“I cut cows and raised pigs on the family farm” – Martin Cloutier

Comedian Martin Clutter is proud to be a Louisville native. He told me that we must never forget the people who made the way for us, who helped us and who loved us.

Father Gerard Cloutier had a dairy farm and raised pigs. He made his children discover a love of work and taught them to always go the extra mile to succeed in their work. His mother, Gisele Trahan, was forced to prematurely retire from teaching as she no longer had the right to teach since she got married.

You have a request, Martin.

I like to start using the pronoun “you” when talking to each other, because I heard Jacques Doucet and Roger Broulot describe baseball games on the radio when I was very young. You are like childhood friends to me.

You were ten children.

Unfortunately, Betty-Pierre, the first of ten children, died three days after his birth, but he is always present in my mother’s heart and life.

My mom kept telling us, “If you have any doubts, go find it.”

My mother was always challenging us so we could improve our knowledge. Moreover, I have read all his reviews from Selections du Reader’s Digest From 1948 to 1990.

Did the family have time to take a vacation?

Absolutely not, because the farm is 365 days, not a year.

However, you are currently traveling with your mother.

When I drive to give a show, I use my handsfree to describe the scene to her, because my mother currently has a problem with her eyesight.

I have learned many construction trades.

Before I was born, my father worked in construction and on the farm. This allowed the children to learn to weld, drive tractors, and other aspects of construction.

The alarm was at 3:30 every morning.

My brothers and I rode the train on the farm, i.e. milking the cows from 3:30 in the morning. Once we finished our work, we showered before going to school.

I was in great physical shape.

When I got to the training camp for my hockey team, the Louisville Jets, my physical strength was greater than that of my teammates.

You’re lifting your first car, a 1988 Chrysler Valiant, into the parking lot.

If there were people nearby, I didn’t park well. I got out of the car and stumbled when I lifted the back of the car to get it to the right place.

I raised the car to a vertical position.

I was in college, so to play a trick on one of my friends, I raised his Colt to move it upright between two cars.

Back to your youth.

At school, I had two teachers, Lucille Arsenault, Jacqueline LaCourcier, and Danielle Bland, who inspired me to become a comedian.

You love to do sports.

At school, while in high school, I played handball and indoor soccer. Unfortunately, for baseball, I worked the summer on the farm.

I played baseball in the CRBM Senior League.

Turning 20, I faced former Aigles de Trois-Rivières, Canadian young champions, including Alain Noël and Patrick Gervais who signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Then the ball was played in tournaments.

Guy Lafleur, Gilles Villeneuve and Bjorn Borg are your idols.

Guy LaFleur and Gilles Villeneuve were fierce athletes who wowed audiences with their ingenuity. The other is the legendary tennis player, Bjorn Borg, whose sport I have never played.

The deaths of Guy Lafleur and Gilles Villeneuve affected you greatly.

Even today, I am still saddened by the passing of Guy LaFleur. Gilles Villeneuve was like our family, a poor family that never gave up to overcome challenges.

Your first summer job.

My first job was at the private golf club of Bobby Russo, a former Canadian player. Then she worked at the Saputo factory and at Kroger.

Have you ever got a room just for you?

I always shared my room with one of my brothers until I arrived in Saint-Hyacinthe to start my studies at CEGEP. For the first time, she got a room just for me.

Twice, you were rejected at the National School of Humor.

I guess I was too young at the time, but it allowed me to later study with Dominic Selone, who had become my comedian partner for the past 30 years.

Gilles Latulip and Claude Blanchard have had a huge impact on your career.

Claude Blanchard called us his grandchildren. He gave us good advice, because like us, he had a career as a duo.

You are assigned to the Latulip generation.

With great tenderness, Jill constantly repeated to us that in the duo, there was the white clown, Dominic Ceylon, the earnest, intelligent and rational character, and the father, I, the customer who finally provoked the laughter. When we hadn’t done our part, Mr. Latulip told us.

Your son is in high school.

Zachary is at Esther Blondin School of Sports Studies. He loves to play basketball and soccer. He loves geography, but above all loves to defend people’s rights.

Your wife, Natalie Ayot, is a dynamic woman.

She is an independent, generous, loving and wonderful woman. Her presence allowed me to continue my career, because she always accepted me for who I am.