- 4 days ago
Tony explores the "Interzone," where artists like Burroughs, Bowles and the Rolling Stones sought escape from Western moral prohibitions and the possibilities of great empty spaces. Does that "anything goes" attitude still exist?
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TravelTranscript
00:00I've always wanted to get
00:29as far away as possible
00:30from the place that I was born.
00:38Far both geographically
00:40and spiritually
00:41to leave it behind.
00:48I took a walk
00:50through this beautiful world
00:53Felt the cool rain
00:56on my shoulder
00:58I've been dancing in
01:01here in this beautiful world
01:05I've helped the rain
01:08get any colder
01:09Tangier, it's Morocco
01:24Tangier, it's Morocco
01:38but from 1923 through 1956
01:42it was loosely governed
01:43by the major powers
01:44in international zone
01:46for years it seemed
01:48everything was permitted
01:49nothing was forbidden
01:53at the northern tip of Africa
01:55a short ferry hop from Spain
01:57Tangier was a magnet
01:59for writers, remittance men
02:01spies and artists
02:03if you were a bad boy of your time
02:05you liked drugs
02:06the kind of sex
02:07the kind of sex that was frowned upon
02:08at home
02:09and an affordable lifestyle
02:10set against an exotic background
02:12Tangier was for you
02:15Matisse, Jeannet, William Burroughs
02:25many have come this way
02:28staying a while
02:30or hanging around
02:31but no one stayed longer
02:34or became more associated
02:36with Tangier
02:37than the novelist
02:38and composer
02:39Paul Bowles
02:40in works like
02:42The Sheltering Sky
02:43he created a romantic vision
02:45of Tangier
02:45that persists
02:46even today
02:47a dream
02:48that has become
02:49almost inseparable
02:50in the minds of many
02:52from reality
02:53I'm here
02:59to find that dream city
03:00the place Burroughs
03:03referred to
03:03as Interzone
03:23Tangier, like I said
03:25was a city
03:26of expats
03:27people with pasts
03:29people who simply
03:30didn't like where they were
03:31and craved
03:32somewhere
03:33and something
03:34else
03:35the Grand Soco
03:39is the gateway
03:40to the Medina
03:40where you can find
03:41the Kasbah
03:42which means
03:42fortress by the way
03:43the port of Tangier
03:45is to the east
03:46and right in the middle
03:47of it all
03:47the Petit Soco
03:49what Uncle Bill Burroughs
03:51called
03:51the last stop
03:53the meeting place
03:54the switchboard
03:55of Tangier
03:56reasons for settling
03:59in Tangier
03:59diverge
04:00but everyone
04:02sooner or later
04:03since the beginning
04:04of memory
04:04comes to Cafe Tingis
04:07Jonathan Dawson
04:10came to this city
04:11over 20 years ago
04:12as a journalist
04:13and he never left
04:14he lives a life
04:17not too distant
04:18from Burroughs fantasy
04:19cake and tea
04:22at four
04:23every day
04:23served by his
04:25manservant
04:25he may not have
04:27a gazelle
04:28but a pet rooster
04:29will do
04:29and every day
04:33he makes the rounds
04:33of the cafes
04:34seeing all the old
04:36faces
04:36ending up
04:37sooner or later
04:38here
04:39so this is
04:43the Petit Soco
04:44this is the Petit Soco
04:45yeah
04:46this Soco
04:46existed in
04:47Phoenician times
04:48it existed in Roman times
04:50it existed in the Portuguese times
04:52the English were here
04:53for 22 years
04:54then the international city
04:55until 1956
04:56and now it's completely
04:57Morocco
04:57but this is a very
04:58historic square
04:59very historic
05:00as a writer
05:01I've noticed
05:03everybody who comes here
05:04to do an article
05:05does the same article
05:06well it's so damn boring
05:07they all do
05:08pole bowls
05:09it's the beat generation
05:10and there are
05:12there are lots of other stories
05:13in Morocco
05:13apart from that
05:14but everyone likes the beats
05:16Bill Burroughs
05:16and all that stuff
05:17and Tennessee Williams
05:18and they were all here
05:20yeah
05:20but that's a small part
05:23of Moroccan history
05:24that's a 15 year period
05:26there's a life before that
05:27and a life after that
05:28you're here
05:29it was inevitable
05:31let's pretend
05:33those guys never came
05:35what is
05:35what is
05:36what is this place
05:36well the reality is
05:38if you can read
05:38a pole bowl story
05:39and you can live it
05:40and the people do come here
05:41and try and live it
05:42but they don't stay very long
05:43they smoke a bit of dope
05:45and they live in a cheap hotel
05:46and they go home
05:47with bed bugs
05:48that's another life
05:49and a great story
05:49and a great story
05:50but I mean
05:51the attitude here
05:51is different than
05:52other parts of Morocco
05:53I think they have
05:54a higher tolerance
05:55and tradition
05:56of bad
05:57or outrageous behavior
05:59they have a higher tolerance
06:00of mad people
06:02you know
06:02but Moroccans
06:04essentially
06:05are very tolerant people
06:07they quite like madness
06:08as well
06:10they kind of celebrate
06:10that a bit
06:11you know
06:11how Moroccan is friendship
06:13it's a Moroccan city
06:15with a European outlook
06:16you know
06:16you can stand up
06:17on the boulevard
06:18you can see Spain
06:19and Gibraltar
06:19so you see all sorts
06:21of people passing through
06:22but it's a very Moroccan city
06:23I'm 62 years old
06:25I didn't know it
06:26in the international days
06:27which finished since 1956
06:28but at that time
06:30I think Europeans
06:31may have outnumbered
06:33Moroccans
06:33in the center of this city
06:35it's not the case now
06:36there are very few Europeans
06:37actually living here full time
06:39the notion of living a life apart
06:41of being somewhere else
06:44there are those
06:46who like that feeling
06:48I like that feeling
06:49and then there are those
06:51who they may live apart
06:52they may live somewhere else
06:53but they're not entirely
06:55comfortable
06:57the difference annoys them
06:59or is a burden
07:00it is
07:01and it frustrates them
07:02some people have to leave home
07:04to find their home
07:05I'm one of those people
07:07where I didn't feel at home
07:09in the country I was born in
07:10at all
07:10but here
07:11I feel okay
07:12I feel very very happy here
07:14there is indeed
07:19something special
07:20about this place
07:20Burroughs described
07:23the native quarter
07:24of Tangier
07:25as a maze
07:26of sunless
07:27twisting streets
07:28filled with blind alleys
07:30its smell
07:33was particularly notable
07:35to him
07:35including a mix
07:36of hashish
07:37seared meat
07:38and sewage
07:39Tangier
07:43before anything else
07:44is essentially
07:45a port city
07:45with all the things
07:47that traditionally
07:48come with port cities
07:49it's situated
07:53at the choke point
07:53between the Atlantic Ocean
07:55and the Mediterranean Sea
07:56the Moroccan coast
07:58is a rich fishing ground
08:00and a lot of people
08:01make their living
08:01from the sea
08:02on shore
08:05they use a method
08:05called senhal fishing
08:07where weighted nets
08:09basically drag fish
08:11across the bottom
08:12of the sea
08:12some of that fish
08:14the good stuff anyway
08:15ends up here
08:17the saveur de poisson
08:20or restaurant populaire
08:23or Popeyes
08:24the place has got
08:25a lot of names
08:26but locals
08:26and expats alike
08:27who've been coming here
08:28for years
08:29say it's got some
08:30of the best tagine
08:31in town
08:32Mohammed Belhaj
08:34the owner
08:35and head chef
08:36is from the nearby
08:36Riff Mountains
08:37and he sources
08:39a lot of his stuff
08:40his produce
08:40and his greens
08:41from there
08:41and he's real proud
08:43of them
08:43the back room
08:44of the place
08:45is dedicated
08:45to sorting
08:46and drying
08:47various herbs
08:47which he blends
08:48into a secret mix
08:49he claims
08:50has all sorts
08:51of helpful
08:52and boner
08:53inspiring benefits
08:54look
08:55if every dish
08:57I've been told
08:57over the years
08:58was gonna
08:58make me strong
08:59worked
09:00I'd have a permanent
09:02pup tent
09:02going on down there
09:03so I take all that
09:04with a grain of salt
09:05hi
09:07hello
09:07how are you
09:08Belhaj's son
09:09Hassan
09:10delivers the food
09:11this olive
09:11it all starts
09:14with fresh olives
09:15they're in season now
09:16and roasted walnuts
09:17some warm
09:18very good bread
09:19squishy
09:20juice
09:24oh yeah
09:25and you get this stuff
09:26everybody gets it
09:27a pulpy puree
09:28of figs
09:29raisins
09:30strawberries
09:31drink
09:31and full of
09:33Mohammed's potent
09:34herbs and spices
09:35of course
09:35all the night
09:3724 o'clock
09:38yeah yeah yeah
09:42I get it
09:42it's supposed to
09:43make me more manly
09:44you know what
09:44I'm eating
09:45let's not talk about that
09:46okay sunshine
09:47what
09:49is a tagine anyway
09:51it's a traditional
09:52Moroccan stew
09:53that can include
09:54vegetables
09:54meat
09:55or fish
09:56tonight
09:57baby shark
09:58calamari
09:58and monkfish
09:59with fresh mountain spinach
10:00slowly cooked over charcoal
10:02in the classic clay pot
10:03that gives it its name
10:04the tagine's
10:06domed top
10:06is supposed to force
10:07the condensation
10:08back into the dish
10:09and keep it moist
10:10and tender
10:11that's delicious
10:13I think it's
10:14these greens
10:15and aromatics
10:16and herbs
10:16I have no idea
10:17what they are
10:18I've never had anything
10:19like
10:19here
10:21version of
10:22farm to table
10:23hi
10:25hi
10:25wow
10:26what's that
10:26thank you
10:29and a whole turbo
10:32brushed with olive oil
10:34salt and pepper
10:35and some coriander
10:36then grilled perfectly
10:38over the coals
10:39cuddled up next to the fish
10:41tiny shark kebabs
10:42cute
10:43oh wow
10:46spectacular
10:48good value
10:50all of this
10:50for 20 bucks
10:51I think we did a pretty good job
10:53on Mr. Fish
10:54that'll teach you
10:56it's like that guy
11:10when you're tripping
11:11and it goes like this to you
11:12hi
11:17for dessert
11:18strawberries, pine nuts and honey
11:20like the whole meal
11:21it's eccentric
11:22and delicious
11:23thank you
11:24thank you
11:24you're welcome
11:24I haven't had so much
11:28fruits and nuts since
11:29Altamont
11:33I told Mick
11:36I said Mick
11:37this is a bad crowd
11:38get back in the shop
11:40but he's like
11:42well
11:43yeah man
11:43we can't disappoint the fans
11:45ah memories
11:49in Tangier
12:04I lived in one room
12:06in the native quarter
12:07I had not taken a bath
12:12in a year
12:12nor changed my clothes
12:14or removed them
12:15except to stick a needle
12:16every hour
12:17in the fibrous
12:17gray wooden flesh
12:19of terminal addiction
12:20I never cleaned
12:24or dusted the room
12:25empty ampoule boxes
12:27and garbage
12:28piled up to the ceiling
12:29light and water
12:32long since turned off
12:33for non-payment
12:34I did absolutely nothing
12:37I could look at the end
12:38of my shoe
12:39for eight hours
12:40I was only roused to action
12:42when the hourglass
12:43of junk
12:43ran out
12:44the words of William Seward Burroughs
12:54one of my heroes
12:55he came to Tangier
12:57in 1953
12:58shortly after shooting
12:59his wife to death
13:00in a drunken accident
13:01in Mexico City
13:03he was a heroin addict
13:05a homosexual
13:06and an inspiration
13:07to those proto-hipsters
13:09who came to be known
13:10as the Beats
13:11Burroughs however
13:12was not a hipster
13:14there was nothing
13:15beatnik about him
13:16he was a somewhat
13:18stuffy
13:19well-dressed
13:20St. Louis
13:21son of a good family
13:22gone wrong
13:23he was also
13:24to my mind
13:25the greatest writer
13:26of the whole damn bunch
13:28on the road
13:30you can have it
13:31his classic
13:32naked lunch
13:33was written here
13:34a non-linear
13:37dark
13:38dry-humored
13:39searingly critical
13:40satirical
13:41and profane
13:42masterpiece
13:42Burroughs was apparently
13:46high
13:46for much of the process
13:47on heroin
13:49or a locally available
13:50prescription opiate
13:51called Yukadol
13:52and of course
13:53the daily staple
13:54of many in these parts
13:56hashish
13:56kif
13:57and majun
13:58hashish
14:01is the concentrated
14:02THC rich resin
14:03of the cannabis plant
14:04as well as
14:05varying amounts
14:06of its flowers
14:07and leaves
14:07that have been
14:08separated from the buds
14:09and compressed
14:10into sheet
14:10or brick-like form
14:11kif
14:13a more local
14:14and indigenous product
14:15is the part of the plant
14:16containing only
14:17the strongest concentration
14:18of psychoactive ingredients
14:20majun
14:22is a confection
14:23made from kif
14:23fruits
14:24nuts
14:25chocolate
14:26and honey
14:26I was of course
14:29fascinated by this product
14:31since reading about it
14:32and inquired of some
14:33local contacts
14:34who shall necessarily
14:36go unnamed
14:37how was it made
14:40this was what I wanted to know
14:42they were kind enough
14:46to demonstrate
14:47kifas first chopped
14:51into fine granules
14:52and then slowly added
14:53to melted butter
14:54and chocolate
14:54over a low heat
14:56to toast it
14:57and release
14:57the psychotropic goodies
14:59within
15:00while the binder element
15:02of the majun
15:03is slow cooking
15:04in the pan
15:04combination of spices
15:06are blended
15:07with cashews
15:08almonds
15:08walnuts
15:09and dried fruit
15:10this will be the framework
15:12to suspend
15:13the THC
15:14laden goodness
15:15in the next step
15:17the cannabis laced
15:19butter chocolate
15:20is added
15:21along with plenty
15:21of honey
15:22to bind together
15:23all the ingredients
15:24then
15:26mix
15:27last
15:39you roll
15:39the entirety
15:40of the mixture
15:40into a ball
15:41and either refrigerate
15:42or dig right in
15:44of course
15:49network standards
15:50and practices
15:50prohibit me
15:51from even tasting
15:52this delicious
15:53and reportedly
15:54mind-altering treat
15:55I'm guessing anyway
15:57so until I see
15:59Christian and Wolf
15:59doing bong rips
16:00in the Situation Room
16:01I will of course
16:02abide by these rules
16:04because that's
16:05the kind of guy
16:06I am
16:07there is one
16:09particular cafe
16:10in the heart
16:11of the Casbah
16:12that has drawn in
16:13foreign dignitaries
16:14rock stars
16:14aristocrats
16:15and artists
16:16since it opened
16:17its doors
16:18in 1943
16:19Cafe Baba
16:21sweet mint tea
16:28in a thick
16:28slow-moving
16:29haze of smoke
16:30it smells like
16:31my dorm room
16:321972
16:33good evening
16:34hello
16:35I'm George
16:35this is George
16:37Bajalia
16:37and Zineb
16:38Benjaloon
16:39thank you for having me
16:40yeah
16:40welcome to Cafe Baba
16:42I should say right now
16:43I have no direct knowledge
16:44or awareness
16:45of either George
16:46or Zineb
16:46smoking any illegal substances
16:48nor do I have any
16:49contemporaneous recollection
16:51at this time
16:51of me doing anything
16:53untoward in their presence
16:54because that would be like
16:56wrong dude
16:57some tea
16:57George is here
16:59on a Fulbright scholarship
17:00and Zineb is an artist
17:01from Rabat
17:02others in the room
17:04however
17:04well
17:05don't give me that innocent look
17:06you young punks
17:07I know somebody in here
17:08smoking reefer
17:09so
17:10how stoned are people here?
17:13we can ask
17:14just ask
17:15you know
17:16you're not getting
17:17totally ripped here
17:18no
17:19it's a functional part
17:20of daily life
17:21for a long time
17:23the rest of the country
17:25and the government
17:26didn't really like Tangier
17:27a whole lot
17:27because it was seedy
17:28there were these foreigners
17:29who came here
17:29and did godless
17:30he likes Tangier
17:32he likes
17:32yeah it makes money
17:33he sees it as a future
17:34economic superpower
17:35as I understand it
17:36he's talking condos
17:37boutique hotels
17:38is that good or bad?
17:40for Moroccans
17:41it's work
17:44but of course
17:45expats
17:45want to keep
17:46in Tangier
17:47like they
17:48know it before
17:50I mean this cafe
17:51is very similar
17:51to the way it was
17:52but
17:53there's a tv right there
17:54flat screen
17:54and that's why
17:55a lot of people
17:56come here
17:56they come to watch
17:57soccer games
17:58you can well imagine
17:59the american guy
18:00who's lived in
18:01in Tangier
18:02for 30 years
18:03okay
18:04he comes in
18:05and there's a flat screen
18:06tv on the wall
18:07he's like
18:07what the
18:07you've ruined
18:09the
18:10authenticity
18:11and integrity
18:12but the moroccan guy
18:13at the next table
18:14he's saying
18:15wait a minute
18:16wait a minute
18:17asshole
18:17you have a flat screen tv
18:18at home
18:19I want one too
18:20what's wrong with that?
18:21no there are
18:22people here
18:23who've probably
18:24never heard of Paul Bowles
18:25right
18:25if you only follow that
18:27there's no progression
18:27there's no progress
18:28there's no change
18:30the thing about
18:32Café Baba
18:32is that just sitting here
18:33taking in the atmosphere
18:35you begin
18:36to appreciate the place
18:38there's something
18:40something different
18:41is happening here
18:42contact hi
18:43whoa
18:43I'm hungry
18:44wait until the
18:45Spanish tortilla dude
18:47across the street
18:47opens for business
18:49this is Abdullah
18:54he specializes
18:56in making one thing
18:57and he makes it well
18:58an omelet
18:59well it's actually
19:01more like a Spanish
19:02tortilla
19:02but like stoned ear
19:03the potatoes are
19:05boiled
19:05diced
19:06then mixed with
19:07beaten eggs
19:07and cooked in a
19:08cast iron skillet
19:09oh yeah
19:11the eggs
19:12the egg man
19:13I am me
19:14and we are you
19:14and where's my
19:15omelet dude
19:16cause I am hungry
19:18one, two, three
19:22Abdullah is just
19:23waiting for you
19:24right when you come
19:25stumbling out of
19:26Café Baba
19:26coincidence
19:27or not
19:29you
19:29be the judge
19:31ketchup and mayonnaise
19:33everything
19:33ketchup and mayonnaise
19:35sure
19:36why not
19:37condiment options
19:38I will be hard pressed
19:39to turn down
19:40at this precise moment
19:42anyway
19:42a lot of mayonnaise
19:52that's awesome
19:57I'll have 12 more
19:58Paul Bowles
20:12lived in Tangier
20:13for over 50 years
20:14and Sherry Nutting
20:15was part of his inner circle
20:17near the end of his life
20:18she was his friend
20:19record keeper of sorts
20:21and photographer
20:22you arrived when
20:24I came in the 70s
20:25but I went down
20:26to Marrakesh
20:26and then in 86
20:28I wrote a letter
20:29to Paul Bowles
20:30and said I had to meet him
20:31and take his picture
20:32and he wrote back
20:32and he said
20:33come and visit
20:34well I never left
20:35like a lot of people
20:36came here to live that dream
20:37or to live that life
20:39has the reality
20:40come to resemble
20:41his perception
20:42of the reality
20:43or
20:43the Tangier
20:44that I see
20:45is Paul Bowles
20:46and I still see it
20:47I still feel it
20:47you can still find
20:49the magic
20:49the market
20:52or souk
20:53in Tangier
20:53is one of the best
20:54in all Morocco
20:55the food stalls
20:56and vendors
20:57are still
20:58pretty impressive
20:59wander the markets
21:01long enough
21:02and you're sure
21:02to stumble across
21:03the unexpected
21:04hooves
21:05sure
21:06how about a lamb's head
21:07here nothing goes to waste
21:09char broiled
21:10to crispy burnt perfection
21:12the meat is scraped off
21:13and served
21:14on a crusty lunch bread
21:15not so adventurous
21:18the Grand Soco's
21:19indoor market
21:20offers a variety
21:21of smoked
21:22cured
21:22and fresh meat
21:24smells good in here
21:26this stuff looks good
21:27oh
21:28I've heard this cheese
21:31is amazing
21:31it's good
21:32yeah
21:33um
21:34could I have one
21:35a Berber favorite
21:38fresh goat cheese
21:40wrapped in palm leaves
21:41yeah they're beautiful
21:43aren't they
21:43that's good
21:46a little cheese
21:50a little flatbread
21:51the perfect Moroccan breakfast to go
21:54we're headed into the Jabala foothills
21:59of the Rift Mountain Range
22:00about 85 kilometers south of Tangier
22:03to a place called Jezuka
22:05the village is home to the people
22:09of the Al-Sharif tribe
22:10which loosely translated
22:13means
22:14the saintly people
22:15Jezuka is also home
22:20to one of Morocco's
22:21better known musicians
22:22Bashir Atar
22:24jazz and rock and roll
22:27musicians have traveled
22:28from all over the world
22:29to Jezuka
22:30to meet this guy
22:31Bashir is part of a lineage
22:33of master musicians
22:35all from this small
22:36mountain village
22:37famously dubbed as a
22:454,000 year old rock band
22:46by William Burroughs
22:47Bashir
22:48his son
22:49and these musicians
22:50maintain one of the oldest
22:52still living musical traditions
22:53on earth
22:54we're invited for dinner
23:08it's family style of course
23:11beginning with brewad
23:14like a kefta pocket
23:15hand formed envelopes of dough
23:18filled with seasoned beef
23:19baked until golden
23:20then crisped in oil
23:22we're good for now
23:26we'll have one more
23:27here we go
23:31the main event
23:32tagine of chicken
23:34welcome Tony
23:37thank you
23:38just gorgeous
23:42first chopped onions
23:48garlic
23:48parsley
23:49and turmeric
23:50are blended
23:50with olive oil
23:51the bird is generously
23:55coated and stuffed
23:56then after simmering
23:58in a touch of olive oil
23:59and water
23:59the chicken is fried
24:01till crispy
24:02served with roasted
24:04almonds and olives
24:05paprika
24:05and ginger
24:06nice
24:07he smells the food
24:10like anywhere else
24:12in the Arab world
24:13eating with your hands
24:14always the right one
24:15is proper dining etiquette
24:17this is special spinach
24:22this is special spinach
24:22of jerukah
24:24and hot pepper
24:25it's like wild spinach
24:27that grows in the mouth
24:28yes
24:28bokala is chopped mountain spinach
24:33garlic, cilantro, hot and black peppers
24:35finished with lemon and olive oil
24:37that's delicious
24:43I heard you are the greatest taste for food in the world man
24:50I love good food
24:51this is good
24:52after dinner some fruit
24:57some mint tea
24:58and let the music begin
24:59for centuries
25:04the master musicians of jerukah
25:05have been the musical choice
25:07of the royal families of morocco
25:08excused by the country's rulers
25:11from manual labor
25:12to devote themselves
25:13to musical training
25:14the master musicians of the world
25:44Their powerful style of Sufi trance music has inspired many musical seekers, including
25:52most notably, perhaps, Paul Bowles, who wrote about them and recorded them and spread the
25:57word.
26:01Brian Jones was here and recorded the pipes of Pan at Jezuka with these musicians.
26:08The words spread, and the master musicians have ended up being featured on albums by
26:14Maceo Parker, Ornette Coleman, and the Rolling Stones.
26:22For years, if you were a rock god, you had to come here.
26:30Dig the crazy percussion and strings and pipes that took you to another place.
26:36Intricate, hypnotic, beautiful, and if you're in the right frame of mind, mesmerizing.
26:57Anyone who comes to Tangier inevitably ends up lost in the old part of the city.
27:03The Medina is just what you want it to be.
27:05The ancient world residing just next to, and around, the new one.
27:14You can walk around inside the movie in your head.
27:17Play the bogey character you never were.
27:20All against an all-too-willing, all-too-genuine backdrop.
27:23Ordinarily, just about the last thing in the world I'd be interested in doing is antiquing.
27:30But buried in the network of twisting, narrow streets of the old city is Boutique Majid,
27:36owned and operated and personally curated by this man, Abdel Majid Raiz El Feni.
27:41Hello.
27:42How are you?
27:43He's a fun, interesting guy.
27:45Come in in.
27:46When he was a little kid back in the 60s, Majid left his hometown of Fez and came here,
27:53where he'd earn a few deram a night, emptying ashtrays at the wild and extravagant parties
27:58being thrown here by wealthy expats.
28:01He saw what these people would buy for themselves and how they'd decorate their homes, and he started
28:06to look around for himself, scoring, then reselling, art and antiques.
28:11Wow.
28:12It became something of an obsession.
28:14Now his artifacts from Morocco and all across Northern Africa are bought by collectors from
28:20all over the world, carpets, antiques, wood carvings, jewelry, and old doors.
28:25Wow.
28:26These are incredibly beautiful.
28:27Tell me about that.
28:32This is umber, coral, shells.
28:37This used to be currency, this shell.
28:39How old is this?
28:40This is early 20s, late 19s.
28:43The umber is millions of years old.
28:45How much are you selling this piece for?
28:47By weight.
28:48By weight?
28:49Yes, quite heavy piece, this one, 429 grams.
28:52So it comes like 42,000 dirhams.
28:56So that's how much in dollars?
28:58Like almost 5,000.
29:00About 5,000 dollars.
29:02Almost.
29:03So we look at another floor?
29:04Oh yes, follow me.
29:07There's a nice collection of things from the Sahara.
29:13So you travel a lot?
29:15Not like you.
29:17Oh, this is for pounding manioc?
29:22Yes.
29:23This is from Dogon tribe from Mali.
29:25How much will this sell for, do you think?
29:27Around 300 dollars.
29:29Really?
29:30For this?
29:31That's very reasonable.
29:33Yes.
29:34I'll be buying that.
29:35That's going to be an old friend.
29:37Also memory.
29:38And a memory.
29:39Of Tangier.
29:40Of Tangier as well.
29:43Majid suggests lunch at Andalus, a local's only place nearby.
29:47As a Moroccan, so many Westerners who come to Tangier come with a romantic notion of Tangier they read about in books.
29:56Do people have a realistic expectation when they come here?
29:59Are they looking for Morocco?
30:00Are they looking for this phantasm?
30:02No, no, it is a phantasm.
30:04It is a phantasm.
30:05It is when you get here, if you know Morocco, you feel that you're in Morocco, but you're not.
30:11There's a lot of Mediterranean touch to this town.
30:14And also the history, people hear stories about Tangier that it was.
30:18Like when I first came in the 60s, everybody said to me, you came late.
30:23Tangier, wow.
30:24Right.
