The Tragically Hip Podcast Series

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You got a Bob Rock lock? Aug 22, 2023

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In this episode, jD, Pete, and Tim embark on a deep journey into the musical saga of the Tragically Hip by shining the spotlight on their 13th full-length album, Man Machine Poem. We uncover how the band unknowingly crafted their last album and created a memorable and satisfying conclusion with this profound piece. Tracks Man - Studio versionIn a World Possessed by the Human Mind - Toronto 2016Here in the Dark - Studio versionOcean Next - Edmonton 2016TranscriptTrack 1:[0:00] If you're a fan of the Tragically Hip, this is your hip fest. Getting Hip to the Hip, September 1st at The Rec Room. Celebrate the music of the hip with a live tribute act, the finale of a hip-based podcast, and a silent auction with amazing hip prizes, with all proceeds going to support the Gord Downie and Chaney Wenjack Fund. If you're a fan of the hip, you need to be there. Tickets available now at GettingHipToTheHip.com. Track 2:[0:28] What was I listening to? That's the first thing that went through my mind when I experienced Man Machine Poem's first track, Man, for the first time. Although my love affair with the hip was back in full gear, I don't remember really digging into this record when it dropped. I was in and out of the hospital dealing with my mental health when I underwent ECT, electroconvulsive therapy. You know when you get a full list of the worst things that can happen during a procedure because the doctors have to tell you, even though the odds of landing are miniscule? [1:09] Well, the worst possible thing happened with me and ECT. I had full-on amnesia. There are whole swaths of my memory that are gone, and I also have trouble making new memories. So I think my first run at this album was lost in the Barrens. Fast forward to the Fully and Completely podcast though, and I fell in love. I fell in love with this the hip's 13th full length. And when I say loved, it's tough for me to quantify how much I do love this album. From the complicated man, through the gorgeous Insarnia, and the mysterious Ocean's Next, This is a damn near masterpiece. [1:57] Sadly, none of the tracks on this album would get to live a life outside the final 2016 Man Machine Pong Tour. I loved the performance of In a World Possessed by the Human Mind, but I honestly think it would have become a tour staple if the band had been able to endure Gord's cancerous lifesentence. Although, during the recording of the formerly titled Dougie Stardust, the band couldn't have known that this would be their final kick of the can, but I can't imagine a more fitting albumto do the perfunctory honors. Essentially, to sum it all up in one word, sigh. [2:41] I'm so curious what our friends Pete and Tim will feel about all of this. I guess we should kick into it. Getting hip to the hip. Track 5:[3:19] Hey, it's JD here and welcome to getting hip to the hip. We are back as we are every week going through the catalog of Seminole Canadian rock band, the Tragically Hip. I'm here as always with my friends, Pete and Tim, trying to ascertain exactly what they think of this band because they've never heard them before. Please join me in welcoming my friends, Pete and Tim. Pete and Tim, welcome. [3:48] Hi, JD. Hi, Tim. Hi, fellas. Thanks for the welcome. You're always so warm, JD. I want to make one quick correction in your intro there, JD, is that you said that we've never heardof them. Now, we've been doing this podcast, what, 15, 14 weeks, something like that? Fair enough. Fair enough. I've fucking heard of the charge of the hit. So I just, I don't think it's fair. You know, we might want to prepare people for that, the finale, too. Hey, I know who they are. to charge it to him. So I just, I don't think it's fair. You know, we might want to prepare people for that, the finale too. Hey, I know who they are. Okay, pre, you know, pre-pod recording for me, it was, it was like a bumper sticker. So yeah, we've heard them now. Or that little stamp thing that you put on your suitcase. Not stamp, but stickers that you put on your suitcase. Tags, yeah. It's the ones that say Fragile? No, no. Fragile. Like you put, like every city you go to, You put it on your suitcase and then your suitcase has all these, uh, stickers. All of that. Yeah. If you don't have, you don't, if you don't have the, uh, the Canada one on there, then your shit gets stolen. Yeah. It's just fact definitely don't want an American flag on there. Right. No, that's true. And, uh, you guys are, um, I mean, we're, we're what, uh, two weeks away. You guys are ready to, have you started packing yet? [5:08] I'm still doing laundry. Okay. I'm still doing laundry. Why did you pack the day before? Yeah, I, oftentimes I pack the morning of, so. Yeah. I'm not that, yeah. But we're looking forward to seeing you, of course. Tickets are still available for the event, which is again, two weeks from now, September 1st, Friday night at the Rec Room in Toronto. If you're a hip band, you gotta come to this thing. I mean, it's just that simple. It's almost like hip-con, where we're all just gonna get together and enjoy our love for this band. And if you're not there, then you're clearly not a hip band. That's right. I mean, if you wanna be a hip completist and you've gotten this far with us, you gotta come to the fundraiser. You gotta come to the show. Come on. It's like, if you don't, and you've gotten this far, and you can't make it, then, eh. I don't know. Losing some cred. [6:13] And we've got some more prizes are coming in, but we've got some awesome, awesome prizes for the silent auction. I don't know if they're, if they're called prizes or they'd be itemsfor auction. We've got some pretty neat ones. We've got some ephemera from the Tragically Hip themselves autographed. We've got some items from Dave Bustito. We've got $200 in Air Canada gift cards. We've got a beautiful gift baskets. We've got another gift card to Amazon. We've got, um, Oh hell. I can't even, there's also a, uh, it's a, it's, it's in a frame. It's done really nicely, but there's a, there's a lock of Bob rocks hair. [7:10] I Might I might try to win that and I'll weave it into my bang. Oh god, wouldn't that be cool man? A lock of Bob rocks hair. Oh Man, he's he's he's gonna send somebody out dude. He's It's going to be a hit job, dude, no, he's going to send somebody out to fucking kill us. Exactly. Yeah, it's cool. Also it goes without saying, actually, no, it doesn't go without saying, it would be rude of me to mention the bonus feed at this point because the season's over. You know, we're pretty much done. There's no more bonus episodes and this is not a seasonal podcast. We're not going to do these albums again. But you can revisit it and go back and listen for years to come, right? That's true. That's totally true. You can go back and listen to all those fun episodes that we did that were outside of the realm of the albums. [8:03] So there's that. Is Bob Rock Canadian? Bob Rock is Canadian. Yeah. And I mean, like, respectfully, like he is, like, like from like 87 to like 95, probably like the top producer on earth. Dude, totally. He did the Black Album. He did the Black Album. He did all the Sarah Smith work. He's not going to send out a hit team for us, Tim. He's not going to send people to kill us, but he probably will send a strongly worded letter. In Canadian, no. A strongly worded letter. Anyway. Well, this record that we're talking about today, the 13th record, Man Machine Poem, was not produced by Bob Rock. It was produced by, oh my gosh, my notes are not in front of me now. It was produced by Kevin Drew, Jesus Christ, Jamie. You should have known that. And Dave Hamlin, Dave Hamlin. Broken social scene and Dave Hamlin. Yeah. Who also produced the first posthumous Gord record. So, clearly. [9:05] Gord living in Toronto at this time was, you know, part of this sort of cabal of artists in, in the city. And he had been working with them, you know, a lot. And we're seeing the fruits of that now. I don't know if you guys have listened to the, the Bob rock Gord Downey convergence, but we haven't talked about that at all on the show. Okay. Well, maybe we'll make that homeworkfor next week's episode. [9:35] Um, just give it a cursory listen. Yeah. There's some of the best gourd vocals I've ever heard on it, but it's not my favorite gourd record overall, I would say. And it's also produced by our friend, Bob Rock, which is funny. Yeah. When in doubt, right? It's like a little glass case through the hammer. You know, I might, the dog might eat my homework on that one. If my flight is delayed going into Toronto, you know who I'm blaming. Oh, wow. Yeah. When you fly that old Norm Macdonald bit, you guessed it, Frank Stallone, you know? Or instead of Frank Stallone, you guessed it, your flight's delayed? Your house got struck by lightning? Whose fault is it? You guessed it. Probably there isn't some Metallica fan in the control tower that Bob has access to. Yeah, that's true. Well, that's a, I mean, that's a well-produced record, there's nothing wrong with it. I think it, I think those songs still, you know, you can still listen to them and you know that it's from 1991, but it's, um, it still works. Like it's not like, whoa, this is, this is way off, you know, where there's some stuff that you hear and you're like, like the EP, for example, you know, uh, the, the tragically hip EP. [10:57] It, you know, it sounds like 1987, but now it sounds like, like 1987 plus 35 years, you know? Right. If that makes any sense. I don't know. I'm rambling a bit here. But what do you say we get into your thoughts on the record and your first experiences with the record and how you listened to the record, as we doin each and every episode? I mean, maybe we just talk about the album conceptually, because really, it first listened, And for me, it was feeling different. It was feeling, I don't know. It was dreamy and fuzzy. And it feels like some memories. I don't know. At one point, I was like, this would be good to listen to on a road trip at night. Like, it just, this one had kind of this sad but futuristic, It was kind of all over the place, it wasn't exactly... [12:09] A mood booster or like, yes, this is this is that next step album, you know, the phone was different. And, you know, I understand that it was released before Gord's cancer announcement. But it was also, you know, like it made me wonder about his wife's whole process with cancer and all of that, too. But it just it was kind of ominous in that whole regard of what was goingon and Gord's life, perhaps. And I read some quote from him around this time era, maybe during the recording time era. He said something about not wanting to sing any lyrics anymore that he doesn't write. If the band was pitching in on lyrics, I feel like he was feeling the weight of the world coming down upon him, even perhaps without even knowing his diagnosis. I guess he had a couple of strokes during that time, but anyways... Seizures. Or seizures, yes. Yeah, seizures. Thank you. [13:15] But anyways, it's a trippy album. It kind of hit me in different ways. And I listened to it. I was traveling the past couple of weeks and kind of listened to it here and there. At one point, we were packing up to head to the next town, and we were in Italy. And I said to my wife, I said, you know, I'll play this recent hit album we're working on, because I think it suits the morning. It's kind of rainy. We're packing up. We're getting ready, just kind of methodically going through the motions, and played it. And her vibe from it really wasn't so sure. She just didn't really know how to pick up from this one. She hasn't really listened to a whole album yet, but we played the whole album, and about halfway through it, I was like, huh, should I put something else on? This is fitting the mood. What is the mood? [14:15] Right. Yeah. Well, it was, it was a very strange mood here in Canada because I'm, I'm not sure how you worded it a moment ago, but we did know that he had cancer when therecord came out, so the record was supposed to come out and then they delayed it when he had his second seizure, they delayed it to June and it came out in June, but, but they announcedon the May long weekend, so just one month before, they had announced that he had inoperable, well, not inoperable, because he had already had half his brain removed. He had many operations, but he had the type of cancer that he had and his sort of status, right? [15:02] And it was like, holy, it was grim. It was fucking grim. And then you get this record and you put it on and there's like, there's stuff on here that is like, when they wrote the record, he didn't have cancer, but man, some of the lyrics. Seem foreboding well here's the thing with the big c is. [15:27] A lot of people talk about cancer when they get diagnosed as that's when i found out i had cancer and i think just based on experiences i've had with people around me and familyetc. That it grows in the body for as long as it grows until it's making its debut. You know, like he had a very special brain and a very creative guy and just obviously all the things about Gord's writing abilities. And you know, this might have been something that was growing in there for a long time. I think it was probably there during the whole album producing and making and affecting likely how his brain worked. A friend of ours mother had brain cancer and she was not normal for like three, four years and no one like, why is she, why is she, why is she slowly becoming so mean, you know? And it turns out she had brain cancer and it was like the size of a grapefruit before they figured it out. So it was probably there. And it was probably making it it's effect on his creative outlet, his creative abilities. What do you think Pete? Wow, a lot to unpack there. Heavy stuff, yeah. Yeah, we jumped right into it. [16:40] Well, I mean, yeah, all I will say in terms of the lyrics, yeah, it is a bit foreboding. [16:49] I can't really, I think, I can't remember what song it was that made me think, did he know that he got, that he had cancer up until this point. I think it was track four in Sarnia and yeah, made me definitely think what was going on during this, but yeah, it's a unique album. I mean, it's certainly. [17:18] Different. I mean, I'll comment more on on the songs, you know, why I think that way it is, you know, but overall, I very much enjoyed it. Listened to it in the car, wasn't doing it at the desk, listened to it on traveling on a plane, lots of different places, lots of different ways to experience this record. I feel like it's somethingthat I would put on in the winter. That's kind of how it felt to me. There's a few songs maybe that were not so much in this kind of mode for me but you know all in all just kind of on the stats side on the stat side of thingsit's got a 3.5 which i wasn't surprised to see on all music um it's short it's again another 40-ish minute album right lots of songs around the four minute mark like it's i felt like uh i don'tknow It did win a Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year in 17, which is amazing. That shows that a band can really evo…

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Forged from something not of this earth Aug 15, 2023

