[Sabina]

is he talking about the Rex Hotel on Queen St. W? Anyone know? I've been wondering about that for years now.

[beanmedic]

i always thought that referred to the grid-like layout of the streets in toronto.

[kari]

He's making a reference to the now defunct Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto.

Kari

[Sabina]

hock: WHAT!!!
What do you mean now defunct?
That's one of my favourite bars ever! hock:

...but I don't recall checkerboard floors there. Where were they? by the the pooltables, up front, or in the back? The Rex has (or had) a checkerboard floor up the street though.

Don't tell me they closed the Horseshoe

[mats]

FYI,

He is referring to the Rex and The Horshoe is still alive and wonderful.

Cheers,
Mats.

[Sabina]

hock: No f*cking way!!! hock:
So it it really IS the Rex then! too cool! ...thinking all these years it was and then it turning out to really be the case! :mrgreen:
and yeah, I checked out the Horseshoe website - *phew*!

that verse in Bobcageon still gives me the tingles..know how that happens with certain songs? Thanks a lot Mats :thumb:

[kari]

Actually, I was under the assumption that the Horseshoe had closed. I must be thinking of another place (the Elmacombo, or however it's spelled, I think that must be what I was thinking about that had closed).

But actually...during the Phantom Power tour, Gord told me that the reference was about the times they had playing at the Horseshoe Tavern. I'm not sure if he meant the actual bar in reference to the 'checkerboard floor' comment (even though I know it has no check floors, I've seen The Hip play there)...or, if he meant a reference to the timeline back during that heyday (meaning the simpler life they had back then). It was really one of those things you could have taken either way.

In any event, he did tell me it was referenced to the Horeshoe. When we asked him what 'checkerboard floors' meant, I believe his quote was something like 'It's about back in the day of the Horseshoe Tavern'.

Kari

[beanmedic]

oh well, i remember hearing that it refers to the streets of toronto. oh well, a bar makes much more sense anyway.

[ron]

i also heard that is was the way the streets of toronto grid together

Ron

[Sabina]

The reason I always thought it was the Rex is because the checkerboard floor REALLY stands out in that place. It makes a big impression...
But in the end i guess it doesn't really matter I sauppose...even if it's NOT the Rex and is the Horseshoe or the street grid it's art right? It's whatever you make of it is what's important.
I'll continue to think of it as the Rex just because.
Thanks to all for replying.
U are all so nice here 8)

[beanmedic]

btw, what is the rex? where is it?

[Sabina]

It's a bar...has two floors. It's on the same side as the Horseshoe up a few blocks closer to Young. St.

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[anesthesiologist]

Yea its a great place. Used to come in from the suburbs to watch my various friends bands play there when we were all in high school. Also our jazz band conductor used to take us on trips there to watch ensembles play so we could learn from watching them. I think it was just an excuse for him to drink with us!!!

lates
aaron
btw the checkerboard floors thing isn't as big out here in vancouver as it was in TO. given that there are quite a number of ex-ontarians living here i thought it would elicit a similar reaction in concert. oh well, just have to keep the many memories of that line while seeing the boys in and around TO!!