[mark]

Like many great actors, he can say so much with his eyes alone. At various times I've seen him look sinister, possessed, insane, etc., all with just his eyes. For example, I think most people find it more natural to move your head left to right (or right to left) to take in a scene but he often moves his eyes alone side-to-side on stage, and when he does it seems to convey something different. From 1:05 to 1:18 and especially from 3:52 to 4:07 in this video of Pigeon Camera, all you need to watch are his eyes and you will see what I'm blithering on about.

It would help if I had a working video: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f9E6V1xT1Ls">https://www.youtube.com/embed/f9E6V1xT1Ls</a><!-- m -->

this link works better <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9E6V1xT1Ls">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9E6V1xT1Ls</a><!-- m -->

[potsie]

Like many great actors, he can say so much with his eyes alone. At various times I've seen him look sinister, possessed, insane, etc., all with just his eyes. For example, I think most people find it more natural to move your head left to right (or right to left) to take in a scene but he often moves his eyes alone side-to-side on stage, and when he does it seems to convey something different. From 1:05 to 1:18 and especially from 3:52 to 4:07 in this video of Pigeon Camera, all you need to watch are his eyes and you will see what I'm blithering on about.

It would help if I had a working video: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f9E6V1xT1Ls">https://www.youtube.com/embed/f9E6V1xT1Ls</a><!-- m -->

this link works better <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9E6V1xT1Ls">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9E6V1xT1Ls</a><!-- m -->

Indeed. Thanks man!

[Moof_Milker]

Great thread.

But he does the cigar thing on Grace, Too. Or is that a cigarette :lol:

Gord put his thumb and index finger together and held them to his mouth after the "Could have been the Willie Nelson" line in Bobcaygeon during a Toronto show and the light finally went on for me after all these years. For some reason I always pictured the couple in the song staying up late, drinking wine, while listening to Willie Nelson records. It's so obvious to me now (and I feel a bit slow for being so late to the party on this one), but it took one of his pantomimes to make me realize the true meaning of that line. So he's faux smoking at least three things on stage!

The exact thing happened to me in winnipeg. I was too embarassed to admit it!!! :lol:

I had the exact same epiphany with the Willie Nelson line! Willie Nelson is a euphemism for weed! Or at least it could be. As for Gord's pantomimes, I often think that when he is singing older songs, it's almost as if he's singing someone else's words -- as any of us would likely do if we had to recite something we wrote 20 years ago. He's singing words he wrote decades ago through the filter of his present self. Think of Mick Jagger singing Satisfaction in 2016. What is he thinking/feeling when he sings those lyrics? I doubt anything at all. He's no longer the man who wrote those words, yet he performs them with the illusion that he is. That's fine. There's nothing inherently wrong that that. But I feel with Gord, he's constantly rediscovering himself on stage...rediscovering his own words. Imagine how much fun Gord would have today with Satisfaction if it was a song he had written years ago? Whether it's during a song he wrote 25 years ago or even last year, Gord is constantly discovering his music. Sometimes he does it playfully, other times he's embarrassed, other times connects the same way he did when he wrote it. One of the reviews from the latest tour pointed this out. I forget who wrote it, but someone said Gord delivers lines like it's the first time he's saying them. That's what I love about his performances. Gord is at his best when he's experiencing his music in the present tense.

[sonichka11]

I don't know if I buy it that every move is some calculated hidden meaning. During this tour especially they were quite repetitive and often completely random. He wasn't quite the same wreckless Gord from previous tours.

[chagrinfalls]

Great thread.
As for Gord's pantomimes, I often think that when he is singing older songs, it's almost as if he's singing someone else's words -- as any of us would likely do if we had to recite something we wrote 20 years ago. He's singing words he wrote decades ago through the filter of his present self. Think of Mick Jagger singing Satisfaction in 2016. What is he thinking/feeling when he sings those lyrics? I doubt anything at all. He's no longer the man who wrote those words, yet he performs them with the illusion that he is. That's fine. There's nothing inherently wrong that that. But I feel with Gord, he's constantly rediscovering himself on stage...rediscovering his own words. Imagine how much fun Gord would have today with Satisfaction if it was a song he had written years ago? Whether it's during a song he wrote 25 years ago or even last year, Gord is constantly discovering his music. Sometimes he does it playfully, other times he's embarrassed, other times connects the same way he did when he wrote it. One of the reviews from the latest tour pointed this out. I forget who wrote it, but someone said Gord delivers lines like it's the first time he's saying them. That's what I love about his performances. Gord is at his best when he's experiencing his music in the present tense.

You bring up such great points! Re imagining Satisfaction being Gord's property--that would be some beautiful chaos on stage. He could shake the sex out of that song in ways that make me blush to think about. Plus all the other meanings & echoes & reverbs he would find. The comparison to the Stones is an interesting one, esp considering that some members of the Hip seem to be genuine fans. Does the comparison hold up in other ways? I've often compared them to The Who, I think just because of the quality of writing, & the similarities & differences between Gord & Pete. Gord generally comes out 'way ahead in the comparison--I just can't understand how Pete can tolerate going out on stage as a Pete impersonator year after year. Lol--Pete has often been pretty vocal about how he can't understand how or why he does it either. One of the hardest things for me re Gord's health is that I had just always assumed I would get to hear Gord's take on aging & whatever other things were going on for him at each future stage of his life. Because he continues to write. Which means their stage performances are not frozen in amber like the Who. I can't understand why Pete stopped adding to his body of work.

This thread is a lot of fun to read. And in no other place in my life is it productive that I actually spend time thinking about Gord's eyebrows, lol. I thank the stars above for this terrarium. Or this titanic.

[Scotty12]

One of my favorite Gord pantomimes is from this 2009 version of Long Time Running from Syracuse. Watch from 0:41 to 0:54, where he picks up the phone, slams it down, has a 2nd thought and picks it up again, and then slams it back down. For some reason I just find it funny as hell.

[youtube]CGjk5-Dk5f0[/youtube]

That is awesome, hadn't seen that before ... since the show. Thanks for posting.

About 10 seconds into this video of Puttin Down from Kingston Gord has some solid smoking pantomimes

[youtube]sup9KBg7jWk[/youtube]

[chagrinfalls]

chagrinfalls...

I could not have captured my thoughts as well as this. Thank you.

I read your comments, so I know this isn't true!
There's also a chance your comment is some Gord Downie sincere sarcasm :wink: so my apologies if I stepped on any toes somehow--it wasn't intentional. Sometimes, esp wrt the Hip, I just get a little intoxicated & plow ahead in more cowbell mode.

[andrew sharpe]

My favourite reoccurring pantomime will always be Gord stalking the stage like a polar bear in captivity at the end of Gus.

[Chris Tanz]

chagrinfalls...

I could not have captured my thoughts as well as this. Thank you.

I read your comments, so I know this isn't true!
There's also a chance your comment is some Gord Downie sincere sarcasm :wink: so my apologies if I stepped on any toes somehow--it wasn't intentional. Sometimes, esp wrt the Hip, I just get a little intoxicated & plow ahead in more cowbell mode.

Just sincerity. Not sarcasm. I was having a disorganized time with this topic and you came and organized it. I had said in an earlier response that I might try to be comprehensible about it, but felt like your post said it all, so I basically just "me too"'ed it.