You may recall I previously mentioned Les 2 minutes du peuple in an earlier post, “Montréwood Radio”.

Considering the last two posts were regarding human-created animation using computer technology, I thought it might be appropriate to speak a bit more about Les 2 minutes du peuple, which uses digital audio enhancements to make the series.

This is humouristic series, running 2 minutes per episode on the radio (Radio NRJ), which has become a cultural mainstay in Québec (it’s difficult to think of a day when Les 2 minutes du peuple may not exist).  It’s not unusual for people to ask their colleagues first thing in the morning at work if they happened to catch the latest episode of Les 2 minutes du peuple.  It’s also hilarious to look out your car window at other drivers on the road when an episode is on air, and to see that everyone around you also laughing at the same time.   This show really is Québec.

It’s creator, François Pérusse has become as famous as the series.  In each episode, Pérusse acts as the voice for all the characters in the sketches, who are interacting with each other in hilarious scenarios.  To add to the humouristic dimension, the series integrates no small amount of joual (Canadian French slang), and digital audio technology is used to speed up the voices and alter their tones.   You might get the impression two chipmunks are going hard at it from all angles (arguing, conniving, having fun together, or worse! – whatever Pérusse dreams up), and you can’t help but laugh.

At 25 years, this series is truly one of the unmatched masterpieces in Québec and Canadian comedy history.  It is now broadcast in three other countries in Europe (Switzerland, France and Belgium).  For the sake of safety, you may actually want to turn the radio down if you have to choose between driving your car straight and safe, or risk laughing hysterically and weaving like a drunkard.

The latest episodes can be heard by linking to NRJ’s official website HERE.

Apart from the free episodes on NRJ’s above website, François Pérusse has several comedy albums for sale on iTunes and through other platforms.  Please do not pirate and stick to official sites (Pérusse works his butt of to make the world laugh – so repay in kind and compensate him for his work).  Our artists form part of our cultural fabric.