Jean-Luc Lemoine is back solo and he has things to say!
From his personal problems, like his dog watching him during sex, his ultra-jealous girlfriend, or his fear of having an ugly child, to more universal themes like youth orientation, loneliness, or homosexuality, he casts a cynical and offbeat, but especially hilariously funny, eye on our society.
Moreover, in terms of marketing, at a time when it is fashionable to say that one does stand-up, Jean-Luc goes further: he does traditional sketches, stand-up but also sit-up (you tell your life sitting in front of the audience), jump-up (you tell your life while jumping) and eat-up (you tell your life while eating… avoid the front rows!). And, icing on the cake, all his acts are organic! OK, that means nothing, but admit it sounds good!
Your new show is called “Jean-Luc Lemoine au naturel”. So, you’re a 100% organic artist?
That’s kind of it. I try to return to the essential values, to redefine my image a bit. I also try to create a show that preserves the environment. The comedic environment, obviously.
You talk about redefining your image, was it perverted?
Some people reveal one day that they’ve taken drugs, I admit it, I’ve done television. And so people have a particular view of me. At 7 PM on France 2, you can’t let loose like I do on stage. The great thing about a one-man show is that, for an hour and a half, there’s no Gérard Miller to interrupt you!
When was the last time you got a big head?
I’m vaccinated against that for physical reasons. Since I was little, I’ve actually had a very big head. It was an obsession not to also have it in terms of my behavior.
On the poster of your previous show, “Jean-Luc Lemoine is Worrisome” you had a terrifying, green face, like Frankenstein. Now, you’re playing it rather handsome.
I just want to realize this crazy dream: to have a poster where people can recognize me. This year, I’ve tried to return to simple things. With experience, I feel that my sketches speak to everyone and thus become more accessible.
There are more and more Lemoines in showbiz…
It’s a new trend and here I’ll give you a scoop: normally by 2010, a third of the personalities in the media will be named “Lemoine”. Little by little, we nibble away. Virginie Lemoine, Annie Lemoine, Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine, little Jordy is called Lemoine. So it’s either a super trendy or super common name. You can understand that I prefer to say “trendy”.
You’ve never disappointed your audience?
One evening someone got up in the middle of the show. Afterward, the production team asked him why he had left, and he replied, “It’s because of people like him that there is war in the world.” I took that as a compliment and thought that if I had that power, it was wonderful! Another time, a couple got up just before the last sketch. The toilets were located just behind my stage manager’s booth and he heard them copulate until the end of the show. In fact, I also have a Viagra effect.
How do you write?
I need total silence. I could write in a bar like many of my peers, but everyone would have to shut up. And that’s very difficult because people are generally quite uncooperative.
In the show, you will do a sketch about French song. Does that mean that like almost all French comedians, you will sing on stage?
One of my great strengths is lucidity. And even for laughs, I won’t try to sing on stage because I could annoy people and empty the room. However, it’s possible that I’ll sing, but only for the third encore if people don’t want to leave.
Can you reveal some of the themes discussed in the show?
I will talk about completely absurd subjects like my dog watching me when I make love or the fear of having an ugly child. I will also play the role of a guidance counselor who explains how to get by thanks to reality TV because, now, it’s a real option in high school. I also want to talk about more serious subjects like loneliness or old age. It sounds like you might want to shoot yourself in the head when I say it like that, but I think I’ve found the right angle to avoid mass suicide. The goal of my sketches is of course to make people laugh, but if I can add depth to it…
