Ahead by a Century
There are people, places, and things that are uniquely Canadian. That only Canadians really understand. And every country has those. But some of those things are more easily understood than others — because we can relate them to something we do understand. Follow the unknown with something more familiar. For example, a Canadian looks at how high school football is like a religion in Texas, or how passionate people in Dortmund are about BVB, and they can sort of understand it. Because although it is unique to those places in the world, Canadians can relate it to how they are about, say, hockey.
Now, there are some things about Canada that are almost impossible to understand unless you spent a significant portion of your life living there. And one of those things, maybe the most unique, is what a band called The Tragically Hip means to Canadians. Trying to explain The Hip to somebody who hasn’t grown up with them is like trying to explain the love for your child to someone who is not a parent, or the feeling of a first kiss to someone who’s never had one.
How do we explain this… In Canada, The Tragically Hip are not just a rock band, they are woven into the National Identity. And Gord Downie, their lead singer, is not just a front man, he has been called Canada’s unofficial Poet Laureate. In a recent New York Times article Simon Vozick-Levinson wrote, “The place of honor that Mr. Downie occupies in Canada’s national imagination has no parallel in the United States. Imagine Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Michael Stipe combined into one sensitive, oblique poet-philosopher, and you’re getting close.“ The thing is, we’re not sure that is getting close.
Over 31 years, The Tragically Hip have released 13 studio albums, one live album, one EP, and 58 singles. As incredible a run as that is, statistics do not tell the story of the band. The story of The Tragically Hip is in the relationship it has with millions of Canadians. And this relationship was not forged by a marketing team or even through social media. As reporter Vinay Menon wrote in The Toronto Star, “It happened at bonfires and skating rinks, at campsites and campuses. It happened during first loves and final exams, birthdays and weddings and breakups. It happened with old friends and new beginnings.”
In this week’s episode, Brett is going to do his very best to introduce you, reacquaint you, and help you fall in love (all over again) with a Canadian national treasure. While he’s doing that, you may just find yourself realizing that you have something to say, and it’s time to stand up and use your voice however you can.
FULL EPISODE:
