Shaun Newman Podcast - #1122 - Vince

Episode Date: September 3, 2026

Yesterday in Old Quebec City I stopped for a street show and ended up talking with Vincent Mongeon, a Quebec-born acrobat working the pavement with hand balancing, breakdance, and high-energy circus work. His act was sharp, but what pulled me in was a line he dropped more than once: “Freedom while we still have it.” After the hat was passed I walked up, and the conversation that followed is today’s interview—just a few unscripted minutes after the show.Mongeon performs in the street-theatre tradition: athletic, funny, and aimed at whoever happens to gather. The Quebec festival circuit has listed him with the piece La Vie est un Cirque, the same mix of acrobatics and crowd work we saw yesterday. This episode is not a polished career profile. It is the encounter itself—what he said in the act, and what he said when the crowd thinned.Cornerstone Forum 26’https://shaunnewmanpodcast.substack.com/Silver Gold Bull Links:Website: https://silvergoldbull.ca/Email: [e-mail] Grahame: [phone]Bow Valley Credit UnionBitcoin: www.bowvalleycu.com/en/personal/investing-wealth/bitcoin-gatewayEmail: [e-mail] Get your voice heard: Text Shaun 587-217-8500

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This is James Lindsay. This is Vance Crow and you're listening to the Sean Newman podcast. Welcome to the podcast, folks. Happy Thursday. How's everybody doing today? Happy Thursday. Okay. We have the Cornerstone Forum.

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Lots, plenty of time, lots of time. But May 15th, 2027, it returns. One of the title sponsors. of that show is silver gold bull if you're not a precious metals buyer curious kind of curious why you're not you can text me that I'd be curious it's been one of the things I've been pro on over the last I don't know probably five years I can act like this huge gold bug folks I wasn't I still look at the prices just like you but maybe you uh want to ask some questions the best way start talking the guy to talk to Graham that's SGB his uh

text his email, all that down in the show notes. If you can't find it, text me. Regardless, it's super easy to go online, open up an account at Silver Gold Bowl, just online. Anything you buy ships directly to your doorstep. But you got questions, buying, selling, storing precious metals. Graham is a great place to start. He's willing to talk to all of you.

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780842-3433. You want a guy that is awake. Shane Stafford and his team will get you squared away, okay? They're pretty sharp and they can help you out. They want to help you out. Caleb Taves, Renegade Acres. They did the stamped concrete in the new studio, which I'm going to get back to. We get some time before we get back there into the beautiful studio.

And, well, Caleb Taves has been talking about, has given a spot up to the community spotlight. Obviously, this year we've been talking about the road trip and all the different places we're heading. We're on our way to PEI. So that's where we're getting to. This week, we're going to be in PEI for the next several, five. five-ish nights before we push on towards Newfoundland. And then we're going to come back and hit Nova Scotia. We do a real quick trip of New Brunswick.

My apologies to New Brunswick, but the stops on it, that's the quick when we go racing across. I seem to be talking an awful lot here in the openings about Quebec. But, you know, in the first, when we were staying just outside Montreal, I don't even know how to explain it. Was it cold? Was it just the abruptness of coming in because you've been in an English-speaking Ontario roughly

and then the culture shock of not being able to speak the language? Was that? Or was it just like a big city feel? I don't know. You got over to Quebec City and staying just north of Quebec City, we stayed at Stoneham Campground. And immediately when we drove into Stoneham,

it was just apparent. right it was so many kids like i mean a crazy amount of kids like uh if peter's listening going back to the mennonites and their church and how many kids were around and you're like holy man there's a lot of kids here and then quebec city was um it's just noticeably friendly it was it was pretty cool that that's today's interview uh we were in uh the old old quebec city or old town and uh you know this this guy i just you know sat there and watched his performance you know he was talking to his performance I'm like, this sounds like a guy I could interview. And, yeah, Quebec City has been a real treat, was a real treat, and really enjoyed it.

We also got to see, if you've been following on Substack or X, you've got to see some of the pictures come in. We drove by this place. There was this beautiful church. Like, I mean, my beautiful, I can't describe this church. It was beautiful is the only word that I can use, okay? On X, there's pictures of it. I mean, right in front of it looked like a mosque. And, you know, my brain went, oh, it's probably a mosque.

And so Mel, but it was called Cyclorama de Jerusalem. And I don't know, that doesn't sound like a mosque. So anyways, Mel Googled it. And it was not a mosque. It was a 360-degree painting of the crucifixion of Christ. So we got rained out at one of our hiking trips, which allowed us to come back to this church and this cyclorama de Jerusalem

and the kids didn't want to go in to the sacramas so we were like, all right, well, we're going to go in. And it was an excellent tour. That building has been there since 1895. They had to ship the paintings over, which I don't know how tall they were. I think, forgive me, I think they were like 40 feet. You know what the lovely thing?

Folks, is I can actually just walk with this. I just realize this. This is the difference from being. in the studio to being not in the studio where I can just walk and find it. And if you're wanting to get to Vince, then go get to Vince, okay? All right. I'm not going to take harassment over my ads being, or my intros being too long. I'm on the road.

I'm going to explain a story. The cyclorama of Jerusalem on the day of the crucifixion, history and complete explanation of the painting, was painted in Munich, Germany in 1882. I wanted to find I'm looking I'm looking this painting is 45 feet in height

and 360 feet in circumference there you go and its size shares with the pantheon of the world war painted by two guys two people and two other artists the distinction of being one of the largest panoramic paintings in the world

the huge painting is seen at a 35 foot distance from the gallery So you climb up this like circle stairwell and then you're in the middle of it and you walk around in complete darkness. No pictures allowed. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is I'm gushing over Quebec City and the area because that wasn't in Quebec City. That was a little ways out. Saint Anne, I believe.

And then there was this right behind it was this church that was just like burnt down in the early 1900s. And forgive me on the air, folks. I want to say it was rebuilt in like 1920. so it's been there over 100 years it looked brand spanking new it was phenomenal and we just I was saying to Peter

Peter once again if you're listening had a phone call with him earlier today he did the the Mason work in put up the bricks in the new studio of all the sponsors and of all you lovely people who donate it and

um I was like it's just mesmerizing that they built something like this I just I don't I just have a hard time fathoming how they built it. It's just unbelievable. Just unbelievable. Yeah.

So anyways, it's been Quebec went through its throws. The beginning I was kind of like, I don't know, kind of like almost ready to push her on. And then Quebec City, I was kind of like just sad to go. Isn't that a funny thing? People were very friendly. You're going to get to hear it with Vince here shortly. Yeah.

Very, very interesting place to go through. And I'm sitting here having a coffee, obviously, in a chatty mood, because today's interview isn't that long. So I know Ben Trudeau had asked, just go in and set up with a mic. And, you know, I'm kicking myself because I should have brought like a giant Alberta flag or something and just like flown it because I'm sure that would have really got people going. I've been waiting the entire time because we've been doing these conversations pretty much. out in the open. You can see it was Sylvainz Charlebo. If you watch the food professor's interview,

there's a lady in the background. I keep getting text about her. If I knew who she was, I'm like, no, I had no idea. We just set up in this common area. And I was half expecting at some point to get a throat chop and like, hey, you can shut up. Like, you don't know what you're talking about. And, you know, it's funny, none of that has happened in Quebec or Ontario or anywhere for that matter. So, I don't know. The old Lake America thing is an interesting thing going on, though. So I hope everybody's doing well. I really do. I miss being in the studio, but we're now, you know, into September and basically two months fully on the road. And it's, I don't know, it's weird. Kids are off playing at the park. I can see them right now and sun shining. Hopefully

sunshining back on you guys. and I just hope everybody's doing well look forward to hearing from you all if you are anywhere on the road you know New Brunswick we still got a little bit of time there PEI

we're spending a bunch of time there Nova Scotia Newfoundland if you're anywhere in those provinces now is your time to shoot me attacks because we are going to be passing through and I would love to run into some people

it's been an absolute pleasure to been doing that as we go and look forward to hearing your guys' thoughts on Vince. All right. That's what I got for you today. The road trip is powered by Zeebs, okay? Shout it to Zane and his dad, Brian. Zebs Performance Restoration is out of Chesterner, Alberta, okay? Classic car at restoration, custom exhaust, and performance upgrades.

