The scene: 6,000 cool cats chill in the dusk heat of the Fête St-Jean this past June 24, killer dancehall beats rumble the viaduct and I speak to Guillaume Decouflet, co-mastermind of the inimitable Bridge Burner party.
Guillaume Decouflet: It’s the second time we’re legit, working with the city and the police to make it happen. This year it’s longer, from 7 p.m. to midnight, and we’re authorized to have a bar.
Mirror: What’s your perspective on that integration, the legitimacy of working with the city?
GD: Bridge Burner number one was just Megasoid, it got shut down by the police after an hour and a half. The second one we did on St-Jean two years ago lasted two hours, but we got busted pretty fast. There were so many people and so few police that they let it go. But we were on their radar. They took our names, they knew who we were. We had so many people asking us to do it every year, so in order to continue to do it, we needed to go legit.
M: It’s kind of an alternative vision of St-Jean, because we’re all excited about Quebec, about the culture and all the possibilities. But we’re just not necessarily excited about it in the same way as the Bloc or whoever.
GD: At the same time as it’s a community, local Montreal neighbourhood party, it’s also an expression of what Quebec is in all its diversity and potential. Ghislain Poirier is from Quebec, born and raised. Sixtoo is a Canadian anglophone, and I’m from France. I’m an immigrant. It’s symbolic that we come together and do this thing, celebrating Quebec’s diversity and creativity. At the same time, it’s a good party. That’s part of the success of this event. These people might be excited about Quebec’s national day, but maybe they can’t relate to the other music and events, so they come to us because they can relate.
ALTERNATIVE MYTH-MAKING OR ALCOHOLISM? jack.oatmon@gmail.com
