no, they're that good….they didn't need US big time for us to know they were the real deal. As I'm listening to their stuff nearly incessantly right now, it's really amazing how much of their work is so applicable to what they must be going through right now, Gord's lyrics are so poignant, I'm not sure how he held it together….his break down during Grace Too really hit home, and his angst screaming into the mic was something so real and visceral and touching…..won't forget that anytime soon. Just facing it all head on, in front of the country, tapping into that strength, just awesome.
Gord Downie - Fuck Cancer
i've never seen such a display of affection among a group of men. almost radical in our society, these guys are closer than brothers. very touching.
Thank you Gord. Thank you for being our countries Poet. That was emotional and fantastic, at the same time.
So are/were they really that good or do we just think so … cuz they are so Canadian?
That's like asking if oranges are that good, or do we just like them because they are orangey. Lyrics, art, sound, everything about them is bonafide Canadiana so in short, yes they are that good and yes we do like them because they are Canadian. Inseparable concepts.
Yeah so when ever I heard the Hip they were a distinct sound they didn't sound american the sound which we were bombarded with SO that must be what Canada sounds like …not American?
i learned to like them in the day because they had a fat groovy sound with enough crunch for my metal sensibilities. but they also had quirky songwriting and a bit of an odd sounding singer. it was heavy rock with a touch of folk or something and combined with the lyrics i started to identify as Cdn. maybe it went a bit over the top (the Canadian thing) with some fans, i don't think i ever heard the band declare themselves to be Canada's band. they became it though and seemed to resonate with a certain cross section of Cdns. let's call them predominantly white people. the horrible majority.
Yeah so when ever I heard the Hip they were a distinct sound they didn't sound american the sound which we were bombarded with SO that must be what Canada sounds like …not American?
I'm pretty sure that years ago, Rolling Stone said something like, "The best American garage band is Canadian, and you've never heard of them" when discussing the Hip.
Eddie Vedder dedicated a song to Gord Downie [HTML_REMOVED] The Tragically Hip last night:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J10F17ed9mo">, Jacques Cartier, the death of Tom Thomson, "no bemused Trudeau/No solitary walks through vacant lots in moon glow", the murder of Pierre Laporte by the FLQ, the Horseshoe Tavern and many, many more?
BTW … The Tragically Who?
etc, etc, etc.
How many American bands have written songs about David Milgaard, Kingston Penitentiary, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Hugh MacLennan, Paul Henderson (Gord's godfather was Harry Sinden - the coach of Team Canada in 1972), Jacques Cartier, the death of Tom Thomson, "no bemused Trudeau/No solitary walks through vacant lots in moon glow", the murder of Pierre Laporte by the FLQ, the Horseshoe Tavern and many, many more?
BTW … The Tragically Who?
etc, etc, etc.
Nice work.
"X is for x-ray. If you've been bikin' and you haven't had an x-ray, you ain't goin' hard enough." - Bob Roll
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