They can help keep your ride rolling. They can make it look sharp. They can make it sound awesome. Zeebs.ca. That's where you're going to find them. And if you're listening or watching on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, rumble x make uh facebook substack make sure you know subscribe leave a review you enjoy the show share with a friend and folks after you listen to vince after you listen to vince shoot me a text

because i'm kind of curious what your thoughts are okay now let's get on to that tale of the tape today's guest has spent 23 years as a street performing acrobat i know him as vince so buckle up Here we go. I don't even know your name though. So welcome to the Sean Newman podcast. I'm sitting with Vince, the acrobat, the street performer. Hello, my name is Vince. I'm from Quebec, originally born here, Quebec City.

Well, I've got so many questions, but probably a limited amount of time. I left my home of Alberta, and I've been curious about Quebec's thoughts on Alberta having a referendum to leave Canada. Yeah, and I just wanted to ask that. I wish we'd been recording everything we'd just been chatting about, but I don't know. If you got more time, I'll let you explain to the audience who you are. Sure. How will we start there?

Vince, tell the audience a little bit about yourself. You've been an acrobat for 23 years or a street before 23 years. But that doesn't really explain a bunch about Vince. Well, I'm from here, and all my ancestors are very, since the original colonization. So the city have been created in 1608 and the side of my mother they arrive at 1628 and my father 1621 and then probably mixed with native that I don't know. So I'm very from this land and born with a very nice city and land and then learned gymnastics. gymnastics for 13 years before circus.

Can you just a touch closer to your face? To your mouth? Sorry? Yeah. Just with the background. Of course I can. Sorry. So, yeah, so I start with gymnastics. So artistic, gymnastic,

13 years and I finish in junior national team. And then I explode my knee and decide to jump into circus instead. It was more easy to earn a living and all my friend was doing circus. circus and I was you know when you do gymnastic high level it's very hard like you push you compete and like huge thing and I was not made for competition so I learned after that doing circus when I did it was really more my thing then finally gymnastics was great but competition was not my motivation so circus was more adept to me and then 23 years later I'm still doing it well competition wasn't thing, you just mean that the pressures they put on kids or they're put on you?

Well, when I was doing competition was like, I don't care about being better than the other. I don't care about having the gold medal. So my coach was telling me, Vince, it's kind of put it the other side. Like, you get people that give more energy to do a better performance. Or it's like a convention. I was needing to put it a different way in my head to say, okay, let's not focus on being better than other being better for yourself. And I was younger too now, obviously.

And then it takes a better angle for me. But even that, it was not my main motivation. So circus is kind of you do gymnastics, but it's more artistic, you earn your living with it. And you travel and you're surrounded by many people. of your age and amazing people. So that was more adapted to me. And I can do everything I want.

Because in gymnastics, you have many apparatus, six apparatus. But if you're not good in two, you will put more time in your bad apparatus. But in circus, you do more what you are good. You're going to put only time on what you're good. You're good at. And difference is good to be different in circus. In competition, you need to follow

everything what the other does a bit but in in circus more you're different more you have something different to bring better it is so it's totally a different perspective and I finally I I haven't stopped doing it you put on a really good show maybe you could tell the people where we are because I'm like I'm gonna try and explain this and I'm gonna be I'm gonna butcher it you know old town Quebec is what I'm told yeah we are in the old town and we're just beside the statue of Samuel Deschamps the founder of the oldest city of North America, Quebec City 1608, and we're just beside

Chateau Frontenac, and just in front of the statue there's the street theater show place, the pitch we call, and I just finished the show of 45 minutes acrobatic handstand, breakdance, and I'm a specialist of Einstein and I met you there. Which brings me my question. I'm traveling across. I remember I remember being a kid, Vince, and Quebec having its referendum in 95. I was born in 86. To the audience, Vince wouldn't tell me his age, and I was curious. It doesn't matter, I appreciate that.

