Pierre-Emmanuel Barré at the Zenith of Toulouse
With his show “Pfff…”, Pierre-Emmanuel Barré will make his very first zeniths in 2023. On the program, a Toulouse date at the Zenith of the pink city on January 18. To accompany this tour, the comedian keeps a Journal des Zéniths on his YouTube page, after having already tried the adventure with a Journal de Campagne ahead of the presidential election and a Journal de Containment during the strongest of Covid-19. Culture 31 went to meet him.
Culture 31: Why did you call your show “Pfff…”?
Pierre-Emmanuel Barré: Because I’m bad at the title. I regret all the titles I give because it tends to identify the show really strongly. My very first show was called “Pierre-Emmanuel Barré is a dirty con”. Afterwards I was always called “dirty con” in the street. It was funny the first 10 minutes but after that it was boring (laughs). The title of the second show was “New Show”. It was a really good idea at first… Until I released the next show! So I said to myself, with an onomatopoeia, I’m sure it will pass. It also reflects my somewhat cynical vision of the society given in the show.
We say “guest” or “guest”, have you decided? What will yours be in Toulouse?
I’m going to say “guest” to earn the classic two syllables of the profession, because we’re all in a great hurry. The guests will be the same in Toulouse, Lille and Paris: Guillaume Meurice, Benjamin Tranié, Aymeric Lompret and GiedRé.
Under the video of the second episode, someone commented: “It is still awfully funny Laurent Wauquiez, I did not see it from this angle. Nice discovery”. Better or worse than being confused with Guillaume Meurice?
I don’t know if he’s not talking about Guillaume Meurice precisely. Because he looks a bit like Laurent Wauquiez too. This is our only common point. Me, I’m funny.
Rather return to live in Brittany or become an occupant of the Élysée?
Return to live in Brittany. For once I think the choice is quickly made.
Who would you make disappear in the forest of Brocéliande?
Vincent Bolloré, to stay among Bretons.
When is the Lorient Express remake?
As soon as possible. With Jean-Yves Le Drian in the role of the rails. So as soon as it is finally available.
Do you still hate old people? Are they still welcome to your show?
I don’t have many who come to my show, but of course they are welcome. I hate them especially at election time. It’s a time when I kinda hate everyone.
What was the funniest thing to do, the Campaign Journal we the Containment Diary?
It was the Containment Diary. I didn’t have to watch political debates every day. I still had the little press briefing from Emmanuel Macron and Olivier Véran, which helped me a lot, because they were both really bad. There was a lot of material but I was not obliged to follow political news. While during the Journal de Campagne, I typed all the programs and the debates since I was trying to do a bit of background and not just say “Look, Valérie Pécresse doesn’t know how to speak into a microphone”. Getting stuck with all the programs was really boring! (Laughs).
It was almost a journalist’s job.
In addition, you have to make jokes about it, and it’s complicated!
Precisely, to make 4000 people laugh, what qualities does it require if not the art of falling without getting hurt?
Of course, you have to know how to make prouts! (Laughs). I’m a bit of a text Nazi. I don’t like improv with the public at all. Personally, when I come to see a show, I don’t want to be involved. I want people to all have a good time regardless of my moral and physical shape, and for that there is no secret: you have to have a cool text and spend a lot of time on it. I’m almost 3 years into touring with this show. I was still playing in Montpellier yesterday and I made changes based on the feedback from last night. You always have to come back to the text.
A user commented “You must have a minister’s schedule to justify such a poorly worked video title” under episode 3 of the Journal des Zéniths. So if you were a minister, what would you be a minister of?
I would not be a minister. You would have to force me, threaten me, so I wouldn’t choose the job.
You did about 90 dates. Are you sad it’s almost over?
It’s the only show I’m going to regret. All the other shows I did, after a while, I got tired of playing them. Although I found them very good. With this one, the conference side makes me really comfortable on stage. I really have more fun playing than with stand-ups, where you find yourself naked with a microphone, very vulnerable. There, the theatrical side is really nice. If you make an oven, you come back to hide behind your desk!
A sentence to convince Toulouse residents to come and see your show at the Zénith?
That’s great ! I’m not going to speak ill of my show.
Last question maybe a little more philosophical. What is a comedian?
He is someone who must make people laugh, not shock them. And even if we want to put substance in what we do, the form must take precedence over everything. It has to be funny all the time, even if we tend to focus on telling real things that really happened to us, or on the contrary putting lots of background. When the only thing that matters is to put lots of jokes in the text and people laugh. If it’s not funny enough, it’s not humor.