Image courtesy of Ryan Merkley Flickr page - Gord Downie Hillside 2001 by Ryan Merkley CC BY: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanmerkley/27188900606/in/photolist-3gkaqT-dUsYaw-dV8ckJ-4ZZ3Sb-dUsZ6C-dUnk34-dV8f4s-dVM72m-dVFvm6-dUsXTC-dUngxK-dUsXp7-dVM9No-dUsXkb-dV8cK1-dUsWZ3-6uzd5R-dVMbUd-dVMan9-dV8aPG-dUnneX-dVM9cE-6e96yr-dV2DdV-LYeSb-HqAdUo-dVFyQX-KHBPDS-8Lj9DP-f1jDSR-6edgKj-6e96Rv-f1jE2F-6e96qX
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It saddened me tremendously to learn of the passing of Gord Downie earlier today.
Gord was the lead singer of the Tragically Hip, one of the most successful and iconic Canadian rock bands of all time. As such, Gord himself became a Canadian icon.
Surely, it is no secret to anyone who knows me, or probably even anyone who really follows this blog entry, that I admire a lot about Canada. It is, in many respects, what we here in the United States could and really should be. Far from perfect, much like every other nation on Earth in that regard, the people of Canada nevertheless seem far more willing to admit their faults and come to terms with how much work they have to do to fix them than Americans by and large are. At the very least, it is a conversation up there, as opposed to here in the United States, where the prevailing conventional wisdom is that "the more responsible" approach is to put your own interests above all else, and not worry about larger matters, which are generally dismissed as overly sentimental or idealistic, the rantings and ravings of "bleeding hearts."
I have mentioned that Canada always held a certain appeal to my entire family, which is only natural, since as Franco-Americans, there were aspects of Canadian culture that we could obviously relate to with both cultures. However, Canadians seem to me more modest and down to earth than either French or American or, for that matter, the British, who also have played a huge role in Canada's history, and thus exerted a tremendous influence over that country. Former Prime Minister Pierre Eliot Trudeau once suggested that being neighbors with the United States was a little like sleeping next to an elephant, that every little movement that elephant makes is apt to make you nervous. So, Canadians feel a bit overshadowed, and the divisions that exist within their own country (perhaps particularly the linguistic and cultural divide between French and English), and which have threatened to literally tear the country apart, have nevertheless allowed Canadians to not be quite as full of themselves, frankly, as those three other bigger, more powerful and influential nations have tended to be. Being relatively reserved myself, and turned off by the overly loud and hyped approach favored by Americans in particular, as evidenced by the rise of the biggest mouth of all to the White House, the Canadian way or style always seemed to me infinitely more impressive and appealing.
As such, Gord Downie was perhaps the most iconic of this more enlightened, and frankly, grounded, Canadian approach. He and his band were legitimately grateful for their success, and for the opportunity to create art and music, but to make a comfortable living in so doing. Gord Downie in particular was a remarkable frontman for the band, and he was an activist, always trying to push his country to do right, to do better, to strive for a better and more unified, all-inclusive present and future for Canada.
That was especially true with his advocacy for the people of northern Canada. The natives there have long suffered under extreme poverty, and many of their issues were largely ignored by the country at large. Yet, Gord used his fame to cast a light on these issues, and continually push his country to do right by them. Again, he pushed Canada to be better, to not be overly satisfied, but to keep pushing, to keep trying. We have artists like that here in the United States as well, but they are generally seen as "cute or "quaint" idealists. Literally. Remember when Pearl Jam went before Congress to testify against the monopoly that Ticketmaster had? Well, the members of Congress clearly were not taking them seriously, and one of them, a female member, even rather patronizingly suggested that their effort was cute.
Indeed, that is more or less how Americans take their artists, when they raise issues and/or protest. They dismiss them, complain that they should focus on entertaining us, suggest that they are hypocrites, and should shut up and be appreciative of the millions that they made in so doing. This happens time and time again, and so artists who protest major issues of the day - whether it be against Bush's invasion of Iraq or the hypocrisy of Donald Trump - are quickly labeled and dismissed, and then this label is used to dismiss them, as Americans continually express fatigue at "Hollywood elites" telling them how to think. Recently, that has been extended to athletes as well, particularly NFL athletes protesting persistent and systemic racial injustice.
By contrast, it seems to me that Canadians do not take themselves, or their opinions, nearly so seriously. That is why someone like Gord Downie was able to use his platform as a famous musician to address issues that mattered deeply to him, and which he felt it was his duty to address. Had he been an American in the same kind of position, he would have been just another artist dismissed as a "bleeding heart." But in Canada, he had an impact. A big one.
He got that influence because he was the frontman for the Tragically Hip, a band that came to be known and loved around the world, but who were downright iconic in their native Canada.
