04-09-2004, 09:55 AM
Here are some exerpts from the interview Chancellor posted a link for in a different topic. Great find Chancellor :thumb: , alot of interesting questions answered . :mrgreen: :jump :twisted: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://ww.cfl.ca/HipLetter/home.html">http://ww.cfl.ca/HipLetter/home.html</a><!-- m -->
Q. A lot of bands are doing covers. If you had to pick only three songs, which ones would you cover?
Oh, and if you were going to cover an Elvis Costello song, which one would it be?
A. This is a really tough question to answer. We toy with the idea of pulling out cover songs every time we tour, but it's really tough to come up with a consensus within the band as to what we should play. Last summer we were doing Gordon Lightfoot's Summerside of Life because it felt so right. If the guys gave me the choice unilaterally, I'd love to play Iggy's Lust for Life (did you know that it came out prior to Trainspotting?) or something like Dead dog On The Highway or Circle Circle by the Sons Of Freedom. No reason, just really cool tunes that we could rip up live. I'd probably give you a different answer on any given day. Elvis Costello has written so many great songs it's tough for me to choose. I can 't really hear us doing justice to anything he's written. - GS
If I knew, I'm sure we'd do a couple of covers. Love Elvis Costello, but again, don't know which tune we d do. - PL
Black Day In July, Summerside Of Life & Endless Wire by Gordon Lightfoot and Almost Blue by Elvis Costello - RB
North Window - from It's Sydney or the Bush by the Inbreds, Tokyo - Bruce Cockburn, To Cry About from Miss America by Mary Margaret O Hara, It Wouldn't Make Any Difference from Something/Anything by Todd Rundgren - GD
One? No! - This Year's Girl from This Year's Model and Watch Your Step from Trust - GD
Q. Hey guys. What are some great books that you've read?
A. We have all read a lot of books. Books are good, television is bad. Among my personal faves are Bruce Chatwin's Songlines and Daniel Quinn's Ishmael. - GS
Whale Music, Being There, Armies of the Night. I don 't know, lots. - PL
A River Sutra by Gita Mehta, The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth, Not Wanted on The Voyage by Timothy Findley, Narcissus and Goldmund by Herman Hesse - RB
Vladamir Nabakov - Laughter in the Dark - JF
Q. There is no doubt that the Hip is, and always will be, a big band in Canada. I'm curious, if they never reach huge stardom in the States, will they still be satisfied with all there accomplishments in Canada?
A. We've always approached things one step at a time, one song at a time. Making music that continues to move us is our biggest motivator. After that, whatever happens will happen. We've been really fortunate that we've been able to evolve naturally and slowly over the years and that our fans have come along with us and have continued to support us, album after album.
We approach the U.S. the same way. Each time we put out a record or tour down there our audience has continued to grow. To us, that's being successful.
Stardom and celebrity are meaningless words to us. They have little to do with music and much more to do with the culture we live in. For a lot of groups over the years, stardom has been a heavy weight to shake off and has shortened a lot of promising careers for some decent songwriters. - GS
Q. Hey guys! I've been reading that you are gaining quite a following in Australia. Have your friends Midnight Oil helped at all by having you along for shows and appearances? Or have you just been plugging away working some seedy joints where Paul Hogan wanna be's work the door? How's the overall international market looking for you? Thanks from a fellow St. Lawrence Seaway resident (Brockville)!
Good luck!
A. Well my friend, there are two urban myths afloat in Canada: That we are big in Australia or anywhere for that matter; and that Brock Vegas is a happening place to hang out. - JF
Q. You guys are like a lightning rod for some people's patriotism. How do you feel about fans who identify you and your music so closely with some sort of essential Canadian-ness? Are you proud of that, or is it just an unnecessary pressure that detracts from the music?
A. We've never consciously tried to elicit a patriotic response from our fans, nor have we tried to embody that in our lyrics.
Speaking for GD, I can tell you that we've never tried to edit ourselves in any way. You write about what you know, stories that move you in some way, or about themes you want to explore. Over the years, we have written some songs that refer to Canadian events specifically, and others that reflect our response as Canadians to other themes and issues, because of who we are and how we've been raised. That's where it begins and ends for us. We'd never write a song because it was Canadian, nor would we avoid it.
If some of our fans can only identify with us on a nationalistic level, instead of a musical one, then I think that reflects more on them than it does on us.
