Hometown: Montreal
Education: College degree
Favorite Credits: Good music doesn’t have expiration date.
What inspired you to create The Wall Live Extravaganza?: I’m a French-Canadian singer-songwriter working in the music industry of the La Belle province for the past 20 years. I’ve made 3 solo albums and have collaborated on multiple different productions as songwriter. Though the years I have also work as a television director and music video director. The evolution in how people purchase music hit the French-Canadian music industry really hard, so it was clear for me that to stay competitive I had to develop groundbreaking concepts and ideas. After producing war zone concerts for Candian troops for over a decade (in places like East-Timor, Bosnia, and Afghanistan) I started my own production company with a partner. We then decided to embark on a dream. To complete a new show around the Pink Floyd masterpiece, “The Wall.” I always thought that "The Wall" was a very intimate album that needed to be presented in a humble way. When I headed the album for the first time, in 1979, I knew that there was a story of some kind, but it was when the movie came out that I was fully able to understand it. Pink Floyd toured the album in 1980 and it turned out to be something very technically difficult. It was disastrous economically for the band. Roger Waters toured it solo later in life and chose to politicize the work. At this point it became clear to me that I had to recreate the show on my own. My intention was to recreate the trinity of the album, the movie, and the concert. In my show we attempt to answer questions left behind by the movie. My show is a hybrid of show and music. We’re not just a musical or a tribute band. Every person on stage and every note plays a pivotal role.
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Artist like Peter Gabriel and Robert Lepage are an inspiration to me. The integration of paintings for every one of their songs during live shows make the concert like a ceremonial event. A perfect mix of intimate and grandiose.
If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Working with the legend, Roger Waters, would be a huge career achievement. It’s a dream of mine.
What show have you recommended to your friends?: One of the best show I ever saw…. LOVE by Cirque du Soleil.
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Edward Norton, Microcosm
If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Le Malade Imaginaire by Moliere at Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris on Feb 10th 1673. And if it’s a straight concert, I would be sitting in the grass next to Paul McCartney at The Quarrymen concert.
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Abba!
What’s up next?: While touring with The Wall we are presently developing a new show around another Pink Floyd theme. It’s a “best of” with a twist!. We will make an imaginary voyage into the mind of Syd Barrett.
For more on The Wall Live Extravaganza, visit www.thewallx.com or www.facebook.com/thewallx/. For information on the Wellmont Theater production, click here.
