PunBB

I'm sure its been asked a thousand times, but is Greasy Jungle about somebody's funeral?

I actually *listen* listened to the lyrics a while back, and I just get this impression of the sudden death of a close relative and going to their house to pack up their stuff.

Aside from the "funeral home sandwiches and coffee", the part about "I saw your hands melt into one and other" to me evokes the image of the classic funeral pose for the corpse, one hand in the other.

Then the song shifts to the recently deceased's house, where he's helping to clean up the house by doing the dishes; implying that the person lived alone and died suddenly at home.

Here ya go.. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.geocities.com/stephendame/jungle.html">http://www.geocities.com/stephendame/jungle.html</a><!-- m -->

<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.geocities.com/stephendame">www.geocities.com/stephendame</a><!-- w -->

Here are a couple of realted stories from WAY back.:

Story #1:

Rene Bostelaar Dec 25 1998, 4:00 am

Newsgroups: alt.music.tragically-hip
From: <!-- e --><a href="mailto:d...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA">d...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA</a><!-- e --> (Rene Bostelaar) -
Date: 1998/12/25
Subject: Drop to the floor in a fit of understanding

I am still feeling from my latest bout of understanding. I just figured
out something about the Hip that a) puts an enigmatic song in perspective, and
b) connects me with one of my favourite songs.

Try to follow, please:

While waiting 18 hours for Hip tickets outisde the Corel Centre, one of
the topics we explored was the meaning og Greasy Jungle. It was settled
that it was about Kanata, an Ottawa suburb:
"I drove down your road
to Hazeldean where I tasted
your funeral home's sandwhiches and coffee
I saw your hands melt into one another
I saw you grieve and grow
care alot about one another."
Hazeldean was the original name of Kanata. There is a Hazeldean road that
leads to Kelly Funeral Homes.

After I was on the news waiting for Hip tickets, my art teacher Mr. Young
commented that he had seen me and that he had a family member married to a
Hip band memeber. He then related a story about the band coming to his
grandmother's funeral, and how nobody at the funeral home knew who they
were. I filed that story away in my mind.

Over the weekend I was at my dear grandpa's funeral. The line 'Hands melt
into one another' finally made sense as I watched people's hands
intertwine, and tears roll down their cheeks. I kept thinking about how
wonderfully phrased that lyric was, thinking about Gord observing a
funeral.

Observing a funeral.. from the side, because nobody knew who he was.

At Mr. Young's grandma's funeral.

That's it. Merry Christmas.

- Ren -

Stroy #2

Remember that CTV cheap-ass production, 'Justice'? The Hip worked on that
soundtrack.

They sequestered themselves in Jersey in 1997, and they came up with a few
songs. This was pre-Phantom Power, and a little ditty with some embryonic
Bobcaygeon verses showed up ("He stepped up to the mic and sang/his voice it
tinkled like a chandellier"). They also wrote Puttin' Down during that
period. Overall, there were some beautiful little instrumental moments
during that lame movie, and I really wish that we could get our hands on it.
So, I expect something of the same for this new movie.


I often imagine striking up a friendship with Gord and the band. Maybe I
send him a few of my photos, or maybe I work the one "connection" I have (my
art teacher's cousin is married to Gord Downie. No shit. I never believed
him, but it turns out to be true. Greasy Jungle is about my teacher's mom's
funeral, which gord -- uncomfortably -- attended). But I imagine being
friends with him, and being invited to the bath house. And maybe, while
shaking my hand goodbye, he slips me a little tape with the Justice songs on
it.
- Ren -

Story #3

Rene Bostelaar Jul 15 1999, 3:00 am

Newsgroups: alt.music.tragically-hip
From: <!-- e --><a href="mailto:d...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA">d...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA</a><!-- e --> (Rene Bostelaar) - Find messages by this author
Date: 1999/07/15
Subject: Re: ARA '93 in STITTSVILLE

I wasn't there, but I may be able to help.
He probably said "Hazeldean". That was the original name of Kanata (now
famous for being the home of the Corel Centre and 5 dead teenagers. I knew
hald the kids in that accident). In Greasy Jungle, he says "I drove down
your road to Hazeldean where I tasted your funeral home's sandwhiches and
coffee", because that song is about falling in love with a girl from
Kanata, and then attending her grandmother's funeral. That girl is my art
teacher's niece, actually. But Hazeldean is the old name of Kanata, and
now the name of a shopping centre near the Kelly Funeral Home.
Manotick and Kanata are settlements near Stittsville, and Munster Hamlet
is a tiny little burg, 6 miles from civilization, where I wasted 7 years
of my life.

