Nice-Premium: You’ve been in the business for 30 years; is this year special for you?
Michel Leeb: Yes, it’s been 30 years of performing, with the public following me, and I’m still here.
NP: You’re coming to Nice in April, a city you know very well, since you’re a jazz fan. You directed the Nice Jazz Festival for three years. How does it feel to come back to Nice?
M.L.: You know, I only have good memories of Nice. Whenever I return, it’s always a pleasure. Each time, it’s a city I love greatly. I know a lot of people there; I have quite a few friends there. The memories I have are of absolutely magnificent jazz moments. And then, it’s a unique period in the life of an artist, to mingle with jazz stars, to produce and invite them to these magnificent arenas of Cimiez.
Now it’s in the past, I’m with a one-man show that mixes humor, jazz, and tries to do something original.
NP: Are you quite versatile in your shows?
M.L.: I try to ensure that we move from humor to sketches, imitations, gags, quite strong interaction with the audience, and mix that with musical segments. It’s a very varied show.
NP: You’re not alone on stage; you have musicians with you?
M.L.: I have three musicians with me who play and are part of the show. It’s a show I played for two months at the Paris casino and it was really magnificent.
NP: Now, you are touring all over France, that must require incredible energy?
M.L.: We tour France, then in May, we’re off to Canada, then to Mauritius, Réunion, Israel, Morocco, New York; a really great tour. It’s quite a big tour that will take me through to December.
NP: In this show, what will the content be? Warm? Extravagant? It’s not like certain comedians who follow a trend. You’ve followed your own path all these years.
M.L.: I didn’t try to betray my colleagues – whom I quite like, by the way – but I do things that I’ve always liked. The show is called “Everything I Love”… It’s everything I love: comedy, singing, humor, sketches, imitations. The audience also participates in the show at a certain point. I’ve been doing my own thing for 30 years. Everything is going very well and I still continue because I’m not done yet; I still have another 30 years ahead of me.
NP: The audience is very present, you involve them. I would like you to respond to one of your admirers: “Michel, just a few words to tell you how much I appreciate you, your finesse of mind, no vulgarity to make us laugh, so rare in our ‘community of French comedians.” Carine. Do you often hear these phrases?
M.L.: I often hear this compliment. You know, you don’t have to resort to vulgarity for it to work. Vulgarity, cynicism, a form of aggressiveness on stage is not essential for success. Proof of that is, I don’t go down that path and it works very well. Everyone does their thing, everyone has their universe, everyone has their way of working. Mine is this, and I’m very happy it works. Fashion is something I don’t want to follow because by definition, it doesn’t last. We go from one thing to another. I don’t want to lock myself into anything that is fashion-related. I want to do things that I like, hoping the public will follow me. When I do theater, jazz, one-man shows, TV, people follow me. I’m not going to force myself to do something I don’t like just because it works, as it works well otherwise.
NP: Does April mean anything significant to you?
M.L.: Yes (laughs) I’m turning 60, which is not bad!
NP: Do you have any plans?
M.L.: The important thing is that I don’t act my age (laughs) and that everything goes well on stage. If one day, I come on stage with a little chair… You know Lionel Hampton – who died at 92, I believe –, when asked how he kept his energy up on stage – that was the time when I was handling Nice – he said, “Girls and champagne.” So for me, girls are OK, I have a wife and children, all is well, but I do like champagne!
