OT: Gord Downie, The Tragically Hip Lead Singer, Dies at 53

[Armor and Sword]

He had brain cancer.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/gord-downie-tragically-hip-lead-singer-dies-53-n811821

 

[Kbee3]

Big fan.
Damn shame.

 

[FELONIOUSMONK]

This guy and the guy from Huskerr Du both in their 50's.Bowie and Petty in their 60's.Tough business. But Fats Domino Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis continue to live and Chuck berry was in his 90's when he said goodbye to Maybelline.Go figure.

 

[krup]

The 5 album run the Hip had from Road Apples to Phantom Power was pretty incredible. They never broke in the States, but were a really good band.

 

[RU848789]

The 5 album run the Hip had from Road Apples to Phantom Power was pretty incredible. They never broke in the States, but were a really good band.

Yep, I'm sure the Verge, the Canadian Indie/Rock channel on SiriusXM, will be playing them 24/7...

 

[Kbee3]

The 5 album run the Hip had from Road Apples to Phantom Power was pretty incredible. They never broke in the States, but were a really good band.

I have all of those. I don't think they ever made a "Greatest Hits" album, but I have a tape I put together of what I consider their best stuff and often include it among what I play at RU tailgates. It's gonna be hard to listen to for a while though.

 

[RutgersRockies]

Yer Favourites could be considered a greatest hits album.

 

[BHSPCRU]

They really tapped into Canadian culture at their height of popularity and what it meant to be Canadian. I saw them at Canada Day at Central Park summerstage one year and it was beyond packed. Although Jeff Healy and Great Big Sea were on the bill it seemed like everyone was there for one reason and that was The Tragically Hip for free which according to people around me was not normal usually selling out hockey arenas in Canada, The Canadians were so excited and drunk that even during the openers sets u would hear hip hip hip chants between songs. It was really surreal and as an American extremely strange a foreigner in my own city amongst white people who were like me but weren’t. Speaking my language but not totally the way I would speak such as the way they said the word about and using eh a lot . I heard their whole set thought they were good but never thought it was was the absolute best band ever like everyone else was feeling. I kept looking for Americans and finally found one who was there for Jeff Healy and he just said straightforward he didn’t get it and thought Tragicslly hip were awful. To me the band really made Canadians proud to be Canadians and not just North Americans an identity all of their own. One of my Canadian friends was just gutted yesterday and he felt alone because he was in Cincinnati on business. Gord Downey was not polarizing like our Bruce Springsteen no Canadian would ever say a bad thing about him or say he sucked ever... he was truly a uniting figure for Canadians... a sad day but one as an American musician fan will never quite understand the cultural significance to Canadians but I don’t need to....

 

[e5fdny]

They really tapped into Canadian culture at their height of popularity and what it meant to be Canadian. I saw them at Canada Day at Central Park summerstage one year and it was beyond packed. Although Jeff Healy and Great Big Sea were on the bill it seemed like everyone was there for one reason and that was The Tragically Hip for free which according to people around me was not normal usually selling out hockey arenas in Canada, The Canadians were so excited and drunk that even during the openers sets u would hear hip hip hip chants between songs. It was really surreal and as an American extremely strange a foreigner in my own city amongst white people who were like me but weren’t. Speaking my language but not totally the way I would speak such as the way they said the word about and using eh a lot . I heard their whole set thought they were good but never thought it was was the absolute best band ever like everyone else was feeling. I kept looking for Americans and finally found one who was there for Jeff Healy and he just said straightforward he didn’t get it and thought Tragicslly hip were awful. To me the band really made Canadians proud to be Canadians and not just North Americans an identity all of their own. One of my Canadian friends was just gutted yesterday and he felt alone because he was in Cincinnati on business. Gord Downey was not polarizing like our Bruce Springsteen no Canadian would ever say a bad thing about him or say he sucked ever... he was truly a uniting figure for Canadians... a sad day but one as an American musician fan will never quite understand the cultural significance to Canadians but I don’t need to....

I like Great Big Sea.

Discovered them many years ago at the Guinness Fleadh on Randall’s Island.

 

[RutgersRockies]

I watched the Hip's final concert on a live stream. It truly was something to behold. I love this song because the music video combines three of my favorite pieces of Canadian culture.

 

[krup]

They really tapped into Canadian culture at their height of popularity and what it meant to be Canadian. I saw them at Canada Day at Central Park summerstage one year and it was beyond packed. Although Jeff Healy and Great Big Sea were on the bill it seemed like everyone was there for one reason and that was The Tragically Hip for free which according to people around me was not normal usually selling out hockey arenas in Canada, The Canadians were so excited and drunk that even during the openers sets u would hear hip hip hip chants between songs. It was really surreal and as an American extremely strange a foreigner in my own city amongst white people who were like me but weren’t. Speaking my language but not totally the way I would speak such as the way they said the word about and using eh a lot . I heard their whole set thought they were good but never thought it was was the absolute best band ever like everyone else was feeling. I kept looking for Americans and finally found one who was there for Jeff Healy and he just said straightforward he didn’t get it and thought Tragicslly hip were awful. To me the band really made Canadians proud to be Canadians and not just North Americans an identity all of their own. One of my Canadian friends was just gutted yesterday and he felt alone because he was in Cincinnati on business. Gord Downey was not polarizing like our Bruce Springsteen no Canadian would ever say a bad thing about him or say he sucked ever... he was truly a uniting figure for Canadians... a sad day but one as an American musician fan will never quite understand the cultural significance to Canadians but I don’t need to....

As someone who isn't Canadian but got into the Hip through many trips near and into Canada, it was refreshing to see a good band that wouldn't change their style, tone down the obscure references, etc. to try and sell more records in the US.

I can acknowledge, however, that if one didn't have a previous exposure to/appreciation of their recorded music that Downie's live concert persona wouldn't be to everyone's liking.

 

[Kbee3]

Yer Favourites could be considered a greatest hits album.

I actually forgot about that album.

 

[Armor and Sword]

Yep, I'm sure the Verge, the Canadian Indie/Rock channel on SiriusXM, will be playing them 24/7...

Tuned into the Verge on my way home from work today. I heard four straight Tragically Hip songs. You called it!