel wrote the songs and sketches for the De Jasperina Show in 1970 and Jasperina's big ego trip followed in 1972. The former show in particular has been critically acclaimed. Both shows show the quality of Vleugel's lyrics, some of which, in combination with the vocals of Jasperina de Jong and music by Joop Stokkermans, will become classics of the Dutch cabaret song, such as the songs De non (Roll another one), Je echt niet let ze down and Meisje uit de provincie in het Magies Sentrum and from Jasperina's great ego trip the songs Dobbe, dobbe, dobbe, Abah abortion and The man who wanted to commit suicide. Vleugel is now known as the personal writer of Jasperina de Jong. He is praised for his striking lyrics with often some emotion in addition to vile sarcasm and irony. His lyrics find in Jasperina de Jong the perfect interpreter and in Joop Stokkermans the perfect composer. In between the two theatre programmes for De Jong, Vleugel also wrote the moderately received theatre programme Moeder, er een bevolkingsseksplosie for Lurelei in 1971. Yes child, that will give me a slap with Ronny Bierman and Marnix Kappers, among others. De Jong does not cooperate because she plays the second season of The Jasperina Show. In 1971 Vleugel received a Golden Harp for The Jasperina Show and in 1973 the Van der Hoogt Prize for his oeuvre. However, things go wrong in the collaboration between Vleugel and De Jong. Vleugel increasingly suffers from depression and finds it increasingly difficult to write. Sometimes he is suddenly unreachable for days. His lyrics are often late or only finished at the very last moment. The depressions result in a suicide attempt several times. He would write (together with Annie M.G. Schmidt) a new musical on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the Amsterdam, entitled Badeloch. Jasperina de Jong would play the leading role in this. However, Vleugel returns this order after suffering a severe mental breakdown in early 1974. You can't write anymore. He needs absolute rest. After returning the commission, Vleugel also suddenly breaks off the long-standing artistic relationship with Jasperina de Jong. This marks the end of years of close cooperation with the Autumn couple. Vleugel wants to get rid of his bodywriting and no longer wants cabaret and theater because he fears repetition of themes. All taboos and sacred houses have already been kicked and moreover, the zeitgeist appears to have changed a lot in the 70s. After the breakup, Vleugel retreats and disappears into the background. He thinks about never writing again, but Annie M.G. Schmidt, in whom he always saw his great example, eventually convinces him and starts working with her on a new cabaret show. In 1975 this became "You have to learn to live with it", a kind of cabaret in revue style, including Conny Stuart, Sylvia de Leur and Jenny Arean. It will be a moderate success. The critics are divided on the quality. Vleugel suffers from the broken artistic relationship with Jasperina de Jong. However, cooperation will never be restored. De Jong has now found a new, permanent lyricist in Ivo de Wijs and she is taking a new path. Vleugel wrote his first novel The Guilt in 1976. Two years later he met the playwright Ton Vorstenbosch, with whom he began a relationship. Vleugel flourishes and both also start working together. However, Vleugel's texts will never reach the old level again.
For comedian Frans Halsema, Vleugel writes texts for the performance Je must have been there. He also makes a new attempt in cabaret and gathers a few novice comedians around him. In 1981 he wrote the performance 'Verwende krengen' for them. It will not be a success. The lyrics lack the sharpness and venom of those from the time with Lurelei and Jasperina de Jong. The reviews in the newspapers are lukewarm. There will be no sequel. However, he is successful with the texts he wrote for Herman van Veen between 1982 and 1988. Vleugel and his partner also wrote some plays in the first half of the 80s. In 1982, Mea L. Loman's miraculous comeback premiered. In 1983 Scandal in Holland and Liquor in Oud-Zuid followed, followed in 1985 by In de dromocraatie. Vleugel also wrote his second novel during this period. In the key novel Een valse nicht (A false niece) (1985) he humorously describes the life of an Amsterdam homosexual who enters literary circles. The main character in the book (Luc Lewedorp) is Vleugel himself.
In 1990 the play The Midlife Crisis of Hard Harry followed. In these years Vleugel is also active as a columnist for HP/De Tijd. His columns appear under the title Mal du Siècle. Popular topic in these columns is Dutch literature and journalism. In the columns he sharply criticizes (sometimes friendly) writers and television makers, which is often not appreciated. He also focuses on writing plays and musicals. In 1996 he wrote the play Srebrenica together with his partner Ton Vorstenbosch. The play is well received. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the musical Facelift (1998), a satire on cosmetic trends among well-to-do ladies. The piece is cracked by the press. A short time later, Vleugel falls ill. Pneumonia turns out to be an incurable form of lung cancer. Vleugel does not want to suffer and makes a final decision in consultation with his partner. Two weeks later (on August 12, 1998) he died at the age of 66. After his death, his partner completes the political satire Fear and Misery in Kok's Realm on which they had already worked together. The piece on the gap between politicians and the common people with regard to gay and women's emancipation in multicultural (and multi-religious) society premiered in April 1999.
My published books:
