Le Havre. A book on “the Le Havre legend”, Daniel Lecompte, hairdresser for 70 years

By Murielle Bouchard
Published on 8 Apr 21 at 14:23

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Since July 2019, Daniel Lecompte and the author François Botte never leave each other. The first is hairdresser at Havre (Seine-Maritime) for 70 years, the second signs a new book on “this Le Havre legend”, published by Orep éditions: Combs and offshore winds.

“I wanted to share his idea of ​​happiness”

François Botte is installed in a small town near Fécamp. On the occasion of Le Havre’s 500th anniversary in 2017, he discovered Daniel Lecompte’s famous seafaring lounge, rue du Petit-Croissant, in the Saint-François district. A little later, he returns there and meets the hairdresser in person, “who even danced with my wife on this occasion”. At that time, the former director of the MJC had already published a book in which he told the passion of a Creuse farmer.

While chatting with Daniel, I quickly wanted to write a book about him, but he wasn’t ready.

In July 2019, the 85-year-old hairdresser resumed contact with the author. “And since then, very regularly, we have had an appointment in his salon so that Daniel can tell me about his life, but also so that I can discover all these objects that he exhibits in his hairdressing museum. ”

Combs and offshore winds is not “a biography: I worked on the idea of ​​happiness that Daniel has and also on the notion of transmission which he is very fond of”. A common point between Daniel Lecompte and Guy Labarre, a farmer from Creuse on which the author has focused.

“He keeps saying he was lucky”

In this book, François Botte also offers numerous documents from the hairdressing museum which adjoins the salon, even today. “I went through Daniel’s guestbook, I also wanted to retrace his encounters with celebrities like Georges Pernoud or Josiane Balasko. “For François Botte, the hairdresser’s philosophy of life is an example,” I especially did not want the book to appear as nostalgic for an era, Daniel keeps saying that he was lucky, I also think that it’s because he always believed in what he did ”. This passion for his profession and “his” city remains intact even today.

Practical information :
Combs et vents du large by François Botte, Orep éditions, 189 pages, 18 euros. On sale now at the Salon des Marinateurs and Hairdressing Museum and at the Galerne. 02 35 42 12 71.

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