Love, family, health, career, spirituality… Ginette Reno reveals herself like never before through the pages of her first autobiography, available from today. After reading the book, The newspaper identified seven major revelations of the singer.
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1. She has Stein-Leventhal Syndrome
In the chapter A big puppy, Ginette Reno opens up about the Stein-Leventhal syndrome she suffers from. This disorder is notably “responsible for multiple strange inconveniences”, among other things an “inextinguishable libido” and pronounced hair growth.
“As I have very short menstrual cycles, and the level of estrogen in the blood skyrockets during the first days of the period, I feel very irritating influx of desires…”, specifies the singer.
2. Father Sablon’s moment of weakness
Ginette Reno had lovers. Her “twelve apostles”, as she calls them. But the man with whom she exchanged “the longest kiss” of her entire life was none of them, but Father Marcel de la Sablonnière, says Father Sablon.
- Listen to the interview with Nicolas Lemieux, Ginette Reno’s agent on Sophie Durocher’s show broadcast live via QUB radio :
“I was very close to Father Sablon. A little too much perhaps, ”admits the singer in her autobiography.
This burst of affection established by the monk took place after a supper at Ginette Reno’s, in Saint-Hilaire. By her own admission, she had forgotten that he was a priest. And him too, obviously.
3. Hearing problems
Ginette Reno’s hearing deteriorated from her first pregnancy, to the point where an otolaryngologist was ready to “prepare” her [un] deafness certificate. At 24, she underwent a first operation to remedy this. Then a second, without success. It was finally thanks to the wearing of hearing aids that the singer regained her hearing.
“I don’t suffer from my deafness. I am living with. I am in action with. It’s an imperfection that makes me grow,” she says.
4. She refused to act in a movie in Hollywood
The great Lee Strasberg, formerly director of the prestigious Actors Studio in New York, opened the doors of American cinema to Ginette Reno by offering her a role in a film… which she immediately refused.
“Big as I am, I would take the whole screen! she remembers answering him.
He may have insisted to convince her, Ginette Reno was categorical. The great American dream ultimately never materialized.
5. “Satan was staring at me! »
Ginette Reno claims to have met the devil during a retreat at Domaine La Solitude in Sainte-Françoise-de-Lotbinière, in Centre-du-Québec. Alone in her chalet, deprived of electricity and comfort, the singer saw her fears emerge from the darkness in the form of the “face of the devil”.
“I am looking for the words to describe it to you. I will never find them. There are no such scary words in my vocabulary,” she says.
6. Birth of I’m hungry
It was on the tablecloth of a Parisian restaurant, in the early morning, that the song was born I’m hungry. Seated with Serge Lama, his wife, Alice Dona and a friend, Ginette Reno saw the dishes and bottles of alcohol pile up in front of the five guests.
” A blow. Two, three knocks. Why count? Countless… There are more bottles on the table than senators in the Senate! Me, I don’t drink. Oh… it’s not difficult: I’m not thirsty. I’m hungry ! she recalls.
Impressed by Ginette Reno’s appetite, Serge Lama immediately scribbled down the lyrics. The music, signed Alice Dona, would come a few days later.
7. Her fudge
Ginette Reno admits it: she does not have the recipe for happiness. But on the other hand, she has that of the “gift of God”: the sugar cream of her grandmother, Deliah, which she shares today with her readers. Enjoy your food !
Photo provided by the publisher
► Autobiography Ginette and the scrapbook It’s all me are on sale starting today.
A stormy marketing
In the midst of a storm since the announcement of the release “outside bookstores” of Ginette Reno’s autobiography, producer Nicolas Lemieux has no regrets. “I am convinced that I made the right decision,” he said.
The businessman admits that he expected his initiative to react. Nevertheless, he finds “totally exaggerated” the proportions reached by this whirlwind in which he is immersed.
Let’s remember the facts: Nicolas Lemieux has chosen to launch the autobiography of Ginette Reno exclusively in the branches of the Jean Coutu Group. This decision, taken with the singer, was sharply criticized by various members of the literary community, including the Association des libraires du Québec.
However, she declined the request for an interview with the Journal.
“Great respect”
Nicolas Lemieux insists on the fact that he has “great respect” for the profession of bookseller. Rather, it is the usual stages of book marketing that he describes as “archaic”.
“The book industry has evolved enormously with new technologies and new ways of doing things. So, I sincerely believe that we must modernize the book chain which has become archaic,” he thinks.
The producer assures in the same breath that he has not closed the door to booksellers. They must, however, accept the stricter conditions imposed by Nicolas Lemieux, reducing their profit margin and obliging them to pay themselves to return unsold items.
“They can order the copies autobiography via our website, something that many of them have done. And lots of libraries have also ordered their copies, ”he says.
As for Ginette Reno, she says herself satisfied with this procedure in an interview published in The newspaperlast weekend.
“It’s very expensive to return these copies, so I’m very happy with the agreement we have developed with Jean Coutu. And people go to the pharmacy more often than to the bookstore; when they get there, they will see a display with my album and my autobiography. I think it’s going to be okay, ”she explains.