Daniel Lavoie : the official website

Daniel Lavoie's big challenge: to become a singer.

Le Lundi, 1992
Anne-Marie Trudeau

It is one of those days when human beings throw you off balance. For example, take the day when I met Daniel Lavoie. What a shock! Of course, I knew that he was handsome but he is so much more than that. The man who is too gentle and shy, who has been described to me 100 times, is a gentle "on the ball" man who seems to know perfectly what he wants and what he doesn't want and who has in the corner of his eye (and what an eye), a constant intelligent twinkle.

If Daniel Lavoie interviewed Daniel Lavoie, how would it go?
Er … It would be an interview with questions not at all like the usual ones.

Are you ready to answer now?
I'll reply to all the questions but not necessarily in the way anticipated at the beginning. You can ask me anything, all questions are good.

Then talk to me about the question of modesty.
I don't know if it is important or not. It's a predisposition with which one isn't born; it's instilled later, I believe. I've a lot of modesty and I sometimes ask myself where it comes from since, by my own reasoning, I'm no prude. On the contrary, I'm quite natural. I don't know if shyness is congenital or a social thing which makes the French speakers of Western Canada very shy people who dare not raise their voices.

Why is it like this?
It's their way of protecting themselves. In this way they avoid being made to look ridiculous in public, which happens all too often. "No dogs, no Indians, no French speakers". That is what they can read over there. To be consigned to the same level as the dogs can give one an inferiority complex, a certain shyness. In fact, these are all much the same things.

Strangely, even though you are naturally shy, you have chosen not to keep quiet.
I imposed the challenge on myself over the years by saying to myself "Being shy and modest, I'm going to become a singer by overcoming the things which bug me". After 20 years I'm happy to tell you that the therapy is going well and, even if not everything is ironed out, I'm still working on it.

Since we are speaking about your work, let's talk about your latest album "Douce heure". What are the gentle times in your life?
As I say on the album "I don't have to shout about those things which I feel strongly". I was always like this. Without doubt, it follows on from what I was talking about just now. I like gentleness a lot.

Haven't you occasionally wanted to shout?
Wanting to shout about helplessness, disgust, frustration … That does happen to me. That can perhaps seem bizarre, but I've the impression, nevertheless, that people hear less well when you shout. Today, people are used to hearing shouting; then one finds that barriers are put up when the sound increases.

There exist many types of violence, in your eyes, your heart, which are the worst?
Suffering affects me dreadfully. No one can remain indifferent to sorrow, to certain torturers who get a good income by torturing people.

You are the father of children, speak to me about the future. How do you see the future for mankind on this planet? Are you scared?
(Laughs a bit nervously) Total catastrophe. The world seems to be heading towards complete destruction. It's hardly re-assuring to be bringing up kids in it, but at the same time, the years which we have known, even if the darkness does descend, have been good ones, I hope. However, I don't want them to live in sorrow and deprivation.

Nevertheless, deprivation is a real problem, given the economic situation and the lack of employment. Personally, if one of your children seemed interested in an artistic profession, would you encourage them?
Yes, if he needed encouragement, I'd do it, whilst paying attention to his capabilities. I would continue to be faithful to what I've always said. "If you believe in yourself, you'll do it. If you need help, I'll help you." I'm not an interfering parent. I help according to my means, without being too demanding.

I'm putting this question to you because of the inherent frustrations in this type of career. Have you suffered much from them?
I suffered frustrations at the beginning which lasted a while, I was the only one to believe in my abilities. Deep down, I suffered, above all things, from impatience because things didn't move as fast as I would have liked. On the other hand, this situation allowed me to develop perseverance and good came out of bad.

Six years ago you founded your own record label with your agent Rejan Rancourt. Now it's your turn to make decisions about certain people's careers. How do you chose the artists you introduce to us?
It's love, a sort of musical symbiosis. It's a stirring, a mixture of different factors; some come into our office and leave quickly, then others stay there. How do we know exactly what will happen? It takes place quite simply.

As it went in the case of Hart Rouge?
With Hart Rouge, I understood immediately because I detected in their eyes the same helplessness which had stuck to me when I arrived here. It's not easy, you know.

As a Manitoban, how do you react to the current political situation?
I find that difficult and also heartbreaking even though my parents are still over there. I've spent half my life in Canada and half in Québec. I love them both and they are deeply part of me. Nevertheless, I understand Québec's need to be assertive, to make a stand and I am entirely in agreement with that. As a Québécois, I am in agreement with Québec asserting itself. It makes me feel a bit bad to live separately but I believe we must have more choice if we are to keep our dignity and to walk with our heads held high. However, regarding the quality of our political management, I admit to not being certain that we would be better served controlling our own affairs. I don't know. They haven't visibly dealt well with the important things in their own lives: then, how can they pretend to deal with something in ours. I admit I'm a bit bored with René Lévesque.

You spoke about your parents in Manitoba. Tell us about your childhood over there.
I grew up in an idyllic childhood. A childhood of the country, of happiness, of calm, a perfect childhood, to be happy like that didn't give me any sense of reality, from my parents who protected me without smothering me, to my extraordinary grandparents. In the village I was surrounded by members of a large family. An ideal place to grow bigger. A place that doesn't exist any longer as it was at that time: it's changed. By a combination of circumstances I was there at just the right time.

Have you been able to give your own children a childhood in the image of your own?
I've tried. I've tried to prove to them that happiness exists, to see to it that all goes well for them. I believe that once you've had it good, you believe that happiness exists and you remain an optimist.