Gord Downie, troubadour of Canada, charmed and challenged a nation After a long battle with cancer, the Tragically Hip frontman died among his family on Tuesday night. Gordon Edgar Downie was born in Amherstview, Ontario, and raised in Kingston, Ontario, along with his brothers Mike and Patrick, and sisters Charlyn and Paula. Mike says it was partly out of a sense of guilt, partly out of shame, but mainly because, like him, there were so many people in Canada that didn't know the dark history of residential schools. Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip (Photo by Aven Hoffarth) One of the best things about Gord Downie was his thoughtfulness. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in attendance and the Toronto Police Department summed up the events magnitude with a simple tweet: Dear world, Please be advised that Canada will be closed tonight at 8:30 p.m. Have a #TragicallyHip day.. [71], CBC Radio preempted some of its regular programming in favour of a Downie tribute special hosted by Rich Terfry;[72] although news of Downie's death broke just 20 minutes before airtime, CBC Radio One's entertainment magazine show Q dropped its planned lineup in favour of a live Downie tribute special. Honoring the Late Gord Downie, Canada's Fiercely Visceral Rock Poet Gord did not rest from working for the issues he cared about, and his commitment and passion will continue to motivate Canadians for years to come He will be sorely missed.. Downie was not able to attend the ceremony due to his illness which had not yet been made public. Gord Downie, Soundtrack: Jumper. The interview with Patrick and MikeDowniefromThe National, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. The Tragically Hip, photographed in New York in February 1992. "I think my body's giving subtext and with my voice I'll give you the confines of my heart, which is illegible," he told CBC in 1999. Do the work. The final concert, in Kingston on Aug. 20,2016 was broadcast byCBC. That's who influenced me as a poet.". [37], The tour was profiled in the 2017 documentary film Long Time Running, directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. In front of an intimate crowd of 6,700 inside Kingston's K-Rock Centre, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Downie thanked the audience "for keeping me pushing" and used the opportunity to call for action on Indigenous issues. "This is not to take away from anything he did on that farewell tour with the [Tragically] Hip, but this is what he really wanted to see to the end. It was a Terry Fox story with a twist: a story where the protagonist completes his goal before the disease gets the better of him. Their most recent album, Man Machine Poem, hit No. Downie contained similar complexities: He was an everyman poet, seeming both aloof and down to earth, writing lyrics that rhymed "catharsis" with "my arse is." He took it in stride: if part of his poetrys appeal was that he rarely telegraphed direct meaning, he had to accept the fact that fans were going to read whatever they wanted into what he said. The Downie residence was the only one where the Hips gold record was nowhere to be seen; the elder Downies couldnt remember the name of his high-school punk band. The statement was released via the band's official Twitter. Upon hearing the news, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a tribute statement on his official website. With seven solo albums to his name, Downie's own music refutes definition, renowned for its adventurous poetry . Create the spark. We would like to thank all the kind folks at KGH and Sunnybrook, Gord's bandmates, management team, friends and fans. lang and Neil Young, rapper Drake, and the rock group Rush, remembered Downie on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Gord Downie, the Tragically Hip frontman who united a diverse array of music lovers with his commanding stage presence and Canadiana-laced lyrics, has died, Gord Downie remembered by fans, Canadians far and wide, Remembering Gord Downie: Watch our Olympic montages set to Tragically Hip songs, 'Words cannot express our sorrow': Northern Ontario First Nations mourn passing of Gord Downie, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. "The first time we heard him open his mouth, we just went, holy shit. Our identity and culture are richer because of his music, which was always raw and honest like Gord himself. And their support hasn't gone. [61] The CBC news broadcast, The National, spent 40 of its sixty-minute broadcast discussing Gord and The Hip. When he finished, Gord Downie left an eternal flame. [76] A different recording of "The East Wind" appeared on The Grand Bounce, and "At the Quinte Hotel" was previously released in video form, but never in an audio recording. Gord Downie's legacy. Gord Downie was given sufficient time to pen his own obituary, and that is exactly how it should be. Gord Downie, troubadour of Canada, charmed and challenged a nation He told Globe and Mail writer Ian Brown he planned to build a cabin near Chanie Wenjacks relatives in northwestern Ontario, where he could spend his final days. ~ MacKenzie Wilson HOMETOWN Amherstview, Ontario, Canada BORN February 6, 1964 Similar Artists Gord Downie & The Country of Miracles The Tragically Hip Hayden Joel