![]() ![]() Speaking with The New York Times around the band’s final show, Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew summed up the Tragically Hip’s influence: “We’re a country that hasn’t really embraced its history just yet. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in attendance and the Toronto Police Department summed up the event’s magnitude with a simple tweet: “Dear world, Please be advised that Canada will be closed tonight at 8:30 p.m. The concert was broadcast live and viewing parties were held across Canada. That same summer, the Tragically Hip released a new album, Man Machine Poem, and embarked on a lengthy Canadian tour that culminated in an emotional final show: a hometown gig at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario. No one.”ĭownie was diagnosed with brain cancer in December 2015, but didn’t reveal his disease publicly until May 2016. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord. At home, he worked just as tirelessly at being a good father, son, brother, husband and friend. “As a musician, he lived ‘the life’ for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. “Gord said he had lived many lives,” they added. “Gord knew this day was coming – his response was to spend this precious time as he always had – making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss … on the lips. “Last night, Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by,” his family wrote in a statement. Hold these songs, too, and remember.Gord Downie, the lead singer for the beloved Canadian alt-rock band the Tragically Hip, died Tuesday at the age of 53. The little moments, the little treasures, the little glimpses are what we hold most dear when we’ve lost, or are losing, someone we love. “The Lake” finishes with the distinct sound of geese honking. “Yer Ashore” sounds like it closes with a turntable spinning, the needle riding the blank grooves at the end of a side. “You Me and the Bs” ends with the sound of hockey sticks hitting the ice or the boards of a rink. It’s fitting his final song is for them.īut allow me this divergence: Listen to the little moments, the small sounds, the codas to many of the songs not for the lyrics but for the backgrounds. That’s what he wants to be remembered for, that’s what he wants people work toward in his honour and his memory. Since that night in Kingston, he said repeatedly his work with First Nations peoples, in particular those whose lives were troubled by residential schools for a shockingly long time, should be his legacy. Listen, too, to the album’s final track, “The North,” in which he’s calling once again on Canada to “do something” toward reconciliation. The album’s third song is lovely and touching, of course, and it’s hard not for the listener’s heart to break a little, thinking about their own kids (or nieces and nephews as the case may be) but also thinking about the four children Downie’s left behind. Many are pointing to “Bedtime” as the point at which their tears came. And I say that just to be up front, because I might call you Doug,” he said at the time. Remember his interview with Peter Mansbridge, airing in summer 2016 between the close of the Man Machine Poem tour and the surprise of “Secret Path.”ĭownie used to be known for his remarkable memory, “and now I can’t remember hardly anything. The song’s title track has Downie talking about getting a tattoo on his hand to remind himself, and maybe others, to make introductions. But there are moments of playfulness here too, moments of humour that need to be acknowledged, even if that humour is tinged with the loss of a memory and brain that lifted and carried the stories of a nation for so many years. In its review of the album, the Toronto Star warns that “Introduce Yerself” will haunt listeners. ![]() He announced this album in September, surprising everyone other than those who work on it with him. ![]() Whether we want to admit it, we all knew our time with Downie was short and to be treasured. What sets apart this album from David Bowie’s “Blackstar” is we knew Downie was sick we didn’t know about Bowie’s cancer until after the album was released days before he died. So much has been written about the album, called everything from his parting gift to fans to a love letter. It’s been nearly two weeks since we lost Gord Downie and just a few days since his last solo album, “Introduce Yerself,” was released. ![]()
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