Alphe Gagne? Scalp scratching. Let’s see, with a name like that we should remember him, right? Quick search on the Internet. As soon as his face appears on the screen, we exclaim. Oh yes, him! With his mischievous and friendly demeanor, his bright eyes and his red beard, the actor has appeared discreetly but certainly on our screens for almost two decades. But for about five years, Alphé decided to return to his first love, humor. These days, the motivated but not too eager guy takes the stage to offer what he considers his first show, a new stage of his professional marathon.
At 44, the father of the family is thirsty to see this part of his career take up more space, but it is a thirst fueled by wisdom and experience, in short. And he likes where he is in his life, somewhere between “strong youth” and “old people who have difficulty evolving”. About those of his generation, he says: “We rewound our cassettes with pencils, but we are able to edit on Adobe! »
Alphé Gagné is still not a rookie, and is enjoying a good tailwind in the world of humor. The one who made the School of Humor in 2000 notably opened for Louis-José Houde for his show A thousand bad choicesin addition to increasing the number of appearances in podcasts (including Under listening, by Mike Ward) and host several comedy evenings, including at the Bordel Comédie Club.
Having had access to Louis-José Houde’s audience was a great opportunity in his eyes – “you realize the extent of the success of a comedian of this caliber” – while making him understand that he was not one of them. than at the start of his race. Success in humor is “something I want to achieve because it’s a childhood dream,” explains Alphé Gagné. But a career, you realize when you get older that it’s a long marathon.”
Alphé maintains the pace, but humbly believes that he is “starting at the bottom of the ladder”. “I went to Percé [faire mon spectacle]. Then there were people who didn’t know me, who came, who ended up adding me on social media, who talked to me afterwards. It’s one person at a time, it’s important, and I love it. And then, my life… the children are made, I am vasectomized, there are no other plans, things are going well, it’s steadyit’s the fun and I can go all out. »
This self-produced show is called 1/16, prank show under construction, and Alphé Gagné manages to present it a few times throughout Quebec. He will be this February 6 at the Salle Claude-Léveillée at Place des Arts, then at the Bordel on March 14 and in Sherbrooke on March 28.
“This is my best material in the last five years. I the fine tune in order to have something solid, explains the native of Bas-Saint-Laurent. Saying that it’s a show under construction allows me to have little moments that I can work into my show. I say all the time that I’m like a drug dealer. I know I have good stock, but sometimes I cut it with crap! »
The “1/16” refers to the small inch measurement, the important detail that makes your work impeccable — or that your joke works. It’s also a tribute to his cabinetmaker father, “who is a perfectionist guy.” In humor, Alphé Gagné places his colleagues on a pedestal who construct a show “without appearing to work” and who master the art of “the comma”. In short, it’s the proverbial little things that change everything.
The comedian, who says he has a strong physical presence on stage, offers in his show a portrait of himself divided into two complementary segments. There is the skin-deep Alphé, who grew up with four sisters and who opens up to the other. “But also I realize that the older I get, the worse a person I am, I would unplug Teslas, like. There is this duality: it’s a bit crunchy, a little runny, a vulgar little affair, but sensitive. »
Today, Alphé Gagné makes a good living with his professional slalom, which basically allows him to have the means and the strength to earn his stripes in the world of jokes. Long live versatility, but… “When I dropped everything to do humor, when I named him, that’s when the doors opened, that I got the best contracts. »