Tintin

I could cry salty tears;
Where have I been all these years ?
Little wow, tell me now :
How long has this been going on ?

There were chills up my spine,
And some thrills I can't define.
Listen, sweet, I repeat :
how long has this been going on ?

If you ever want to know what Audrey Hepburn's singing voice sounded like, don't watch My Fair Lady, because you'll be listening to Marni Nixon.

There are a number of films in which Audrey H actually sang (using her own voice, even), but one of my favourites is Funny Face, where she sings the Gershwin classic "How Long Has This Been Going On".

Her singing voice? Never going to carry off My Fair Lady. Not in a million fits. Heck, she barely managed to carry off "How Long Has This Been Going On", which was a wee bit out of her range...

Oh, yeah, this post was supposed to be about Tintin, wasn't it?

Well, much like Audrey's character belatedly discovering kissing, I have belatedly discovered Tintin.

I've always known the Tintin books were around. Some of my classmates used to read them when I was at school. They were often at houses I'd visit. Things like that. But, for some reason, I could never be bothered reading them.

No, it's more than that - I wrote them off without giving them a chance.

For some reason I cannot explain, I looked down on Tintin and Tintin readers. I assumed they would be boring and a waste of my time. This is in spite of the fact that I read most comic books voraciously and have always enjoyed things like the Asterix series. Thinking back on it now, I have no idea why I decided against giving Tintin a chance...

Well, the other day I picked up a Tintin book in Estonian (long story) and was completely taken by the art. It's quite brilliant - both simple and highly detailed at the same time. Then I borrowed a couple of Tintin books in English and I noticed that a) the plots are a lot of fun, and b) the translators have the same sense of humour as whoever translates Asterix.

I had a bit of an Audrey moment, wondering: "Where have I been all these years? How long has this been going on?"

These books are a really fun read, with really good artwork. And they've been around for years. And I could have been reading them ages ago if I hadn't been so darn stubborn for no good reason.

Never judge a book by the fact that you're a snob, I guess.