 |
By complete accident, I have recently become one of countless Tragically Hip loyalists in this country.
Mainly, it's because my significant other has recently become one of said loyalists, and can on go for days about how the Kingston, Ont., rockers -- frontman Gord Downie, guitarists Paul Langlois and Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay -- rule the world (or at least his world).
In fact, he's even got me believing The Hip -- who play four mostly sold-out gigs at Centennial Concert Hall next week in support of their 11th studio album, We are the Same -- are second to none as far as musical talent goes in our home and native land.
Don't tell him, but I'm starting to think he's right. Especially after he gave me the following eight reasons why, after 26 years, The Hip are the best Canadian band of all time.
1. They know their hockey
The Lonely End of the Rink, Fifty Mission Cap, Fireworks -- off the top of my head, those are just three of many Hip songs that reference the nation's most beloved sport. Once a minor-league goalie, Downie clearly knows a thing or two about the good ol' hockey game -- Fifty Mission pays homage to Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Bill Barilko, who scored the game-winning goal to win the 1951 Stanley Cup before dying in a plane crash. Lonely End premiered on Hockey Night in Canada, Fireworks mentions the Canada-Russia Summit Series of '72, and so on. What could be more Canadian than that?
2. They're down with Bubbles ...
... And the rest of the Trailer Park Boys, as well as Don Cherry. All of the Can-pop icons appeared in the video for The Darkest One (gotta love Cherry's role as the fried chicken delivery man), while the Hip cameoed on the series finale of TPB. Way to appeal to the hoser crowd, eh?
3. They've sold albums -- without selling out to the Yanks
The Hip are tops on the Canadian charts, but elsewhere -- well, not so much. Despite their mid-1990s U.S. breakthrough after Day for Night was released (remember that Saturday Night Live episode with Dan Aykroyd, and their gig at 1999's Woodstock?), the guys have kept relatively close to home, playing smaller club gigs in the U.S. and Europe -- as opposed to the huge arena shows they typically play here. That's not to say they don't draw crowds outside of Canada; they're just able to do so without losing the respect of their homeland fans or their rootsy rock roots. And that's more than we can say for some of our glossier exports (cough cough, Shania, cough Celine, cough Nickelback).
4. They pay attention to Canadian history
While Downie is known for his frenzied live performances, his work isn't done when he leaves the stage. He has carefully constructed lyrics about war for tracks like Nautical Disaster -- which is about the Battle of Dieppe, where many Canadian soldiers lost their lives attacking the German-occupied port on the coast of France. And then there's David Milgaard -- a Winnipegger whose wrongful conviction for the rape and murder of Gail Miller was tenderly honoured in ballad Wheat Kings. Late author Hugh MacLennan also gets his due in hit rocker Courage. Let's face it: Gord's done his research.
5. Their sound is like no other
When I turn on the radio, I can't tell my Nickelback from my Theory of a Deadman from my Three Days Grace. Is it just me, or do a lot of charting CanRock bands these days sound exactly the same? And yet, none of them sounds like The Hip. Not even close.
6. Their tunes are a must for any road trip
Perhaps no track captures the melancholic spirit of the prairies like Wheat Kings. And what wholesome Canadian woman doesn't like imagining she's the subject of Highway Girl? Toss in Last American Exit, Locked in the Trunk of a Car, At the Hundredth Meridian and Escape is at Hand for the Travellin' Man and you've practically got yourself a soundtrack for your next cross-country drive.
7. They've got twice as much Gord per capita
For some reason, one of my fondest memories from the 2005 Juno Awards in Winnipeg was The Hip being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and Rick Mercer commenting about how Canadian it is for a band to have not one but two guys named Gord. Couldn't have said it any better myself.
8. They go good with beer and camping
Before you hammer in those tent pegs, before you reach into the cooler for that first beer, it's an unwritten rule that you set the mood with the sounds of The Hip. I'll admit that, after a while (and a few cans), those sounds start blending together. But at the very least, they drown out the buzz of the 6,000 mosquitoes that have accompanied you.