Great read, and you get the feeling that the author is a fan.
And as articles on the web have a tendancy to disappear:
Is Gord Downie insane? That is the question asked by pretty much anyone who has been to a Tragically Hip concert in their life. The front man’s signature swaying, shaking, dancing, and occasional breaking out into poetry has made millions of Canadians come to the same conclusion; If there is a fine line between genius and insanity, Downie walks it. It was 1987 when the Hip released their debut self-titled album, and now, 18 years and nine albums later, The Tragically Hip have released a box set, Hipeponymous, which includes two audio CDs of their greatest hits, a DVD containing a concert filmed last year at the ACC, and a bonus disk of all their released videos. Given that Hilary Duff has recently also released a best-of album, it seems strange in contrast, to consider that what has arguably been Canada’s favorite band for almost two decades has only now released a comprehensive look back.
Almost every Canadian is familiar with the Tragically Hip, and even if they don’t think they are, they know the songs. They might not know the names, but they know the songs. 21-year-old London resident and science major Danielle Boussen describes them as “quintessentially Canadian” and that adequately defines an institution in our national identity. The question that must be asked, however, is “are they innately Canadian? Or are they considered Canadian as a result of our conditioning to see them in that light?” Music is about connection, and every Canadian who has sat beside a bonfire in Penetanguashine, learned to skate on a frozen pond, or gotten stuck on the two lane highway to Barrie while driving to Edgefest has a Hip connection. After a childhood comprised of these memories, the Hip are immediately familiar to most people who shared those “quintessentially Canadian” memories. Are they, however, familiar because of some visceral Canadian connection that the music has tapped into, or simply because an FM radio was usually on while we were all building these memories? The answer I would submit is that it is impossible to say and that it no longer matters.
If one wants to look for the roots of truly Canadian popular music, it probably starts with Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Cockburn and Leonard Cohen. It continues with Neil Young, turns up with The Hip, and can be seen popping up all over Canada through bands ranging from Winnipeg’s Weakerthans, straight through to Halifax’s Joel Plaskett. It would be an error to heap praise upon the recent spat of Canadian art-rock supergroups as the bastion of Canadian music. As successful as they have been internationally, the Canadian identity can only be appreciated from within, and true Canadiana lies in Gord Downie teaching us the fate of a missing hockey player, or watching constellations come out in a cottage town up north. These are things we relate to. Whether it’s a natural connection between us, or one crafted by the fact that we all listened to the same radio growing up, that connection is there, and The Tragically Hip make it almost tangible. When listening to “Bobcaygeon,” and Downie wails “that night in Toronto” even if they haven’t been listening to the lyrics, the listener immediately understands the emotion, if not the situation.
Anyone unfamiliar with the connection created by the Hip should see them live. A Molson in hand and a vague, mouthing familiarity with the lyrics will instantly gain the concertgoer around 20,000 new friends on a single night. As Downie shuffles and shakes around the stage with his eyes closed and you can’t help watching, consider that every single person in the room, from the 16-year-old with his dad, to the fat guy with a painted face and a Canadian flag, is thinking the same thing: “I am so proud to be Canadian.” It’s a feeling of such unbridled and positive nationalism that can only be brought on by a musical group that has grown up over 18 years, creating beautiful songs and establishing an almost cult following that would make Eddie Vedder jealous.
The concert film One Night in Toronto included in the Hipeponymous box set shows the Hip’s seemingly impossible ability to strike a chord of both intimacy and community in the same performance. The box set is a must for every Canadian—whether they are fans of the band, or just looking for a soundtrack to their memories of growing up in such a great nation. I can take comfort in the fact that even 20 years from now, when Molson Park is paved over for a shopping mall, and global warming makes skating on frozen ponds a thing of the past, I will have this set, to show my children what my Canada once was.
• Adam Owen
