Last time I spoke to him, he was in NYC getting ready to march for Pride and on the cusp of releasing a duet with DJ Chauncey Dandridge ”From Love to Love to Love”… This month I catch him in Montreal, as he recovers from a rather severe respiratory virus… Very few artist would agree to an interview in his state: but Van isn’t one to let anything stop him from keeping his word…
Music Authentic: Ok, you’re in your Montreal condo now, talking to me on the phone because you’re quite sick. What is it exactly that you have? Who takes care of you when you’re unwell?
Van Hechter: It’s something called Respiratory Syncytial Virus. It lasts about 21 days, First week I was bedridden and now it’s a lot of coughing which of course is exhausting. Complications can happen but fortunately I don’t have any. I mean: nobody likes being sick but all in all: it’s 3 weeks of my life. It’s not a super long uncurable illness. I try not to complain.
Who takes care of me???? When I get sick, I fold. I don’t want to be tended to… I have good neighbors though. Many of us look out for each other in this building, which of course is unusual. My adopted baby brother/best friend/comedy partner lives right downstairs, he’s always checking in.
Music Authentic: I know you are preparing for a tour, and you’ve got a new album out- we can talk about this next month. Since you’re sick I’ve decided to conduct a more trivial kind of an interview with you…
Van Hechter: Fire away! I love triviality. I’m very shallow.
Music Authentic: In this heat what fragrance do you wear?
Van Hechter: Always and so long as it’s available: Eternity – the classic version. And I wear it in places you won’t find, it blends perfectly well with my natural ”scent”: turns into something totally my own.
Music Authentic: Sunscreen routine?
Van Hechter: Stick 60 on my face neck and hands, SPF 15 coconut oil on my body. I’m not 100% Caucasian- I don’t burn: I just go really dark. In my youth I’d get super tanned all over. It looked fantastic. But even skin that can take a lot of sun becomes damaged if over-exposed… So my compromise now is: still lightly roasting the body occasionally, never the face. And I see a dermatologist once a year.
Music Authentic: Best mascara for a mustache?
Van Hechter: Cheap: never pay more than 10 bucks. No curved brush, nothing plumping, no ”eyelash effect” or whatever new idea they are trying to push. Simplest brush and the mascara has to be waterproof (I learned that the hard way – I refuse to say more). Also, you can use a little on your eyebrows at night: it adds character.
Music Authentic: Favorite song of the moment that’s not by you?
Van Hechter: ”Nice Town” by Metronomy and Pan Amsterdam
Music Authentic: I noticed you’ve had several tattoos done this as year. Why the sudden whim? And- how do they make you feel?
Van Hechter: Well, it was a combination of factors. I’d been considering them for a while. But also I came across a tattoo artist that understood my vision: Vincent at Tattoo Art Connexion on St-Catherine Street! I want designs and sentences that won’t mean nothing in 10 years… For instance on my calves I have: ”Dare to be your own damn fantasy!”… Well I will have lived by that rule- I can die with that! As for how they make me feel… Sexy. I can’t explain why- exactly.
Music Authentic: Favorite summer afternoon when not working?
Van Hechter: Ohhhh I love those. Ok: long workout that doesn’t need to end at a set time, then wine by the pool with friends and the building gang (I mean it’s always the same 12 up there- although there are 110 units, so you get to know each other).
Music Authentic: Deo or no deo?
Van Hechter: I actually never wear it. Then again I don’t stink – I smell sexy. Why mask it?
Music Authentic: Speaking of smells: cheap smell that makes you happy?
Van Hechter: Coppertone! I hope they never change the scent. One whiff and I go straight back to happy times as a toddler by the ocean in Florida or Cape Cod.
Music Authentic: Last: favorite summer fruit…
Van Hechter: I have 2. Watermelon and black cherries.
Music Authentic: You know- you’re a real trouper to have done this with me today, I do hope you feel better soon!
Van Hechter: I gave you my word that we’d do 1 interview each month until December. I never go back on a promise. And thank you!
Don’t forget to follow Van! Here are all the links you need:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/72kb2pQHFsHtDxKX6hH3OU
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDocOJMkIfM
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/9016374
Insta: @vanhechter