How big were they? Well, look at this quote from City and Colour's Dallas Green, taken from the CNN article I used in writing this blog:
He got that influence because he was the frontman for the Tragically Hip, a band that came to be known and loved around the world, but who were downright iconic in their native Canada.
How big were they? Well, look at this quote from City and Colour's Dallas Green, taken from the CNN article I used in writing this blog:
"If you're a musician and you're born in Canada it's in your DNA to like the Tragically Hip."
Dallas Green also referred to Downie specifically as "the gold standard -- the way he writes and cares about music and the way he cares about the song."
Canadian Prime Minister broke down in tears during the press conference while discussing Gord Downie's death today, saying "We are less as a country without Gord Downie in it." Trudeau said that he was proud to have been friends with him, and that Gord's love of Canada was unquestioned, that he loved "every hidden corner, every story" in it. Trudeau expanded on the musician's love for Canada:
"And he wanted to make it better. He knew as great as we were, we needed to be better than we are. And that's why his last years were devoted to Chanie Wenjack and to reconciliation. This is something I have certainly drawn inspiration and strength from."
I liked the Tragically Hip, although admittedly, it was always from too great a distance. I had heard about them as early as the late 1980's, and liked the name, which at the time, brought a smile to my face. For some reason, they reminded me of R.E.M..
However, I was never their biggest fan, although they always seemed like the kind of band that I should get into sometime in the future. But mistakenly, I also always assumed that they would be there, that surely, I could catch a show of theirs somewhere, at some point.
Unfortunately, that never happened. The Tragically Hip were one of the relatively few bands that I never saw in concert at all. I started to get into them more the older I got, and was especially impressed by Gord Downie the more I heard of him - particularly since the Q radio show started to be broadcast and made available to American audiences via NPR. That is how I learned about his passing, in fact, because I had heard nothing prior to that earlier in the day.
It is too bad, too, because I was only really just starting to appreciate the Tragically Hip as a band when I learned that they were playing their final show, because Gord Downie had announced that he had terminal brain cancer. I was hoping to see him this year for the Canada Day celebrations, but he was not there on that day. Unfortunately, I found out later that he made a guest appearance the very next day, for a concert that I had actually contemplated going to, but did not. Now, I wish I had gone.
In any case, Gord Downie had a huge influence, and he will obviously be greatly missed. It seems fitting now to let his family - those who knew him best - have the last word here, with an excerpt from their statement announcing that he had died:
Dallas Green also referred to Downie specifically as "the gold standard -- the way he writes and cares about music and the way he cares about the song."
Canadian Prime Minister broke down in tears during the press conference while discussing Gord Downie's death today, saying "We are less as a country without Gord Downie in it." Trudeau said that he was proud to have been friends with him, and that Gord's love of Canada was unquestioned, that he loved "every hidden corner, every story" in it. Trudeau expanded on the musician's love for Canada:
"And he wanted to make it better. He knew as great as we were, we needed to be better than we are. And that's why his last years were devoted to Chanie Wenjack and to reconciliation. This is something I have certainly drawn inspiration and strength from."
I liked the Tragically Hip, although admittedly, it was always from too great a distance. I had heard about them as early as the late 1980's, and liked the name, which at the time, brought a smile to my face. For some reason, they reminded me of R.E.M..
However, I was never their biggest fan, although they always seemed like the kind of band that I should get into sometime in the future. But mistakenly, I also always assumed that they would be there, that surely, I could catch a show of theirs somewhere, at some point.
Unfortunately, that never happened. The Tragically Hip were one of the relatively few bands that I never saw in concert at all. I started to get into them more the older I got, and was especially impressed by Gord Downie the more I heard of him - particularly since the Q radio show started to be broadcast and made available to American audiences via NPR. That is how I learned about his passing, in fact, because I had heard nothing prior to that earlier in the day.
It is too bad, too, because I was only really just starting to appreciate the Tragically Hip as a band when I learned that they were playing their final show, because Gord Downie had announced that he had terminal brain cancer. I was hoping to see him this year for the Canada Day celebrations, but he was not there on that day. Unfortunately, I found out later that he made a guest appearance the very next day, for a concert that I had actually contemplated going to, but did not. Now, I wish I had gone.
In any case, Gord Downie had a huge influence, and he will obviously be greatly missed. It seems fitting now to let his family - those who knew him best - have the last word here, with an excerpt from their statement announcing that he had died:
"Last night Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by. Gord knew this day was coming -- his response was to spend this precious time as he always had -- making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss ... on the lips."
'We are less as a country': Politicians pay tribute to Gord Downie by Kathleen Harris, CBC News Posted: Oct 18, 2017:
Gord Downie of Tragically Hip dies at 53 by Lisa Respers France, CNN, October 18, 2017:
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