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In this episode, join hosts Pete and Tim along with special guest Dan as they dissect and analyze the Tragically Hip's 2012 record, "Now For Plan A". They dive into the musical journey, reliving their first experiences and evolving impressions over multiple listens. From highlighting the unique elements of each song to the lyrics and influences behind them, no detail is too small. They examine the guest vocals of Sarah Harmer in 'Look Ahead' and the Rolling Stones-esque 'Modern Spirit', exploring the musical and lyrical details. Listen in as they debate the meaning of the lyrics in 'Take Forever' and uncover the mysterious 'About this Map'. A treat for any Tragically Hip fan, this episode is a deep dive into the iconic band's musical journey.TracksAbout this Map - Studio VersionMan Machine Poem - Toronto 2012Streets Ahead - Ottawa 2011Take Forever - Toronto 2012TranscriptTrack 3:[2:51] Hey, it's JD here, and welcome to Getting Hip to the Hip. [2:54] A weekly podcast where I take my friends on a whirlwind tour of the Tragically Hips discography, one record at a time, week over week. And that is the case with this week, as we're discussing 2012's Now for Plan A, the 12th studio record from the Tragically Hip. I'm joined as always by Pete and Tim, and we've also got Dan from London here. How the hell are you guys doing? Oh good, oh good. Excellent. Well, after that, hold on, let me look at my segment guide here. Uh, introduction, rousing response from the gentlemen. Yep. Check. [3:53] Now we'll move on to the next segment, which is, uh, experience with this record. This is a coming off of, we are the same, a record, which was, uh, roundly dismissed by these two gentlemen, uh, a week ago, Dan, um, it was one that It was one that was not well liked. So we're hoping we've got a comeback on our, in the mids tier. It happens. Bye bye. Pete and Tim Burse, talk to me about where you listened to the record the first time, how you experienced it on multiple listens, and overall vibeage off the top. And then we'll fire it over to you, Dan, to get a similar reaction. Well, I listened to it in multiple places. Listened to it first, I think, I think, working, sitting at the computer, listening to it in the home stereo system, listening to it in the car. [5:02] I love the record. I don't want to say too much because I think we're going to get into a lot of it. But only thing I will say, and in all due respect, I don't want to come off harsh here, but fuck you, Dan, right off the bat, Because you've had this record for some time, and we got a weekto soak it in. A week. Let me tell you, a week wasn't even enough. I mean, I could soak this record in for a year. That's all I'm going to say. I'll agree with that. With all due respect, but I can't fuck you down. Like, with all due respect. Thank you. We had a week with it. We had a week with it. I feel like we had a lifetime with We Are The Same. But we only had a week with Now for Plan A. And I felt a little rushed to let it resonate, but every time I turned it on. [6:00] I don't know. I don't want to say it felt like the first time, but it just clicked with me. There are some good tunes on here that we'll get it. We'll get it. We'll get into it. But I listen to it my usual places. Usual places. I listen to it more, I guess, excitedly with my better headphones on around the house, which always makes for, where's dad? Oh, he's right there. but he's not here. So I, you know, because I wanted to hear it in its entirety. And I can only really do that in the car or with the cans on. So yeah, that was kind of my experience. It was quick for a quick album, right? Yeah, the fastest record in their oeuvre at like 39 minutes or so. And only two singles as well. That was shocking to me as well. Which were those? I didn't think they were at transformation was the first single. Of course. And hold on. I've got it right here. [7:09] Streets ahead. Cool. Cool. Any feedback from Spotify? Did any of you guys look at Spotify? Like where the play counts were? Yeah. I mean, I think that's definitely up there. there. So is, so is that transformation and, and I think the title track. Okay, gee, I just want to get transformation. Judy, do you use the term oeuvre a lot? And I pause it to think that you use that term a lot because it rhymes with your last name and the production company that this that is gifting us with this here podcast oeuvre. Yeah, yeah, that's what it Is that why? It's my last name. [8:00] And Ouvra combined without the D. Yeah, and it's because it's all my work, right? It's my collection of work Right is do. Yeah, so so you don't like the D is what you're saying Hey now Pete told me he thought it might be a extra terrestrial Anatomy that he's not aware of Dan, Dan, he actually said this is thisis this somebody part that I didn't learn Dan's regretting joining this podcast. Dan, what are you, like, well I want to hear from Dan, I want to know what, he's had a wild time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, well listen with this whole thing I'm just along for the ride, you know. I'll let you guys play out in front of me. Um, no, um, yeah, as you say I was really lucky because it was after the last one I was on that I learned that this was the next one I was going to beon. So I had some considerable amount of time and also time to purchase Jan's album and get it imported from Germany I think. [9:09] So I had a real binge at first because I think it's a pretty easy album to get into. There's a, there's a couple of tracks that sort of, you kind of misplace, you know, in the order along the way for various reasons, but, um, I've, I was just listening to on my way to work. So that was always, you know, whilst traveling on the train, um, and, uh, and I had, I had good times of it and I had it all prepared what I was going to say. Um, because it was many months ago, I then moved on and got busy and did different things, forgot it all. And then spent today binge listening and making notes again. So I'm actually catching up with you guys now, which is typical. What can I say? I mean, that represents our week with this album. [9:57] Oh, that's great. Dan's last visit was Trouble at the Hidden House, right? So he's had a couple of good ones. Which we also have in the collection now. Nice. Awesome. Look at that.All right. Look at that guy. Well, what do you say we start this, Son of a Gun, then? We get in, turn the keys, and see where we end up. All right. Analysis of the first song, "At Transformation"[10:16] The first song, we start in with this cancer metaphor right off the bat with At Transformation. Can I go? Sure. This one, I was so happy hearing the first seconds of this song coming off of our last album's experience. [10:39] This one was so fun for me. I was relieved to hear this song. I played it three times before I went on with the album. Literally, just like, OK, let's do that one again. OK, let's do that one again. It's just so I mean you can feel I don't know the, the bass is on fire in this song. You can feel Gord when he does the you know after that transformation towards the kind of the end. I feltthat coming. You knew the woo was coming, right? I don't know, it just... Context aside, it's a killer song and even the The outro loops back everything about the intro. It just was this circle of a song I felt like just could have been a single, been done. OK. Yeah. Great starter. There's some weird, on this album, there's definitely some playfulness with song endings, with distortion and feedback and keys and synthesizers or something, which this one kind ofgives us that first taste of. So I was happy to hear it. Played 128 times live. 128 times live. So they played this one a bit. How about you, Dan? [12:04] I mean, my second favorite track on the album. Yeah. I mean, as soon as that sort of distorted bass kicks in, you know you're in for a bit of a ride. And again, similar to other tracks that we were looking at when I was last in on the Hen House, this does similar things where you've got that not quite, you've got a really good bridge andthen a not quite a chorus, but then it comes in the second time with the, you know, that transformation bit. Well, the I can see it all at once and that transformation bit, and then that bass takes off and does its thing and it just, man, it just takes off. And as we say, it just dissipates into this weird sort of sonic, mad sort of ending. And similar to the start, it's like after that bass is there, the guitars kind of come in in some kind of informal manner, and then it just, bang, picks up when he starts singing the verse. So it's a banger. Yeah, absolutely. Listen to it again and again and again and again and again. [13:04] Contextually, it's weird. I second-guess myself a lot, not just to this song, Especially with the song though, but with the whole record I say because Tim alluded to it a little bit. Dan doesn't have the context of last week's record So I'm like is this fucking record is amazing as I think it is? Or is it, it's like, hey, I've been living in a, you know. In a faraway prison eating rice and stale bread for three years and now I'm sitting down at fucking Ruth Chris, Steakhouse and you know eating a. [13:59] Filet mignon medium rare with a bottle of uh It just comes in like a beat and a half before. It's fucking cool. I'm just looking at the notes. So long, Bob Rock. A Welcome Back to Tragically Hip[14:21] There's a lot of that in these notes, the bass, guitars, chords, voice throughout this entire record. This is just a welcome back, Tragically Hip. [14:37] One thing that I thought of when I was listening to it was I pictured in my mind the whole band on stage playing this song after maybe being through some shit for a while and likeyou know 45 seconds into this tune everybody just looks over at each other and like they don't say shit they don't have to say shit they just say everything with their eyes and they look ateach other and just smile and are just like yep welcome back Welcome fucking back. I mean, what a return. I mean, yeah, I just feel like we drifted so much from last week, again, that listening to this first song was awesome. Loved it. At the same time, you know, in my research and reading about Gord's wife and her breast cancer and him dealing with that and that kind of being a thread through this album, I believe.It's... BOOM! [15:45] You know, it was exciting, listened for me and I love this first song, but at the same time, it's like, oh, fuck. We all in our own ways, our own stories, our own experiences can relate to cancer and probably even breast cancer. And we have a good friend who just went through it all the way and just a couple of days ago found out she was cancer free. So. Oh, wow. You know, this is Gord's. Yeah. Gord's wife, you know, came out. Yeah. In the end and it didn't take her, which is fucking cool, but you know, to read, I don't know, there's one quote, just to get into it real quick. There's one quote from him, um, from Gordon. He says, many of these songs are me trying to help, you know, through the process, mutely the way a man does around breast cancer. So it's, it's some, some heavy conceptual. Oh my God. Themes here going on. But even straight, even straightforward though, I was unaware that a transformation is the term, the medical term for a cell going from malignant tocancerous. That's called a transformation. So that's what, you know, the title of the song is, right? Yeah. Heavy, heavy stuff. And then we move into man-machine. [17:07] Poem. A Bold Statement: My Favorite Hip Song[20:44] I'll tell you. Yeah, I'm going to say right off the bat, I'm going to make a bold statement. This may be my favorite hip song. Oh, wow. I mean, I didn't I. Tim, I'm telling you the whole thing. I was like mourning sort of Tiger the Lion for a minute in a weird way because I was just. I mean, I don't know what to say about this song. Yeah, Yeah, it's cinematic, JD, but it's just so different. And it's funny, because your whole thing that you just said was it's such a return to form. And while it is, it's still melodically nothing like I've heard from the hit before. That when it gets that minor four, that man, it trickles down. Howard's Strained Voice and Unique Guitar Tone[21:37] It's amazing. Howard's voice is like, I feel like he's straining it on purpose. It just sounds like he's screaming, singing with every fiber of his body. And when he gets to the end of a phrase or a word or a breath, it's like, you know, it's out of gas and he's got to take a breath to recharge and say the next line. One thing I thought of when I heard this, the guitar tone on this song is forged from something not of this earth. I don't know what, and there's a lot of really cool effects on this record, but I just don't know what that is. And I don't know if they remember, if they know how they got it, but it just... The keyboards hit in this song too. Like there were so many keyboards in the last record that I think Tim and I and JD as well felt were squandered, overused. [22:45] Like this was just. Did you gotta, you gotta write, you gotta write to Gavin Brown, the producer. I bet he'll know you should. Oh, I mean, you're, you're talking about effects, settings, everything, all the mix to make that sound the way it did just Jesus dude it was wow what a song what a song. [23:11] So this was played at their last show, right? At Air Canada Center, August 14, 2016. Wasn't that it? K-Rock Center is their last show, which was the 16th, I think. Ah. Or the 18th. Either way, towards the end, this was played, and I can't imagine. I mean, did people know Gord had cancer? They did, right? Sure did. Before the end. Yeah. So I just can't imagine hearing this one live, because it's, you know, originally about his wife. And yes him talking about her having cancer and it turns out, you know I just when I heard this and put it all together I just thought this probably just made people cry towards the endwhen he was singing this song when you sorry That's exactly what I is one other thing I put my if I would have seen this song live it would have crushed me it would have physicallyFucking crushed me Yeah, I Mean the the metaphor of the Abbas it and the Peregrine Falcon. [24:13] I mean you're talking a ballerina of a gentle long skinny legged bird versus a fucking Falcon which will swoop down and you know steal a Chipmunk or a squirrel or chicken oranything? You know, there's just the the position in this song is just just so big and heavy. And the first time I listened to it was in the car, and it was just like, you want to scream along with him, the chorus, but I just couldn't do it. And then at the end, it's like this bomb going off. The end is just as explosive as the middle of the song. So. Yeah. I mean, the song, at the end of that transformation, after you've gone through that weird little sporadic, you know, sonic soundscape thing, you get that little percussive knocking,you know, and it's, it's like a little sort of artificial heartbeat. And then, you know, you track that in and it starts the song and then it's there at the end as well. After the everything, you know, that big chord goes away. It's it comes back into t…

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Talking with Trevor "Stickman" Stickel Aug 11, 2023

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jD, Pete, and Tim welcome Trevor Sticket to the pod to dicusss the artwork that he donated to the Finale, his start in art, his Hip influences, and much much more.

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Toronto September 23rd Liss Gallery

Tampa November 17th Michael Murphy Galleries

Edmonton November 25th Sterling Gallery

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I didn't know that the crows in Portland spoke english! Aug 08, 2023

