The Pieter

Back in Limburg, Toon also got the chance to dive back into the carnival festivities. He did this in various cafés, including De Pieter. During carnival, the walls are covered with brightly coloured painted boards. In Toon’s time, that was the work of Maastricht resident Pieke Dassen: actor, puppeteer, cabaret artist, musician, and artist. Dassen is especially known for his appearance in De film van Ome Willem, in which he played the role of August.

Toon always said: ‘No more pleasant fall than carnival’. And Rietje celebrated it wholeheartedly with him. Although she was a true Amsterdammer, she found it a fantastic party. She also took care of the inner person. She made a large pot of pea soup, and anyone who was hungry got a bowl. Throughout his life, Toon created several carnival songs. Very locally in Sittard, but also songs that became known nationwide. The most famous is ‘Mien waar is mijn feestneus’, the only number one hit Toon ever scored. This hit also featured in the first edition of the Top 2000 of Radio 2. In that list, Toon was further represented only by ‘24 rozen’ (up to and including 2013).

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