"Late breaking story on the CBC, a nation whispered 'we always knew that he'd go free"
Canada is mourning the loss of one of our greatest citizens today, Gord Downie, frontman of the legendary rock band The Tragically Hip. I have blogged before about the impact that the music of this band has had on my life and education about Canadian politics, geography and social injustice. Whether you enjoyed the music or not, I don't believe anyone can say he wasn't iconic and didn't do his part to educate and make an impact.
"With illusions of someday,
casting a golden light.
No dress rehearsal, this is our life"
The death of a celebrity can hit some people harder than others. There are often questions of how one can be so deeply affected by a person you may not have ever met. I would answer that Gord Downie represented much more to his fans. For me personally music speaks volumes, and the Hip was the soundtrack to my teenage years. Everyone knows 'that' album that you couldn't get enough of the summer between high school and adulthood (Phantom Power), 'that' album the first band you ever saw live was promoting at your first concert (Trouble at the Henhouse), 'that' album that you stole from your older sibling because you thought they were so cool (Up to Here), that time you brought your non-Canadian friend to the see best band on earth (In Violet Light)... The first time you camped out for tickets... I could go on and on with this...
"We live to survive our paradoxes."
There is something special about an artist that can remain relevant for over 3 decades and will inevitably continue to grow in popularity, although they never really broke into the worlds stage they way that they sold out stadiums across Canada consistently. I think this only made their appeal greater to Canadians. Gord sang about Canadian topics, but not the pretty, proud and fluffy ones. He sang about the raw & shadowy darkess that lurks in our not so distant past and continues to be an issue even today. I learned more about Canadian history from his music and poetry than any class or textbook, and I thank him for revealing more about what it truly means to be Canadian.
"There's no simple explanation
For anything important, any of us do.
And yeah, the human tragedy
Consists of the necessity
Of livin' with the consequences
Under pressure, under pressure"
Thank you Gord, your music will live on inside me.