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Prepare to journey into the heart of the Hip's 2009 album, "We Are the Same." This week, we're pulling back the curtain on an album that made fans wait an extra year for its release. We're not just talking about the music; we're delving into the nostalgia, the reception, and the adventure of listening to this collection of songs. TracksMorning Moon - Studio versionThe Last Recluse - Montreal 2009The Depression Suite - San Fransciso 2009Frozen in my Tracks - Syracuse 2009TranscriptTrack 1:[0:01] For the first time in over 20 years, hip fans had to wait longer than two years for new material. It was three years after we got World Container that Bob Rock came down from the mountain with the Stone Tablet Masters of what appeared to be a campfire album called We Are TheSame. Although it launched with a cool promo, the hip, performing live at the bathhouse, beamed to cineplex theaters across Canada, and it debuted at number one, I have absolutely no memoryof this album entering the zeitgeist. In fact, I could tell you that only Love Is a First made it to my ears before the Fully and Completely podcast. My first full listen of this album was followed by a visit to the grocery store where I bumped into my co-host Greg, and I remember us casually throwing around terms like milk toast andbeige when describing what we were getting into with this springtime release. What followed though is something amazing and it's something only music can truly do. [1:05] You see, I gave this album its due and by that I mean a good solid listening session. On walks, at my desk, on my patio, the beige started to turn into a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. The album was making me feel nostalgic for my 1977 El Camino. I could envision loading up the back of this hog with camping gear and taking this record to the cottage for the May long and listening to nothing but. Yes, I had become a fan of We Are The Same. Today it's an album I reach for when I feel wistful and I want to reminisce with my past. I adore Morning Moon and the Depression Suite, but the deeper cuts do it for me too. Will the love that Pete and Tim felt on the Bob Rock produced World Container spill over onto this record, or will their first experience be like mine? We're here now, so we may as well be getting hip to the hip. Track 4:[2:31] Hey it's JD here and welcome back to Getting Hip to the Hip. I'm here every week with my friends Pete and Tim and what we do is we talk about the Tragically Hip one album at a time week over week trying to understand what it's like to hear thisband for the first time again. Pete, Tim, How the fuck are you guys doing? Ola, como estas? Buenas tardes. Bueno, bueno, bueno. Los fanes de Tragically Hip. That's how they would say it here. I'm not culturally appropriating. That's how people talk here in Spain. In Spanish, you mean? Yeah, yeah. And they wouldn't change the name of Tragically Hip. hip, they would just say tragically hip, just like they say. See, see, see. Cloud, cloud, or cloud, or cloud. I don't know where he's went to, but there was a guy on Facebook. He's in the Facebook group. And his name is Luca Tadia, I believe. And he's Italian. And he discovered the hip out of, he's an Italian, he's in a band. He's a singer-songwriter. [3:47] And he was at a really low point. And he discovered the hip. And he, he really feels so strongly about them that he's rewritten, rewritten. [3:59] The lyrics like transcribe, like not transcribe them. What word am I looking for? Translated them, but in many cases he's had to write his own because there's so many turns of phrase he's, he's having to write like his own sort of stuff, but, but to fit in the melodicstructure and then, you know, he, he alters the melodic structure a little bit, but he's released a whole whack and he's coming out with a record and everything, but I haven't seen, I haven'tseen anything about him in a while. So what a fucking surface, Luca, come back to it. I'll point out, I'll send some stuff to the thread later this week, but, um, I'm getting way, uh, way caught up in the weeds here because we're here to talk about a record we're here to talkabout, we are the same, uh, released in 2009, which interesting tidbit. This is the first time that a hip band had had to wait more than two years for a record since the band emerged in 1987. They had to wait three years. So it was 2006, then 2009. Was that the longest three years of hip's lives? Or what was going on during that time? I'm guessing the diehards were losing their minds. Yeah. Are they breaking up? What's going on? Like, Gord was doing solo stuff. Rob Baker was doing Stripper's Union in 2005. So he might have toured Stripper's Union in 2006. [5:22] I don't know, they did their usual stuff, but they, like, to my... [5:28] To my knowledge, they, I mean, the record still opened at number one, um, for the week that it was released, which was consistent with what the hip had been doing. I think they had eight in a row or something like that, but they just weren't part of the zeitgeist, you know, they weren't part of, or maybe it's just, they weren't part of my zeitgeist. That, that might be it. Uh, they, they might've been, but, but I feel like if they were as big as they were in 96 in 2009, then they would have never fell off my radar, sort of. And it wasn't that they fell off my radar. They, I just started listening to other music. I just, you know, I- Were you aware of their whole, their whole bathhouse performance at the end or before the release? Like they played at the bathhouse to, they played a show? I would have lost my, like, I would have lost my mind. So I, yeah, I don't, I don't know. [6:24] It was just out of my reference point. Yeah, so I read that they played at the Bathhouse and it was screened, I guess, at Cineplex Theatres across Canada. It's like, these guys were, you know, celebrating for sure. Do you know what Cineplex Theatres owns? One of the things they own is a branch of places called the Rec Room. And one of the Rec Rooms is in Toronto, where we're going to be hosting our event. And we hope you all make it. Get out of fucking town. Wait, what's this event? What are we doing? [6:59] Come on be on board I hate the pull it out game That's gonna be a fun night. I just can't wait. That's gonna be a real fun. Oh, don't lie Jay Jay D Your pull-out game is great. [7:15] Oh my gosh He's got like 12 pockets on his outfit right now he's pulling shit out of her. Oh man. Yeah, I know, the event's going to be great, tickets are selling through, so get themwhile you can. Hit them quick. Get more information on our Twitter feed or send any of us an email, JD, Pete, Tim at gettinghiptothehip.com you can do all of that and more. So let's get into this Bob Rock produced record. This one's recorded entirely at The Bath House, which is a stark contrast from World Container, which was recorded at a big studio in Vancouver and a relatively large studio in Toronto. This was now The Hip on their own ground. I feel like as a result of that we get a very different sounding record. It's got like the nuances the nooks and crannies that the bathhouse records are sort of becoming famous for but it's still like holy shit is this record produced. Like it is depending on what side of the fence you're on it's either intricate or too busy you know like in terms of some of the arrangements. [8:34] The general, I don't know, gist of it that I was kind of reading about is a little bit of a love-hate. I don't know. I also read that that extra year they're waiting for Bob Rock to returnfrom a carnival cruise. Like a really extended long carnival cruise. Oh, wow. That's boggers. That's my joke right there. Oh, okay. Oh, yeah, I got that, it took me a second. Yeah, me too. Sorry. We'll dial it in, we'll dial it in in post. I'll test my new editing tools on that one. Punch up the laughter. Okay. No, I really, I read a bit about this album. It is very much highly produced. I feel like it's, the all music reviews, three stars. Yeah. Which is lower, you know, by at least half a point than usual. And one term they used about it was a creative bankruptcy. Like, they pulled out all the stops. All of the stops for this album and tapped the tank. So I thought that was a pretty fucking harsh review. That's very harsh. Considering three years, man. Yeah, no, no, don't be sorry. I just, I don't see that it's, it's, yeah. [9:59] I like this. I like this record. I'll tell you guys. I didn't. The first time I heard it, did not. So I was the same. Yeah, yeah. Let's hear about your experience listening to the record. I was kind of the same. I listened to it. Well, I listened to parts of it. I couldn't sit through it all thefirst try. It was like, I don't know, it was like reading a series of books and getting to the next book and it's like, oh my gosh, this book's going to take me forever. That's what it just felt like to me and finally got through it. I'll say finally. [10:32] And wasn't so sure, but you know there were songs, I'll just say that there were songs that grew on me after repeat listens and I and I got to a point where I thought I could see howhip fans either embraced the whole trajectory of the hip and continued to absolutely love this band and I could see how some hip fans were like Like, what the fuck? When are we going to get this Bob Brock guy out of here? Yeah. Because, I mean, I feel like that's still, I don't know, still a thread going through it. So yeah, that was my take. Listened to it kind of everywhere. [11:11] I just, I gave this album some real attempts. But I listened to it also, I think, less than other albums in general. Okay. Pete? You know, I say we get into it cause I got a lot to say about the, you know, the record as we go. And I'll leave my comments to the record as we move on. Okay, well then kick us off here. Let's start right out with Morning Moon. I mean, I thought it was, I thought it was, let's see. It definitely a different tone to begin the record on with the acoustic vibe, the melody was really cool. I was surprised by the strings, but as we'll talk about as we go on here, the strings become a thing. Hey, that's a good way of putting it, Tim. [12:12] There's a really cool country lick with the electric guitar, I like it. Chorus is catchy, heavy harmonies, twangy guitar. I got some, I got some like a little bit of Eagles vibes on this too. Sure. Clearly hear it. My note that I, my note I wrote down was, it's got an AM radio chorus. Yeah. Yeah, totally, totally. But, but. In a good way. Yeah, in a good way. But I wasn't like, I wasn't like, ah, ah, fuck. This is, yeah. I mean, this is not... [12:49] This is not music at work. This does not grab you by the balls and punch you in the face and then throw you down the fucking hill. It doesn't do that. [13:02] Not to say that I want that, but yeah, interesting start. That's all I'll say. Track one. We'll go there. We'll talk about Bob Rock as we keep going. Oh, Bobby, I thought, you know, this is an interesting start as well. It's got this country rock ballad, you know, it's like, are we jumping into a good condition 90s Chevy Suburban driving through Nashville in this one, like heading to the barbecue place? I don't know. But it also felt like, you know, I was listening through and I also thought this is so singable and it's kind of lovely and it's balladish and And it feels a little country. There's slide guitar. There's some, I don't know, cello or something that comes in. There's strings happening. And then I thought, I could rewrite the lyrics of this song and play it for anybody, and they would like it. I could actually turn this into a country music song. Or you could turn it into, dare I say, a Christian rock song. It just felt really mainstream, stream kickoff song to this album. It was like beautiful. Yeah, it's beautiful. And I like dug it, but it felt like programmed, I felt kind of programmed. [14:26] I would never suggest rewriting Gord Downie lyrics. I agree. But the music merited a feeling of, this could be a song played on different types of radio stations. It just, yeah. I wanted, you know, the kickoff on an album for me, it's got to be gripping. And it puts you in the seat. And you put on your seat belt. And you go. And this one was like, OK, what's number two? [14:56] Which, before we get into number two, honey, please, which, from each of you, song would you have used to kick off the record if you were sequencing the record? Is there a song on there that does that, that throws you down the hill, or grabs you by the throat? I know which one I would not, out of all of them, but I'll take it. It's a good question, but to be honest with you, I feel like this record, there are songs on. There's even notes that I'll say when we get into other songs. I feel like there's songs that don't belong in this record. Gotcha. Yeah, it's hard to say. I mean, they kicked it off the way they kicked it off. And I think it's, you know, you can't argue with what's been done. And I can't make their fucking decisions. But yeah. Yeah, I don't know. That's a tough question. It's a good question, but I can't answer it, JD. All right, honey, please. Oof. Here's another one I thought that kind of had this R.E.M. feel. I have East Street Band written down. OK. I also had. The beginning just reminds me of that piano lick at the beginning. Just reminds me of Springsteen. [16:08] It just feels like it's going into a Springsteen song. OK. This one, it somehow made me think of the band Big Country. I think they were, where were they from? Were they Scottish? I don't know. It just, Gord comes in softly, you know, I kind of felt like, oh, I wonder if they do this one live and he's angrier. Like it just, it just, I felt like there was a shift that wasn't in this song. Like it just felt like a great radio song, but at the same time. It was also playing in the ceiling speaker system when I was in Vancouver, BC getting my teeth cleaned. You know, like it just, it was really, it like, it was like I couldn't figure out what it was. It was that, or it was almost a wedding song. Like I couldn't figure out what this song was supposed to be. I just, it just kind of stumped me. It was good and sing along and everything, but it was also like, where are we going? I know, it's hard. This is that song, this might be the album that got kicked in the balls at the show on September 1st. Somebody might just walk up and kick me in the balls. Oh, there are big fans of this record. This might be that album. I'm wearing a cup, dude. [17:33] On Amazon, like, no fucking way. I'm wearing a mouth guard. I'm wearing a wig and I'm going to have like a voice modifier on my throat. I can just set you guys up behind the screen like so nobody can see you. You know, one of those things like silhouette. The old cage. You remember like watching fucking Roadhouse where the band played behind like a fucking like a chain link fence. And that band was? Jeff Healy and the... Fuck, Jeff Healy and the... I can't remember the band. I would have just said Jeff Healy band. Fucking shadow puppets. Here's my shadow puppets, Pete and Tim. Jesus Christ, man. Great fucking man, though.…

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Talking with Paul Langlois Aug 06, 2023

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jD, Pete, and Tim welcome Paul Langlois to the show to talk about his new record Guess What.TracksWill to FightDesperation Calling638 MainGuess WhatTranscriptTrack 1:[0:03] Well, I would see him working away in Timothee's from time to time, like I would walk past Timothee's and there would be Gord Downie sitting there on a laptop and, you know,my reaction as a super fan is like, I got to go in and say hi. And then, and then as the same super fan, I'm like, what if he's writing? Well, what if he's writing the next fucking great song? And I'm the asshole who interrupts that, right? Track 6:[0:28] Well, he would have been writing something, but he kind of put the songs together after. Track 1:[0:35] Oh, gotcha. Okay. Okay, gotcha. Track 6:[0:38] So, how is my signal? Because I can hotspot. It could be better. Track 1:[0:41] No, this is good. You're coming through great. Track 4:[0:43] It's great. Track 5:[0:44] Okay. Track 1:[0:44] It looks like a nice day. Are you outside? Track 6:[0:47] I'm outside. Track 1:[0:49] That's great. Track 6:[0:49] These are my little sister's paintings. Yeah, I sort of had a thing built where I can live outside and just be Oh, man Shelter shelter up there, you know, yeah So I spend a lot of time outhere. So I'm in downtown Kingston ish like about five blocks from the center of downtown and Cool. Yeah, so I like it here. We've been here like five years ever since the kids left Nice, nice. Track 5:[1:23] Just the two you have? Sorry. Track 6:[1:26] Two girls, yeah. And they're both kind of making their way in Toronto, 27 and 23, and in their separate career paths. Track 5:[1:34] Okay. Track 6:[1:36] So they're kind of, you know. Fairly entry-level and where they're working, but Sure. All right, and we just thought we Give them a break and they pay us far less rent than they would have to pay. Track 5:[1:49] Yeah. Track 6:[1:49] No, that's good I said and we've actually used the place because I have to be in Toronto More than I ever thought I thought I was retired and now I have to be in Toronto all the timeand So we stay there every time Cool. Ah. Toronto hotels these days, you're saving 600 bucks every time. Track 1:[2:07] Toronto hotels are insane right now. They're totally insane. So the premise of this podcast was, I found these two friends of mine that are from different parts of the world, but they both grew up in Southern California, and they had not heard ofThe Hip. So this is getting hip to The Hip, where we're taking them from not having heard them, and We go through the discography and sort of get their reactions as to what they're hearing. Because you know, you guys are a cultural phenomenon and it's strange sometimes when you meet people who aren't aware of this thing that is like 11 million people watched the lastconcert. You know, that's staggering when people don't know. Track 6:[2:51] I've got to say, great concept for a podcast. I did notice the title and I didn't really catch, like I didn't really know what it meant. Yeah, I love it. I love it. Track 5:[3:03] We're of the we're of the same generation pretty much here And you know Pete and I grew up with Southern, California radio you know, that's what got us into music and You know80s 90s. Track 4:[3:15] Yeah the radio. Track 5:[3:16] Yeah, I was making mixtapes off the radio and Middle school and yeah, you know, we didn't we didn't have the the hit playing on 91x in San Diego No, not a lot of radio play inCalifornia. Track 6:[3:28] There's a San Francisco station, uh, K-Fog? I forget the name of it. That's not K-Fog. There was a San Francisco station that played us, which is why we were able to, you know, eventually play the film or, you know, a couple,couple of days in a row kind of thing and sell that out. But that, I think it's K-Fog, something like that. Track 1:[3:50] It sounds very San Francisco. Yeah. There you go, actually. Track 6:[3:55] Our radio play was random. Dallas, we got played in the early days, and Chicago, we got played. So all the non-border towns, like, you know, Buffalo, they have Canadian radio. So we're always, we ended up in arenas there. Seattle, not as much, but then it was just random. You know, we'd get play in some American cities and no play whatsoever in others. So it takes so much longer by word of mouth than it does if you've got a song on the radio. Track 4:[4:29] Sure, you know, so so so Paul, this is something that I are you guys recording, by the way? Track 1:[4:35] Sorry, recording? Yeah, it's right. Track 6:[4:37] Yeah, I just wanted to make sure you're not losing all the all the goal. Track 5:[4:42] Okay, so we pretty much hit go and do no, no. Track 4:[4:45] Um, because we're talking about this too. And this has come up a number of times on the podcast, right? And obviously, you just were talking about some radio stations, you got random and play in certain cities, this and that. And Tim and I grew up at a time prior to streaming. We saw that switch. So essentially, whatever we were listening to, unless you were in some like super niche underground group with the cool kids and shit, you were listening to what wasbeing played on the three main stations, right? And we saw all the takeover with Clear Channel. We saw all that shit happen. Yeah, us too. The thing that I noticed, and I'm not trying to blow smoke up your ass here, Paul, but I'm going to maybe do a little bit, so clench if you got to. [5:39] I thought about a lot over the nine months we've been recording this podcast, is that good music is good music, and there's probably so much shit that falls through the cracks. Here you got Tim and I, who never heard of the hit before. We both have a lot of similar bands in common that we like, but J.D. Put us on this mainline IV drip of the Tragically Hip since we started this, and at first it was a slow burn, but But now it's like, I cannot imagine my life without your guys' band. And again, I'm sorry to blow smoke at you. No, that's not. I'm not trying to do that. No, I love it. I love it. But it's just like, good music is good music. And I had a deep dive into Guess What too, and we'll talk about that, I'm sure. Yeah, just it's if you're not exposed to it, man, then you're not exposed to it. Track 6:[6:43] You know, I really appreciate that like it's it's like and And the slow burn part as well. Like I think It was a slow burn for many people just because I Don't think it was that obvious like, you know, the early days were kind of like Oh, it's kind of like more a barroom bumpkind of you know know, um, really kind of not boring, but, you know, simple. [7:15] And so, but I know that when we were writing and recording, When we were writing and recording, we meant to do that. For these songs, the songs that we chose for each record, we believe that they would stand the test of time, that you'd probably have to listen to it four, five, six times before you start to,before it starts to grow on you, as you said, slow burn. And I think that's better. I mean, there are certainly songs I love that immediately it's kind of like, wow, okay, that's a hit. But a lot of times there's, even back then, you know, in the 80s and 90s, sometimes it's kind of spoon-fed stuff. I mean, it smells like Team Spirit right away. I loved it. That's not spoon-fed. We're just doing this thing. They're doing their thing. But there's many more examples of where it's more spoon-fed, where it lasts about nine or 10 listens, and then it's like, okay, I've had enough of this. Track 4:[8:18] Moving on, when I do when I when I press play on in violet light, I remember and I told JD and Tim this I was like, dude, I'm not I this is not gonna work. This is gonna be a shittytwo weeks. We're listening. And then like it ends up like, I just it just starts. It's like a cicada man. It just burrowed its way into my head. And then, like, at some point a week and a half into it, I'm rolling down the highway here in Spain, just like fucking windows down just like what? Where have you been all my life? Track 6:[8:50] That starts with Use It Up, right? Oh yeah, Use It Up. Track 1:[8:54] Oh yeah, yeah. Track 4:[8:56] Oh dude, Use It Up. Oh fuck. Track 1:[8:57] That was the song he picked. Yeah. Because every album I make them pick a song and Use It Up was for that record. Track 6:[9:05] It's so funny because I didn't like that song at first. I was like... You didn't? Yeah. Now what? We're reaching here, it's no good. And then it grew on me as we were sort of all learning our parts and playing it together. It was like, oh, I get it now. Use it up. Yeah, this is the best thingfor later. But at first, I was just like, this is going to be a horrible record. Track 4:[9:31] Oh, dear. Track 5:[9:32] Well, I even said to my kid, I have a 21-year-old, I have 21 and 18-year-old sons, and my 21-year-old plays drums and an amazing drummer and he's getting into other stuff too. But I played him some of the, you know, I don't remember which album, but he looked at me and he's like, are you sure you can do this? What is this band? And the guy, does he sing weird? What are you doing? And I'm like, I hope so, bro. Let's see what happens. But no, since then, I've played in bits here and there. And my whole family, of course, has been subject to the hip. Yeah, same here. And they're now recognizing the hip when they come on. I haven't forced them to sit down and hear an album, but that'll happen eventually, I'm sure. But yeah, the slow burn has been awesome. And for you guys to accomplish that, I mean, you were in high school, right? When you... Shortly after high school? Track 6:[10:34] Just after, yep. So there's a university here, Queen's, so three of the guys were at Queen's. Johnny was still in high school, drummer. Okay, that's right. He was in grade 13, which they don't have grade 13 anymore, but... Yeah, so it was kind of Yeah, a long long time Yeah, I mean for that to happen. Track 5:[10:55] It's like you know I have a My brother-in-law told me at one point like what are you gonna? Do bro? You know you're 19 You're not doing anything is like I'm gonna be a pro skateboarder And I'm like dude you got a one and what 40 million shot to be a pro skater Yeah, come on.I mean, but you guys you guys were young and you kept at it, and you didn't go after careers I don't think I mean, I'm sure some of you held like part-time jobs or something But you guysjust kept going at it. Track 6:[11:24] We all had parents that were kind of like very supportive but at the same time everyone was in University and You know, what's the backup plan my dad said all the time and I'mlike no backup plan dad These guys because I joined a bit later like a year and a half in they were covered in And I love them and Gord Downer is my best friend and he asked me to joinbasically because I was Leaving. I mean I didn't think of it as a threat, but he thought it was a threat that I was just gonna go down Try my luck as a songwriter and He was like he didn't like that at all. And so that's the other And when I joined, my dad was like, yeah, but, um, you're going to go back to school and you'll have a backup plan. I'm like, I don't need one. Track 1:[12:20] And so I'm just going to ask you what's the moment, what the moment was where you knew you didn't need a backup plan. You knew that early on, like that it was like you guyshad lightning in a bottle. Track 6:[12:31] I knew when I joined, I went to all their gigs and, um, but whenever I could, like I I was driving cab, but Gord would always have me on the list. And they were just like small in-town gigs, either at the university or at a biker bar or whatever, a few bars that they were playing. And... I knew, like, and it wasn't just Gork. I knew that Robbie and Johnny and Sinclair, like, that they were just doing something different. Now, mostly they were playing covers, but they had songs that never made it even to our first baby record. Great songs, Heart Attack Love and Baby Blue Blood and, you know, all these songs were Reformed Baptist Blues, which was on Thaskadelphia, but surprising. [13:21] But it was just like, God, they know how to write songs. Gord is unbelievable. Nothing like the friend I had. Like as soon as he got up on stage, it was just kind of like, wow. And so I just felt like, you know, they have it. And word of mouth already just in Kingston. You know, they say you can't, if you're in a band and you can't draw a crowd in your hometown, then chances aren't great. [13:53] But if you can, you can take that. And so we just would just gradually take it to the next town over, Belleville or, you know, Brockville, then Cornwall and, you know, Oshawa, justsort of like just took it up and down the 401, which is a highway around here. And just, we relied on word of mouth. And then we started booking things that way. Let's do three nights. So we'll play Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and by Saturday we'll have it full because everyone's gonna be going home saying, okay, the singer's crazy and the band isheavy and tight. And so we built it up that way. I'm not sure if you could do it these days. I mean, there's still venues. So I think you actually could still do it our way. It was the only way we knew how to do it, but we always felt like, we were always like. We all had a couple of hundred bucks in general, you know, so it wasn't like, um, we were, we weren't, uh, not making money, you know, we were able to, and our parents weresupportive, you know, Gord's parents got us a van and et cetera. It just kind of, um, we knew very early on that we could just keep doing it. Let's just keep doing it until it goes south. And it never did. Track 1:[15:10] I guess not. Track 4:[15:11] Holy shit. Track 1:[15:11] Amazing. Track 4:[15:13] It's an understatement. Track 1:[15:14] Yeah. Track 4:[15:17] So I want to, I don't know if it's cool fellas, but I want to dig into the to guess what a little bit. Track 1:[15:23] Yeah, let's do it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Track 4:[15:27] So first off, you guys recorded the bathhouse. Yeah, we talked to we talked to Gord. What was it like three months ago? We talked to Gord. Track 1:[15:35] Oh, yeah. Yeah. Track 5:[15:37] Let's go. Yeah. Track 1:[15:39] When his record dropped, he came on. Track 6:[15:41] Pardon me? Track 1:[15:41] When his record dropped, he came on. Track 6:[15:44] I really love that record. I've told him many times. He's so funny. You know, he's just like... He's such a sweet dude. Yeah, he is. And he's, you know, we complain mutually about having to be the singer and, you know, and just all the complications. But I love his record. I've told him all the time. It's just like, it's classic him. just such variety. But we're not talking about his record, I guess. Sorry. Track 4:[16:15] No, no. No, he kind of said some of the same stuff, but your vocals on, I love the vocals on it. And then I was kind of reading about what you did with the, in terms of choosing the band and what's his name? His name is, oh, Billy Anglin. That dude is a, he's a freak on the drums, man. Track 6:[16:45] Desperation calling oh yeah yeah when he does that yeah like what the hell is that he's a giant in real life I don't know if you knew t…

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Like a pissed off buffalo! Aug 01, 2023

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Ever wondered why The Tragically Hip never quite cracked the American market? Can being "too Canadian" be a legitimate reason? Join jD, Pete, and Tim, as they delve into these questions and more, in an episode that's all about the legendary Canadian band and renowned producer, Bob Rock. We examine Rock's impactful legacy, his ground-breaking record with The Hip, and why their unique Canadian-ness may have been a double-edged sword in the American music scene.This week, we immerse ourselves in The Hip's 10th studio album, dissecting the distinctive sonic footprint that Bob Rock has imprinted on each track. Hear our candid first reactions, our deep dives into the lyrics' amalgamation of quantum physics, Plato, and God, and how a short hiatus from the album breathed new life into jD's perspectives. From the booming drums akin to Stuart Copeland and Neil Peart's style to the raw, gritty sounds of hip drums, we leave no stone unturned in our exploration of this musical masterpiece.And just when you think we've hit peak musical analysis, think again! We round up our episode with a thoughtful examination of the album's themes of touring and corporate radio. We also give you our take on The Hip's Austin City Limits performance and an exciting, upcoming event in Toronto that promises to echo the essence of a live Tragically Hip experience. To top it all off, we take a side trip to Salt Lake City, diving into its cultural diversity and have a little fun contemplating a world where weed is legal in Utah. So, buckle up for a fun-filled, music-centric journey into the heart of Canadian musicTrack ListingYer not the Ocean - Studio versionIn View - Live from Abbotsford 2009The Kids Don't Get It - Live from Oshawa 2013Last Night I Dreamed that you didn't love Me - Live from Montreal 2006TranscriptTrack 1:[0:00] Well welcome to getting hip to the hip I'm here as always with Pete and Tim and we are checking out for the first time a new hip record every week we do this and we have a lot offun doing it so this week I gave you the 10th studio record produced by famous Canadian producer Bob Rock Bob Rock Bob Ross right he's born for a job part of me make wishes I wasthat guy right hair and everything all the bands he's worked with just oh my god didn't Lambert four Four-wheel drive Lamborghini, like jacked wheels and everything. Track 2:[0:48] Four-wheel drive Lamborghini. Track 3:[0:49] Sorry. Track 1:[0:54] No, don't be sorry. Track 3:[0:57] Let's talk about him a little bit though, because he's done some major bands, right? Track 1:[1:02] Yeah, really. Track 3:[1:03] I mean, wow. That guy's portfolio is quite large. Track 1:[1:09] Like from the mid 80s to the mid 90s he was like, literally. Worked with everybody in rock. Track 3:[1:18] Everybody who's making money. Track 1:[1:20] Yeah. Track 3:[1:21] He went as well. Track 2:[1:22] His last name is Rock. Track 3:[1:23] I know. That's why I kind of wish I was him for that era. Track 2:[1:27] Jeez, dude. Track 3:[1:29] Bon Jovi, Offspring. Track 1:[1:31] He's not as good as the producer Michael Indy. Oh. Track 3:[1:35] Oh, look at that. Track 2:[1:36] Yeah. Track 3:[1:39] No, but seriously, Bob Rock, he was all over the place. He even helped out Cher. But 311, Skid Row, Motley Crue. I mean, this guy. Track 2:[1:48] Which 311 record? Because Grassroots is just, that was a breakthrough, man. I don't know. Track 3:[1:58] I'm not a fan. I didn't know that one. I'd be curious. Track 2:[2:01] Their later stuff, it wasn't. But I bet he's a big Bob Seger fan. Track 3:[2:06] I'm sure. He's sounded pretty significant with Metallica. I was wondering if you, If that rang a bell for you, Mr. Pete. Yeah. Track 2:[2:18] I mean, is this his first record that he's produced with The Hip? Track 1:[2:22] This is the first one. He does two. He does the next two back to back, which they seem to, that seems to be what they do. You know, they work with the producer and then, and thenwork with him again. And it's worked, you know, on a couple of occasions. Track 2:[2:39] Oh, man, yeah, he's got a fucking dude this guy's got a He's got the hair and everything. Track 3:[2:45] She's yeah got a rap sheet. I almost Almost crushing on him Ryan Adams, right? Track 1:[2:51] Yeah, So there was there was great anticipation I think amongst Maybe not the diehard hip fans because the diehard hip fans were gonna we're gonna buy the record regardless andenjoy it regardless. but that that outer fringe that that had been listening the people like me uh that had been had been diehards but had in in between evolution despite you guys really liking it was a recordthat was divisive for me at the time uh i was just listening to other things and you know that's that's all there was to it so um i think that um i've lost my point because i was watchingJessica in the back and she's distracted. Track 2:[3:46] Thanks, Jessica. Geez. Track 1:[3:49] Geez Louise. Oh yeah, the outer fringes like me were thinking, well, Bob Rock knows how to produce a hit record. Maybe this will be the one. You know what I mean? That's like, that's going to bring me back and bring back. I don't know why I was so concerned with their success in the States. I reallydon't. It's, it's, it's pointless. Track 2:[4:14] I feel like it is something that is just fucking ingrained in you Canadians. I mean, I, it's like this, I don't know what it is. I think it's so stupid, but I get it, but I don't get it. I'm just like, why didn't we break through? Why haven't they broken through? Why do you want Americans to like you so much? Guess what? Americans aren't all that fucking great. Take it from one who is one. Track 3:[4:38] In half of us are fucking idiots if not more not more these days, I mean, there's a lot of reproduction happening We're probably towards 60% now. Just I would say Yeah Yeah, you know when I walk down the street I'm like Just ready Let's go No, but but you know I asked the bot, the AI bot, why the hip never broke through acrossthe border other than Detroit and where? or upstate New York, wherever they were playing. And the bot was like... This is my bot voice, it doesn't really exist this way, but the bot was like, They were just too Canadian. Track 1:[5:16] Oh, really? Track 3:[5:19] Yeah, that was a serious point from the bot that people thought that maybe they were just too Canadian. And I thought, wow. Track 1:[5:26] Okay. I don't even know what that means. Track 3:[5:30] Well, because a lot of the content is Canada-themed stuff, you know? Track 1:[5:37] Yeah, but it's not in your face unless somebody points it out. Track 3:[5:43] I mean, that was one explanation. Track 1:[5:46] Yeah, I hear it. Track 3:[5:48] Just content of lyrics. Track 2:[5:50] I mean, if that was the case, for crying out loud, dude, Rick Moranis and John Candy would have never been accepted into popular culture in the United States. That can't be it. Yeah, wrong. Track 3:[6:04] Maybe so because I was thinking, what about the boss? You know, or, I mean, all these artists that sell out concerts around the world. Yeah, was Bruce Springsteen to American? God forbid. Track 2:[6:19] Yeah, a little too American for me. Definitely. Track 3:[6:22] By the way, those blue jeans, pretty handsome. Wow. Track 2:[6:27] And you mentioned Metallica, Tim and JD. He didn't just produce Metallica, but the Black Album. Track 1:[6:35] The Black Album. Track 2:[6:36] Yeah. The one that like, I mean, say what you want about Metallica. I mean, I like a chunk of their stuff. I have a connection because James Hetfield went to my high school. You know? Track 1:[6:49] We know that from episode two. Track 2:[6:52] Do we know that from episode two? Track 3:[6:54] We do. I found this other podcast where it was really hidden inside iTunes, and it's about Pete getting beat up by James Heffield, like he returns to speak at the school and singles outPete. I don't know. I heard that. He said they met at the end, but... Track 2:[7:12] I've never seen the guy, never met the guy, but no, that record was pivotal. I mean, that's where they went from heavy metal band to worldwide, like if you go to another planet, people heard of Metallica. Track 1:[7:27] So here's, here's, this is exactly my point. My point is they had, they had four or five really great records before that, that Metallica fans cleave to and absolutely adore. And Metallica would have had a great career with, with, with just, you know, if they hadn't released the Black Album, they would have had a good career, you know, on the backs of thosefive records. But they did release the Black Album and Bob Rock did produce that record. So there was a thought in my head that maybe the same thing could happen with my band. And that's ridiculous and arbitrary and it ultimately I know doesn't matter, But I think that that's where it came from. Track 3:[8:10] So JD, you mentioned this album wasn't all that for you. Is that what happened? Or what was your reaction when it came out? You said you were late to it? Track 1:[8:20] Yeah, I didn't really get into this record as a fan until I really gave it a bunch of time. And that was when we did the Fully and Completely podcast. I gave it quite a bit of time. And I ended up appreciating it. it. To me, it's an interpretation of a Tragically Hip album, and it's not one that I think is the best interpretation of a Tragically Hip album, but there's some real highlights on it. There's somereal highlights on it. Track 3:[8:59] Do you mean to say it personifies a Tragically Hip album? Is that what you mean by that? Track 1:[9:06] No, because that would mean I would be be making it a person, and calling it by name and things like that. And in this case, what I'm doing... Track 2:[9:15] Okay, you're not buying it a beard, dude. Okay, you're not taking it home, dude. Track 3:[9:20] We're gonna cut that out. No, I'm joking, I'm joking. But with that, did this album kind of represent to you, like, this is a great hip album, it checks boxes? Track 1:[9:32] Or what do you mean by that statement? No, I mean, it's an interpretation of a hip record. A hip hop record to me has backing vocals that I can hear that are Paul Langlois and GordSinclair doing the backup vocals. It's got... Track 2:[9:47] Are they not singing backup on this one? Track 1:[9:49] They are, but it's just mixed differently. It's like you don't hear them the same way. There's like gang vocals on this record. It's true. Track 3:[9:57] It is a little different. Track 1:[9:59] It's just, it's a little bit odd. It's like walking into a room that you're really familiar in, but you have like a feeling like something is off. Like, am I in the same dimension? You know? Track 2:[10:14] It's like when Howard, the duck landed on earth and, and, and thought he was like just home until he saw the first human. Right. Track 3:[10:22] Exactly like that. I mean, that's what I was thinking. Yeah, like yeah. Track 1:[10:27] Yeah, so we gotta we gotta blame Bob Brock for that then That's where I'm going with this Yeah, and he get like I say he gets two stabs at it and this is this is his first stab Yeah, andthere's a lot to like, you know, I don't know. Track 2:[10:39] Should we get into the song by song or We should yeah, we should and when we do I want to I want to kind of comment on what you said JD Because I feel like there's a reason. Track 3:[10:50] Let's keep going with it. Let's keep going. Track 1:[10:51] Yeah, let's go. Track 2:[10:53] Well, I was just gonna say, I hear you when you say I know what you mean by you say it's a hip album personified. Because it's different. It's like, it's a hit, but you're like, something's, it's a little bit like Black Mirror-ish. It's like, is there something I'm missing right now? Yeah, something feels weird. I feel that, you know, it's funny, I got to think to myself, like, what do the members of the hip think? Because like, when they hear, if they were to be flies on the wall in this conversation, because, you know, they all listen week over week. This is a fact, we know this. No, but like, for them, it's probably, I mean, maybe there were some things different, but they're just like, what the fuck is this guy talking about? Track 3:[11:35] They were out front of my house this morning. They were just like, they're hoping to get a glimpse. Track 2:[11:41] Pitchforks? For the first two episodes? With their machetes. Yeah, Jesus. But I feel you, dude. I feel you completely. I do. There's something, not off, but like, as the listener, it just, like, you'll see it when we start talking about the song. I'll point out a few things where I'm just like, yeah, it's saying exactlywhat you just said, JDS. Track 1:[12:06] So where did you guys listen to this record the first time? Track 3:[12:09] Man, I after we last recorded I had a garage project to do and I brought a speaker out there and Got in my zone and just cranked it up and out the gates. I was like, oh this is gonna be Maybe a really fun album and then even during the first song I had I paused it several times and I was distracted and I had Things going on so I did likerestart the album and restart the album restart the album and that has not happen to me with my listenings. So, this one just out the gate for me it was like... all these things were happening but ultimately with the first song i was kind of like whoa what do i think of this it's it was i was a little bit perplexed so yeah after that of course just all thetypical stuff of how i listened to albums just all over the place i really gave this one a lot of time and at one point was like i need to hear this on vinyl i want to hear what's going on withthis album because it was a little bit different and I wasn't necessarily wanting to buy it on vinyl because it's like my favorite one yet. I don't know, I just, I was a little perplexed by this album. Track 1:[13:22] Yeah, yeah. It can be perplexing, yeah. Track 3:[13:27] I was overwhelmed. How about you, Pete? Track 2:[13:33] I did something a little different with this record which was actually good and not to my own even knowing that I was doing it. But I listened to it, I think I first listened to it was inthe car. But second of all, I did some heavy listening right off the bat and then I took a fat break because I was doing other stuff and was busy and I couldn't listen to anything. So I came back to it, revisited it and it gave me a whole new perspective on what the record, what it was, like really, really cool. I mean, it was totally unplanned, but I think when you like, when you start listening to a record and then just listen a bunch over a week straight, nonstop, or like, like regularly, you don't,you look at it one way, but when you listen to it for a bit, and then you put it down and then you come back to it, you have a different perspective than I certainly did. Track 1:[14:32] Interesting. Can't wait to hear more about that. Okay, well let's jump into track by track then. We start out with, you're not the ocean. Track 3:[14:48] Man, you're not coming in. You're not coming in. This song is, it's, well, at one point I was like, Pete's belting this out in the car for this chorus, for sure. So I was trying it too, you know. I love Gord's, whatever he does…

