Tragically Hip fans knew day the would come. Doesn't make it any easier (see also August 21, 2017 blog entry).
On October 17, Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie passed away after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in May 2016.
Before his death, Gord penned his final album, Introduce Yerself. It reached the top of Billboard Canadian Albums this past week.
As described in Wikipedia, Introduce Yerself is a double album consisting of 23 songs which Downie has described as each being about one person in his life.
Since my last post, it's been Gord and The Hip on my mind all week. What timing. The 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremonies took place within a day of The Hip's final stop in Kingston, Ontario. Found on YouTube the CBC's closing montage of the Olympic Games - set to Ahead By A Century.
source: cbc.ca
L to R: Rob Baker, Paul Langlois, Gord Downie, Johnny Fay, Gord Sinclair
As I updated on August 10 from my June 17, 2012 entry, Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer (glioblastoma) in May. Their 'Man Machine Poem' summer tour will be their last. The finale took place last night from their hometown in Kingston, Ontario. CBC aired the concert commercial free. Among those who attended was Downie's oncologist, Dr. James Perry, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
I'll close with a couple of fan favorites.
From "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)", Courage, my word, it didn't come, it doesn't matter, Courage, your word, it didn't come, it doesn't matter Courage, my word, it didn't come, it doesn't matter Courage, it couldn't come at a worse time...
(Written by Gordon Downie, Johnny Fay, Joseph Paul Langlois, Robert Baker, Robert Gordon Sinclair)
And, their most popular song, "Ahead By A Century" and one of my all-time favorites: ...Or sit silently and listen to our thoughts With illusions of someday casting a golden light No dress rehearsal, this is our life...
Take a listen to this version from Newcastle Public School in Newcastle, Ontario:
Had me in tears.
Continuing on my trend of writing about people you may or may not know about - this entry features a film actor and a rock group from Canada. There's a lot about Canadians we Americans don't know about, so this is my small part in trying to change that.
First up, actor/director/singer Sarah Polley. Not yet even 35, she's directed and acted in 2 outstanding films. The first film I saw her in was "The Sweet Hereafter" (1997), directed by Atom Egoyan, one of Canada's best. Ms. Polley's directorial debut came in 2006, "Away From Her", starring Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie. For me, this is one of the best films on Alzheimer's effect on loved ones. Ms. Christie received an Academy Award nomination for her performance. In Canada, the film won 7 Genie Awards (nominated for 8).
In "The Sweet Hereafter", we see the aftermath of a tragic school bus accident in which most of the students are killed. Sarah's character, Nicole, is one of the few survivors. Nicole was an aspiring country music singer before the accident. One of the songs Nicole sings is "Courage". Here is a video featuring clips of the film and Sarah Polley's vocals:
Next up, the artists who sang and wrote the song (full title is "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)") are one of Canada's immensely popular rock groups, The Tragically Hip. My first exposure to the band was their 1998 song "Poets", which is one of two of their songs that have become personal favorites.
Here is The Hip's original version of "Courage":
And to close out, here's the video for "Poets":
***UPDATE: August 10, 2016***
While replaying my favorite Tragically Hip song "Ahead by a Century", I learned from recent YouTube comments that lead singer Gord Downie has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
Gord and the rest of the boys (Rob, Gord Sinclair, Johnny and Paul) are currently on their Man-Machine-Poem summer tour in Ontario. Dates and locations can be found on their website.
I send thoughts and best wishes to Gord. His songs will always hold a special place in my heart.
