Born one April 30, 1962, in Huy, under the reign of the old Belgian King Baudouin, barely a few months after the independence of the Congo, Marc Wathieu is the oldest in a family of four children(a sister and two brothers). We cannot say however, that music was already present if it wasn't for the ritual Hughes Aufray or Poppys that he sang in a choir at scout camp. Introduced to painting by his father, a painting enthusiast, Marc preferred scrawling the local scenery. But, irritated by slight colour blindness, he limited himself to copying his favourite artists and national heroes: Hergé, Morris, Franquin, Tillieux...

Anglophile beginnings

According to the legend, during family holidays in Switzerland, he performed a vibrant "Santiano" before a moved audience and won a bar of chocolate! This would be his saving grace. Marc learned to play the guitar by listening to RTL on the family radio: Les mots bleus" by Christophe (already), "Blue song" by Suzy & Guy, "America" by David Essex, "Good vibrations" by the Beach Boys, "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie... would be his first bits of excitement. Encouraged by this, he tried out the village conservatory. " a useless experience" according to Marc. His professor, exasperated, slapped him. A strategic withdrawal and self-study" followed.

From 1974-1980, his seven years in boarding school at the Athénée Royal Prince Baudouin in Marchin( near Liège) were "usefully" spent listening to hundreds of records. The presence of youths older than he was helped in his discovery. It was the post-Woodstock era. The Cure, the Talking heads, ... . On Antoine De Caunes' television show "Chorus" on the second French channel appeared an unending source: XTC, Patti Smith. Marc met Phil Delire there, with whom he drew a giant portrait of Georges Brassens! than it was a first concert, François Béranger à Huy. He brought a Stratocaster and formed his first group with his brother Etienne. On the programme: covers of Cream, Canned Heat, Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

Editor of the school newspaper, Marc devoured Moebius, Hugo Pratt and Tardi in Heavy Metal. Régis Franc's albums definitively converted him. He would be an artist. In 1981, he entered the Beaux Arts Academy of St-Luc in Liège.

From Objectif Lune to Les Tricheurs

Marc took his first steps in music with the group Objectif Lune. He met Marc Thonon, then a young journalist and ardent fan of the group (who would later become president of France's music awards Victoires de la Musique).

Les Révérends du Prince Albert, an iconoclastic twister group, enticed Marc away as a back-up singer. The concerts followed. They recorded an album in three days, subtly called "Ah!, Quel massacre!" (oh! what a massacre!)

In 1984, he founded the Tricheurs(the cheaters). He met Rudy Léonet, the "pope" of Radio 21, the "young" radio station in Belgian audio-visual airspace. Thanks to Marc Thonon, the Tricheurs recorded a first single (Le jour J")(d-day) followed by the album "Tendez vos lèvres" in 1987, produced by Alain Debaisieux (Virgin-Belgium). They covered all of the bars and clubs of Wallonia(French speaking Belgium). During the first broadcasts in France, concerts in Belgium, France and Lousisiana Marc composed a second album for the group. But this production would remain unreleased. Their record company, Virgin, dropped them.

Back to drawing. He became a professor of visual communication at l'Ecole de Recherche Graphique (ERG/St-Luc) in Brussels and discovered Tony Cragg, David Carson, William Weggman, Glen Baxter... He would hold this position until 1995, and he would take up again six years later. He became a free-lance illustrator for magazines like the woman's magazine Flair.

The Variété epic

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