Impressionist Andre-Philippe Gagnon runs the vocal gamut

Kirk Baird

Tuesday, May 16, 2000 | 8:19 a.m.

Who: Andre-Philippe Gagnon.

When: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Where: C2K showroom at the Venetian hotel-casino.

Cost: $45, $75, $92, and $100 for booth seating.

Information: Call 948-3007.

Andre-Philippe Gagnon, billed as a singing impressionist at the C2K showroom at the Venetian hotel-casino, can belt out songs in more than 400 voices -- ranging from Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and Barry White to Robert Goulet and David Bowie.

With such a repertoire is it any wonder he prefers to sing as someone other than himself?

"I don't like my own singing voice," Gagnon, 39, said while relaxing in his dressing room shortly after a recent performance.

So when he was asked to sing a specially composed song for the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, he tried, practicing in his own voice before giving in to the temptation to co-opt the voices of others.

Graced with a moderately deep voice that can switch pitches almost effortlessly, Gagnon found a range between two other singers and belted out the tune in a sort of vocal hybrid, with none the wiser.

And if the opportunity presented itself another time, he'd do it again, he said. "Not to be confusing" to people, he said, "but I'd cheat."

Smoking ("I allow myself to smoke after the show") and drinking a Corona, Gagnon was relaxed and chatty after the performance -- a one-hour, 15-minute presentation during which he undergoes enough personality changes to make Sybil jealous.

His onstage act is a mix of Steve Martin and Jim Carrey, and Gagnon physically resembles Martin Short -- standing about 5-foot-10 with a thick mop of sandy blonde hair.

Gagnon and Short also share the same homeland: Canada. Gagnon, though, is from Quebec City, and consequently grew up speaking French. In fact, it wasn't until the mid-'80s that he began to learn English. With his French-Canadian accent still very present, Gagnon occasionally pauses to think of the correct English word or phrase.

He admits that he sometimes still makes mistakes in both the usage and pronunciation of certain English words during performances -- particularly when he ad-libs -- but it's something he doesn't concern himself with while performing.

"If I concentrate too much on how I talk and speak, I lose the feeling of the show," he said.

Still, he intends to work and improve his English, although his method is relatively simple. "I watch a lot of TV and the news to try and pick it up," Gagnon said.

It's that kind of determination that has gotten him to where he is.

Growing up

Influenced by both French and American culture, Gagnon started his impersonations at the age of 5, beginning with Tweety Bird and moving to the more sophisticated Fab Four.

"I'd sound like McCartney without knowing what I was saying," he said.

And the adults responded in kind, laughing at the antics of the preteen Gagnon. Which only further inspired him. "As a kid you're 2 or 3 years old, and you imitate your parents and sounds of animals -- it's basic behavior," he said.

Most children move on from such antics -- but Gagnon didn't. "That's where I stopped my evolution. I got hooked," Gagnon said.

It also helped that he had an ear for mimicry -- able to discern the slightest differences in pitch and tone -- as well as something close to a photographic memory when it came to mentally recording sounds and being able to recall them verbally at will.

So later -- when a high school adviser suggested that he become a translator and as Gagnon showed a talent with language -- the performer found himself going a different route. But not the way one might think.

First Gagnon tried college, but a teachers' strike cut that short, and during his hiatus from the academic world he sold shoes for six months -- something at which he wasn't terribly proficient.

"I realized you have to do something you like -- something you're good at," he said.

It was then, in 1981, that he decided to try making a living as an impressionist. He started performing throughout Quebec and won a talent contest in the humor category. This led to a performance on a local TV show and a radio show in Quebec City.

But Gagnon missed performing for crowds, so he went on tour and expanded his performances to include various festivals in northern Quebec. It was there that he met Celine Dion, a young, struggling musician who would later provide Gagnon with the break he needed to discover an audience in the United States.

Meanwhile Gagnon continued to build a name for himself in Canada as well as France, where he would do impersonations not only of singers (in both French Canadian and French), but local politicians and celebrities.

In 1985 he got his first break in the States when he was "discovered" by Jay Leno at the "Just For Laughs" festival in Montreal.

Gagnon, who performed immediately after Leno's set, did a performance of the recently-released "We Are The World," a charity single featuring various American singers crooning for famine relief. Gagnon's version featured all 18 singers -- male and female -- and caused Leno, who was then permanent guest host of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," to take notice.

Leno encouraged Gagnon to send a tape in to NBC, and soon after the Quebecer made his debut on American TV on "The Tonight Show."

His performance was well-received by both the audience and Carson, and Gagnon was invited to sit on the couch, which terrified him because of his lack of proficiency with the English language. But success in the States still eluded Gagnon, and he returned to touring Canada and France. There he continued to become bigger and bigger, playing for Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his guests, Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

"Princess Di was beautiful," he said. "And she loved my saxophone impression."

Getting it right

In 1998 Gagnon was given his second chance to develop a U.S. audience when Dion asked him to be her opening act for a massive U.S.-European tour. This time the impressionist found his good-natured ribbings of the singing stars stuck in the minds of the audience. But it wasn't all easy going, Gagnon said, especially when he first came out.

The lights went out and an announcer said that Mick Jagger was a special guest star, and Gagnon sang the first line of "Start Me Up" while off stage. The crowd, thinking the Rolling Stone frontman was there, went crazy. Then Gagnon came on stage and everything changed.

"The applause went from this (making a loud crowd noise) to this (goes silent). For the first five to 10 minutes no one cared," he said.

But he gradually won the crowd over with his rapid-fire impressions of a K-TEL CD collection of various artists who have nothing to do with each other (think Robert Goulet to Alice Cooper to the Oak Ridge Boys to the Platters to Dire Straits in seamless succession), and the Temptations as he went from mike to mike and vocal register to vocal register flawlessly.

"There was a great reaction," he said.

Word spread and soon various industry types began to take notice. Eventually he was recruited by C2K and joined the nightclub in October. It wasn't until Dec. 11, however, that he had his official premiere, complete with Dion.

And although Gagnon admits that there were problems with the initial advertising campaign for his show, strong word of mouth proved potent. "In February we were doubling our attendance from November/December," he said. And it's only getting better.

Meanwhile he and his family -- wife Marie-Claude, daughter Camille, 5, and son Jules, 2 -- have settled into Las Vegas, he said, and he hopes to continue to perform here.

For Gagnon, having a permanent show where "the audience travels to see him" is a major improvement, allowing him to spend more time with his family. "Traveling in Belgium, Switzerland, France for weeks was terrible," he said. "You felt like you missed something. Kids grow up fast."

As for future plans, the singing impressionist said that he will update the show next fall -- possibly including a bit on Elian Gonzalez. This, he said, will allow him to include Latin singers who are all the rage.

Until then Gagnon has his hands full with the impressions he performs now -- himself not included.

Kirk Baird is an Accent feature writer. Reach him at kirk@lasvegassun.com or at 259-8801.

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