Grammy-nominated Lido Pimienta has a new series on CBC Gem.Ada Navarro/Supplied
It’s Lido Pimienta’s house, and we’re all just playing in it.
The Grammy-nominated Colombian-Canadian dynamo has a new series on CBC Gem that is so definitive of its maverick creator it could only be called LIDO TV. It’s a variety show, with puppet people, comedic sketches and documentary segments, that is at turns edgy, hilarious and sensitive, touching on themes of colonialism, beauty, identity and feminism.
Pimienta calls it a “children’s show for adults.” Others might see it as a thinking-person’s version of Pee-wee’s Playhouse. The Toronto-based artist, musician and new television star spoke to The Globe and Mail about her inspirations behind the series, her admiration for the Quebec music scene and her curiosity with Canada’s colonial pride.
Polaris Prize winner Lido Pimienta’s life changing moment
Given that colonialism is one of the themes to LIDO TV, did you watch the funeral of Queen Elizabeth?
No. Why would I watch that? It’s not a part of my narrative.
Are you surprised by Canada’s passionate reaction to the Queen’s death and the funeral?
I’ve said it before. I think that Canada lacks a sense of direction in terms of identity. I always joke that Harper’s legacy was getting rid of the penny and talking about old stock Canadians. I feel like old stock Canadians don’t have an identity, and what identity they have comes from being a happily colonized subject of Britain. It’s very interesting how ferociously people in Canada, when they say that they’ve never been to England, still claim that its their home. And that the Queen is their Queen, and that they will always uphold her name. It’s really strange to me.
Tell me about LIDO TV. Where did the idea come from?
The genesis of it was to be a variety show full of surprises. The show is my baby, from my imagination. This is how my brain works – it’s my special kind of humour. I always have sketches in my head, and this show allows me the opportunity to explore these ideas with my co-writers and then make it happen.
Everybody will have different reference points, but I’m reminded of Pee-wee’s Playhouse from the 1980s.
Yes, that definitely was an influence. As were Big Comfy Couch, Blue’s Clues and Sesame Street.
Your series is not for preschoolers, but what are you getting from the children’s shows you mentioned?
In your formative years, you develop your personality and your sense of empathy. I wanted to create a sense of familiarity and safety, because we are speaking about difficult subject matters. That’s why I say LIDO TV is a children’s show for adults.
There’s a strong visual aesthetic. Where does that come from?
One of the biggest inspirations aesthetically is Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno. I absorb things like a sponge, because I’m sober. I don’t really drink or smoke or take any kind of drugs. I’m always in the corner admiring people and learning from them and being baffled by them. It all eventually makes it into my show.
It really is your playhouse.
Mm-hmm.
Lido Pimienta is the Globe's artist of the year for 2017
As a past Polaris Music Prize winner, what are your thoughts on this year’s winner, the Montreal-based Pierre Kwenders?
I think Quebec is producing the best music right now. When I play a festival in Quebec, I know I’m going to be treated right. The venue is going to be good. The hospitality is going to be correct. So, I think Polaris is showcasing the truth about the music scene in this country.
In terms of Quebec being the hot scene, is that cyclical or is it institutional?
I think it’s both. When you’re not worrying about high rent and when you’re supported with really good grants to make your music, you can worry about being a really good artist. When there are more festivals and more support in your community, you’re able to develop a better stage presence and get more experience playing live that will catapult you and form you as an international artist. I feel Quebec is one up on Ontario in that respect.
Lido Pimienta and Nelly Furtado.Ada Navarro/Supplied
So, it’s about priorities?
Even when I first moved to Canada, I really noticed that there seemed to be a deeper interest in culture, specifically music. Maybe it has to do with their sense of identity. “We are not French, we are not English, we are not Canadians – we are Québécois.” That comes with its complications and problems, but I do feel like at the least the Anglos in this country need to get past that it’s in a different language.
You have firsthand experience with this.
I sing in Spanish. That’s how I feel comfortable writing my songs. And a lot of people are missing out because they think, “Oh, I can’t understand what she’s saying.” But you know what, they’re missing out on something great.
Do you feel Polaris has been successful in celebrating Indigenous artists and non-Anglophone artists?
I’d like to believe that Polaris’s criteria in regard to the albums they’re highlighting is that the albums are great, and that it doesn’t just mean, “Well, we have to include these people because they’re Indigenous,” you know? The album has to be good. But if they feel that they need to include people just because they’re Indigenous, there’s validity in that too. They absolutely have to be included in these conversations and these celebrations.
This interview has been condensed and edited.
Plan your screen time with the weekly What to Watch newsletter. Sign up today.