by LORRAINE CARPENTER

With one René Angélil as his tour manager, Plastic Bertrand (aka Roger Jouret) last toured la belle province with a teenage Céline Dion as his opening act. It's been that long, but Belgium's "new wave prankster" or "king of the divan" has never been forgotten. Hit singles like "Ça plane pour moi" (1978), "Tout petit la planète" (1979) and "Stop ou encore" (1980) have endured in clubs, on radio and TV and via live covers by the Presidents of the USA, Sonic Youth and, most recently, Stéfie Shock, who Bertrand plans to visit during his brief stay in Montreal.

He's particularly eager to return to Quebec to start rehearsing with another local entity, glam rock quartet Poxy, who'll be his backup band at next week's Bal en Blanc edition of Kink!.

"Rehearsal by Internet is not so easy," says Bertrand. "I've never met Poxy, of course, but everyone tells me they're into the Cure, Sex Pistols, T-Rex, so I think we're on the same wave. I'm counting the hours!"

With a cache of catchy tunes riddled with a silly sense of humour, Plastic Bertrand's wave is an easily accessible one, despite his pointed views and satirical origins. Hubble Bubble was his first band, an early punk act that expired by '77. By then, Bertrand was disillusioned with the music business so he shed his punk principles to have fun with pop parody.

"For me, punk music was for rebels, but it became just another way for the showbiz people to make money. When I started ‘Ça plane pour moi,' it was satire, and people like Johnny Rotten and the Ramones adored that song because they knew exactly what I meant."

Most wanted comeback

Bertrand's cynical view of the industry has made for a (voluntarily) sporadic music career. His recent album, an admittedly rushed contractual obligation called Ultra Terrestre, was his first in nine years. In the interval, he toured Europe, operated an art gallery, worked as a TV presenter and produced albums by contemporary composers whose music he considers an oasis from formulaic pop, rock and dance. In the future, with his own music, Bertrand hopes to bridge the audacious artistry of the avant-garde with the more commercial styles he's known for.

"My case is very bizarre because I'm a popular guy but, more and more, I don't care about selling records. I can eat, I don't need a hit today to eat something tomorrow. That's why I call myself Ultra Terrestre, because I don't care about pop music, I don't care what they want, and I'm very far from what they want."

Of course, that's not entirely true. Plastic Bertrand was voted "Most Wanted Comeback" by the British wing of MTV Europe a few years ago, and record company calls weren't far behind.

"I couldn't believe it! It's so funny, because sometimes I hate this work, I stop everything, I don't want to hear about it, but then something like that happens in my life and I have to start again. But I always like a challenge, like making a concert in Quebec with a band I never met. I'm very happy to find people who believe in me and I'll do my best because I don't want to disappoint anyone. And maybe it will be a start for something new."

With DJ Frigid at Unity II on Thursday, April 8, 10pm, $12

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