30:25Now I'm saying the same thing as these young now.
30:28They come and they say, wow.
30:29I said.
30:30What was better about those days?
30:32Well, you see, for me at that time, I was young.
30:35And it was the boom of hippies.
30:37And it was the destination.
30:40You know, Cafe Papa, you meet Bob Dylan, you go here, catch Steve.
30:44And the parties was going on.
30:46I miss this kind of parties.
30:48People fly from everywhere to the party.
30:51And they make the whole town move.
30:53Blue and white party.
30:55White and gold party.
30:57Hat party.
30:58You know, it's amazing.
30:59And you see people come in with amazing hats, like a cage with a bird.
31:04Astrophagant hats.
31:06You know, it's like people put so much energy and time into these parties, you know.
31:11Look at the...
31:12Oh, now that looks good.
31:17Tomatoes brushed with local olive oil, garlic, and coriander.
31:21Liver kebabs, beef liver to be exact, grilled over charcoal.
31:26Oh, now that looks very nice.
31:29For fish, a bit of swordfish and some orange ruffy.
31:33That is just beautiful.
31:36Mmm.
31:37How do you like the tomato?
31:39Oh, and the swordfish is amazing.
31:41Yeah.
31:42So how else have things changed?
31:44You saw how many tourists there was today?
31:47They were in a hurry.
31:48If they come to the shop, they even try to avoid your eye contact.
31:53The friend, if you get my eye contact, I'm gonna rip you off.
31:57Or make you buy something that they don't want to buy.
31:59I mean, I don't know.
32:00I don't know they have this...
32:01Do they buy?
32:02They don't even say hello.
32:04They don't buy?
32:05Of course.
32:06We call them penguin.
32:08They have short hands, they don't get to the pockets.
32:11I mean, I'm just kidding.
32:14Oh.
32:15Oh, my God.
32:17Oh, my God.
32:18That's all.
32:34Okay.
32:35There.
32:38There.
32:39There.
32:40There.
32:41There.
32:42When Tangier was in her zone back in the day, it seemed to some, I'm sure, as if the expats
32:49outnumbered the locals.
32:51That was never true, but you certainly could live a life apart, make your own world within
32:56the existing one, reinvent yourself and live entirely within a universe of your own creation.
33:07Far from the Grand Soco is a 14-acre estate owned by Christopher Gibbs, a well-known dealer
33:13of antiques and a long-time expat.
33:16Today, he's having a garden party.
33:19Who's coming?
33:21Jonathan, you know.
33:24Maggie Dean is from Scotland, she's been living here for more than a decade.
33:29GP de Richemont, a Frenchman who has his hands on a lot of businesses, including a café in
33:34the Casbah.
33:35Who's living in Tangier, unknown.
33:38Bianca Hamri, an American, she's been here forever, led many lives, I gather, and occasionally
33:44translates books from Magrabi to English.
33:47And the dashing and mysterious Baron de Coquita, Gondarrillas, an artist from Chile who's been
33:53living and working in the Casbah since a hasty exit from Puerto Rico for reasons never fully
33:58explained.
34:08On the menu, Bastia.
34:10A meat or often pigeon pie, as traditional Moroccan as it gets.
34:16Today made by Gibbs full-time cooks, Jamila and Farama.
34:20In Bastia, the meat on this particular day is chicken, which is slow-cooked in broth and
34:25spices, pulled or shredded, and then folded into an egg mixture cooked in the reduced stock
34:30from the boil.
34:31This is layered with blanched almonds, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.
34:35And then the whole lot is then wrapped in feuille de bric, a crepe-like dough.
34:40After baking to a golden crispiness, the final touch is a dusting of even more cinnamon and sugar.
34:48It's got a sweet, savory thing going on.
34:51And it's quite tasty.
34:56If you get nervous when you go in a room and you touch the light switch and the lights don't
35:00come on, you shouldn't be in this country.
35:04What was that first moment you said, you know, I could live here, I'm still quite unsure about
35:08that.
35:10Now I came here first in 1958, when it was quite different.
35:16Everyone wore native dress, but Islam still the throbbing motor of life here.
35:23I have very tender feelings for Morocco and the friendliness and courtesy of the people and
35:30of the children who, you know, they didn't say off granddad like they do in England.
35:35I always feel welcome here.
35:40I never consider that this is mine.
35:42It's theirs and they've allowed me to live here in a very nice way and I feel recognition.
35:50They know who I am.
35:52They know who I am.
35:53And there is a side-by-side aspect to life here that's very unusual.
35:59Very unusual.
36:00Yeah.
36:01It's mostly, you can do whatever you want if you do it with good manners.
