"What the world needs now is another folksinger like I need a hole in the head..." (Bad Religion, tactless people...)

One might think that there are more than enough whining brats who bought an acoustic guitar, learned two and a half chords and think they are entitled to moan their despair about their existential gloom (war, racism and intolerance are really so not cool), the death of their ficus (once and for all, neighbours ALWAYS forget to water the plants), undersized shoes (but you’re too clever to try them first, aren’t you?), or being dumped (she would still be there if you weren’t such a weepy worm you junk…), so that the world understands what Schopenhauer meant when he wrote that boredom could be a metaphysical experience. But when someone can touch you with just a voice and 6 strings, he/she is the most wonderful friend you've never met.

You'd want to know who influenced me, maybe: OK, let's go for the name-dropping: it's no big challenge to guess I've been listening a lot to Johnny Cash, Suzanne Vega, Paul Roland, Morrissey, Patti Smith, The Violent Femmes, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Nick Cave, Ani DiFranco, Tom Petty, The Nits, Tom Theuns (Ambrozijn) and Brendan Perry (Dead can Dance) but other musicians I value and who inspired me (though their influence on my work may seem less obvious) are Michael Gira (Swans), Matt Johnston (The The), The Dead Kennedys, Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Dominique A, Echo & the Bunnymen, Luka Bloom, The Chameleons, Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine, The Mission, Arno, Morphine, Tom Waits, Erik Satie, the Monty Python and John Lennon.

Where shall it lead us? Probably not that far, but does it have to? I'll be happy if it drives you to my Reverbnation page (http://www.reverbnation.com/laurentleemans) which is at the moment, my official website.