You also said a bunch of things about how old animals are in age. You find that very odd. And I'm like, man, I could pull on that thread too, because I found that comment very interesting. But regardless, for the time being, when I was a kid, Quebec had its referendum on whether or not to stay in Canada. and I couldn't for the life of me understand back then

but as I got older and even probably when I was young I just thought just be cool if I went and talked to some of the people and heard what they had to say well now my province is having a referendum and instead of me being there racing around interviewing them all I already have I already know why they're pissed now I'm kind of curious what everybody else thought or thinks and so you know to be in the oldest how did you say that the oldest town in North America

Yeah. Do people even care what Alberta's doing? Is it even a conversation? Do you care what goes on on the other side of Canada? Well, now it's kind of different with the social media and we're bombarded with thousands of information, but we must be. But about the referendum, I was younger,

but I was still really conscious about what's happening. For me, it was more to protect the culture when a part of the team was not protecting the culture. And the part of the team was the, at the moment, the country that was taking more than giving and always have like subtle way to push Quebec culture down and rights down and all those stuff. So, you know, the Liberal Party are very, very, very, very good to show a part and to hide apart like any politicians. Say that again. The Liberal Party is very good. And then I don't know if I understood your last sentence. To show what they want to show and to hide what they want to hide like politician.

So when you have the perspective of the one who will be bully, I'm. I can say like the native. The native have been bullied by the Francophone, by the Anglophone, but it's just a question of when you have the perspective of when you feel the injustice coming to your side and you just want to breathe and stop battling and have normal rights and just... And the solution was, hey, if we split, we're going to breathe. We're going to just take some breath and do very nice stuff because Quebec at that moment was gorgeous. everything was safe, everything was cheap, food was amazing, everything was flourishing, you know. And if you see this situation now, where are the Francophone anymore? They are disappearing from everywhere.

And where are our culture now? Disappearing one step by step. Yeah, so me, I was too young to understand the global power. But now I think that the global power had their agenda, and it was kind of impossible to let a small country be a very pacific, safe, equal woman and men's rights and to show the world that something very great can happen, you know, I think. Because they put millions of money to tricks the vote when we lost of 1%. And the Supreme Court proved that they put million of money to buy 2%.

And they prove it to everybody. It's the documentary. And even if they prove it, nobody has done anything. So after that, everybody says, oh, fuck it. You know, the world is totally corrupt. And I think since then, there's less proactive, less proactive. the people just let it go about everything in politics. What I feel is we have more power somewhere else,

making every day better together and put our time somewhere else from my perspective. Because, yeah, so me, I'm a circus artist, so I just travel, do the best that I can, have an amazing rich life with time, with health. It shows in your show. You said, well, you had my kids right into it. But you also said, you know, a few things that caught my ear. That's why I approached you.

You know, every time, you know, and I can't even remember how you slipped it in. Just a comment about freedom. Losing freedom. And I'm like, that's an interesting comment, right? Like, to me, I see it every, well, you know, it's been interesting. You know, Vince folks doesn't know a whole lot about me. but you know since I started the podcast 2019 but I actually started going after things in 2021 it becomes this weird world and so you see Alberta and they're pushing but what you just

said about Quebec and everybody after that was like ah it's corrupt you know they're gonna they're literally going to throw as much money as they need to to ensure that it never happens essentially that's kind of what I heard yeah yeah and well it's a big thing so I think to have an influence in your direct circle of influence, give more reality check on your influence of your being in your own reality, you know, your people around, the people you meet, your family, your direct influence. So it's where I try to be at my best. So even I can do just a show and just, you know, Circus and Bread, this expression.

Yes. So a lot of people don't know it anymore, but I don't just distract the people and they continue to pollute and to maintain shit in the world. I try to use art to be a conscious art, you know, to open hearts for the living heart make living hearts. And it's a great spot because here in street theater we can say and do whatever we want kind of a bit more. So on stage is different. And street theater get a sovereign side. The oldest job, the oldest way. My wife coming to check up on me.

This is, someday my kids, Vince, will be telling stories of their father, walking up to very random people. And that'll be a core memory I leave for them. Of course. But when I do it, I find such wonderful people. I'm like, why wouldn't I continue to talk to people, right? COVID was a very difficult time for everyone. I'm sure here in Quebec, you know, with the curfews and a whole bunch of different things going on,

I don't even begin to understand what happened in Quebec compared to Alberta. But one of the things I remember was they just didn't want community, people talking to one another. And the way so many people lost hope in the world was by not just talking to their neighbors, right? talking to their fellow man. And so for my kids, my wife, I'm like, I'm sure they think, well, dad's at it again. I can see it in his eyes. There he goes.