36:05But it is a sort of a station of the cross for, you know, bad boys of culture.
36:09I mean, Verlaine, Rambo, Iggy Pop, The Stones, Burroughs and Geysen.
36:15Burroughs writes about, he came here to be a writer.
36:18He was a junkie before he was a writer.
36:20As so many of us were.
36:21But I think this was a place where you wanted to think of yourself as a writer.
36:25You would come here and somehow you were working within a romantic tradition.
36:29Yes.
36:30Burroughs said, write up front.
36:31Yes.
36:32To me, a writer from when I was a little boy, a writer was a guy who lounged around
36:34a smoking jacket or a caftan smoking a hash pipe or an opium pipe in a beautifully anointed
36:40house littered with sleeping boys.
36:43Yes.
36:44Or girls.
36:45Whatever.
36:46To what extent did that world exist and to what extent was that world created by the people
36:50who showed up with that expectation?
36:52Since Bill departed, R.I.P., dear, wonderful, marvelous man, since he's gone, it's a bit
37:00tame now.
37:01It is tame.
37:02He was...
37:03Gentile now.
37:04He was a...
37:05He was the very opposite of Gentile.
37:07He was an outlaw for every society.
37:09My husband knew him very well and was telling me yes, Bill, and I said, he said, I cured
37:14him of being a drug addict.
37:16I said, how?
37:17He said, I turned him into an alcoholic.
37:19Who smokes hashish at this table?
37:23Please raise your hand.
37:24Is the camera on?
37:25It's my last night in Tangier, and I'm headed out.
37:39It's my last night in Tangier, and I'm headed out.
37:51It's my last night in Tangier.
37:52It's my last night in Tangier.
37:55Yes.
37:56Tangier.
37:57I'm headed out.
37:58I'm headed out.
37:59Long as you're outside the Medina, nearly anything goes.
38:02Tangier reverts to its libertine past.
38:05Here, Western influences become very apparent.
38:06Here, Western influences become very apparent.
38:12Tagier reverts to its libertarian past.
38:27Every night of the week is a good night for young
38:36Moroccans to take to the streets of the Villel Nouveau.
38:41He's invited me out for a casual snack, bocadillos,
38:45Spanish-style sandwiches with tuna, veggies,
38:48hard-cooked eggs, and a healthy wad of mayo,
38:52a crispy layer of french fries within the sandwich.
38:57This is delicious, by the way.
38:59The bread here is very good.
39:01You work in a magazine journalist.
39:04I'm not a journalist, but I own an urban magazine
39:07here in Tangier.
39:08To inform Moroccans, we are living in a place
39:10that's pretty special.
39:11It's not for any purpose that William Burr's or Paul Bowles
39:14or Henri Matisse, all these people came to Tangier.
39:17The city has something which makes it different
39:20from other cities.
39:22Well, what about young artists, young writers,
39:24young musicians?
39:25Did they come here expecting this romantic
39:29Paul Bowles wonderland of the 50s?
39:32Some were, some were, I'm gonna say too bohemian.
39:35Too bohemian.
39:36Yeah, because they thought that like, you know,
39:39coming and being an artist is gonna be enough.
39:42It's gonna be enough, today's not enough.
39:44Right, yeah.
39:45It's pretty tough for them.
39:47And most of them pack their bags.
39:50Right.
39:51Today we have so many investments going on here in Tangier.
39:53Thanks to our king, investors are here,
39:56being attracted, tourists are attracted.
39:58But the most important part of it is that we should keep
40:01the old parts of the city intact.
40:04The Casbah, the Medina.
40:05The Medina.
40:06That's what's hard to do because when you have
40:09a European purchasing power coming over here to Tangier.
40:12They come, well like we come.
40:14We embrace it, other people want to come.
40:17And then we f*** it all up.
40:19Will Tangier's unique character survive?
40:26I hope so.
40:29Tangier is Morocco, always was Morocco.
40:49And recently the country's leadership seems to have
40:51embraced it in all its ill-reputed glory.
40:57The days of predatory poets in search of literary
40:59inspiration and young flesh are probably over for good.
41:05Hippies can just as easily get their bong rips in
41:08Portland or Peoria.
41:11But the good stuff, the real good stuff,
41:14the sounds and smells and the look of Tangier,
41:18what you see and hear when you lean out the window
41:21and take it all in, that's here to stay.
41:27And I'm so hungry.
41:32Hello?
41:34I know.
41:41Oh, my God.
41:43Oh, my God.
41:44Oh, my God.
41:44Oh, my God.
41:46Oh, my God.
41:48Oh, my God.
41:49Oh, my God.
41:52Oh, my God.
41:54Oh, my God.
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