Michelle Desrochers: It’s a show about my inner old lady [smile]. I’m 28, but I’ve always been like a pre-age aunt, with a desire to care for others. I visit people in their town, but I feel like I’m the one receiving, in my show. In the title there is also a bit of a crispness; Marthe does it with the seeds, and I chose Pelota. It’s complementary… [laughs]
Marthe Laverdière: In this show, I talk about the anecdotes that I lived. I wrote it. I talk about my thousand and one jobs and all the bullshit that could have happened to me. And, believe me, there are! I’ll take you to the greenhouse, to the earthworks, to the kitchen, to massage therapy… I’ll show you how I became a horticulturist, through an adon. It’s my life ! In 34 years of business, you see, business!
M. L.: When you reach a certain age, with the experience collected in a life, you know what you are, and above all, what you are not. When I go on stage, I talk about my business and I feel like I’m in my kitchen, around the kitchen island. Whether people like it or not is not up to me. I know why I’m doing it and I have no expectations. Whether the room is empty or full, I will eat the same. The critics will say what they want, I don’t give a damn about the year 40! [Michelle bursts out laughing] Me, I managed to sell geraniums to the good woman Boutin, here, who is the devil on earth… The rest is peanuts!
M.D.: I give people an hour and a half piece, and I start to know my audience. This relationship goes beyond humor; in my show, I talk about learning to love yourself. For me, meeting the public is like a romantic date.
M. L.: You are right. We’re two old souls, dear!
M. L.: All my life, I have done men’s jobs. I’ve been on all fours, I’ve heated trucks… It doesn’t even cross my head. If you can do the job, you do it, whatever it is.
M.D.: The only thing the subject evokes for me is pride. We have more and more representation and talent. I often see women setting very high goals and achieving them. The more funny women there are, the higher the quality of humor, the more it will raise the level. I am grateful for our great comedians, men and women, who inspired me when I was young.
M.L.: I can’t compare, I don’t have a TV. I live three hours from Montreal, in rang de la Fourche [in Armagh, in Bellechasse, in Chaudière-Appalaches]. Going to see a show, for me, is a two-hour drive. People sometimes ask me if I compare myself to Lise Dion or Claudine… something… [Mercier]. Lise Dion, I saw her on YouTube, and the other one, I don’t even know who it is. I know I look like a dinosaur… But if you ask me about roses, I know them! [laughs] By not comparing myself, I’m not setting a high gear.
MD: I have mental health issues. I have an inner emptiness, an immense suffering. In humor, I can send messages of love, play down taboos, reach out as I would have needed. Humor is the meaning of my life, no matter how long the tour is.
M. L: I had depression from 2007 to 2010 and lost my mother when I was 2 years old. I experienced the feeling of rejection. Like Michelle says, when you’ve suffered, you want to make people happy, not just make them laugh. When they are happy, we are well. We love our world.
M.D.: Being in the room and connecting with the audience is the opposite of stage fright. For me, a show is the opposite of stress. It is stillness. Everything is in its place, at that moment.
M.L.: I have no advice or fears for that girl. She will go far and I see her as a girl who is very good. I get attached easily to real and good people. Appearance does not interest me, but what Michelle is, that interests me. I’m going to go see your show, Michelle!
M. D.: Thank you, Marthe, that’s sweet. Since you don’t have TV and social media, I want you to know: people like you a lot! You don’t have to know the number of likes, but know that people love you, and it is deserved. And if you need specific advice on how to attach an attachment to an email, give me a call and I’ll help you! [laughs]
