He is everywhere, and so much the better. On television, in Day-to-day on TMC, on the radio on France In… oh no on RTL and The Big Headson stage and on tour with his one-man-show, on the internet with the podcast 168 and the awesome In two-two, and now in bookstores with not one but two books. The first, Why are you doing this? (Frist Editions), came out last September, here is already the second, which also applies to a presidential candidacy: For a more better France (Flammarion).
Before he became “the least worst of presidents”, 20 minutes spoke with the real fake candidate, comedian, columnist, who “is afraid of doing one season too many, even two seasons too soon” and because of whom, let’s not forget, our life sometimes looks a little too much to Gorafi.
Before becoming a comedian, columnist and (false) presidential candidate, you were… a journalist!
Yes ! I did journalism after high school, first in radio, then on TV, in a press agency. I investigated for documentaries, produced consumer stories for France 5. But after a while, I got a little fed up. It was intellectually interesting, but it suited me less than the humor. In 2012, I met Sébastien Liebus, who is really behind the Gorafiand we joined forces to develop a satire that is not very present in France.
There was The Onion in the USA, The Daily Mash UK, El Mundo Today in Spain, but nothing in France. It’s a very particular style of satire, where the form must be perfectly realistic and the shift is made on the bottom. We came at the right time, in the right place, with the right style of satire. Even if we each brought back a little of our personality, our humor. Me, I was fully on the Guignols, Greenland, South Park ; Sebastian, more on The marrow boneby Pierre Dac.
The Gorafi has now entered the collective unconscious, everyday language.
This immediately makes you humble and modest, because these are not things you can control at all. Our desire was first to have fun, without any other ambition, especially not commercial or economic. But it took quite quickly, with a tipping point in terms of audience and virality after six months. It became our full-time job from January 2013.
Almost ten years later, can we say that reality has caught up with satire?
This can be said of certain news, especially in the unusual sections of the media, or even of certain personalities. But satire is always one step ahead, and so much the better. In the United States, there was of course Donald Trump, a real case study on how you manage to be excessive when the President already is. In France, you have a little Eric Zemmour. This poses challenges, but the imagination remains stronger than reality.
Is it more difficult to make humor today?
No. In truth, I don’t necessarily find it more difficult. We may have to deal more with people’s reactions. But I have noticed, after 10 years in the business, that there is a premium on the label. If you are installed in the landscape as a comedian who makes black humor, who teases, who shocks, the more you are tolerated. Like Laurent Baffie at the time of Everybody talks about it. He was in his role as a sniper, and we accepted things from him that we wouldn’t accept from another comedian. Similarly, Jérémy Ferrari can go hard in his subjects as in his valves, but that passes because he has been installed for 10-15 years now. Me, I’m also starting to find my place in acid, corrosive satire. I can go a little further than before, my audience knows me, sees the spirit that I develop, tolerates more things.
How did you find your reaction character, declined on stage, on the radio and on TV?
The reaction was officially born on France Inter, in the program If you listen, I cancel everything by Charline Vanhoenacker and Alex Vizorek, which later became By Jupiter! Originally, he was more of an economic reactionary, a big fat liberal, on the model of editorialists at the BFM and RMC, like Eric Brunet or Christophe Barbier. I then macronized it a little, and lately zemmourized and pascalpraudized, because these are the two political and media figures that have emerged and are attracting attention. They also raise the question of whether the media sphere is becoming more right-wing, or even extreme-right-wing. People say it, and I feel it too.
After having developed it on the radio, I brought this reactionary character, extreme right or extreme right tendency, to the theater, on an idea of Thomas VDB. Finally, it arrived this year in Day-to-day with the chronicle The Reac’ of the Reac, after two seasons of the haters’ press review. It seemed interesting to me, with the presidential election, to relate this reactionary thought.
And now a book and an application “For a more better France”?
It’s a year with a stake, and I have proposals. In the book, there are 25 themes, with, each time, five proposals. And I think some are good. Like the compulsory wearing of the goatee for the military, to command respect. Even for women. It makes you think. For women, always, I offer a free pair of shoes for each sexual assault. There you go.
With this character, there are very cynical, reactionary ideas, and others that are completely crazy. The guy is unfailingly pragmatic. For purchasing power, he prefers to invest in the search for hidden treasures. With metal detectors and everything. Pragmatic.
Pierre-Emmanuel Barré is also releasing a book, “En route! My project to save France”, Guillaume Meurice “presents” himself in the election and recruits his ministers… Comedians are attacking the presidential election.
Because we have no inspiration? ! (laughs) In truth, when you make jokes about politics, it’s a must, it’s the game. But I want to say that my book is better than that of Pierre-Emmanuel Barré. You can tell him this rot. I flipped through his book. Already the pages, they are unpleasant to the touch. And mine is cheaper. For 10€, you have proposals for simple France but of exceptional quality. They are the Neapolitan pizzas of democracy.