Interview with Biz (Loco Locass): The Introduction

Before I begin, I would like to take a moment to congratulate Biz and his wife on the birth of their first child, Louis. I hope that he grows up happy and healthy.

A little over a month ago (Easter weekend, in fact), I decided that I wanted to do another interview. I was still basking in the afterglow of my interview with Chéli Sauvé-Castonguay and, quite frankly, was feeling lucky. So I went over my mental wish list and decided to try and get in touch with Loco Locass, specifically Biz. I had decided on Biz because I knew he spoke English and I couldn’t make the same claim about the other two of the trio, Batlam and Chafiik. Plus, it would have been more than a bit overwhelming to deal with all three.

So why Loco Locass? Who are these guys? I know the majority of my readers have no clue who they are, but that’s part of the appeal, for me anyway. I first heard about Loco Locass during my sojourn in Trois-Pistoles 2 years ago. As I’m sure you’ve all noticed, my old animateur, Fred, has had a profound influence on my explorations of Québécois culture. My first Québécois CDs were all bought based on his recommendations, for instance. Well, Loco Locass is one of Fred’s favourite groups. He’s even analysed the lyrics of a few of their songs for some essays in years past. So I figured I’d give them a quick listen.

I’m not normally into rap, let alone Francophone rap, but their song Libérez-nous des libéraux is really catchy. I didn’t understand much more than the chorus, but I could probably say the same thing about a dozen Anglophone rappers. Personal language limitations aside, it sounded pretty good. And much like the rap of the mid to late 80s, there’s content to their lyrics, presuming one takes the time to read them. There’s also an intricacy and complexity to their songs that would make many a grammar teacher smile.

Did I mention they’re Quebec nationalists? Interviewing Biz had the makings of a fun afternoon, that’s for sure. So I dropped a quick note to his management company and requested an interview. I figured it would probably take a few weeks to sort out details and whatnot, but to my surprise, I found an e-mail in my Inbox the next day asking me to call him. I left a message on his voice mail and the next day he called me back. I was absolutely giddy. Unlike my failed attempt to do the interview with Chéli in French, I managed to carry out the phone conversation en français and arrange for an interview the following day.

Here’s where it gets a little bit embarrassing for me: despite having listened to their songs and seen some interviews, I wasn’t entirely sure which one of group I was meeting. They always seem to do the interviews together and I usually spent more time listening to what they were saying than identifying which was which. All I knew for sure was that it wasn’t the one with the shaved head. That’s Chafiik. Some google searches didn’t clear things up, either. So I just trusted I’d be able to figure it out when the time came and headed down to Le Café de l’Apothicaire sur la rue Beaubien in Rosemont.

I was pretty nervous, as one can clearly tell if one listens to the recording of the interview, but this whole Quebec experiment is meant to broaden my horizons and allow me to experience things I would never have the chance to in London, Ontario. So I took a few deep breaths and got my head together as I waited. Before long, I noticed a pregnant woman come strolling in, followed by a tall, skinny guy in a bandana, a Puerto Rico football jersey (that looks oddly similar to the Alouettes jersey) and the typical hip hop-style baggy jeans. Chances were pretty good I had found Biz. So after he and his wife had settled in, I went over and introduced myself.

**Tomorrow, I'll get into the interview itself. Til next time...***
To continue to the first part of the interview, click here.