Modest. This is the first qualifier that comes to mind after a conversation with François Pérusse, who would however have the luxury of having a big head after more than 30 years of radio. The comedian may have sold two millionPeople’s Albumsamassing more than 200,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel and having many admirers on both sides of the Atlantic, he feels no less of an impostor when his long and prolific career is outlined in broad strokes.
“When Just for Laughs did its tribute gala in 2015, I was so nervous! To have all this attention on me, I was not well. I like people to like me. It’s important to me that people like what I do. It is a need. But having the spots on me, I don’t like that, ”says François Pérusse, who has never been able to reduce his unhealthy nervousness.
Bad luck for him: Just for Laughs is doing it again this year with Le carrefour du peuple, an immersive “neighbourhood” on the Place des Arts esplanade, where, from July 20 to 29, you can do karaoke on its songs or eat at the famous snack bar At Raymond’s. It will also be presented free of charge on Thursdays and Fridays The 20 minutes of the peoplea short show inspired by the universe of Pérusse and directed by Guillaume Lambert.
“People are going to recognize references, but there are also going to be new jokes. Those who know the universe of People’s Albums will find their way around, but those who don’t know anything about it will also find their pleasure. There is no insiders, it’s a show that is designed for everyone”, explains François Pérusse, who participated in the design of the project.
For the rest, he trusted the instincts of Guillaume Lambert, who said several times in interviews that he grew up with the People’s Albums. The director also knows François Pérusse personally, since he directed him in the comedy niagara, released in theaters last year.
“It’s the first time in my life that I’ve delegated so much. I am very stiff usually. I am very controlling when it comes to the finish of my product. I still keep my hands on it. The few times I delegate, I triple check all the time. I am very tiring! confesses François Pérusse with much self-mockery.
Hermit, for better and for worse
The portrait he paints of himself contrasts with the gentleness and rare kindness of the man interviewed. But by his own admission, François Pérusse is not a team player. He is a loner, almost a hermit, with very few friends. And his few relatives, apart from his wife and two sons, only too rarely hear from him.
It must be said that at 62, the comedian remains quite busy. From his basement he works every day on his daily segments Perusse frequency, broadcast on the Energy network. The concept has changed somewhat from the Two minutes from the people. Rather than lasting 120 seconds, François Pérusse’s on-air presence is now distilled into short numbers of around 45 seconds each. But the tone remains the same, with this sound design so specific to François Pérusse, his silly puns, his crazy characters…
Perusse Frequency wants to be more glued to the news than were the Two minutes from the people, which forces the comedian to diligently follow the news. To his great dismay, sometimes, he who has always been informed. In the last few months, information fatigue has caught up with him. He is not the only one. Since the pandemic, we see that more and more people voluntarily avoid journalistic content on social networks.
“I was already devastated by all the bad news, but when Putin returned to Ukraine, that was the final straw. I couldn’t believe we were going back so far. Added to this is the Supreme Court’s backtracking on abortion and, of course, the climate, which is a great source of anxiety. It must be very depressing breaking the news these days. Me, at least, I prefer to do nonsense with it, ”reasoned the one who always says he has a lot of fun doing his job.
A time that those under 20 cannot know
Retirement has yet to come for the professional musician, who joined CKOI in 1991 after bosses noticed the radio commercial he designed for the album save my soul by Luc De Larochelliere. François Pérusse was his bassist at the time, and the idea of a career in comedy had never crossed his mind. Since then, he has alternated between CKOI and Energy, with an interlude in Europe.
In 30 years, he will have seen radio change considerably: “When I arrived, the rivalry between CKOI and CKMF [devenue ensuite Énergie] was at its peak. It wanted to kill each other on one side or the other. It has eased a lot over time and I’m very happy about it, because it was heavy Not bad. There is still competition, but that has nothing to do with it. Today, everyone is protecting their market share. Ad revenue has gone down for everyone. Radio still has a future. I am not pessimistic. But clearly that’s not what it used to be. »
François Pérusse will also have had the chance to know the good old days of the CD, when he sold tons of copies. The eleven volumes ofPeople’s Album 2 million copies would have been sold, including approximately 1.75 million just in Quebec. It’s more than Éric Lapointe or Sylvain Cossette, the popular singers who have sold the most records in their career.
To say that all this would never have happened if François Pérusse had agreed to follow Jean Leloup on his first tour at the end of the 1980s. Too anxious, François Pérusse had refused the offer of the man who was preparing to conquer Quebec. “What would have happened if I had accepted?” Just asking the question gives me goosebumps. […] But the truth is, I’m not cut out for the touring life. I hate that. I am better off between my four walls. Being always around the world, changing cities, going to bed late, it’s not for me, ”slices the comedian, who, in the end, would not change much in his career.