And yet, whenever I do it, I just find such interesting people. And I think the world is full of us. You know, people just need to talk to one another. And let us spark, some leadership, some connection, to connect, meet each other. Know where we are. Shake a hand, remember, and find each other. because we're a lot more than what we think. A lot more than what we think.

It's just that. Yeah. The system is kind of strong, you know, to maintain the job, the stress, the money. So we're getting to a change, but is it better to have a direct influence to your people around and try to be suffering in a way to that system?

or it's better to sacrifice a lot, a lot, to change a little bit of the system. Well, everybody has their own answer. Everybody they're going to do what they can. That's an interesting way of putting it. I was thinking earlier today, you know, in order to try and change the system, you may have to sacrifice your relationship to your wife, my kids that are running around, or is the most important thing to build those relationships so that they have an opportunity to go and succeed in the world

and maybe do their own change in it. And I think a year-long trip with the podcast, with my family, is probably showing people where I'm going and what I believe in. But it's an interesting question. Most people should ask themselves, you know? There's solution. Many people have solutions.

Many, many, many people have solutions. We, like, connect with those solutions and gather people that have solution and want to have solutions. like solution people. And after we all are our time where we're down and a bit desisturated and time that we're strong and are the solution people.

What I feel traveling a lot is we can just use what's happening now to make it a shift. Like I give you a quick example. Like cooperation of kind of sovereign. They're registered all over the world we cannot sue them. They don't pay tax. They are everywhere and they have big

team and they have a platform or investment everywhere. But their goal is to make money, to make money and just make money and destroy everything. But we can do kind of the same. But the goal is to create abundance and harmony. And have you figured out how to create abundance and harmony yet? There's a lot of people on that case.

So if you register yourself differently You don't follow all those rules and you create a platform where everybody can help each other link and benefits of the ecosystem. And the goal is to make abundance and a kind of interdependence, sovereign, free will possibility. It's definitely possible. It's just that when's going to arrive the... the people that are not happy with it is we're going to have some on the way that's for sure but there's solution so and uh talking continue to talk and meet amazing people that that do good stuff and want to talk behind the statue after a good show absolutely one final well one final question i think you've been in a lot of places in the world do you have a spot where you're like You know, you walked around the corner and you saw it and it was just a surreal feeling.

I never find one spot that I want to be there all the time. Every spot I have something I want to stay a long time and have to leave. So I never find the perfect spot for living there all the time. But to have felt amazing moments, many. But you said that were you before. I had an amazing moment in Hawaii. That's for sure. Costa Rica, New Zealand, Mexico.

Beside a volcano in Guatemala, doing street show in Quebec. Every, you know, but on back Wales jumping with rainbows, hot water and coconut, that's kind of special too. One final one for you. To anyone listening from Alberta, and they're in the midst of, Well, the lead up to a referendum on independence or separation,

take your pick of words. Any thoughts for Albertans? What I can say is I don't think it's finished process. It's going to be a work in progress, no matter what happened. So if it pass or not, it's a work and progress. Don't lose the connection. of the people that think differently, if they think for the harmony and abundance and safety

and no pollution and blah blah, and because to not let, if there's a no, to not let the node destroy everything like it did here. To just continue the movement of making a better world that have their own thought and don't let the main generic of like elite, totally disconnect of normal human healthy life. So, yes, the power, I can finish with the, in the show, I don't know if I said it in

that show, but sometimes I say we're the five percent of the, the lucky five percent of the world that have the time to be in vacation and enjoy time and have a show together. So we must be the solution. if we're not the solution, who's going to be the solution? So let's be proactive. And I think it's only that. It's to think that we are the solution. And everybody that say that we are not the solution,

maybe we can put it in jail one night to just think a bit but what you just said. Because we're always, I've been the solution. And I think it's that make your choice. You're for harmony, love and abundance. and meet the people that want to build that. Vince, thank you for doing this. Thank you very much, you too.