[ikky99]

Mildly funny:

[youtube]watch?v=lDY4A3CvHEQ[/youtube]

[thebends]

Very funny actually, satire bestows homage in many ways.

[chives]

That is funny actually. I think that is what got a lot of people interested in the Hip in the first place. The Rants, the monologues, the ad-libs. It would be nice to see songs evolve from jams and rants again.

[Killer Whale Tank]

I actually see that piece as a symptom of what's wrong with the Hip's commercial situation. They are widely perceived as an arena-rock band like AC-DC, when IN FACT they are, and always have been, much more interesting artists than that. Since a hefty portion of their "fans" (which is to say, people that dug their big hits in the 1990s, without actually listening to what the band was up to) don't have any interest in creativity, or in music at all really except as some sort of casual lifestyle accoutrement, they've come to find the Hip frustrating. Otherwise put, this could be read as a send-up of the mindlessness of casual Hip "fans" more than of the band itself.

[direwolf74]

I actually see that piece as a symptom of what's wrong with the Hip's commercial situation. They are widely perceived as an arena-rock band like AC-DC, when IN FACT they are, and always have been, much more interesting artists than that. Since a hefty portion of their "fans" (which is to say, people that dug their big hits in the 1990s, without actually listening to what the band was up to) don't have any interest in creativity, or in music at all really except as some sort of casual lifestyle accoutrement, they've come to find the Hip frustrating. Otherwise put, this could be read as a send-up of the mindlessness of casual Hip "fans" more than of the band itself.

Great post, and I completely agree. Personally I prefer it when Gord rants at live shows. It's one of the main reasons I became interested in the band in the first place. They've never been your typical arena-rock band. They're much more interesting than that, and Gord's mid-song rants/stories are part of the appeal.

[WesleyC.]

I imagine that it must be kind of hard to be expected to make up rants and carry on, all the damn time, imagine a show where all Gord did was sing the lyrics as they are on the album? Would it be weird or good? Im not sure. I mean an entire concert where Gord basically is subdued and sings the songs as they are on the cd? Would it be better? I would really like to see back to back shows where got is let loose to say anything he wants and then the next show he sings it like on the cd. How would it effect the music, you know that the boys in the band would have to be super tight without the loose feeling that they can add some extra notes and riffs and carry on and jam, but imagine if they only played the hits perfect like a cd. Would they have new fans and lose old ones? Interesting how I never thought of this until this 22 minutes sketch.

[edgoffin]

I can't imagine a show with Gord just singing -- when I first say them, I guess 20+ years ago, it was his stage presence, ramblings that would turn into songs on the next album, that grabbed me. I remember reading something about REM a few years ago, essentially they were a bar band fronted by a odd, mumbling artist and that's what made them intriguing. I put the Hip in the same boat -- great band, but great because they are not by the note.

[RushFanForever]

I have mixed feelings about these This Hour Has 22 Minutes on bands.

They did one on Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings as well that I wasn't a fan of.