One could never accuse underground pop star Van Hechter of not giving. Whether onstage, on dancefloors with patrons of a private club in Montreal where he headlines weekly as an entertainer, or performing monthly at Stonewall Inn’s Freak Out Show in Manhattan, his generosity is immense. I’ve had proof of it earlier this week, when he agreed to a phone interview while he was on a well-deserved Christmas break. I was calling about a January appointment, but he said: ”No, no, no, let’s do it today. I don’t believe in waiting…”
I wanted to know more about the man behind the persona, or at least what built him into this almost surreal creature that he projects when he’s ”on duty”… Here’s how it went.
Van Hechter, I mean, even the name sounds like you could never be within the norm…
Never was, never will be. I’m not even within the norm created by those outside the norm! For instance, as a gay man I have way more straight buddies than I do gays. When I first came out I thought: ”Great! I’ve found my people” Only I soon came to realize I didn’t even fit into the community that was supposed to be my own!
And where do you fit in?
With totally free, open-minded, norm-resisting thinkers. It took a while to find my tribe.
How long did it take you?
Decades!!!!
Aside from your very accessible underground pop songs that chart and that young people love, there’s also a lot of “image and style” when it comes to Van. Being gorgeous is part of the package. Are you afraid of aging?
I will never feel as old as I did when I was 25, struggling with deep depression and feeling like I’d never amount to anything. That was the oldest and ugliest I’ve ever felt.
Also, nobody is really ever old on either side of my family: no senility, no obsolete thinking, even past 90. I’ll get old physically, but I’ll never think like an old person.
What goes through your mind when fans tell you you’re beautiful- I’ve been to one of your events and people are in awe of your looks, like you’ve cast a spell on them. I’ve seen straight guys telling you you’re the most gorgeous man they’ve ever seen.
– Yes- this does happen and it means I am doing a good job. I am not that beautiful in reality: I just know how to make the most of what I have. Before singing, my mission is to put people in a state of surrealism. When a big, straight guy walks up to me after a show to tell me he’d date me, or when a woman asks if I am at all interested: that’s a great day at work! I sell a dream, not reality, because we NEED to dream. Now more than ever.
And in real life, you are???
Not that exciting! Hahaha! I’m certainly not magical 24/7! My life is very disciplined, some would even find it monotonous… I workout, I rehearse, I prepare the next show. The only thing my onstage/offstage lives have in common: laughter. I do laugh a lot, all the time actually, at most anything. And I’ve not one friend who doesn’t have a decadent sense of humor.
I read in your last interview that you’d suffered from an eating disorder…
For a very long time, yes. When my mother died a few days before my 4th birthday, I stopped eating and was hospitalized repeatedly. Then my grandmother came into the picture, to cook for me. Through her cooking I felt connected to my mother: I just ate and ate and ate. By age 12 I was really fat. I remember eating ice cream feeling like I’d lost control and knowing something was terribly wrong because I wasn’t hungry. I think I’ve only been ”stable” that way for about 10 years. Proof that we can overcome!
I saw pictures of you in your twenties: you had a 6-pack (as you do now)… Were you binge eating then?
I joined a gym on my 17th birthday and never looked back. I wanted to be fit regardless of my weird eating patterns. So, I’d binge 2-3 days in a row, then workout for 8 hours and starve myself for 5 days. in my case, binging meant eating an entire roast beef with greens, baked potatoes, then home-made cake or wonderful French food I’d made with love… It wasn’t unhealthy food (most of the time), just unreasonable portions! I was stuck in a little hellhole I’d dug out for myself! But I got out, so all’s well that ends well!
Is that the story of your life? “All’s well that ends well”?
Only time will tell, right? However, I really do believe in turning all hard life experiences into something of value. Sorrow, betrayal, illness- all unpleasant yet can push us into an unexpected, improved version of ourselves.
