Name: Marcel Lucont
Occupation: Flâneur, raconteur, bon-viveur. One could argue that the latter technically is not an occupation, yet I still seem to make my living from it.
Age: 35
Place of birth: Roubaix, Northern France
Main workplace: The stage
Current project: My current show, Marcel Lucont Is, is touring the UK, having just returned from a run in South Africa
Most important tool as a comedian: My mind
Favourite app: My mind
Thing you couldn’t live without: I have a flick-comb that doubles also as a corkscrew. I am certain I could live without it, but my quality of life would be considerably diminished without it
Artists or cultural figures who have most influenced you: Gainsbourg is, naturally, a major influence, likewise Voltaire and Baudelaire. And, since my teenage years, the controversial Lyonnais comedian and hell-raiser Jean-Jacques LeFebvre
Who you’d like to collaborate with: Anyone I would desire to work with has since passed from this world. This should not be interpreted that I only wish to work with the dead, their death is merely an unfortunate barricade to our possible alliance. Any living collaborators should get in contact and, as always, I shall consider each on their own merit

Favourite movie of this year: I have had little time to visit the cinema this year, being constantly on tour since January. I would be surprised if anything this year matches Leos Carax’s masterful Holy Motors
On your playlist right now: Well, in fact it is my seminal 2013 work Vive Lucont! as I am selecting which numbers to perform at my next Cabaret Fantastique, but I would not wish to come across as vain. I have been listening also to Gainsbourg’s Histoire De Melody Nelson, an euphoric classic which never seems to age
Your work in three words: Mordant majestic musings
Biggest challenge to date: Convincing the titanium-eyed office Valkyries of the Russian Embassy to grant me a visa to their country
Emerging talent to watch out for: Eddie Izzard, an English comedian who came to Paris not so long ago. The accent needs some work, but I believe he will do well
Proudest moment: Two Swedish sisters in the same day. Mistakenly called one of them by their mother’s name though.
Next big thing: After the UK tour, I shall be heading to New Zealand and Australia once again, before recording a new album and writing up several alcohol-infused love poems as the book Illegible Bachelor
Advice for your younger self: Never incur the ire of cabaret or circus performers, they often have access to knives and / or fire
Where you want to be in 10 years: Somewhere secret, presumed dead