Montréal nightlife icon and queer androgyne Plastik Patrik has been entertaining audiences for over two decades, before the current generation of club kids was even born! Once, when Cyndi Lauper discovered Plastik Patrik – “What a fabulous name!” she said – and Patrik’s then-band One 976, she invited the glam-punk rockers to sing two encores with her (La Vie en rose and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun) onstage at Le Metropolis de Montréal in 2004. Patrik would go on to form another band, Patrik et les Brutes, and became a much in-demand DJ. Patrik – who keeps fit by swimming laps and running marathons – is also the emcee for the women’s exciting Montreal Roller Derby league.
Job: I’m a multi-tasker. Make-up artist, DJ, party planner, performer, emcee, roller derby announcer.
Favourite pastime: Exercise. Club nights and gigs have come and gone but I’ve always trained. Obsessively.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve done so far this year?
Summer in the city is always a treat, that’s no secret. One of my favorite festivals is MONTRÉAL CiRQUE FESTIVAL. They always have a big show in Parc Émilie-Gamelin. Big outdoor circus in the summer, that’s Montréal full spin.
What’s the next big thing you’re planning?
Montréal Roller Derby, who I’ve been involved with since its inception 10 years ago, will be hosting a leg of the Division 1 Playoffs in September. Ten teams from five countries, including Montréal’s New Skids, will compete for three spots in the WFTDA (Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby) international champs. I’m heading the organizing committee. It’s quite a task!
What is it you enjoy about Montreal’s LGBTQ community and nightlife?
The LGBTQ community is pretty much like the rest of the night world in Montréal, it has very decadent moments. Find the right party and you will experience the full madness this city is capable of. I’ve been lucky enough to be part of some of it, and I’m quite proud.
What’s your favourite Montréal memory?
I feel really lucky to have been around when queer culture merged with punk, organizing the Sex Garage stage [named for Montreal’s Stonewall] at the now defunct Divers/Cité festival, from 2002 to 2007. There was a really vibrant energy with live bands, great music, and who-cares-about-your-sexuality attitude. I had a great residence at Club Saphir, queens mixed with punks and it was all over town.
#festivalmeg le spectacle continue!
Une photo publiée par Sébastien Jeannotte (@222sebastien222) le
Where do you like to go for drinks with friends?
Being a non-drinker, going out for a drink is always a trick question. I seem to end up at Le Belmont, Cabaret Mado and Sala Rosa the most.
What’s the one thing anyone visiting Montréal should absolutely do?
I love all the festivals. But what I really want to say is, “Go see strippers.” The (strip) clubs are still as sketchy as ever, and that’s probably the only consistent element in the constant changing nightlife. Men and women, go see it all.
You will be “hanging your heels” after emceeing the annual Rocky Horror Picture Show event at the Imperial Theatre this year. But that does not mean the end of Plastik Patrik. What can we expect from you in the future?
When I say “hanging my heels,” I mean moving on from my look, the way I present myself as an artist. The decision is a long time coming. It’s a gut-driven one. I feel less and less connected with my “drag” and before it turns into a real job, or task, I want to move on from it. I want to continue announcing roller derby and DJing. Does it mean I’ll slow down on the emceeing? Probably yes, those jobs are based more on aesthetics (where) I’m part of the decor of the event. But I’m in a year of changes. I recently left Bizarde (formerly Coupe Bizzarre) to go back to MAC (on Rue Saint-Denis), 14 years later. I’m mutating and I don’t want to stop evolving, stop living.
Coaching Skids playoffs 2015 Omaha NE
Une photo publiée par Plastik Patrik (@plastikpatrik) le
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Click here for the Montréal Roller Derby league.
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