20 December 2020

I’m enjoying my Xmas holidays (with my wonderful wife) at the Belgian coast, in Ostend.
The historic city where the late great soul legend MARVIN GAYE lived for 18 months. He arrived on a liner from England on Valentine’s Day 1981.

Struggling with financial problems, a broken heart, drugs and alcohol he wanted to leave America and work out solutions for his problems. He went to stay with Freddy Cousaert, an Ostend hotelier and occasional manager, who offered to give him a home.

The what’s going on star regained a taste for life, no longer hanging out with the wrong crowd and put himself back together, in semi-anonymity… and he wrote Sexual Healing while being in Ostend.

Check this short, amazing footage from Gaye’s stay in Belgium…

As I had a walk a couple of hours ago I was completely surprised when I saw this advertising board/poster saying Marvin Gaye: Midnight Love Tour. Being curious, of course, I checked Ostend website. There I found what this is about: “During the walking documentary Marvin Gaye “Midnight Love Tour” you will learn everything about his comeback and how the monster hit “Sexual Healing” came about.” Cool, I know what to do tomorrow.

MARVIN GAYE: Website

(pic by Turn Up The Volume!)