Plaskett Rheostatics Dan Mangan Matthew Good Matt Mays Arkells Wintersleep He usually started with a "Hello," and often ended with a variation on "Good night, music lovers," but what would happen in between was anyone's guess. Updated at 11:10 a.m. Downieattended Kingston Collegiate Vocational Institute, a school that has also graduated the likes of John A. Macdonald, Robertson Davies, and Don Cherry. He was also a dedicated activist, focusing on environmental issues and the disenfranchisement of Canadas indigenous community. Paul Langlois, the son of the school's gym teacher and football coach who Downie befriended in Grade 11, wouldnt join until a year later; by that time, Downie was studying film at Queens (mostly, I learned how to drink, he said of his time there). Copyright 2023 St. Joseph Communications. He was married to Laura Leigh Usher. The Idol: How HBOs Next Euphoria Became Twisted Torture Porn. The remains of Bodie are being preserved in a state of arrested decay. Sit down. But neither video nor radio was responsible for the bands rapid ascent: it was their live performances, where Downies unusual charisma electrified everyone who piled into either biker bars or student pubs to see them. or somewhat similarly minded mainstream artists like John Mellencamp. But the new 150 years can be years of building an actual nation. Canadian radio stations responded heavily to Downie's death, with early figures indicating the band's radio airplay on October 18 increased 1,500 percent compared to a normal day. Over more than thirty years and across fourteen studio albums, Downie and his band of brothers built a legacy as the essential Canadian rock band. [79] The album is co-written with Josh Finlayson, a frequent collaborator, and is accompanied with an acoustic version of all the produced tracks. Then came Downie's diagnosis, which created a wave of nostalgia and celebration even as people prepared for his passing. At the end of their set that night, the whole place stood up and clapped and it was undeniable if you were in the room that night that this was something special.". Not a word. As a musician, he lived "the life" for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. During his final months, Downie chose to say goodbye in his own unique wayand he let fans bid the beloved band farewell, too. That's really compelling to me." Wenjack was to 2016 what Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi was to 2015: a tragic symbol who launched a Canadian conversation about compassion and collective reckoning. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord. Then came May 24, 2016, when the band announced Downie's diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. He was 53. Both it and Battle of the Nudes are credited as Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles. when she met a 23-year-old Downie, who was just getting started with the Hip, playing mostly university gigs.. Aided by teleprompters showing the lyrics, Downie pranced about the stage with his signature theatrical dance moves, though less kinetically than in the past. Why a dying Gord Downie struggled to reveal 'The Secret Path' to - CBC Gord Downie: In my mind, there's always a TV flickering away in the corner of every song. The emotional strength that Patrick and Mike have shown is inspiring, but they add that they're driven to keep their brother's legacy alive with projects like Finding the Secret Path because of what it means to others. [40], At the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018, Downie posthumously won two Canadian Screen Awards for the television version of Secret Path. READ MORE: Gord Downie calls out to Justin Trudeau during Tragically Hip's final show of tour. See where those sparks land. And it seems like you get up there every single time and give it!. Gordie doesnt like to be the centre of attention, added Lorna. Throughout the Nineties and into the Aughts, the Tragically Hip and Downie developed and expanded their sound. [69] Several stations, including CHEZ-FM in Ottawa, CFRQ-FM in Halifax,[67] CJRQ-FM in Sudbury,[69] CJQQ-FM in Timmins, CKEZ-FM in New Glasgow and CIKR-FM in the Tragically Hip's hometown of Kingston[70] dropped their regular names to temporarily rebrand themselves as "Gord FM". The gig notably came together thanks to the efforts of fellow Kingston, Ontario native Dan Aykroyd, who introduced the group despite John Goodman hosting that nights show. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. To testify one more time. He delivered frenetic dance moves or stream-of-consciousness rants in ways that suggested he was channelling the music. It had more in common with Neil Youngs 1975 ramshackle fan favourite album Tonights the Night than, say, anything that would have a life on classic-rock-radio playlists. Downie released seven solo albums, two posthumously: Coke Machine Glow (2001), Battle of the Nudes (2003), The Grand Bounce (2010), And the Conquering Sun (2014), Secret Path (2016), Introduce Yerself (2017), and Away Is Mine (2020). Another 11.7 million watched a CBC broadcast of the concert, with hundreds of viewing parties held in public parks, squares, movie theatres, bars and restaurants across Canada. Stations in other formats, such as contemporary hit radio, adult contemporary or country music, typically did not suspend their normal playlists, but still added some Tragically Hip songs to the day's rotation. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. There were a few others there, though, most of whom knew enough to respect the privacy of the cancer-stricken man who had travelled hundreds of kilometres to disappear. Now that he's gone, "letting go" is something that Gord Downie's brothers are also struggling with. Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie performs with band members Paul Langlois, Gord Sinclair, Johnny Fay and Rob Baker at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre to kick off the bands latest Man Machine Poem tour in light of Downies brain cancer diagnosis, in Victoria, B.C., Canada July 22, 2016. Tragically Hip: Canada Waves Goodbye to a National Treasure. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time The album was scheduled for release on October 27th. Gord Downie, the Tragically Hip frontman who united a diverse array of music lovers with his commanding stage presence and Canadiana-laced lyrics, has died. he asked an interviewer from the Toronto Sun. The band also earned 16 Juno Awards the most ever for a band and the fourth-most ever for an artist picking up their last two in April for Group of the Year and Rock Album of the Year for Man Machine Poem. Fans would often tear up at newly poignant lyrics written decades ago: "No dress rehearsal / This is our life" in Ahead by a Century and "I've got to go / It's been a pleasure doing business with you" in Scared. Not surprisingly, Downie has cited all those as key influences, as well as David Byrne, Van Morrison and, yes, Jim Morrison; Downie sang a few Doors tunes . He was 53. Downie was also featured in the sitcom Corner Gas in the episode "Rock On!" Today Bodie is an authentic, intact ghost town. Create the spark. In his last year, while living with his own tragic story, Gord Downie was consumed by another. The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund is a registered charity. However, the band never quite took. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Gord was the fourth of five children: older siblings Mike, Charlyn and Paula, and younger brother Patrick. He died Tuesday night surrounded by his children and family, according to a statement on the band's website. Downies privacy was put to the test in 2015, when the Huffington Post ran a story about how his Toronto home had recently sold for under the asking priceunheard of in the citys real estate market. It was, in a way, a very Canadian approach to celebrity. A man that was so proud of his children and his family. As original material slowly seeped its way into the set, it was the other Gord, Sinclair, who wrote most of the lyrics. He was the son of Lorna (Neal) and Edgar Charles Downie, a travelling salesman, later a real estate broker and developer. This was all a red (and white) herring: There are likely as many American references as Canadian ones in Tragically Hip songs, and Downie never threw darts at a map of Canada for song ideas, nor did he seek to set Heritage Minutes to music. [29], In May 2016, Downie and his bandmates received honorary degrees from Queen's University. Though they were lumped together because of their work on Indigenous issuesMaracles work on which, of course, far outstretched Downies more recent foraymany wondered if the timing had more to do with health concerns. Gord Downie Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family And all you hear are the rusty breezes pushing around weathervane Jesus. Tragically Hip frontman wants the story of Chanie Wenjack, an Indigenous boy who died running away from a residential school in northern Ontario, to be his legacy project, Gord Downie talks about cancer, his recent cross-country tour and why he's focusing on Indigenous issues, Tragically Hip singer addresses the crowd at Saturday's show in Kingston. That included only three live shows, in Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax, and appearances at the Ottawa WE Day event and Haydens Dream Serenade concert in Toronto. Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie performs with band members Paul Langlois, Gord Sinclair, Johnny Fay and Rob Baker at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre to kick off the bands latest Man Machine Poem tour in light of Downies brain cancer diagnosis, in Victoria, B.C., Canada July 22, 2016. Bobcaygeon, meanwhile, is a summer sing-along named for a sleepy town in East-Central Ontario, though the lyrics also grapple with the 1933 Christie Pits riot, during which Torontos Jewish community clashed with so-called Swastika clubs. In 2013, the band was featured on a set of postage stampsand in July, they received the Order of Canada, one of the countrys highest honors. Were still trying to figure out what makes us Canadian, and we have one of the loudest neighbors in the world, so this band helped a country, and Gord helped people lyrically, slowly start to try to define themselves.. In a trailer for Introduce Yerself, he noted that every song was about a single person. ET. Terfry composed the track and with the help of Charles Austen, his co-writer, decided Downie's vocals would be the best fit for their song.