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A complete and utter disregard for human life! Jul 25, 2023

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Get ready for a journey back in time, as we pull back the curtain on the ninth studio record by The Hip - 'In Between Evolution'. We'll bring you face-to-face with the record’s unique evolution, the masterful production by the iconic Adam Kasper, and the first impression this album left on us. We also promise to share our thoughts on what sets this record apart - from Gord's powerful vocals and the band's rhythmic arrangements to the irrefutable political undertones.We’ll further dissect the elements of this extraordinary record, including the band's focus on rhythm guitar and the magnetic chorus that simply pulls you in. Our discussion explores the influence of Neil Young on this album, the importance of the first single 'Vaccination Scar', and how it resonates politically, even in today's world. We'll also touch upon the story of Gus, the polar bear from Central Park, and how it adds a unique dimension to the album.Last but not least, we’ll delve deep into the legacy of Gordon Downie and his indelible impact on music and society. We’ll reflect on the loss of his unique perspective in the current global scenario. So, brace yourself for an enlightening conversation about this remarkable record and the creators who brought it to life. We promise a captivating experience that will leave you with a renewed appreciation for The Hip's musical brilliance. Let's embark on this journey together, shall we?Track ListingSummer's Killing Us - Studio VersionGus: The Polar Bear from Central Park - Live from Chicago 2012Makeshift We Are - Live from Toronto 2004Are We Family - Live Detroit 2009TranscriptTrack 1:[0:00] Well, welcome back guys. How are you doing this week? Track 2:[0:02] Fantastic. Couldn't be better. Yeah. Life couldn't be better. Track 3:[0:09] Pretty good. Pretty good. Excited to be back. And so it's my birthday. Track 1:[0:15] It's July 24th. Track 3:[0:16] Holy shit. Track 2:[0:18] Today's your birthday. Holy shit. Track 3:[0:20] Wow. Track 1:[0:21] July 24th, man. Yeah. Track 2:[0:24] Happy birthday, man. Track 1:[0:26] Thanks. Track 3:[0:27] I'm going to blame the time change on me forgetting. Track 1:[0:30] No, it's July 24th. Get it? Wink wink? Yeah. Track 2:[0:39] It's your birthday, man. Cuantos anos? Oh. Tienes. Track 1:[0:44] Awesome. What's the last part mean? Track 2:[0:48] How old are you? How many years do you have? Yeah. Is the literal translation. Track 3:[0:53] Countless. I mean, change. Track 1:[0:54] 49, baby. 49. Track 2:[0:55] Oh, knock, knock, knockin' on 50 years. Track 3:[1:02] Let's do this. You know, when we entered our 40s, we were like, 40s are gonna be awesome. This is the decade. And we got to our 50s, we're like, maybe 50s will be awesome. Yeah.Yeah. Oh, it's all awesome. It's all awesome. Track 2:[1:16] Did you ever see the movie City Slickers? Track 3:[1:18] Yeah. Track 1:[1:19] Yeah, years ago. Track 2:[1:19] There's a great, the great monologue by Billy Crystal in the beginning of that. He's like, your 20s are a blur. Your 30s, you make a little money, raise a wife, have a couple of kids, buy a house. Your 40s, you wake up one day and you think to yourself, what happened to my 30s? He goes on to every decade and then he's like, your 80s, you end up like, you eat breakfast at, or whatever, you eat dinner at five, lunch at 10, breakfast the night before. Track 3:[1:52] It's just like, dinner's at four. Track 1:[1:55] Yeah, exactly. Track 3:[1:56] Dinner's at four. Track 2:[1:56] Oh, it's so good. Track 1:[1:58] They're taking all Tim's happy hour seats. Yeah. All the octogenarians. Track 3:[2:03] My father's in a retirement home and when I talk to him, he says, they're coming for me for dinner earlier every day. It's three o'clock. It's coming for dinner. Track 1:[2:20] Like, dude, just call a happy hour. Fuck it. Yeah. So in 2004, we got the ninth studio record by The Hip, In Between Evolution. This is a, you know. Like Clockwork, every two years we've got a record from this band, you know, and they were still touring their brains out. I think it's a staggering feat, you know, that a band with their original lineup can put out a record every two years, you know, guided by voices or bands like that, notwithstanding, thosesongwriters are, you know, Bob Puller, it's just so prolific. It's, it's unreal. But in terms of band work, bands that tour extensively, I don't know of many other bands that have had this kind of halcyon run. But here we are, talking about it. And as we always do, I want to find out environmentally what you thought of the record, where you listened to it, where you first heard it and what your overall general thoughts are onthis 9th record produced by Adam Kasper. What do you think? Track 2:[3:45] I think the name is very fitting, In Between Evolution, because I feel like this record is a bit in between. And I say that, you know, when you're in elementary school, you see the monkey going, you know, to like Croag Magnon Man and then like getting up through the ages to get to the likemodern day man, modern day human. I feel like this record is maybe not any of those, but something like in between that we sort of haven't seen before, you know. It's certainly an evolved version of the hip, but I can't really attribute it to anything they've ever done before or anything I think they will do. It's very different in a lot of ways. Track 1:[4:38] Where do you listen to this one? Track 2:[4:41] I listen to it everywhere. I listen to it out and about. I listen to it in my office, working. Probably best place was in the car, you know. The car really, this record was, I feel like, made for driving, you know, like a lot of their records, you know. So I would say if I had to pick any environment, definitely my car, I mean, I don't know if it's everybody's car, I have a bit of a bias, given that, you know, I've got a pretty solid soundsystem in my car, like a premium. But yeah, I enjoyed it in the car. Track 3:[5:23] We need a soundbite that's like, that's like, premium sound system. Track 2:[5:31] We can drop that in post. Track 3:[5:32] Yeah. Well, I, you know, I'll disagree with Pete. I, to me, this felt more hip, right out the gates and you know I think Pete and I differed a little bit on the last album and I'm really liking our, you know, compare and contrast. I'll just quickly add Pete's haircuts throwing me off a little bit today, but I can deal. I can deal. But anyways, that looks good. [6:06] I thought In Violet Light, the last album, what we reviewed was a little bit of a departure and super polished and, you know, made for like, I don't know, an award stage or something.Maybe have the Oscars on the mind. but I thought in Between Evolution, I looked at the title wondering if that meant they were coming back to their own production type, style, soundrecording. You know, I didn't really understand the title for this one because it felt more like a hip album to me. [6:43] The producer, you know, I looked up to see who did this one. Adam Kasper, he did all kinds of bands in Seattle. Mudhoney, Nirvana, you know, the Foo Fighters, he worked with REM. I don't know if it was all in Seattle, but Soundgarden. He even did some work with Cat Power, who Amy and I adore. One of our favorite singer-songwriters. Just, you know, you worked with amazing musicians. And all these musicians I just listed, maybe except for kind of Aerosmith, I'm not exactly a fan of. But, you know, these are bands, maybe Aerosmith, who wear their hearts on their sleeve and really are just going for it. And almost achieving a status where they have a following and they have their shit down and they can kind of do what they want, you know? And I felt like this album went back to the band a little bit more doing what they want. So I was pretty excited, pretty excited by it. Track 1:[7:43] Can you describe that a little bit more? Like, what do you mean by what they want? Track 3:[7:49] Well, the last album I thought was overproduced. I thought it was... Track 1:[7:52] Right, right. Track 3:[7:53] I thought it was too scripted, you know, I thought it was too, like, ha, here we go back to food metaphors. It's like showing up at a restaurant with a preset menu. That's what I felt the last album was, and I felt like this one was a little bit more carefree. It was a little bit more back to experimental. The lyrics, the themes behind all the songs were, in certain ways, like what I've experienced from other albums past themes, with variation and variety. I don't know, this felt more hip to me. This just felt more like the first handful of albums that got me excited about where the band was going. So in that regard, it's like, yeah, fuck. Let's do this every two years. We're going on 10 years. Or this was the ninth album, right? So it's over 10 years. And that, that to me, as Pete knows, as someone who has recorded, that is such a... [8:58] Heroic work with Yeah with touring to as much as these guys toured I mean It's remarkable that they're all still digging each other so much, you know Yeah, but from also from acouple of things that I read during this tour Is when Gord at one point commented about, even if there's differences going on behind the scenes or Or there was some tour manager issues, Iguess, that once they got on stage and started playing, that they just were a band. They were like NSYNC and just super, super in the groove. Track 2:[9:41] Not like NSYNC. Track 3:[9:42] Yeah, they were very much NSYNC. Just super in the groove, which means they're like this fucking locomotive still. So I think it's still super impressive. Even with a band that I'm not as impressed with or fond of, it's still an impressive feat to go this far with recording, producing, touring, everything. Track 1:[10:05] Yeah. Track 2:[10:07] Yes. Track 3:[10:08] Hands down. Absolutely. Track 2:[10:09] Kudos. Track 1:[10:11] And in terms of environments for you? Track 3:[10:14] Yeah, so it was a lot of car. I listened to it pretty quick after our last review. There's a lot of car time and some home time. I don't play their music much at home over my home systems. So it's a lot of car, a lot of headphones. It's a little more intimate for me to do it that way and I also really enjoy when bands geek out on recording, and you can hear things with headphones on that you wouldn't normally reallybe in tune with if you're just walking around the house playing it through your ear. Track 2:[10:56] There's a few of those on this record. Track 3:[10:57] Yeah, there's a few of those on this record, and I love that stuff. I mean, that to me shows that a band is really caring about their listeners and their fans and their art. There's a few of that. Track 1:[11:14] Well let's dig in then. Heaven is a better place today. Track 3:[11:21] So, yeah, this one, you know, there's been a few albums where... My first listen to the first song. I've never done a random listen first try, you know, and that's the way so many people experience music these days. I hear a song from an artist. So I might have to try that as an experiment on some album. But you know, first listen to Heaven is a Better Place Today in the car. It was like, yes, here we go. Like, Pete, you mentioned a great road trip soundtrack or whatever. This is totally it. It felt like a good, fun, solid opener with a drive and the carry of the drums and the bass really throughout this album seemed a little more...I mean they're always solid butthis one just even seemed more gelled, which is kind of hard to even imagine these guys doing. I loved Gord's singing. He's kind of at an elevated pitch with this one and, you know, from what I understand, it's...well. [12:33] My first take was like, this feels like a memorial song, like this is a tribute to somebody and Of course later learned that it's in part about Dan Snyder. I mean, I'm not a hockey guy I mean even I couldn't even tell you who Atlanta's team is or was Atlanta thrashers. That's probably my favorite hockey team name though so, you know read a little bit about Danny Heatley, did I just say his name wrong? No, don't sorry Dan Snyder Snyder Um, he was killed when is with his teammate Danny Healy. Track 1:[13:08] That's right. Track 3:[13:09] They're the ones who were Wrecked some sports car, which is such a tragic story, you know to hear about somebody famous wrecking in a sports car. It's just It's kind of an awesome way to go. But anyways, you know, I thought it was good solid Opener really really easy ending. It was like, okay, let's keep going How about you Pete I dug it. Track 2:[13:32] I mean, I echo a lot of what Tim said. I mean, I feel like a great opening track. I really got some some some cure vibes here. I really felt like this song had, Yeah, just I heard a lot of the cure in here. I think Gord's vocals, clearly this is a record and we'll kind of get into it with more songs and stuff. Not just, I feel like there's so many songs that probably killed it live on this record, but that Gord's vocals really just keep evolving into something new. I mean, I feel like every member of the band grows a lot, but he's just, it's like everybody takes three steps forward and Gord takes like nine. You know, he skips where everybody just takes steps. It's crazy, man. Track 3:[14:36] Completely. Track 2:[14:37] That's not like a diss on anybody in the band. It's just, I think he thinks differently, or he thought differently, either way, I dug this song. I thought it was a great opener. The second track, Summer's Killing Us, yeah, this is another one where the vocals really do it for me. Um, there's a, there's a part, well, during the chorus, when Gord's singing, um, Summer is Killing Us, like his voice is cracking. You can hear it breaking on the recording. And it's just like, it doesn't crack. Like it's, it just fits. It's perfect. And you're like, this guy's, this guy's, he's redlining the engine and the car is still going. you, You know what I mean? Track 3:[15:33] Like, and the car, I think, has like, 300,000 kilometers on it, you know? Yeah, and it's just like, go, go, go, who cares? Track 1:[15:43] Yeah, they could sing, sing, sing all day. Track 2:[15:47] Yeah, it's I mean, it's had its oil changes and services, I'm sure. Track 3:[15:51] Exactly. Track 2:[15:52] The drums, another thing about the drums on this, I watched some, well, you guys know, I'll talk about a little more later songs, but the drums on this song, A song that just seemslike it's probably so much fun to play for Jonny Faye. Just the stops, the fills, just, it just seemed like if anybody's having a blast, it's him and Gord Downie are just fucking having a ball to this song. Track 3:[16:20] I think you've commented on that before, too. And this one, this one I noticed, you know, first listen was like, oh, he's having fun. There's some fills in there, and that made me think this one live, you know, probably varied a little bit, but probably just kicked ass, too. Yeah, I think. Track 2:[16:39] Yeah, and I gotta say, this is gonna sound really bad, so I want to frame it right. I just want to throw this in because I feel like if I didn't throw it in, I'd be... My initial thought... So this is 2004, right? Yeah. 2003, 2004. 2004 you think when they'…

