Montreal Audiofest 2023 Video Coverage Part 1 (Includes Interview With Chanteuse Anne Bisson)

first time attendee had a most enjoyable show experience

This is the first time I've attended the long running (34 years) Montréal Audiofest, which took place March 24th through the 26th. It falls around my birthday so the timing for me isn't ideal. This year I was asked to present a lifetime achievement award to Oracle turntable designer Marcel Riendau and felt it was an honor and a good thing to do, as an Oracle Delphi was my first high performance turntable, I've reviewed two iterations and Mr. Riendau is dealing with some health issues. I made one good quip: "I've known Jacques Riendau for around 30 years. I've never met Marcel, who actually designed the Oracle turntable. This is like being friends with Billy Carter and never meeting Jimmy".

(L-R): Marcel Riendau, (tired) MF, Jacques Riendau

i also obliged the hosts Michel Plante and Sarah Tremblay by conducting a turntable set-up seminar Saturday morning. An SRA crowd greeted me and it was a truly fun experience as was the entire show. I met so many nice people, who showed their appreciation for my work over the years.

Saturday evening's industry party during which awards were handed out was a free spirited, wild party, hosted by a very campy drag queen (shown in photo—that's not Anne Bisson!) who did not "sexualize" any of the young people in attendance, and who was very funny. When it was my turn to be a presenter I told about my drag experiences, once as M.C. of the Academy for the Advancement of High End Audio (AAHEA) in San Francisco where I went in full outfit as president of "T.A.S." the transvestite audiophile society and a second time just wearing a blond wig and singing "The Look of Love" as Dusty Springfield at a then not legal or binding marriage between the late The Absolute Sound founder Harry Pearson and another man. VPI's Harry Weisfeld stood next to me and said "I can't believe I'm here at a wedding between two men!"

Or course, like turntables and vinyl records, it's now commonplace. I also pointed out that the evening's event would be illegal in much of the country below the Mason/Dixon line, which is quite sad, especially given the completely innocent, campy proceedings. I gave a less than hilarious speech, highlighting the Oracle turntable's excellence, longevity and superb sound quality. After Mr. Riendau got his award and sat down, singer Anne Bisson (whose interview i conducted that you'll see towards the end of the video), got on stage to announce that I too was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the show organizers! What a pleasant surprise!

This video is the first of two show videos I hope you enjoy.