- Ren -

I met that guy a few times (Ren). I actually met him at a hip show and then dated one of his friends for a few years. Small world....

I have not heard from Ren in about two years.
Last I knew he was schooling/traveling - and trying to be a photographer.
Good luck to him.

Tthip Wrote:I have not heard from Ren in about two years.
Last I knew he was schooling/traveling - and trying to be a photographer.
Good luck to him.

I've always wondered what Ren was up to. Never met him in person, but I remember chatting with him quite a bit on the old newsgroup. I made my first bootleg trade with Ren, way back in the old "tape trading" days, before digital downloads or CD burners. Dub the show onto cassette, stick it in an evelope and send 'er off. That's how it was done back then, kids. And that was only 7 freakin years ago! Amazing how fast technology has evolved since then. I kinda miss those days actually. There was nothing more exciting than opening up the mailbox and discovering that your new Hip tapes had arrived. Ahh, good times.

Getting back on topic though...yeah, Greasy Jungle. Great song. Definitely one of the Hip's best. Heard them play it in Boston in '02 and it was absolutely heavenly. Here's hoping it makes it's way back into the set for the next tour.

LizardKing51 Wrote:Here ya go.. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.geocities.com/stephendame/jungle.html">http://www.geocities.com/stephendame/jungle.html</a><!-- m -->

<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.geocities.com/stephendame">www.geocities.com/stephendame</a><!-- w -->

Flipping through the site, I noticed a comment in the Inevitablilty of Death area, where Stephen says that he's been campaigning unsuccessfully for Terry Fox to be put on Canadian currency. He got his wish...

Tthip Wrote:I have not heard from Ren in about two years.
Last I knew he was schooling/traveling - and trying to be a photographer.
Good luck to him.

I found Ren!

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.last.fm/user/Heinekren/journal/">http://www.last.fm/user/Heinekren/journal/</a><!-- m -->

and

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://ren-nl.blogspot.com/">http://ren-nl.blogspot.com/</a><!-- m -->

Tthip Wrote:Here are a couple of realted stories from WAY back.:

Story #1:

Rene Bostelaar Dec 25 1998, 4:00 am

Newsgroups: alt.music.tragically-hip
From: d...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Rene Bostelaar) -
Date: 1998/12/25
Subject: Drop to the floor in a fit of understanding

I am still feeling from my latest bout of understanding. I just figured
out something about the Hip that a) puts an enigmatic song in perspective, and
b) connects me with one of my favourite songs.

Try to follow, please:

While waiting 18 hours for Hip tickets outisde the Corel Centre, one of
the topics we explored was the meaning og Greasy Jungle. It was settled
that it was about Kanata, an Ottawa suburb:
"I drove down your road
to Hazeldean where I tasted
your funeral home's sandwhiches and coffee
I saw your hands melt into one another
I saw you grieve and grow
care alot about one another."
Hazeldean was the original name of Kanata. There is a Hazeldean road that
leads to Kelly Funeral Homes.

After I was on the news waiting for Hip tickets, my art teacher Mr. Young
commented that he had seen me and that he had a family member married to a
Hip band memeber. He then related a story about the band coming to his
grandmother's funeral, and how nobody at the funeral home knew who they
were. I filed that story away in my mind.

Over the weekend I was at my dear grandpa's funeral. The line 'Hands melt
into one another' finally made sense as I watched people's hands
intertwine, and tears roll down their cheeks. I kept thinking about how
wonderfully phrased that lyric was, thinking about Gord observing a
funeral.

Observing a funeral.. from the side, because nobody knew who he was.

At Mr. Young's grandma's funeral.

- Ren -

Incredible.

Lizard King Wrote:Here ya go.. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.geocities.com/stephendame/jungle.html">http://www.geocities.com/stephendame/jungle.html</a><!-- m -->

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.geocities.com/stephendame">http://www.geocities.com/stephendame</a><!-- m -->

Anyone have the info from these two links ?

One of the best parts about The Hip's songs is I can dream up what the song is about.

The geocities sites linked above have evolved into <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.hipmuseum.com">www.hipmuseum.com</a><!-- w -->


LETTER: THE TRAGICALLY HIP HAVE A REALLY SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART
AUGUST 20, 2016 STITTSVILLE CENTRAL STAFF
(Leslie McKay is a longtime Stittsville resident and shared this story about her family’s connection with The Tragically Hip.)

[attachment=966]

"A photo of my Dad (Bill McKay) from June 1992 while he was at the Toronto General Hospital awaiting his transplant. He looks so healthy, you wouldn't think of what was ahead of him on February 16, 1993 when he finally received his lungs," writes Lesley McKay.
“A photo of my Dad (Bill McKay) from June 1992 while he was at the Toronto General Hospital awaiting his transplant. He looks so healthy, you wouldn’t think of what was ahead of him on February 16, 1993 when he finally received his lungs,” writes Lesley McKay.


When my Dad was awaiting his double-lung transplant in Toronto (waited 18 months 1991-93) he lived with Gord Downie’s wife Laura’s parents Nancy and Barry Usher in Toronto. Nancy is a Bradley (daughter of Muriel & Grant Bradley) from here in Stittsville and was a nurse.

Just thought you might like to know that The Tragically Hip wrote two songs in 1993/94 on their Day for Night album for my father. They wrote Inevitability of Death and Greasy Jungle for him. IofD was written for when he received his lungs from Terry and when he passed away from his double-lung transplant, hence the ending of the song. GJ was written after they attended his wake and funeral in 1993 at Tubman’s Funeral Home (my cousins by the way) and coming to our house.

At the time, my sister was on the gymnastics team at Queen’s – lyrics “soulful gymnast above the snow” in our backyard. They also made a really special t-shirt for Dad which I have and the notes they wrote when he received his lungs.

While in hospital, the guys would come to visit Dad, and we could always tell when they were there. The nurses and doctors came from all over the hospital to see them to get pics and autographs. Dad loved these guys so much. He went to Gord and Laura’s wedding and they took him to concerts with them on the tour bus and everything. He had a great time with them all. But Gord was like the son he never had.

Doing this tour just shows the true ‘Courage’ he has and how much he loves Canada and the devoted fans who have followed them all in their adventures in life throughout the years.

We have lots of good memories of how well Dad was treated by all of the band members and it is so sad what is happening to Gord and I can only pray for a peaceful journey for him.

This is a bittersweet time for me, as my Mom passed away in 2009 from the same brain tumour that Gord has and she also had surgery.

Leslie McKay
Stittsville

Thanks for sharing this, was not aware of this amazing story.

Interesting contradiction of the old 2005 post about the 1998 story on whose funeral it was. (And the new info about IoD "Terry")

On a lighter note I just recently noticed that Metropolis Noir is the official French name for Nabob Full City Dark coffee. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.kraftcanada.com/products/00060200001160">http://www.kraftcanada.com/products/00060200001160</a><!-- m -->. I remember a newsgroup post back in like 1999 where someone (maybe me??!) was asking if anyone knew the spoken line at the end of Greasy Jungle. Not in the lyric book and nobody seemed to know it for sure, although with the benefit of google I found a 1996 post that had it. (Later live recordings are clear that it's Full City Dark.)

Moosehead Wrote:Interesting contradiction of the old 2005 post about the 1998 story on whose funeral it was. (And the new info about IoD "Terry")

On a lighter note I just recently noticed that Metropolis Noir is the official French name for Nabob Full City Dark coffee. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.kraftcanada.com/products/00060200001160">http://www.kraftcanada.com/products/00060200001160</a><!-- m -->. I remember a newsgroup post back in like 1999 where someone (maybe me??!) was asking if anyone knew the spoken line at the end of Greasy Jungle. Not in the lyric book and nobody seemed to know it for sure, although with the benefit of google I found a 1996 post that had it. (Later live recordings are clear that it's Full City Dark.)

The first time I remember seeing Metropolis Noir coffee was maybe in 2009 when I was slinging coffee and We Are The Same came out (i think?) At first I thought it was a coincidence, but then they added a 'flavour descriptor' beneath the name of the coffee, and it was described as 'Full City Dark'.