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Talking with 50 Mission Jul 21, 2023

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Join jD, Pete, and Tim as they welcome 50 Mission to the podcast. 50 Mission will be playing at the finale event and you can learn more about them by visiting their website https://www.50missionband.com/TranscriptTrTrack 2:[0:00] So have you guys met each other here? Track 1:[0:03] Yeah, this is Steve. I'm Steve. Track 3:[0:06] I'm Ron. Track 1:[0:07] Ike. Ike plays bass. Alirio, I'm the nice drummer. The nice looking drummer. Yeah, he's got a weird accent. So you may have to ask what you're saying. Yeah, there's a couple accents there. Latino accent. I might switch to Spanish. Track 2:[0:26] Yeah. Track 1:[0:28] In Spain, I already speak Spanish. Track 3:[0:30] Where are you from? Track 1:[0:32] Originally from Venezuela. Venezuela. Track 3:[0:37] And I heard another accent there, too. Track 1:[0:43] No, just one. The invi... Oh, different Canadian, oh, maybe, maybe, uh... Maybe like Newfie accent. Newfie accent, yeah, yeah. Canadian, but... I don't think so. Introduction and Location DiscussionTrack 3:[0:55] Where do they live? Where do you guys live at? Track 1:[0:58] We're in the Brantford area, pretty much all of us. Yeah, it's like 100 kilometers west of Toronto. So we're about that area, yeah. Yeah, pretty much from where Jamie's from. Yeah. Yeah, I'm just north of Waterford. We're actually just north of Boston, Jamie. Track 2:[1:18] Oh, okay. Track 1:[1:20] East of Boston, sorry, yeah. Where are you from, Jamie? Track 2:[1:24] I grew up in Waterford. Track 1:[1:25] Oh, there you go. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we played the old town hall there a couple times. Track 2:[1:32] Yeah, it's a cool venue, right? Track 1:[1:34] Oh, it's a great venue. The stage is beautiful. It's just a really nice place. I mean, I would love to go see a band there, right? Track 2:[1:41] Yeah, I saw Huxley Workman there. Track 1:[1:42] Nice. Yeah. Yeah, and I saw the Sheepdogs there three years ago. Yeah. Oh, wow. It was great, yeah. It was packed with the Sheepdogs. Track 3:[1:51] How'd you guys all meet? I was gonna say- Oh, go ahead, JD. Track 2:[1:54] No, no, man. No, no, no. Have you met Tim and Pete? Track 1:[1:59] Yes. Track 2:[1:59] Yeah. Okay, so I was late. Track 1:[2:02] So see, that's, you know, it's all I know is, all I know is I have where to stay in Spain and Oregon. Track 4:[2:08] Si, si, si. Track 3:[2:12] Trust me, there's a lot of nice, there's a lot nicer places in Spain to stay than my house. Track 4:[2:19] Venga aqui, si. Bienvenidos. Track 1:[2:23] Yeah, as far as how we met, it varies. Ron and I played in a band previously. It's the first time I've been a singer in the band. I've always been a drummer. I sang songs from the drums, but came up front. So Ron and I were in a band previously. Steve is a friend of Ron's. Yeah, I've known Ron probably close to 20 years now. I joined a band and he was the other guitar player he joined it to, and we hit it off pretty good. And then we ended up quitting that band. Turned out we were also living quite close. We were practically neighbors and didn't realize it. Oh yeah. How Band Members Met and Their History[3:01] Okay. And as far as Ike, Ike's brother of Trisha used to be a singer in another band I was in, so. Ike and I have known each other for, 10 years at least. Not longer, yeah. And Illyrio was in a band with some buddies of mine as the drummer, so that's how Leroy and I know each other. And we actually played soccer together like 15 years ago. Yeah. We've played soccer together for a long time, too, so. Track 3:[3:38] Did we lose, did you guys lose me or did I lose you? Track 1:[3:42] I lost you for a minute there, Pete, but you're back. Track 3:[3:45] Okay, well, at least the question got answered about Ike and his brother. Hopefully it was cool. Sorry. Can I ask one more question? Oh, Tim, go ahead. Track 4:[3:57] I just got. I was just gonna ask who out of the five of you has seen The Hip play the most times, had seen them play the most times? Track 1:[4:06] I've actually never seen them play. Track 4:[4:10] Oh, okay, you're part of our club. Track 1:[4:14] Me neither, fun fact, my daughter, she actually saw them in 2017 in a school event, And I've never got to see them. Track 4:[4:22] Oh, wow. Track 1:[4:26] Okay. that. It's probably me then. I've probably seen them 12, 15 times over the years. Yeah, I saw them on the last tour, neat little stories, the guy went to high school, when I had, the first time I saw them was a roadside attraction in Kiyoka at the Speedway, yeah samething, yeah, JD was probably, I think Oliver Waterford was there because it was so close. But a buddy of mine, well, JD, you know, Bill Ella, right? Track 2:[5:03] Yeah, yeah. Track 1:[5:03] So Bill and Bill and I went to our first hip concert together. And then when my fiance and I got tickets for the last tour, we got four tickets and I called him up said, Hey, man, we got to see the last one together too. So he jumped right on it. So himand his wife joined us. It was great. Track 2:[5:21] It's pretty special. What venue do you go to? Track 1:[5:24] We saw them at ACC. Track 2:[5:27] Oh wow, nice. Yeah, in Toronto. Yeah. Oh, man. Track 1:[5:31] Yeah. Yeah, yeah, it wasn't a dry eye in the place. It was pretty special, man. Yeah. Track 3:[5:41] Do you guys, and I ask this strictly, this is not like, you know, any remotely thing, judgmental, it's just a curious thing as far as musicians, but because I have a friend that wasplaying, he played a while in a tribute band for Floyd and then also one for Oasis, and he likes Floyd a lot, but he was like not an Oasis fan, but he played in it because, you know, Gigs agig. It's fun and it's cool. But like do you I would imagine that all of you guys genuinely like the tragic We have at least to some degree. Track 1:[6:16] Oh, yeah, or if not dig the shit out of them Yeah, and it's a riot to play it is so much fun to play the music it's lots of energy and I have an absolute riot playing it It looks like it fromthe videos i've seen I didn't know that many songs until I joined this band. I only knew a couple, like New Orleans is Sinking or probably Little Bones, but then these guys got me into them. Now that's all I hear. Oh, wow. So I love them so much and that's all I hear. it now. And I used to play like a really like you name it from from Metallica down to Bird Jam to Foo Fighters and now my favorite is Tragically Here. So yeah it's uh it's interesting when we play a show that uh, the fun part for me is not only playing the show and the people are into it like everybody you know that everybody's coming tosee the show knows the songs see they're going going to be singing. But after the show, the number of people that come up and want to tell you about the time they saw the hip or they have a story about when they met one of the members of the hip. So people just reconnect at our shows, which is a fun part for me. Track 4:[7:37] Sure, that's amazing. Track 2:[7:38] Yeah, it's like a community, right? Track 1:[7:40] Oh, absolutely, yeah. Track 3:[7:43] Yeah, and I mean, I gotta say, I've seen, obviously, not anything hip related, but like, for example, I remember seeing a Zeppelin tribute band that was really good, that I just kind oflike, I mean, I'm a diehard Zeppelin fan, like, you know, all eight studio records just flow through my veins and seeing that show was like, you know, I was like, OK, it's cool. And then Iwas just so wildly impressed. Like, I'm not the guy because I play, you know, you play, you play a gig, kind of like put your guitar, put your instruments away, go to the bar, have a beer, check out for the night,especially if it's a long show and you're tired. But like I was like, I got to go tell these people how fucking great they sounded and And how during this tune, the communication breakdown, he hit the solo perfect. That's so cool that you have people that... Because it's a testament to you guys being fucking really good at your craft and knowing how to play to the crowd. I can't wait to see you guys. Track 1:[8:56] Thank you, Lola. Yeah, we have a blast. The Complexity of Learning Songs on Instruments[9:00] Yeah, so these guys always mention, you know, when we're learning a song, they've got a a lot harder than I do, but a lot of folks who either don't play instruments or folks whoaren't hip fans that are playing instruments say, oh yeah, those songs are easy. But I'm sure these guys can tell you that they're not easy. There's all kinds of stuff going on. No way. Yeah, you've gotta really hit it to get the nuance of the song and the notes, but I don't know if you guys have examples, but. Two guitar parts are so very complementary to each other. There's really no rhythm or lead. There's just two guitars. And without one, the other just doesn't sound right. You have to have those two parts like the record, and then it gives you that sound. Yeah. So we're very picky about the sound. We use the right instruments. We try and use the right equipment wherever we can and re-crease that sound, like the record, as close as we can, right? Track 3:[10:05] Yep. The general rule with music, too, is if it sounds really hard, chances are it's not, and if it sounds really easy, chances are it's not, right? Track 1:[10:16] Isn't that the case? That is right. As I was saying, I used to play what I thought they were the hardest song to play, like the Foo Fighters, to name a few. But then I thought, okay, this doesn't sound difficult. man, I was wrong. It is difficult, it is, because it's just, we need to connect, like, you know, we need to be in sync to actually make it sound right, which is very interesting, and I love doing that. And theseguys are awesome. Yeah for that band, that's it Yeah, we're very lucky that everybody has the same ambition to make it sound like that. You know when everybody's in the groove it the music becomes a Uh part of the vocals everything. Yeah, it's one. It's a rare commodity Yeah, yes And we're lucky to look it lucky to have a guy that's on ligar like it's just It's just amazing. The Importance of Syncing and Connecting as a Band[11:07] Sometimes it's just man. It's just something great. It's I mean musically we are there and we have a good rhythm and we you know, we understand each other But what make a sound right is this guy here, right? This is something greatHopefully you'd like it, too I'm sure we will. [11:26] We won't even talk about bass because Based on some of the bass runs and and stuff is pretty crazy to me. Yeah, it's tough. [11:37] I think he was a guitar player actually, so he actually learned to play the bass as we came along. Yeah, I didn't even know the bass, so these guys called me, so I went to the music store and bought a bass and showed up and then started. It's been pretty good. Lots to learn. It's been a lot of fun, but I think it's just having five individuals, like being in a band like this is amazing because it's tough. I've played with lots of different musicians, but to have people that connect very tight like this, that is very, very hard to find. And playing bass in this band has probably been the best band I've ever been in. I've always played guitar, but playing the bass and getting that part and playing with these guys is actuallyamazing. So it's been pretty good, pretty good run so far. [12:33] That's cool, man. And a second instrument is always awesome anyway. You can't go wrong learning. I learned, oh, maybe 20 years ago, I picked up the fiddle and started playing fiddle. Oh, I became a fiddle player for about eight years. And then I got back into guitar and then that stopped. And then maybe about four years ago, I bought a banjo and oh my goodness, I was two years of banjo, banjo, banjo. And you learn, you pick up something from everything I've learned. I've picked up something that adds to the guitar tons. Totally, totally, totally. Appreciating the Skill of Great MusiciansTrack 3:[13:10] When we listen to, well, cause we interviewed Gord Sinclair, it was about a month and a half ago, something like that, maybe two months ago. And I had done this before, but I did it more so after we interviewed him. If you watch like a video that they're, a live video that they're playing, right? And watch it five times. Watch it five times. And each five times, once you focus on Johnny Fay, another time you focus on Gord Downie, another time you focus on Rob Baker, youknow, and so on and so forth. And you can just, if you just focus on them and their instrument, you realize how fucking, excuse my language, I'm dropping a lot of F-bombs, but how well they are at playing theirinstruments. Instruments, what good musicians they are. And to sound even remotely remotely close to them is not an easy task. It's not even close. Track 1:[14:09] Yeah, and as they've, you know, grown over the years, they've just gotten better, right? You just get better at your craft. So when you go and learn the newer albums or songs offthose it's even tougher. Track 3:[14:22] Yeah, I bet. Track 1:[14:23] But it's even more rewarding when we get together and sometimes, you know, we play the tune for the very first time and go, okay, we're going to learn this tune, we go away anddo our parts, we come back and we play it and we're all kind of blown away at how good it sounds sometimes the first time. You learn that part and they melt together so beautifully for that finished product that it's really rewarding. Mind-Blowing Live Transitions in MusicTrack 4:[14:53] Yeah, we were just listening. Yeah, we were just the guys and I were just listening to a live version of New Orleans is sinking where they transition in and out of nautical disasterand back into New Orleans is sinking. Have you guys tried anything like that as a band together? Because that that I mean, that just blew our minds, you know? Track 1:[15:12] Yeah, that's an interesting combination, isn't it? Yeah, we, uh, we do have a killer whale tank version on the, on the schedule eventually to, uh, to learn, uh, but, uh, yeah, we haven'tgot around to it. Uh, that's a big one. Shit. But yeah, yeah, I guess our focus has been so far just to try to, you know, owner what they recorded, so keep it as close as, as you know, the original And that's how I've been a focus sofar, you know. [15:46] It may migrate to, you know, do experiments, something like that. But so far, we're trying to actually, you know, honor that original record, original sound. And, you know, but sort of in a live version. So, yeah, as Ron was saying, it's so rewarding when you, you know, work hard on getting that song together and it, you know, it soundedactually very close, in our opinion, anyway. Yeah, we really try to bring the music and the live show to the stage, but not be the Tragical yet. We don't want to look like them or copy them. We want to bring their music to people. So all of the music. That's good. Track 2:[16:26] I like that. Yeah, I like that. Track 1:[16:28] Yeah, we don't want to do exactly. We don't want to just look like them. We want to keep our original, you know, style of playing our instruments, but sounding like them. So, right. Track 2:[16:39] Right. Track 1:[16:40] I think it's a good combination. up in any other so far band that I've seen doing tributes to The Hips. They want to look like them. Th…