Travelling abroad as much as we do has led us to appreciate where we live and who we are and I think our work reflects that; but we have definitely learned that there is no one distinct Canadian voice. All perspectives are valid, so we feel no pressure at all. - GS
Q. Who are some of the bands you guys like to listen to?
A. That's way too broad a question to answer. Every guy in the band has his faves, long term and those more of the flavour-of-the-week variety, and we're all very open-minded when it comes to music. Each of the other guys, in fact, has turned me on to great music of all different shapes and sizes. I listen to music every day. Right now I'm rediscovering The Cure, because I just saw them live for the first time this summer and I realised that in my mind I'd never given them the listen they deserve. I love Los Lobos' new record, Colossal Head. Turn off the TV and listen to more music, choose for yourself. - GS
Los Lobos, ODDS, Rheostatics, SOTW, the Inbreds, tonnes more. Anything good is the general rule. - PL
Old Faithfuls - Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, anything on Blue Note, Current Faves - Material, anything with Sly and Robbie, Lakshmi Ranganathan - RB
I won't commit the error of catalogues and lists, when it comes to music I'll leave that up to Maclean's Magazine. - GD
D David Bowie
G Gabriel
Z Zimmy - Zimmerman
D has already been taken, but Bob-O is great - Dylan
These artists are so mega in The Hip's mind that they have had their letters retired. Heavy plays on the bus. - JF
Q. I had the opportunity to hear a song called "Get Back Again", which I think was recorded at some CBC session. From what I've been told it was written by Gord Sinclair. Is this true? Also, what ever happened to this great song? Everyone I know who has heard it has fallen in love with it.
A. Get Back Again is a great song, and Paul and Gord recorded it at CBC with Murray McLauchlan and his band. I have always loved that song and have wanted to put it on a record for a long time. However, you probably like it because the other three of us are not on it. - JF
Q. How would you (the Hip) explain the style of music that you all play. Some say that it's a touch of jazz blues with rock.
A. I'd say we re a peppy little five piece combo of eclectic/post - modern/experimental traditionalists, or maybe a jazz/blues/raga/roots/rock band with a heavy metal/folk/rap sensibility. - RB
Q. Does the band have any plans of putting out a live album(s) in the near future? Perhaps even a live 4 CD box set (one can hope).
A. We are thinking about it (live album), just don't know when. - Band
Q. A lot of bands are doing covers. If you had to pick only three songs, which ones would you cover?
Oh, and if you were going to cover an Elvis Costello song, which one would it be?
A. This is a really tough question to answer. We toy with the idea of pulling out cover songs every time we tour, but it's really tough to come up with a consensus within the band as to what we should play. Last summer we were doing Gordon Lightfoot's Summerside of Life because it felt so right. If the guys gave me the choice unilaterally, I'd love to play Iggy's Lust for Life (did you know that it came out prior to Trainspotting?) or something like Dead dog On The Highway or Circle Circle by the Sons Of Freedom. No reason, just really cool tunes that we could rip up live. I'd probably give you a different answer on any given day. Elvis Costello has written so many great songs it's tough for me to choose. I can 't really hear us doing justice to anything he's written. - GS
If I knew, I'm sure we'd do a couple of covers. Love Elvis Costello, but again, don't know which tune we d do. - PL
Black Day In July, Summerside Of Life & Endless Wire by Gordon Lightfoot and Almost Blue by Elvis Costello - RB
North Window - from It's Sydney or the Bush by the Inbreds, Tokyo - Bruce Cockburn, To Cry About from Miss America by Mary Margaret O Hara, It Wouldn't Make Any Difference from Something/Anything by Todd Rundgren - GD
One? No! - This Year's Girl from This Year's Model and Watch Your Step from Trust - GD
Q. Hey guys. What are some great books that you've read?
A. We have all read a lot of books. Books are good, television is bad. Among my personal faves are Bruce Chatwin's Songlines and Daniel Quinn's Ishmael. - GS
Whale Music, Being There, Armies of the Night. I don 't know, lots. - PL
A River Sutra by Gita Mehta, The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth, Not Wanted on The Voyage by Timothy Findley, Narcissus and Goldmund by Herman Hesse - RB
Vladamir Nabakov - Laughter in the Dark - JF
Q. There is no doubt that the Hip is, and always will be, a big band in Canada. I'm curious, if they never reach huge stardom in the States, will they still be satisfied with all there accomplishments in Canada?
