Gangrel Wrote:I just wish I could put it into context. Put it in a frame, something so I can see what it all means. It's beauty for sure, but I just don't know what it's for.
Or, to put it another way, what's the thing that put the fuel on this fire in the first place?
I can't recall hearing anything bad about us at all.....
Wow, you must not have read a single article or review of the Hip in the last 10 years. Ever since the Hip became big in the mid-90s, a lot of music writers in this country (or as I like to call them: self-important elitist douchebags) love finding new ways to shit all over the Hip and their fans. They say things like "the Hip are nothing more than a glorified bar band" (Mike Bell, Calgary Sun) or that their fans are nothing more than beer-swilling baseball cap-wearing hoser frat boys. I also remember one critic in 2002 basically describing Hip fans as blind followers of a below-average band. I'd say there's plenty of fuel there to light Gord's fire. For years he was always so diplomatic when answering questions from dumbass Canadian critics asking them idiotic things like "how come you guys never made it big in the U.S.? Barenaked Ladies and Nickelback did it, so why haven't you?" I get the feeling this has been brewing up inside Gord for a while, and I think the Hall of Fame induction provided the perfect opportunity for him to finally sound off. A nice big "f--- you" to the critics and a love letter to his bandmates, their crew, and their fans. And I think it's beautiful.
Interestingly enough, it's the American critics who have always been the most kind when it comes to the Hip's music and live shows, at least from what I've noticed. From some of the U.S. articles I've read on the band, I get the impression that they see the Hip as a very unique entity, almost kind of exotic in a way. They sometimes write about how the their music isn't all that revolutionary, and it probably won't change the face of rock or anything like that, but it's the way they deliver that music that makes it so damn special. That and of course Gord's captivatingly poetic lyrics. But for some reason in their home country these same qualities routinely get dismissed as just a marginally talented rock band with a slightly eccentric lead singer. Here's a recent quote from Chart Magazine to help illustrate what I'm talking about:
"Sarah Harmer also presented fellow Kingstonians, The Tragically Hip, the newest inductees to the Juno Hall Of Fame. The Hip performed Fully Completely and Grace, Too in an odd spectacle that featured lead singer Gord Downie cryptically muttering nonsense between almost every lyric."
To me that last sentence just sounds so dismissive and condescending. No doubt Gord has been reading stuff like this about his band for an entire decade.
