Paul Piché, song by song: Sur le chemin des incendies still blazingly relevant

Nostalgia is all the rage these days, as many recent anniversary albums and tours seem to bear out. However, the trend wasn’t quite what inspired Paul Piché to revisit Sur le chemin des incendies for its 35^th anniversary. Rather, it was the unexpected success of an initial virtual performance during the pandemic that led to a tour that has been very well received.

Let’s have a look at one of Quebec’s best-selling albums, song by song, with the well-known singer-songwriter, who is bringing his tour to an end in Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier on November 2.

What does the album Sur le chemin des incendies represent in your career?

Paul Piché: It was a major turning point, both in my way of writing songs and in the way we work on them as a group. The album is truly the result of a creative collaboration with the musicians of the time, who are, in fact, all back for this tour: Rick Haworth on guitars, Mario Légaré on bass, and Pierre Hébert on drums. It was also the first time I produced an album myself.

It was my fifth album, and that’s when I started taking myself more seriously as an artist. Before recording my first album, I was an archaeologist, and I thought I would go back to that one day. Maybe it was a way of not taking myself too seriously and telling myself that if things didn’t work out, it wouldn’t matter. But then, after 10 years of experience in the studio, which was in a way my “music university,” I had a better idea of what I wanted and a clearer vision of where I was going.

J’appelle: It’s a song about the environment. Wasn’t that rather innovative for the time?

P.P.: It’s true that at the time, it was a slightly less important subject. The point of this song is that nature is trying to speak to us, to warn us. Today, we might say that it’s shouting at us—we should really listen to it! Unfortunately, the song is still in keeping with today’s current events.

Le château de sable, in which you talk about the French fact in Quebec—that also fits in with current events!

P.P.: Exactly. When I sing it, it’s as if I'm talking about today. It’s a song about the richness and longevity of languages, not just French—that’s why it includes a bit in Spanish... Each language is a world in itself.

Protecting French in America, for example, is something only we can do, and it’s a gift we give to humanity… Without being pretentious, it’s a way of contributing something nuanced and unique that describes each of the world’s cultures.

This doesn’t stop us from standing together as one! I’ve always wanted to make Quebec a country, but I stand in solidarity with the rest of Canada in this context of economic war. As for the rise of nationalism that we’re witnessing in the media these days, I’ve been hearing about it for a while, since I was asked to add my voice… It’s not a group of marginalized people; it’s a deep-rooted movement that is emerging in connection with today’s concerns.

Je lègue à la mer: What is your wish for future generations of artists?

P.P.: Be yourself. That’s the most important thing. What we need from artists is not copies of what has already been done, but the truth. All artists must bring their own colour, their own vision of the world.

Sur ma peau: Do you still feel the urge to write new songs?

P.P.: I am writing new songs! In fact, I’m performing a new one in the Sur le chemin des incendies show. We talk about new work in the show, so it was an opportunity to present a song that’s been evolving for a long time and hasn’t been recorded yet. And that makes us want to move on to the next show, perhaps... taking us through all the songs from the original album.

What should we expect at the show on November 2?

P.P.: It’s a show we’ve loved performing on tour and that audiences have loved too. It’s got a lot of humour, a lot of self-deprecation… It’s an odd mix of music, memories, and reflection! Also, at the last show at Place des Arts, there will be three guests: Sara Dufour, Vincent Vallières, and Claude Meunier… I wanted to create a link between the generations, just as it happens in the audience that comes to see the show.