A. We've always approached things one step at a time, one song at a time. Making music that continues to move us is our biggest motivator. After that, whatever happens will happen. We've been really fortunate that we've been able to evolve naturally and slowly over the years and that our fans have come along with us and have continued to support us, album after album.
We approach the U.S. the same way. Each time we put out a record or tour down there our audience has continued to grow. To us, that's being successful.
Stardom and celebrity are meaningless words to us. They have little to do with music and much more to do with the culture we live in. For a lot of groups over the years, stardom has been a heavy weight to shake off and has shortened a lot of promising careers for some decent songwriters. - GS
Q. Hey guys! I've been reading that you are gaining quite a following in Australia. Have your friends Midnight Oil helped at all by having you along for shows and appearances? Or have you just been plugging away working some seedy joints where Paul Hogan wanna be's work the door? How's the overall international market looking for you? Thanks from a fellow St. Lawrence Seaway resident (Brockville)!
Good luck!
A. Well my friend, there are two urban myths afloat in Canada: That we are big in Australia or anywhere for that matter; and that Brock Vegas is a happening place to hang out. - JF
Q. You guys are like a lightning rod for some people's patriotism. How do you feel about fans who identify you and your music so closely with some sort of essential Canadian-ness? Are you proud of that, or is it just an unnecessary pressure that detracts from the music?
A. We've never consciously tried to elicit a patriotic response from our fans, nor have we tried to embody that in our lyrics.
Speaking for GD, I can tell you that we've never tried to edit ourselves in any way. You write about what you know, stories that move you in some way, or about themes you want to explore. Over the years, we have written some songs that refer to Canadian events specifically, and others that reflect our response as Canadians to other themes and issues, because of who we are and how we've been raised. That's where it begins and ends for us. We'd never write a song because it was Canadian, nor would we avoid it.
If some of our fans can only identify with us on a nationalistic level, instead of a musical one, then I think that reflects more on them than it does on us.
Travelling abroad as much as we do has led us to appreciate where we live and who we are and I think our work reflects that; but we have definitely learned that there is no one distinct Canadian voice. All perspectives are valid, so we feel no pressure at all. - GS
Q. Who are some of the bands you guys like to listen to?
A. That's way too broad a question to answer. Every guy in the band has his faves, long term and those more of the flavour-of-the-week variety, and we're all very open-minded when it comes to music. Each of the other guys, in fact, has turned me on to great music of all different shapes and sizes. I listen to music every day. Right now I'm rediscovering The Cure, because I just saw them live for the first time this summer and I realised that in my mind I'd never given them the listen they deserve. I love Los Lobos' new record, Colossal Head. Turn off the TV and listen to more music, choose for yourself. - GS
Los Lobos, ODDS, Rheostatics, SOTW, the Inbreds, tonnes more. Anything good is the general rule. - PL
Old Faithfuls - Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, anything on Blue Note, Current Faves - Material, anything with Sly and Robbie, Lakshmi Ranganathan - RB
I won't commit the error of catalogues and lists, when it comes to music I'll leave that up to Maclean's Magazine. - GD
D David Bowie
G Gabriel
Z Zimmy - Zimmerman
D has already been taken, but Bob-O is great - Dylan
These artists are so mega in The Hip's mind that they have had their letters retired. Heavy plays on the bus. - JF
Q. I had the opportunity to hear a song called "Get Back Again", which I think was recorded at some CBC session. From what I've been told it was written by Gord Sinclair. Is this true? Also, what ever happened to this great song? Everyone I know who has heard it has fallen in love with it.
A. Get Back Again is a great song, and Paul and Gord recorded it at CBC with Murray McLauchlan and his band. I have always loved that song and have wanted to put it on a record for a long time. However, you probably like it because the other three of us are not on it. - JF
Q. How would you (the Hip) explain the style of music that you all play. Some say that it's a touch of jazz blues with rock.
A. I'd say we re a peppy little five piece combo of eclectic/post - modern/experimental traditionalists, or maybe a jazz/blues/raga/roots/rock band with a heavy metal/folk/rap sensibility. - RB
Q. Does the band have any plans of putting out a live album(s) in the near future? Perhaps even a live 4 CD box set (one can hope).
A. We are thinking about it (live album), just don't know when. - Band