Il développe parallèlement à Kat Onoma une fructueuse carrière solo alternant disques davantage marqués par l'électronique (dont Meteor Show, qui reçoit en 1998 le prix Charles-Cros), ciné-concerts avec l'écrivain Pierre Alferi et collaborations diverses : 48 Cameras, Eugène Savitzkaya, James Blood Ulmer, etc. En 2002, il crée sa propre société de production et d’édition en reprenant le nom "Dernière Bande". Depuis, il multiplie les projets liés au son et à l'image, s'écartant parfois notablement du rock des débuts de Kat Onoma mais exploitant les possibilités expérimentales que ce groupe contenait déjà en germe. Depuis 2001, il propose chaque année une création au Festival des Vieilles Charrues, multipliant les collaborations (d'Alain Bashung à Jacques Higelin en passant par Érik Marchand ou Serge Teyssot-Gay.) Sur scène on peut le voir avec Marcel Kanche.
Il a également créé le festival nommé C’est dans la Vallée en 2000. Les concerts ont lieu à Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, son village. Il y invite de nombreux artistes plus ou moins connus, de genres musicaux divers, de la Musique électronique (EZ3kiel) en passant par le Blues au Jazz et au Rock. Il y joue également lui-même chaque année.
Long-legged Fly
Rodolphe Burger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That the topless towers be burnt
And men recall that face,
Move most gently if move you must
In this lonely place.
She thinks, part woman, three parts a child,
That nobody looks; her feet
Picked up on a street.
(Like a long-legged fly upon the stream
Her mind moves upon silence.)
That girls at puberty may find
The first Adam in their thought,
Shut the door of the Pope's chapel,
Keep those children out.
There on that scaffolding reclines
Michael Angelo.
With no more sound than the mice make
His hand moves to and fro.
(Like a long-leggedfly upon the stream
His mind moves upon silence.)
The lyrics of Rodolphe Burger's song Long-legged Fly are a musical adaptation of a poem by William Butler Yeats. The first verse speaks of the desire to see the topless towers burnt down, and for men to remember a certain face, while moving gently in this lonely place. The next verse describes a woman who sees herself as part woman, part child, and believes that nobody pays attention to her. She practices a tinker shuffle on the street, while her mind moves upon silence, like a long-legged fly upon the stream. The third verse talks about the idea that girls at puberty may find the first Adam in their thought, and urges for the door of the Pope's chapel to be shut, keeping those children out. The final verse is an image of Michael Angelo on a scaffolding, with his hand moving silently like a long-legged fly upon the stream.
The poem is full of symbolism and allegory, and the meaning is not immediately apparent to the listener. The topless towers and the face could be seen as a call for change and revolution, while the woman with childlike tendencies may represent innocence or vulnerability. The idea of keeping children out of the Pope's chapel could be a critique of the Church's oppressive nature towards women and youth. Michael Angelo's hand moving to and fro may symbolize the act of creation and the constant pursuit of perfection.
Line by Line Meaning
That the topless towers be burnt
Let the towers without tops be destroyed
And men recall that face,
So that people may remember that face
Move most gently if move you must
Move carefully and only if necessary
In this lonely place.
Amidst loneliness.
She thinks, part woman, three parts a child,
She is a mixture of womanhood and childishness in her thoughts.
That nobody looks; her feet
She believes nobody is looking at her; meanwhile,
Practise a tinker shuffle
She continues to dance awkwardly
Picked up on a street.
A dance she learned from the street.
(Like a long-legged fly upon the stream
In the way that a big-legged fly is on a stream
Her mind moves upon silence.)
Her thoughts move quietly like a fly on water.
That girls at puberty may find
So that young girls may discover
The first Adam in their thought,
The first man - Adam - in their thoughts
Shut the door of the Pope's chapel,
Close the door of the Pope's sanctuary
Keep those children out.
Do not let the children into the chapel.
There on that scaffolding reclines
On the scaffold, there is someone lying down
Michael Angelo.
It is the sculptor Michael Angelo.
With no more sound than the mice make
He barely makes more noise than the noise of a mouse.
His hand moves to and fro.
The sculptor's hand moves back and forth.
(Like a long-leggedfly upon the stream
In the way that a big-legged fly is on a stream
His mind moves upon silence.)
The sculptor's thoughts come quietly like a fly on water.
Contributed by Mateo F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.