Éric Lapointe makes no secret of it, he is an alcoholic. His condition took him to hell, and all of Quebec witnessed it. But when we fall that low, the only path left inevitably leads us back to the surface. At the microphone of Sophie Durocher, at QUB, the singer-songwriter returned to this long crossing of the desert.
“I was present, but I was not there. I was running away from my children in the house,” he lamented.
April 21 marked his six months of sobriety. Six long months of “taming another man”. Fighting his addiction is not an easy task and he doesn’t hide it. On the other hand, the way his children look at him now makes all the difference.
“I saw in my children’s eyes that they were really proud,” he explained.
While the night owl learns to tame the day, work is on the agenda more than ever. Moreover, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his first album, ObsessionÉric Lapointe decided to re-record the songs that propelled him to the top of the charts.
But there remains a shadow on the board. Although the public seems to have forgiven him his wrongs and continues to fill his halls, the organizers of the national day festivities still seem to ignore him. However, not so long ago, Éric Lapointe was a staple of the major shows presented on June 23. And this year, his absence will be even heavier for the artist.
“I know that they are going to mark the death of Jean-Pierre Ferland, and I would have liked to be part of this show,” he said, his throat tight with emotion.
Éric Lapointe accepts the fate reserved for him, in silence. He does not pose as a victim, quite the contrary. He says he understands people who no longer want to be associated with him. Despite everything, even if he doesn’t ask for it, even if he lets time do its work, we can discern the regrets that inhabit him. His flame for the stage continues to burn intensely, and no organization will ever be able to take that away from him.
Listen to the second part of Éric Lapointe’s interview with Sophie Durocher in the video below:
