Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - Printable Version
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Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - Chris Tanz - 10-19-2017
chagrinfalls Wrote:even in life Gord was mostly spirit, mostly human soul. He seemed at home in the world that is invisible, that can't be seen with the human eye but is real & present nonetheless. The world of all the powerful but invisible energies of the spirit, like love & creativity & joy & despair. Now he's all spirit, which doesn't mean he's gone but just means he's in a place that's harder to get to than Toronto.
That was some pretty special eloquence there. Thank you.
Two thoughts came to mind reading that -- as the illness took hold and Gord continued to be public, during performances or appearing in connection with his First Nations' work, my thought was I could see the inside spirit coming out of the mortal man, till the point where he was becoming almost entirely spirit. Like through the illness he had just decided, or it had been decided for him, to turn himself inside out -- and like the Mansbridge interview to just show everybody what was inside a person -- a spirit, a soul.
The second thought was a quote from a French language review of a concert that I used to have as my signature on hipbase -- that during the performance, Downie was fully inhabited by the music.
He was fully inhabited by the music, the creativity, the love -- and that is what he leave us with. And his death is so poignant for so many, because we see what we are all meant to do, be, become.
ct
Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - MicWales1 - 10-19-2017
i'm looking for a today's Toronto Star. Who has a spare copy??
Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - Possum - 10-19-2017
Gord Downie was the first artist that I ever truly loved. His lyrics, his poetry, his stage presence all spoke to me. The way he wrote about Canada, about relationships, about regret, about staring into a fire before TV, taught me to look beauty in the mundane. There was a humbleness to him that I loved. Humble, but still a rock star. I always wanted to be as cool as him. I am as bald, but I was never as skinny. I'm sitting at my desk, I have a class full of 28 ten year olds. They are quietly writing stories. It seems like a simple way to honor my favorite writer.(plus I can sit in the back of the room and cry). RIP Gord Downie.
"Me and the vivid girl
In our hammock to the stars
Staring into the fire before TV
The remote control's on Mars" - Sherpa -my favorite lyrics.
Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - ashtrayrock - 10-19-2017
MicWales1 Wrote:i'm looking for a today's Toronto Star. Who has a spare copy??
i can pick u up one after work if u really need it
send me a private message to work out the details
Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - Bookhead - 10-19-2017
I've spent the last 24 hours or so mourning the folks on the Tragically Hip Fan Forum on Facebook (I am guessing some of those folks there are also on Hipbase). Anyway, just want to say how sad I am about Gord. I knew this day would eventually come, but I still wasn't prepared for it when I saw the news yesterday morning. Thoughts and prayers to Gord's family, friends, and fans.
Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - senrab - 10-19-2017
These [terrible] photos of a show at the 9:30 Club in 2009 popped up in my “On This Day” FB memories this morning.
Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - Chris Tanz - 10-19-2017
Possum Wrote:Gord Downie was the first artist that I ever truly loved. His lyrics, his poetry, his stage presence all spoke to me. The way he wrote about Canada, about relationships, about regret, about staring into a fire before TV, taught me to look beauty in the mundane. There was a humbleness to him that I loved. Humble, but still a rock star. I always wanted to be as cool as him. I am as bald, but I was never as skinny. I'm sitting at my desk, I have a class full of 28 ten year olds. They are quietly writing stories. It seems like a simple way to honor my favorite writer.(plus I can sit in the back of the room and cry). RIP Gord Downie.
"Me and the vivid girl
In our hammock to the stars
Staring into the fire before TV
The remote control's on Mars" - Sherpa -my favorite lyrics.
That is a great way to honour him -- inspire the next one. Have a good cry. We all deserve it. We are all in it together.
ct
Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - ashtrayrock - 10-19-2017
as time permits i will again share my story about gord buying me a beer at massey hall for the jeff beck show but for now
i've had the privilege of meeting gord a few times and will never forget the last time
at the gov't mule show at the danforth, less than a year ago. nov 1 2016
it's set break and everyone is outside having a smoke
i notice this couple walk arm in arm wrapped together as one. bundled up
they pass me by super fast but not so fast that i didn't get a quick glimpse of that face.
i knew that face. they walked by so fast no one even noticed.
i decided that i must KNOW...so i ran up to them and caught up and got in front of them to look gord straight in the face
i needed to know if it was him and sure enough it was! so there i am staring at them face to face
i'm always in shock when i meet my heroes and this chance meeting isn't any different
once i realized it was him i looked him straight in the eye and said "gord, i love you"
it's all i could think of and it came from deep down inside. all those years combined. how could i not have deeply loved him?
he looked at me and asked my name. i replied and then said thanks and left them alone as i didn't want to be that guy
one time when i met him at the phoenix night club i asked him to sign my world container cd booklet
as gracious as he always was he asked my name and i told him
he crossed out the word world and put "john" in there instead and signed it
the thing about gord is he was a music fan. i would see him a local concerts
be it jeff beck at massey hall, the skydiggers at winter garden or gov't mule etc. he was out and about. he loved music as much as we all did
while i'm sure he could have been backstage i always saw him in the seats and not even the up close ones either!
much respect and love for him. i'm still not over this and it will take a long time
lots of respect for him at the johnny clegg show last night. johnny's got cancer and is on his last tour
shout outs a few times and songs deadicated to him
same venue that we all saw the gord and gord show at(songwriters-lightfoot and downie)
this is what a lifetime of hip ticket stubs looks like
i will update shortly to include it with the last tour and/or remove it and make a new one
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Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - ikky99 - 10-19-2017
Possum Wrote:Gord Downie was the first artist that I ever truly loved. His lyrics, his poetry, his stage presence all spoke to me. The way he wrote about Canada, about relationships, about regret, about staring into a fire before TV, taught me to look beauty in the mundane. There was a humbleness to him that I loved. Humble, but still a rock star. I always wanted to be as cool as him. I am as bald, but I was never as skinny. I'm sitting at my desk, I have a class full of 28 ten year olds. They are quietly writing stories. It seems like a simple way to honor my favorite writer.(plus I can sit in the back of the room and cry). RIP Gord Downie.
"Me and the vivid girl
In our hammock to the stars
Staring into the fire before TV
The remote control's on Mars" - Sherpa -my favorite lyrics.
Nice words Dirty Frank! Beautiful!
Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - socalhipfan - 10-19-2017
so glad I got to spend 31 nights in the same room as him with the hip, watching him, listening to him, laughing, crying, feeling. also got to spend 2 nights with him and his solo band.
thanks for the 33 shows. thanks for the words and music that lives forever.
Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - clarke - 10-19-2017
https://twitter.com/cmaconthehill/status/921047992106225664 The Peace Tower carillon playing Bobcaygeon in honour of Gord today.
Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - chagrinfalls - 10-19-2017
Great piece about the themes Gord returns to again & again in his writing:
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Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - edgoffin - 10-19-2017
While laying on the couch basically weeping my way through albums last night, one really cool bright spot. Was in Fight, my 11 year old went in to the kitchen and started making his lunch for the school day. He didn't know I was watching, and while working his way around making a sandwich he started doing what could only be described as a "Gord dance". Was really nice to watch him find the joy in the music.
Reading through these comments, and then others online -- a lot are about the music, but just as many are about brief encounters where Gord left an impression as a humble, gracious and honest human. As much as I'm saddened by no more new music, no more live shows, it's made far worse that we lost a person of that quality. If I feel that way, I can't imagine the lose for those who truly knew him and were a part of his life.
Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - ewallman - 10-19-2017
chagrinfalls Wrote:Great piece about the themes Gord returns to again & again in his writing:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/gord-downie-legacy-lyrics-1.4360141">http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/go ... -1.4360141</a><!-- m -->
Downie, who died Tuesday at age 53, was seemingly incapable of writing a cliché. His lyrics avoided pop-rock boilerplate and had themes and motifs, not to mention heart and insight.
Incapable of writing a cliche..short but powerful insight
Re: Gordon Edgar Downie -RIP - sherpahigh - 10-19-2017
You'd think this would be less of a gut punch with so long to prepare for it, yet the lump I've had in my throat since yesterday morning would suggest otherwise.
Thanks for all the words, everyone, I'm feeling rather rudderless at the moment. Gord's words have woven themselves into so many of my own life's moments.... such pain from the loss of someone I've never actually met, yet he feels like family.
RIP Gord. I'm going to miss you like hell.
