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Denis Vanier at Ultimatum Festival 1985-05-04
The following is a transcription of Denis Vanier's performance at the Ultimatum Festival I, Saturday, May 4th, 1985 at the Foufounes Électriques bar and performance space in Montréal, Quebec, Canada. Vanier was a francophone, Québécois poet with over twenty-six published collections. He published his first collection, Je, in April 1965 at only 15 years old. He frequently collaborated with Josée Yvon. He was the co-director of Hobo-Québec and criticized in Mainmise. In Alan Lord’s memoir High Friends in Low Places (2022), Lord reflects on Vanier's interaction with a heckler at this 1985 performance, "The woman came up, Vanier offered her his tome, and she brushed him off with "I don't need the book". She finished the poem from memory, to great applause. Vanier came back to the microphone and thanked 'Marie'" (130).
Annotations
00:00 - 00:00
Alan Lord Commentary
With books such as “Pornographic Delicatessen” and "Lesbiennes d'acide", poet Denis Vanier (Sept 27, 1949 – Oct 7, 2000) was the reigning king of Montreal’s counter-culture. His book “Je” ( “I” ) was published at age 15 by none other than Quebec’s legendary union activist Michel Chartrand.
Biographical Context
00:00 - 00:01
Audio Description
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
00:01 - 00:04
Audio Description
Pas de punkrockers dans la salle, hein ?
Denis Vanier
00:04 - 00:06
Audio Description
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
00:06 - 00:08
Audio Description
Ca n'est pas un gros probleme.
Denis Vanier
00:08 - 00:12
Audio Description
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
00:12 - 00:14
Audio Description
Speaks [unintelligible].
Denis Vanier
00:14 - 00:17
Audio Description
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
00:17 - 00:24
Audio Description
Okay. Une chanson pour Pagliaro. Que j'ai fait pour Paglio que j'ai jamais chante evidemment. C'est trop epe, qui dit…
Denis Vanier
00:24 - 00:26
Audio Description
Speaks [unintelligible].
Audience Member
00:26 - 00:32
Audio Description
Eugh. Et j'ai commence par [maybe:Rafenbag], je fini par Pagliaro, bon.
Denis Vanier
00:32 - 00:33
Audio Description
Il y a une personne qui veulent chante.
Audience Member
00:33 - 00:35
Audio Description
Il y a une personne qui veulent chante.
Denis Vanier
00:35 - 00:36
Audio Description
Mais [maybe:Janice] a envi la.
Audience Member
00:36 - 00:45
Audio Description
Bon b'en elle restera la. Bon il s'appelle "Les baisers". Chanson pour Gerry et le group Offenbach.
Denis Vanier
00:45 - 02:13
Audio Description
Reads "Les baisers" [French].
Denis Vanier
02:13 - 02:23
Audio Description
Applause.
Audience
02:23 - 02:25
Audio Description
Speaks [unintelligable].
Denis Vanier
02:24 - 02:24
Alan Lord Commentary
Here, as Vanier was reading, a female fan in the audience started heckling him. He said: “Are you coming up? You coming up or you’re scared? (meaning, to read in his place).” The woman came up, Vanier offered her his tome, and she brushed him off with: “I don’t need the book.” She finished the poem from memory, to great applause. Vanier came back to the microphone and thanked “Marie”.
Event Description
02:25 - 02:27
Audio Description
Chatter [unintelligible].
Audience
02:27 - 02:28
Audio Description
Speaks [unintelligible].
Denis Vanier
02:28 - 02:30
Audio Description
Speaks [unintelligible].
Audience Member
02:30 - 02:33
Audio Description
Viens tu ? Viens tu, ou t’a peur ?
Denis Vanier
02:33 - 02:34
Audio Description
Speaks [unintelligable].
Audience Member
02:34 - 02:36
Audio Description
Bon ben viens pas. Vient en.
Denis Vanier
02:36 - 02:45
Audio Description
Oui je le veux. Je [maybe:film] le reste. Non, mais, esti… Si t'es pas capable, dis les pas [audience member responds throughout].
Denis Vanier
Audience Member
02:36 - 02:38
Audio Description
Speaks [unintelligible].
Audience Member
02:37 - 02:38
Audio Description
Speaks [unintelligable].
"Marie"
02:45 - 02:48
Audio Description
Laughter.
Audience
02:45 - 02:48
Audio Description
Laughter, room noise.
Audience
Foufounes Electriques
02:48 - 02:50
Audio Description
J'ai pas besoin du livre.
"Marie"
02:50 - 02:52
Audio Description
Speaks [unintelligable].
Denis Vanier
02:52 - 03:49
Audio Description
Performs poem by memory [French].
"Marie"
03:49 - 03:51
Audio Description
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
03:51 - 04:00
Audio Description
Applause.
Audience
04:00 - 04:13
Audio Description
Apres Marie, c'est l'electrolyse masculine. Ca c'est pas loin de ou ce qu'on est la. C'est a [unintelligable] [audience laughter throughout].
Denis Vanier
Audience
04:13 - 06:11
Audio Description
Reads "L'électrolyse masculine" [French].
Denis Vanier
04:47 - 04:47
Alan Lord Commentary
Denis Vanier died of an AIDS-related cancer, at the age of 51
Biographical Context
06:11 - 06:17
Audio Description
Distorted and clipped audio.
Tech
06:17 - 06:24
Audio Description
[Distorted audio continues] Euh, ca s'appelle "Des images de riz". Ca vient de sortir chez [maybe:BLB], si ca t'interesse la.
Denis Vanier
06:24 - 06:53
Audio Description
[Distorted audio continues] Reads "Des images de riz" [French].
Denis Vanier
06:53 - 06:53
Audio Description
Distortion resolves.
Tech
06:53 - 07:15
Audio Description
Continues "Des images de riz" [French].
Denis Vanier
07:15 - 07:19
Audio Description
Ca c'etait pour [unintelligible], c'est cent pourcent.
Denis Vanier
07:19 - 07:24
Audio Description
Applause.
Audience
07:24 - 07:26
Audio Description
Sharp breath.
Denis Vanier
07:26 - 07:28
Audio Description
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
07:28 - 07:32
Audio Description
Bon. Le dernier. Blackstrap, Vous conaissez-vous ca? Blackstrap–
Denis Vanier
07:32 - 07:35
Audio Description
Audio cuts out, static.
Tech
07:35 - 07:37
Audio Description
Chatter.
Audience
07:37 - 07:38
Audio Description
Par a…
Denis Vanier
07:38 - 07:41
Audio Description
Starts reading poem [French].
Denis Vanier
07:41 - 07:46
Audio Description
Loud chatter.
Audience
07:46 - 07:48
Audio Description
Parles-y, hello ?
Denis Vanier
07:48 - 07:50
Audio Description
Chatter continues, laughter.
Audience
07:50 - 07:56
Audio Description
[Sighing], bon ca s'appelle "Le journal du peuple". C'est un affair chinoise, la.
Denis Vanier
07:56 - 09:24
Audio Description
Reads "Le journal du peuple" [French].
Denis Vanier
09:24 - 09:29
Audio Description
Applause.
Audience
09:29 - 09:29
Audio Description
[End of recording].
END