Full show notes at the publisher

What did our car just turn into? Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

Picture it, the turn of the millennium, and the dawn of the online music revolution. jD just shelled out his last few dollars on The Tragically Hip’s seventh studio record, Music at Work, unaware that it would mark the end of an era for him - his final first-day purchase. From there we take a deep dive into the album's reception, its relevance today, and the debate if it was a step out of The Hip's comfort zone.Make sure to get your tickets for Longslice Presents: Getting Hip to the Hip - An Evening for the Downie Wenjack Fund today! https://bit.ly/GHTTHTicketsTranscriptTrack 1:[0:00] Welcome to getting hip to the hip. I'm JD. I'm here as always with Pete and. [0:06] Tim How are you fellas doing this fine day? Track 3:[0:10] Doing great doing great Just getting it going and excited to be here and see a couple of my favorite dudes over the interwebs. Track 2:[0:19] I Am doing supercalifragilisticexpialidocious to fucking discuss this fucking record Oh, wow. Track 3:[0:27] Oh, boy. Track 2:[0:28] Oh, boy. Track 3:[0:29] So... Fasten your seatbelts, folks. Track 1:[0:31] Fasten your seatbelts, folks. Track 2:[0:32] What does that mean? Spoons, plural. Spoons full of sugar. Not just fucking... Not just one. Track 1:[0:39] The Disney references are just rolling out. Track 3:[0:41] Jeez. Track 1:[0:44] Well, we're here today to talk about the 2000 release, June 2000, the seventh studio record by seminal Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. Music at work. Before we go into our vaunted segment of song by song, let's just get a general sense of what you guys thought of this record. Where you listened to it, what you were exposed to, how it formed over time. What do you think there, Pete? Track 2:[1:21] I'll be brief, because I want to really dive into the songs, too, but I will say, I listened to this record at work. Well, I was at my computer. Come on, Tim, did you want that one? Were you waiting to use that one? Track 3:[1:42] No, it was your turn. It was your turn. A lot of listeners right now are like, oh my god, we're out of here. Track 2:[1:52] Listen to it in the car. The sound system in the car made it really pop. But I will say, probably the best place to listen to it was on runs. It was just... I love the record. I really, really enjoyed this record profusely. So I'll say that. I'll leave it there. All right. Track 1:[2:21] Mr. Leiden. Track 3:[2:22] Yeah, so I listened to this. I had a bunch of headphone-based physical therapy the past week, and I pretty much had it on for all of that, which was very much focused movement and definitely could consider audio. And it was it was pretty good. It took me back to, I think, mostly to Live Between Us, like if we're gonna go apples to apples or apples and oranges throughout their discography thus far, for many reasons. And there's some songs on here I really like a lot. There's a couple that I thought were pretty different, like definitely a step out than past albums. And yeah, at one point I thought this might be my favorite so far in our work to get to this point. I thought this might be one of my favorite albums so far, but I'm still questioning it. I'm still thinking that there might be another one out there in the future that I just I Give you know nine point five two or whatever. Album Rating and Discussion on Critics' OpinionsTrack 1:[3:35] It might be Gotcha Yeah, this was rated relatively low by all music and what? Track 3:[3:43] Big fucking surprise They're like the professor that doesn't give a is you know, yeah, yeah negative five out of five I I have a little bit of a vibe with that, but I understand sometimes there's a great piece of work out there that still doesn't get the accolades it deserves, and that happens so often. Track 1:[4:06] Yeah. Well, shall we get into it? Track 3:[4:10] Yeah. Track 2:[4:12] What did they give it, by the way, J.D.? I'm curious. Track 1:[4:14] Three out of five. Track 3:[4:15] Three, right? Three out of five. So just some quick research on the title that I found of the album, Music at Work. So from what I read, it's poking fun at a rock station in Canada, 100.5 FM. Yeah. E-Zed Rock or Easy Rock, whichever. Track 4:[4:38] You went with Zed first. You're so Canadian. Oh my God. So Canadian. Track 3:[4:45] Music at Work was their tagline, you know. It was like, imagine this kind of 80s looking logo in essence like a corporatized Van Halen Firebird Camaro looking Easy Rock 100.5 FM and underneath at music at work. That makes sense. But I thought maybe, yeah, I thought maybe the hip tagging, you know, taking this tagline was perhaps their, I guess, you know, maybe even, I think it was their stab at back at clear channel. I thought like Like, these guys, yeah, yeah, yeah, I thought these guys are still talking. Track 2:[5:36] Was that a Clear Channel station? Track 3:[5:38] Rock and roll. Track 2:[5:39] I'm sure they were. Track 3:[5:40] Dude. Track 1:[5:41] It's a heavy format. Track 3:[5:42] I didn't look it up, but if you look at everything about it, I'm sure it is. Track 2:[5:48] And at that time, dude, nowadays it's like, it's not even a competition. Like Clear Channel owns the Airwaves, but I remember at that time it was like, you were We were starting to realize that every station was a clear channel station. Track 1:[6:02] Yeah. Yeah. Track 3:[6:04] Yeah. So, that was kind of some brief history on the album title. The first song, you know, title track, album name. The First Single from the RecordTrack 1:[6:40] You I think it's a, little bit of a, a That chives. Yeah, it was the first single from the record too. So okay. Yeah, it dropped a couple weeks before the record came out. Track 2:[7:33] Well, not to correct Tim, but I'm going to do it. Do it. It is not the title track. Ah, yes. The name of the track is actually my music at work. Yeah, interesting. And I didn't... No, no, no. Track 3:[7:54] I was really close, man. Track 2:[7:56] You were close, too. Track 3:[7:58] You know, okay. The influence of the... The Groove and Tightness of the New RecordTrack 2:[8:07] I mean, if I picture myself as I have now, listen, have listened to the previous hip records, anticipating this new record coming out, hearing this first track on this new record and just like putting it on volume up, start my car, light my cigarette, open my Red Bull, whatever the fuck I was doing in the year 2000. And just fucking wow. I mean, they must have just been like, fuck yes. I mean, this song, it was, I wrote this down. This is one of the things I wrote down in the notes. The song was born in the pocket. Like when you talk about when you're in the pocket, musically, I think we all know what that means. I'm sure most of the listeners know what it means. But it's just, it's in the pocket. It's just the groove, the rhythm, the fucking instruments, everything is just fucking tight and it fits, gourd sounds fucking great. It's a great build after the La La La with the soft guitar. Oh God, I've got to eventually get there. Track 3:[9:29] I'll just quickly add in there the La La La. Track 2:[9:30] Johnny Cain? Track 3:[9:31] Okay, go, go, go. Track 2:[9:32] Go ahead. No, no. You go ahead. Track 3:[9:35] I was going to fill in for you. The La La La part for this one, I mean that was new. We haven't had La La La's yet in soft. No, not really. Right. Track 2:[9:42] No, no, yeah But but Johnny Johnny Faye. Yeah drummer. Yeah Really just fucking builds it into where the song you know starts to go at that point and then there's a There's a Lord of the Rings reference in there. I think I feel like it is I took it as what cuz he says middle of the earth. Ah Which I'm always My record store that I grew up going to in down in California, now out of business, was called Middle Earth. And it was a fucking great record store. This is the type of record store where dollars to fucking donuts, man. If you were there in the 90s, they were like, if you went up to the front and asked this guy Larry for a recommendation, he would have fucking slipped you a hip record. Hands down. I was just too scared to fucking go up to Larry cause he was cool. Larry had a picture of David Bowie where David Bowie was smiling, not Larry. Track 1:[10:47] Wow. Track 2:[10:48] Like that goes to show you how cool fucking Larry was. Track 3:[10:51] You know what? I can't tell you how many. Stories I've heard about like interviews with artists who had that record store They went to growing up and how walking up to the clerk whoever was working was like the most intimidating thing Like you like you like so many artists would walk I've read it about it so many times Walking a record store with like kind of tail between your legs and you're afraid to purchase what you've picked For being ridiculed or anything, right? It's just it was like the most I mean think about it back You know in the 80s or 70s or 90s like going to Tower Records or wherever you go and grabbing that Item and walking up to this like hipper than thou person Clerk and trying to make over just yeah Yeah, this was before that it was common where people had like, you know Sleeves of tattoos and like ear and nose piercings like you saw somebody up there at the front with a fucking a bar through the nose a two sleeves of tattoos, and green hair. Track 2:[11:56] Everybody's got fucking green hair nowadays, right? And you're just like. Track 1:[12:00] Makes me sick. Track 2:[12:01] No, but you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, my nephew's got green hair for crying out loud. But like, I don't give a shit, you know, I'm telling my nephew what I'm listening to, but if, you know, back in the 90s, I walked up to the counter and saw somebody like that, that I was like dude I am not bringing up anything that's on the radio right yeah that's so cool that's so cool that you had this this tragically hip frame of reference from back in the record store days I mean I completely don't have that I had a bumper sticker in college you know of my apartment complex neighbor so. The Second Song: Messy and IncoherentTrack 3:[19:00] Yeah. Track 2:[19:00] Do you want to? I don't know. I mean, I'm ready to fucking blow up in there. You know what I'm saying? Okay. The fucking the second song. I mean, it's hard to top this second song. I mean, it is when I first heard it. I loved how it faded in from the first track. And then he just starts saying this is what the fuck is Tiger the Lion? Track 1:[19:30] I don't. Track 2:[19:30] I'm just saying the first time I heard it, right. And I did my research on it, which I kind of regret. I gotta stop looking at lyrics. Once I stopped looking at lyrics, these songs really open up for me. Track 1:[19:41] You can't stop though. It's gorg, right? Like, you know? Track 2:[19:45] No, but he eventually started listening to them and internalizing them, which is better for me than reading them. Either way, this fucking song, it just opens up so messy and incoherent and I'm like, what the fuck? I mean, again, putting myself in the position of a hit fan when they hear this for the first time. They're like, is this gorgeous going off on his fucking, you know, he wrote some crazy poetry and he's just, you know, free-forming it right now. What's he doing? You know, but the The instrumentation on it, it's so well thought out. Track 4:[20:24] Right? It's... Track 2:[20:26] I love how, because for me as a musician, my writing style is pretty incoherent. A lot of people say, like, lyrics wise, my shit doesn't make sense, which is, you know, it's not like I'm going for it, but it's just, it is what it is. But the John Cage quote? Track 3:[20:45] Yeah. Track 2:[20:46] Oh, fuck. I mean, I'm a huge John Cage, but just all about who that guy was as an individual who brought his brain to art and music. There's a melodic drop down, the purpose is not unique. I just, I don't know, dude, I did a little bit of research on the meaning of the song about it being like a reference to fighter pilots. Did you get that too, Tim? Track 3:[21:21] Yep, yep, yep. Big time. There's been so many World War II references that I just, you know, I instantly went to that, which I have a emotional family connection to World War II, so that hits heavy for me. Track 2:[21:36] Two-way radio, yeah. But, uh, this, line... JD, I thought of you when I read this. But not to get order from chaos. Tell you how to create simply wait to your life like, like, there's, there, there is no order. Yeah, there's no other shoe that were, you know, and I don't know, dude, this fucking song is, I still can't fucking and unwrap it and make sense of it. It's just a fucking banger. Yeah. What a song. Living in the Music: Appreciating Art without Analyzing LyricsTrack 3:[22:15] I mean, Pete, as a, maybe you can clarify a little bit for me, as a songwriter, you, when this one came on and you listened through it and you say that you, sometimes you don't want to research lyrics just so you can live in it in your head as much as possible, right? Is that kind of your sentiment? Right? Track 2:[22:34] I mean, I think, I think the lyrics, Because I think that what you, for me, this is me personally, what I tend to do is, is rather than physically listen to the song, which is what the medium is meant to do for listening, I'm reading what I'm listening to. And so it starts to, I start to make judgment upon what I'm listening to based on what I'm reading. Which is never like there's so many weird fucking lyrics in this fucking record And I'm sure we can talk about it till the cows come home Yeah But it did me it did more damage for me in the beginning because it was like I'm not fucking getting this I'm not getting this and then I just was like, okay I put the lyrics down and then I just started to listen to it incessantly. Okay, this shit's fucking making sense. Okay. Got it and then not to Not to bury the lead, but I mean if you don't get the fucking Comfortably Numb, Rob Baker literally Channeling the fucking David Gilmour in this fucking song. I mean What do you I mean, what are we doing here? There's one drop where it doesn't it doesn't go down to the next chord that you just feel like it's like going to country, but it doesn't go there and it's just... [24:01] Yeah, his guitar tone, everything about it. He's using the Strat on this. [24:06] Fucking it's great song. Sorry. Yeah. Amazing song. Track 3:[24:10] For me to go from music at work to this was like, whoa, this is, you know, if this is second gear for taking off in the car, and it's like, what did our car just change into? Because the song is, Because the song is its own beast. Man, me and my dad jokes, dad puns, tiger, the lion. So I mean, this is the longest song on the album. It's 5 and 1 1⁄2 minutes. And I love songs that can hit 5, 6, 7 minute mark, and you don't even know they're that long. Track 1:[24:47] Yeah. Track 3:[24:48] Like sometimes you hear a song, and you're like, god damn, These guys just wanted this to be the longest song ever, and they succeeded. But this one, it's very, no, it doesn't feel that long. And I think, Pete, you touched on most of it. But the themes, I guess I should say, I don't read the lyrics or look into the lyrics until I've listened to one of these albums in great length or many times. So I try not to pay attention to the lyrics. If I'm listening to it in the car and I'm at a stop for too long…

