I once wrote The Tragically Hip Primer. I wrote that back in 2008, long before we knew Gord Downie was sick, long before the farewell tour, long before Gord Downie passed away.
In that piece you'll learn my Hip story. It all started with me hearing "Blow at High Dough" on Q107 in 1989. One listen of that one song and I needed to buy the CD. The rest is history.
I don't know how it happened, but just last summer FOTM Jake Gold brought The Tragically Hip guitarist Paul Langlois to my basement studio for a wonderful chat and live performance. Yes, that happened.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Paul Langlois below, and you'll hear some fascinating tidbits about how he felt when Gord recorded a solo album, whether the band would ever play again with a different lead singer, and answers to a few more of my pesky TTH queries I've collected over the years.
Toronto Mike
Yesterday, I managed to consume all four episodes of the new documentary series No Dress Rehearsal, directed by Gord's brother Mike Downie, who Jake Gold introduced me to a couple of weeks ago. I'm here to tell you this series is excellent and you should watch it asap. I've been following this band closely since 1989 and I learned so much.
This is their life.
