Where Y'at May 2000
By JAMES MOON


Where Y'at Magazine: Who are you?

Frenchy: I'm Randy Leo Frechette, kid.

That was the beginning of an ongoing interview I have been doing with Frenchy. His attitude and athleticism leads to a presence and a body of work that is anything but subtle. His paintings present us with a conceptual style that is vivid and unique, constantly redefining and restructuring itself. As people of ancient history etched lines into cave walls to depict great hunts, sacred rituals, religious mythology, and notable events, Frenchy captures the energy of live performance.

There are many nights when Frenchy is the only one in the room to capture the evening. There is no one filming a rock video, recording a live album, raising money for charity, snapping photos for an album cover, or even taking pictures of their drunk friends. There is just this bald, headstrong, square-jawed, shorter than many (but larger than life) son of a boxer from Lowell , Massachusetts , and he's painting his butt off.

Frenchy once went backstage to show a band a painting he did of them over a year previously. By looking at the painting the band recalled the whole evening. “Look, that guy isn't even in the band anymore,” and “Dude, you're wearing the same vest as you were then.” He is affecting recorded history by creating it – lots of it.

When Frenchy arrived in New Orleans , his first live paintings were pretty straight rainbow color contrast fades behind fairly non-descript figures with shadowed T faces. Then, he went more aggressive with the paintings, beginning a Jackson Pollack-like approach, nearly attacking the canvas. During this time, he was using large, two sided brushes like Bo Staves, and adding finger painting techniques in a splattering fencing dance with the canvas. These paintings came out as either strokes of genius or terrible messes, depending on just how far he went and in what direction. From there he developed three-dimensional warped planes of evolving color descending from a vortex. In this stage his figures developed more defined features and personalities.

Along the way , his paintings have managed to capture the spirit of the performances he portrayed. Each step of his development has built upon the last, taking the best of each style and incorporating it in the next. The process has taken Frenchy all around the country and yielded an astounding amount of paintings. He painted thirty in just nine days last Jazz Fest.

True to his roots, Frenchy approaches art with the attitude of an athlete. From the construction of each canvas, to the heavy task of hauling his platform and easel into large venues, to the sheer volume of work he is capable of producing, he has chosen a path that required strength and stamina. In fact, everything Frenchy has ever done, he has done athletically.

Frenchy (a.k.a. Randy Leo Frechette) was raised the son of a French Canadian family in Lowell , Massachusetts , the hometown of writer Jack Kerouac. His father, grandfather, and brothers all boxed, so he was no stranger to the gym. In the 1980s, Randy was a pretty typical kid growing up outside of Boston . He breakdanced, played hackey sack, and loved to draw pictures to amuse his friends. At this time it was mostly caricatures of teachers and funny sketches of classmates. In 9 th grade, his parents moved to Florida and he started surfing. This was his first experience with southern redneck culture. His parachute pants and breakdancing did not sit well with the locals. He had Adidas sneakers with fat laces and Grandmaster Flash cassettes that he would soon trade in to follow the musical tastes of his older brothers.

When asked about early influences Frenchy had much to say.

FRENCHY: My older brothers were into Ted Nugent, Triumph, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, J. Giel's Band, Boston (of course), the Smithereens…


Did you like Steve Perry?

No, I just listened to him because everyone did…Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden – I drew almost every Iron Maiden cover there was. They rule, they're fuckin' hardcore, man…


Did the ‘80s have a big influence on you?

Yes, life had a big influence on me. It didn't matter if it was the ‘70s, ‘80s or ‘90s. I played different roles for all the different people I was meeting. I went to eleven different schools in three different states. My brothers threw parties all the time. But as far as musical influences the closest thing to jazz I got into was Herbie Hancock. The music of the ‘80s didn't really ever inspire me.


What was the turning point, the point where you found yourself?

When I discovered the power of creative energy.


How would you describe you clothing style, your personal style?

I like to wear old shit. A lot of my clothes have paint on them so it doesn't matter what I wear. Hell, I used to have a mullet cut and Don Juan mustache back in the day.


Would you consider yourself a risk-taker artistically?

Risk. There is nothing to risk – you can only gain. I just like painting; I just love to paint. I like watching the colors come alive.


Are there other factors that contribute to the creative process of your work?

Totally. There are lots of variables that make a painting come alive; the venue, the crowd, the atmosphere, the lighting, and the music all play a big part in how a painting develops. But, it's when I have people there that I love when things start happening. That is why I love painting in New Orleans , but I love to go and share experiences with people everywhere. I've got a crazy life. I'm not complaining.


What is your goal as an artist?

I like to expose people to their creative side by going out and painting. I think it would be a lot better world is everyone got in touch with their creative side. Scramble Campbell was a big influence on me. His live paintings definitely inspired me. He owns my first live painting, Heavy Metal Horns. I painted them in Orlando . Now they are the Boston Horns – funny how things work out.


How many years now as a full time artist, performance painter, nomadic?

5 years.


What was the last real job you had?

I was a waiter at the Hard Rock Café in Orlando , Florida . All the people I worked with there would go to New Orleans every year for Mardi Gras. Everything happened fast after that first painting. I went to Atlanta for the Olympics and did a staggering amount of painting there. The folks at the House of Blues really hooked me up. I had no idea what I was doing. I was just painting and it felt good. That was it. I knew I was doing what I was meant to do. I knew what was right for me. It was love. I felt the pull of the vortex for the first time. I've been a serious relationship with my art ever since. I split with my fiancé and moved to New Orleans . I have never been here before, but I came on the invite of the House of Blues and the words of my friends at the Hard Rock.


Could you tell me about your idea of “the vortex”?

Well, there is this pull toward the center. Everything is all set up for us; it's like just a matter of following the pull. Like a whirlpool, it can suck you in. I tune into it and feed off all the energy in the evening, the show, the club. The Vortex is the energy pool - the energy world pool. It is kind of like a black hole, and it happens when energy is created, especially creative energy. There are good vortexes and bad, all different kinds. New Orleans is the best vortex. The level of creation here is just higher and more positive than anywhere I've been.


What is your favorite color right this second?

Red


Why?

Fire. Passion.


If you want to know “the truth about Frenchy,” go watch him paint.