RIP Gord Downie (Tragically Hip)

[boilk]

Write a better song than "My Music At Work" or "Ahead By A Century". Go on. Give it a try. I defy you to.

What a tragic loss. Gord was good. Really good.

Rest In Peace!

I agree, an absolutely tragic loss. Not a fan of My Music at Work, at all, though. Give me Three Pistols and Cordelia, any day. The Hip came to represent Canada in music, for a huge number of Canadians. It would be tough to find another band that had more references to Canadiana, in their lyrics. A very sad day.

neil

[Yves]

It's great to see U.S.. perspective on Gord. The Tragically Hip should have been huge in the States but never really made the crossover.

Too quirky...Too quintessentially Canadian... Just turn down the TV when watching HNIC this weekend and put on the Hip instead, and you'll see how the two just fit naturally...

[mozo-pg]

Too quirky...Too quintessentially Canadian... Just turn down the TV when watching HNIC this weekend and put on the Hip instead, and you'll see how the two just fit naturally...

Cool. CTV is broadcasting the Hip's last performance on Friday evening.

[Yves]

That was tough to watch the first time. I'd rather just dust off my copy of "That Night In Toronto" from 2005.

[boilk]

Too quirky...Too quintessentially Canadian... Just turn down the TV when watching HNIC this weekend and put on the Hip instead, and you'll see how the two just fit naturally...

I always put on music when watching any sporting event! I could care less what announcers have to say, honestly. Much better to listen to tunes, lol.

neil

[jake]

I always put on music when watching any sporting event! I could care less what announcers have to say, honestly. Much better to listen to tunes, lol.

neil

Me too - been doing that for decades now.

[SteveSly]

It's great to see U.S.. perspective on Gord. The Tragically Hip should have been huge in the States but never really made the crossover.

I always thought the same thing. Living in Michigan, they were pretty big in Detroit and could play decent size venues, but of course that is right across the river from Canada. They rarely ventured over to the west side of the State where I am, and I only had the opportunity to see them once.

[Brave73]

Such a great performer and songwriter... he'll be truly missed.

[Progatron]

^^^ Wow... Bath! Home of the infamous Millhaven maximum security prison, topic of the Hip song "38 Years Old".

[Yves]

I'm sure I've related this story before, but my only experience seeing the Hip live was during their Up To Here Tour ('89 or '90). They were playing the old Club Soda in Montreal. This place holds 100 people at most. They played a Friday and a Saturday show. On the Friday I managed to get a table literally up against the stage, at stage height. Downie was about 5 feet away from me all night! His sweat was pelting us! I had a cast on my left hand that I totally destroyed pounding on the table all night long! The next night we were further back. The band was late getting on the stage. Finally they emerge and apologize to the crowd. they were so caught up in the Habs-Bruins game on the TV backstage that they kinda lost track of time! That, my friends...is CANADIAN!

[mozo-pg]

I'm sure I've related this story before, but my only experience seeing the Hip live was during their Up To Here Tour ('89 or '90). They were playing the old Club Soda in Montreal. This place holds 100 people at most. They played a Friday and a Saturday show. On the Friday I managed to get a table literally up against the stage, at stage height. Downie was about 5 feet away from me all night! His sweat was pelting us! I had a cast on my left hand that I totally destroyed pounding on the table all night long! The next night we were further back. The band was late getting on the stage. Finally they emerge and apologize to the crowd. they were so caught up in the Habs-Bruins game on the TV backstage that they kinda lost track of time! That, my friends...is CANADIAN!

Ha! Cool story.

[Progatron]

In an hour from now, CTV is airing the Long Time Running documentary about the final tour last year. It was originally slated for November but due to Gord's death was pushed up to today. Set your DVRs!

[mellotron storm]

I remember them playing on Saturday Night Live and many thinking this would break them into the US market, but no. Many Americans felt they sounded too much like REM back then.
Their debut is my favourite but man they were so Canadian with songs about hockey cards, hockey players, beer, famous Canadians etc. So many great songs too over their careers. Oh and the video with Don Cherry in it was pretty cool. The song was about cottage country called Bobcaygeon.
I also remember early in their careers when Gord said that if he wasn't doing this he'd be the guy in the bar getting beat up for being an ass. Something like that. RIP Gordie!

[Progatron]

Like many others around here, I've been in a big Hip phase lately. There are SO many great, undiscovered tracks from their later albums that passed a lot of people by. Albums like In Violet Light and In Between Evolution in particular are chock full of killer tunes.

Watching the documentary tonight (recorded it but had to wait until the wife could watch it with me). I'm nervous about it, as I hear it's incredibly emotional.