Maman Dion's interview on SRC's "On prends toujours un train"

[Lou555]

This excellent TV show "On prends toujours un train"(We always take a train) will air on Radio-Canada (in French) from 9:00 p.m. until 10:00 tonight. There is usually two guest(approx. half an hour interview for each one). Tonight there will be Maman Dion and Guy Latraverse. I don't know whom will come first.

 

This show(a tribute to life) interviews known people on a train between Sherbrooke and Magog in the wonderful Eastern Townships of Québec about bereavement in their life("deuil" in French) of all kinds. Either death of a love one or death to something in their life, passages... In this case I would think Maman Dion will be talking about the death of her husband and Céline's beloved dad Adhémar.

 

SRC usually puts the entire interview on their website after it aired for seven days. Here is the link to see it in the upcoming days(it will be in French only of course) :

 

http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/on_pr.../2009/index.asp

 

Bonne Écoute!

Edited August 23, 2009 at 11:28 PM by Lou555

[dovey15]

Merci!

[ghazal]

thanx

[Jacqui]

Thanks Lou! Did she say anything about Celine that we don't already know? I might try to listen, but my French listening skills are still terrible LOL.

[celinefan5]

I'm sad I am only reading about this now...did anyone hear it? What was said? Thanks

[celinedream]

thanks Lou!! she was on Victoire de l'amour too a while back did you see it?? I bet this one is going to be about the return to school period and her foundation. She's such an amazing woman. Edited August 25, 2009 at 12:55 AM by celinedream

[Lou555]

thanks Lou!! she was on Victoire de l'amour too a while back did you see it?? I bet this one is going to be about the return to school period and her foundation. She's such an amazing woman.

 

I just saw the end of Victoire de l'amour when she was on unfortunately Jimena. No school or foundation talks here, just talking about life and death...

 

This one is in three parts - 9:50, 6:08, 7:10(one after the other with maybe a commercial in beetween). It's on SRC website now. You can go on the post opening this topic to find the link. Because all the interview is in French, I'll try to translate parts of what she said as I recall it.

 

In this interview Maman answers questions about herself, her life when she was younger(she lost her dad whom she adored when she was 24 years old). She recounts childhood memories and her early years with her husband. She married when she was 18 and Adhémar 22. She talks about Adhémar's death(how it occured) and how she lives now without him. When asked by Josélito she says she's not been able to view yet the part of Céline's AND vid where she cried while singing on the show she dedicates to her dad the day he died. It's too hard for her even now , she will look at it when she has maybe more wisedom she says. She talks about how she learned to control her emotions very early on in her life, how she hates sollitude and how she loves to keep busy with many more projects she dreams of realizing if she can. She always cry when alone and she cried a lot when Adhémar died eventhough she knew he would died eight months earlier of that cancer. They were married for 58 years and she recounts their last moments together. He died at home. She speaks of love for life and how little she needs to be happy, how much her children mean to her, how she loves them and how they give back so much to her...and much more....

 

About Céline she says she remains the little girl she has always been and she knows she will never change. She says how Céilne doesn't live thinking about what she has accomplished, honours, success and all those things...and how she sings with her heart. When Céline meets people she says, she meets them as Céline, not as the international chanteuse. She also admires Céline for the ease she has to always find the right words to speak with people she meets. Maman says that when she listens to Céline she often think "that's exactly what I would have said" but she doesn't have the words like Céline always has to say it... and it's like that with her team, the family...and especially with her fans who are crying when meeting her sometimes.

Maman isn't impressed though by the "fla fla fla" (as she calls it) that surrounds Céline's carreer and life. Listening to her mom, it's easy to understand why Céline remained so down to earth....like mother like daughter Céline remains Maman Dion's baby for sure but also one of 14 children she adores just as much. She has no regrets and she's happy to have followed Céline so many years at the beginning and supported her in every way she could...even if at the time some were complaining a little. Then of course she had to work at maintaining a balance within the family, the light behing so bright on Céline all those years. Answering to the interviewer's question about it, she said after 20 years she thinks she has achieved that balance between her children. They talked also about sickness and bad accidents that occured in the family over the years but through it all life as to follow its course. She talked a lot about Jimmy, one of Céline's nephew who had a bad ski accident, the same year Adhémar died. That was a tough year, everyone took it hard.

The one person that Céline gave her the amazing chance to meet was for her definetely Nelson Mandela. She knew about him from books but meeting him was amazing for her. Céline did the english interpreter so she could talk to him and mostly tell him how better the world would be if we had thousand more great man like him...he's a giant! The Céline song that represents her the best and that has touched her so much is Marnay's "Tellement j'ai d'amour pour toi"...

 

That's all I recall for now and there is too much to translate anyways. Maman Dion loves and lives life to its fullest for sure and is a very proud mom of all her 14 children. To love is what's more important in life for her and through it all life has been good to her she says. Loving her children can't be told in words, or emotions, it has to be lived. She thanked Joselito for inviting her and for the train ride!!

What an amazing woman!

Edited August 25, 2009 at 06:50 AM by Lou555

[Jacqui]

Thanks so much!!!! She sounds like an incredible woman! I can see why Celine admires her so much.

[Acacia]

Thanks for the translation. She does really sound like an amazing woman

[martele]

Thank you for the information and the translation. I'd say I'm not bad in French but reading the translation now, I have to admit, that I didn't understand a lot what she said. The Quebecois is really hard to understand.

[Lizzy]

Thank`s Lou for the translation. I just watched it and because of your translation I could understand a little bit more

She is an amazing woman.

[angelil78]

Thank you for the translation

 

Maman Dion is amazing