Eric Morin | Maverick Outsider Capturing the New Wave of Montreal Sounds
Just about 100 years ago today, prohibition hit the United States of America, it was a time of gangster bootleggers and segregation, of dusty plains and smoked filled jazz houses. It was in that time that Montreal found itself in a unique position. It was instantly elevated in the cultural consciousness as North America’s Sin City, a hotbed of Harlem Renaissance artists looking to perform away from the searing eyes eyes of copper plated baton wielders and prohibition enforcers. For a brief shining moment black artists could make mad loot and some respectable coin, all with their name in lights.
That all changed around the 1970’s as the quiet revolution scared away moneyed English speakers into resettling investment potential to a friendlier harbor town about 5.5 hours to the west. The city may have lost a bit of it’s luster then, but it never lost it’s hunger for creation, for culture jamming, and its’ disdain for the suit and tie status quo.
As the Moore tubes dimmed and neon lights settled in other parts of the global north, the raw energy and creative embers inherent in the intersection of so many cultural motivations kept burning in a white heat shrouded from the Borderlands gaming franchise, Ubisoft was just coming into their own, Arcade Fire, Chromeo, the Dears, and places like the Divan Orange, La Sala Rosa, and Trackside were all unlocking their potential, and a small group of outsider filmmakers and creators captured the ebb, flow and fury of the era like no other.
One key member of the team is director Eric Morin who’s close ear to the street spirit is reflected in his long body of work. I was lucky enough to catch him in a posts mortem of sorts. Celebrating the birth and final shout of his latest visual release.
Eric Morin has 2 features under his belt and a lot of television credits. Chasse au Godard D’Habittibbi came out in 2013 to critical respect and very little fanfare. It had solid performances and focused on adventure lorn rural Quebecers making a move to Montréal and discovering the quirky side of coming of age.
His second feature, Nous Sommes Gold is about a home coming. Once again exploring his rural small town roots, this story is axed on the disillusionment and reconstruction in the wake of a mining incident. It touches on the idea of “forces beyond ones control” and is emblematic of how we are both emotionally and physically at the mercy of the fates, the “will” of the “gods”, businesses, corporations, or the will of others, just like ourselves, trying to make their way in a world that is larger than their scope.
His most influential work to date, the project which was most in tune with the ranging mozaic of pop culture as we see it today is probably Mange Ta Ville. A 2005 series presented by Artv.
Its casual, artistically tried making a connection between the artistic and the commercial, the underground and the masses, small time and small town and big city lights. It was a gem of a series and it had a lasting effect on the city and on shows of it’s type beyond the French language.
We talked of the past, of the future and of what’s in store. The Rona’s effects on the scene and how video heads are coming out on top despite the “Vid”. Hit the link below, he’s an interesting guy and together we’ll discover how the scene is alive and well, despite everything…
Into multimedia? Check out the award winning documentary, Into the light with Cité Mémoire here.
