It is on the phone this time that I am connecting with Van. As he picks up, I notice his voice is hoarse, probably from having performed the night before… As usual, he is friendly and charming, always willing to answer all questions. The man truly is a delight (pun intended – he has a duet with NYC DJ Chauncey Dandridge by that title) and I am thrilled to expose bits of his life as a musician with the readers of Music Authentic…
Music Authentic: So you’re in Montreal this fall: no NYC, no Paris, no Florida?
Van Hechter: Yes, I am in my hometown the whole time for once! Well, aside from a trip to NYC next month for US Thanksgiving and AIDS Day on December 1st, where I’ll perform and host at 9 Bob Note with my disco brother Chauncey Dandridge. There’s also talk about Paris next February but nothing precise just yet.
MA: Your voice on the phone is deeper than usual… I mean it’s sexy but I’ve never heard you like this.
Van: Last night was my first Neo-Disco Cabaret in Montreal, at Sky Pub! When I host and laugh and yell for 3 hours, on top of singing: I sound like a life-long Marlboro smoker the next day! I should really try to find a date this evening, with that voice! It is kindah sexy!
MA: How did the Cabaret go?
Van: It went wonderfully well! I hope it grows. I love my crowds: straight, gay, sexy, bizarre, all ages, all backgrounds! That’s a real party to me! I don’t like nor do I even believe in homogeneity. At some point Aty (my Vanette) decided to get quasi-naked onstage. I let her, of course! In my mind I was like: ”I can’t believe she’s doing this!” And we had Zahra at the door, who performed 2 impromptu numbers while I sang sporadically and ran contests. I was great fun!
MA: Actually I saw a flyer pass: you are hosting a party with DJ David Laguer on the 26th at Sky…
Van: Yes! We were paired last year for Halloween, then NYE and we just make a great team. I think he’s a really good DJ and working with him is a joy! That’s a luxury I used to take for granted in earlier years: I just expected I’d like working with everyone, and everybody would like working with me… Now I realize that truly good matches are treasures to cherish. David is one of those. We’ll be on the second floor. And because I was told we had a large group of Latin guests coming in, I am brushing up on my Spanish! I haven’t spoken the language in decades so I’m trying to prepare a bit. I can’t ”wing” Spanish.
MA: And then you have Funk-a-Folies on November 9th , right?
Van: Yes. Again at Sky! It’s a monthly variety show with Zahra Bizarre and I as main performers, Ben Radcliffe and funk specialist DJ, plus surprise guests each time of various crafts.
MA: What’s the spirit behind this unusual formula that serves as a vehicle for your music. I mean, most singers just want to sing their songs… You bring in a whole variety of numbers, you joke around. There’s something almost circus-like about your acts…
Van: I think I was once a circus monkey, to be honest. It’s in my blood to perform alongside a tribe… As for the idea behind my formula… Our planet is in jeopardy, the middle class is poorer than I’ve personally ever seen it, new cheap but highly addictive drugs are out on the streets turning our most vulnerable citizens into zombies, we hear about bombings daily… I want my events to be an explosion of magic and hope in darker times. I think I can serve my purpose better with magical creatures onstage with me.
MA: What do you do when you’re not performing?
Van: I prepare for the next performance! Aside from daily texts or open conversations that have lasted for years with a handful of lifelong friends, I lead a very quiet life. I don’t go out much at night. As you know I workout 7 days a week. I prepare my own food when not on the road. I need silence and although I talk a lot in public, I also can be very taciturn at home, which always used to confuse my husband hahahahha!
MA: You mentioned earlier that you were very likely to spend the full winter in Montreal with only occasion escapades instead of your usual 12 week stay in the tropics during the cold season… How would you describe life in Montreal?
Van: I like that I can walk everywhere from my condo and that we have an ”underground city”- very convenient in polar weather or heatwaves. I am truly a city person. I love culture clashes, noise, effervescence, culture… Montreal is fabulous in many ways. However, I’ve never seen the city as dirty as it is now and we need a new mayor, in my opinion. I rarely say anything political but I will tell you this: I am voting for Younes El Moustir!
MA: Any recordings on the way (I know you’re always writing so of course I ask)?
Van: Actually yes. There are 2 tracks by Eryck Wyseman I need to get around to. One is rather ”house-y”: I need to lay lyrics on it soon. The other is a duet I’d written with a friend in mind- wonderful artist but very busy and I don’t think it’s going to happen, so I just just this morning I had another idea: why not record the duet with the person I wrote it ABOUT???? Matter of fact, I’ll call him right after I’m done talking to you, darling!
MA: What are you going as for Halloween?
Van: I’m going as Dracula’s fashionista nephew Count V, who is penniless but elegant and incredibly charming. He has a glitter scars on his cheeks from having fought with a rival in the balconies at Le Palace in Paris on opening night in 1978.
Find and follow Van here:
Insta: @Vanhechter
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDocOJMkIfM&list=OLAK5uy_kA2TDY4xWL9WE7rgQkP2UFg4g5Dyz8KG0