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Talking with Pete Van Dyk Jul 07, 2023

Show notes

Ready to decode the legacy of The Tragically Hip and the enduring impact they've had on Canadian music and culture? Promise us your ears and we'll share an exciting exploration of the band's influence, creativity, and unique place in the hearts of their fans. Today, we're joined by the Emcee of Longslice Presents: Getting Hip to the Hip - An Evening for the Downie Wenjack Fund, Delhi stand-up, Pete Van Dyk. Today he plays the host on his podcast, "Live from the Dutch Hall." And he's invited jD, Pete, & Tim along for the ride. Together we reflect on our personal connections to The Hip, discuss the band's Canadian roots, and consider why their sound may not have resonated as widely beyond Canada's borders.Make sure to get your tickets for Longslice Presents: Getting Hip to the Hip - An Evening for the Downie Wenjack Fund today: https://bit.ly/GHTTHTicketsTranscript0:00:10 - Speaker 2Long Slice Brewery presents Getting Hip to the Hip. 0:00:27 - Speaker 3Hey, it's JD here and I am sans Pete and Tim at the moment, but they'll be joining us in just a few minutes. I am here to set up what is a new series within Getting Hip to the Hip. It's called Getting to Know Your MC And there will be a second installment of this called Getting to Know Your Band, And basically these episodes are designed to allow you to get inside of Long Slice Presents Getting Hip to the Hip an evening for the Downy Wend Jack Fund before that event even occurs. That way, when you buy your tickets and you can buy them at GettingHipToTheHipcom and clicking on the ticket button From there it's easy peasy you just have to show up at the event. So there's that. I would say that Pete van Dijk is a great stand-up comedian and he will be emceeing us. He's also a podcaster, hosting a show called Live from the Dutch Hall, And just recently he had Pete and Tim and myself on as guests And he graciously gave us a copy of the tape. He had it flown in live from Delhi and I'm going to put it up on our feed. It's going to be well. It's going to come up to you in just a second, So why don't I stop Blither Blathering and we'll get to Live from the Dutch Hall with Pete van Dijk and our friends Pete and Tim, as we discuss the podcast on Live from the Dutch Hall. 0:02:41 - Speaker 4Hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome everybody to the Dutch Hall. We're coming to you live from the Pool Shed in Pine Grove, ontario, for episode 445, believe it or not. 445 times we have done this stupid thing, and this time we have roped two people from different parts of the planet and one person who was from here but had to come back here on a long journey today. That's right, and I'm very happy to have them in. All first timers, all Dutch Hall virgins, and they're here to promote a podcast, which is a really interesting concept, especially for a guy like me from Southern Ontario. The hip is really was really a band that was pivotal, pivotal, pivotal Is that right? That's right. Pivotal to a kid like me. It came up at the right time. They were like hitting it the same time that I was getting in to be in the most awesomeest part of my life, you know, and these guys, two of these fellas have no such experience at all. One of these fellas would have a very similar one, and the idea of the podcast is to let these two guys understand what us two guys feel about this band. And so I entered with these myself. Yet, jamie, yeah, you haven't really now. Oh well, i'll start off by introducing myself. I am the host of the show. In two time You're supposed to say two time, two time. There you go. President's Club Award winner, pete Van Dyke No applause, no applause. And our guest today, the one that's come from Waterford, ontario. He's a. He's a Waterford native, that's right, norfolk County boy. But he's moved to the big city and he's made a life for himself. First time here in the Dutch Hall, ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Jamie, do everybody, jamie do. 0:04:40 - Speaker 3It is great to be back. Great to be back to Norfolk. I mean great to be back in Ontario's garden. Oh yes, Thank you. 0:04:49 - Speaker 4Shout out to us and our guests And you're going to have to help me, jamie, on the last names here, let's try, i will. From San Diego, california, is Tim Lion, lion, everybody, i'll take it Yeah. 0:05:07 - Speaker 5Happy to be here. Thanks for having me. 0:05:10 - Speaker 4Thank you, Tim, And coming from Malaga, Spain. 0:05:14 - Speaker 3Malaga, spain. This is Pete from Spain. He doesn't have a last name. Yes, of course he does Marchica, pete, marchica, everybody. 0:05:22 - Speaker 4Pete Marchica. 0:05:26 - Speaker 1My middle name is is is from Spain. What's your middle? 0:05:29 - Speaker 4name From Spain. Oh, i'm joking, i'm your. You know, actually I have a. I have a nephew and his middle name, his name is this is seriously, his name is Adrian adventure Pitaski And, like it's just so, he could go around his parents name on that So he could tell people my, my adventure is my middle name, right? Wow, i love it. That's my nephew, that's real, that's my nephew, like that's that is cool. Like you want to get named. It's like your parents just made you James Bond, yeah Right. Like it is major, coolest. No, this kid's got to live up to that middle name. He's got to live life, yeah Right, yeah, hopefully he's not trepidatious of everything, yeah. 0:06:10 - Speaker 3What if he's just like an accountant, You know? 0:06:14 - Speaker 4it'll probably be cooking the books. Yeah Yeah, the name like adventure. You know that's a, that's just a gift, that's a gift from your parents, so uh, I think it's a little bit of a, a little bit of a, a little bit of a. It's a gift, that's a gift from your parents. So, uh, i want, I hope so, yeah, yeah, i hope so, or curse, or curse. Um, i wanted to say the band we're talking about is tragically hip. That's right. The band, uh, that, uh, if you the credit tragic lips, from Kingston, ontario, and for some reason the tragically hip have been a band that have uh made it in Canada. They were enormous in Canada, but as much as we tried to explain them to the rest of the band, we tried to explain them to the rest of the world, the rest of the world just didn't get them. 0:06:57 - Speaker 3No, Would you agree with that, Jamie? I would agree with that. And uh, these two are the avatars for the rest of the world. 0:07:03 - Speaker 4Yeah, And now is there a. Is there a band, uh, either in the United States or in Spain, that you would say would be like a band that is beloved in your country, but the rest of the world doesn't get it, You know. 0:07:21 - Speaker 1Tim, you want to take that one for the US Oh tough one, Yeah that is a tough one for US actually. 0:07:26 - Speaker 5Yeah, yeah, i have no idea, because I feel like if you break, i'm going to have to do some homework. 0:07:31 - Speaker 3I feel like if you break in the US, part of that breaking in the US is breaking internationally. 0:07:37 - Speaker 4Yeah, like the rest of the world will like what you guys like. Yeah, there's not much that you guys like, unless there's some guy like you know, like what's the name of that fella? He's, like you know, proud to be an American, or like the, or like one of those country guys who were really like patriotic and over the top. That might be a little bit. That's the country singer. 0:08:00 - Speaker 3What's his? 0:08:00 - Speaker 4name. That might be too much for like people outside the States. 0:08:04 - Speaker 1Yeah, that's true. No, I know what you're saying. 0:08:07 - Speaker 4You know what's the guy's name The big? Yeah, i know who you mean. See, that's me. We're from Canada. We don't know the guy's name? Danim Vast. Yeah, we got tons of them. You know how? about Spain? 0:08:22 - Speaker 1You know there's a band here called Los Planetes, which translates to the planets, if you will, and you know they're extremely popular. I mean they've got like there's a couple of the members have spinoff bands. I mean you can't you can't go to any corner of this country and not know somebody who knows Los Planetes. So they're like sort of as an indie rock band, sort of like I guess you'd say the hip did. But but yeah, dude, outside of if you mentioned Los Planetes outside of Spain, nobody knows what they're talking about. 0:08:54 - Speaker 3Yeah, i've never heard of them, yeah. 0:08:56 - Speaker 4I know that the tragically hip themselves were friends with the band the real statics out of England because they had the same issue as them. They were huge in England but the rest of the world Real statics are from the town. No, not real statics, stereophonics They say those bands were on. Oh, it was about to correct. Yes, i apologize. The real stacks actually open for the hip, yeah, but the stereophonics, and so they'd always, if they came out with an album, the hip would give an album to the stereophonics, stereophonics would give an album to the hips when they came out with a new one, because they had this mutual like kind of like, you know, like sister cities and stuff like that. 0:09:36 - Speaker 3It was like the same thing, but like sister bands, you know, i feel like the last time stereophonics played in Toronto it was post score dying and they played a hip song. Yeah, that would make a huge sense And I didn't. But I didn't know that there was that connection. 0:09:47 - Speaker 4I just thought they were just doing a tribute to oh no, they were big fans of it, like big fans of each other, and they both had the same thing. They could never break in the States and they were like huge in their own countries And even in Canada the stereophonics didn't really make too much of a splash. I just remember that having a stay song. Yeah, i like that band actually. Yeah. 0:10:07 - Speaker 5I can only think of bands from the U S that have done well outside the U S. You know like bigger tours outside the U S, but there are a ton. 0:10:16 - Speaker 1There are a ton of like Canadian bands that like have had broken through to me, for Christ's sake. You got Neil Young, you've got the Lannis, you've got Brian Adams, right, nickelback, you know. 0:10:29 - Speaker 5Nickelback. Yeah, that one band Rush. is that what they're called? 0:10:33 - Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, i mean one of the greatest bands of all time. It's a real crowd splitter rush. 0:10:41 - Speaker 3I agree Because. I've never I was never a Rush guy. 0:10:43 - Speaker 4If you don't, if you like Rush, you really like Rush Big time. I think it's like Bruce Springsteen. You know, bruce Springsteen, the guys that like Bruce, they love Bruce, Like they really like Oh my gosh. 0:10:54 - Speaker 5Yeah, we have a good friend who follows Bruce and I just Yeah, they're like, they're you and Target on that. God bless Michelle. 0:11:02 - Speaker 4Yeah, and my cousin's husband is like that, he's traveled all around to see Bruce, eh, and he knows him Like it. Just it means so much to him. Man, i envy that about him, but I just don't get it. Yeah, it just doesn't. 0:11:18 - Speaker 3I like Springsteen, but I'm not. I wouldn't do a follow along, or Yeah. 0:11:23 - Speaker 4You're in camp too, like either you love him or you're like oh, he's the boss, you know he's good. 0:11:29 - Speaker 5Yeah, i like a couple, you know I like it enough It's fine, there's lots of bands I would go see perform live if I got a free ticket. 0:11:38 - Speaker 1Right, yeah, i got free tickets to see Springsteen. That's the only reason I saw him. But back in the day I think we told this on the pod or I may have mentioned it on the pod when we did some, when we recorded, but back in the day, when I started playing in bands, like 25 years ago, you were, if you were a Rush fan, you were closeted. Like and I'm not even like joking Like in the US like if you liked Rush and you had Rush records, you were closeted. You didn't talk about it. I remember I was playing in a band with a guy named Jason Hirsch and he was our bass player and we played in a band for like seven or eight months and then one day it went over his house and it was like I found a bunch of porno mags in his corner. Like he's like, yeah, dude, i like Rush, and like the same was for Zappa, and I was like, dude, it's cool man, this is a safe space. 0:12:30 - Speaker 4I have a huge kit set up in the closet. I drummed a new apparel. That's funny man, but it was kind of that. There was like you just didn't know if you're, because they split the room, you either love it, like people hated Rush, or they loved Rush. You know, even in Canada, even in Canada, they're hardcore. I don't get it, you know. I think some It might be musicians though too, because like Rush, right, because they're technically Yeah, i mean because you just. 0:13:01 - Speaker 1The work of like the musicianship is like the fact that Geddy Lee can play His multi-instrumentalist on stage and singing is fucking stupid, yeah, like you know It's like Radiohead too. 0:13:16 - Speaker 4Right Like Radiohead, like Yeah, if the musicians get them more than the non-musicians, would you say that's true. 0:13:26 - Speaker 5I don't think so. I think Rush had a special kind of nerd dump. You know, like, if you ever knew, like a group of kids that played D&D, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like you know, like I don't know, rush has their own collective. Like, i have lots of friends who are radiohead fans and many of whom are not. 0:13:44 - Speaker 1We now ostracized the Rush crowd from Pete's podcast and now ostracized the D&D. 0:13:55 - Speaker 4I don't know. 0:13:57 - Speaker 5I saw D&D. friends, we're all good with each other. 0:14:01 - Speaker 4I've never played before. Have you done that Never? 0:14:05 - Speaker 5I won't touch a 12-side. I tried, like, when it became a thing, i tried with some kids in my neighborhood and I sat down with them and I was like are we going to drink some wine? Or you know, and that was the seventh grade Like it just felt like we were supposed to be naked or I don't know. It was just weird. Yeah, like It was really weird. I was like how far can we take role play right now? 0:14:26 - Speaker 4Yeah, you were an advanced. 0:14:27 - Speaker 5There's too much of a tease for me. 0:14:29 - Speaker 4No, i was like you were saying Dungeons Dragons makes a seemed a little like they was going to get a role. Did people wear costumes for that stuff? 0:14:37 - Speaker 5Well, no, i just felt like it was this level of intellectualism, you know, like that wasn't it being experiencing games and rush was kind of the same way, and maybe, you know, maybe the hip was too smart for the US, maybe it might be. 0:14:51 - Speaker 4It might be like there's, but I don't know how smart it was. It was like there's a. It's an interesting thing because I've only because of this podcast started. You know he's kind of reflect on you know I was a hip like, i am a hip fan and it, but I don't know if I'm associating it is just because they were around through a good part of my life. You know what I mean. Yeah, like I was young and having a good time and every show I went to or I could see them a lot, you know. So they were at a lot of like festivals and concerts that I would get a chance to go to. 0:15:25 - Speaker 3They were always on the bar, like whatever bar you…

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