Memories of The Hip As They're Inducted Into The Hall Of Fame

This weekend, Canadian rock masters The Tragically Hip will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame.  First, on Saturday at a formal gala dinner and then on Sunday they'll be recognized during this year's Juno Award, both events in Winnipeg.  The Hip are also performing two songs at the Junos.

The boys from Kingston, ON have had a long and successful career; one that many music fans in this fair country will already have at least a basic knowledge of.  Instead of giving you an account of their discography and hits, I'd like to reminisce about my discovery of the band with stories of personal experience and other pieces that still remain in my fragmented memory to this day. 

Let's also get one thing clear; 'to reminisce' doesn't mean that I'm looking back on the band as if their reign of rock is dead in Canada.  In a recent article on CANOE, guitarist Rob Baker points out that although the band are honoured by this weekend's distinction, they are all about looking ahead.  They plan on having their next album out in the spring of 2006 which follows a Greatest Hits package due out this fall (the latter being something the band isn't too keen on).  Simply put, they aren't looking back, or slowing down at all.

It's comical to note that my first impression of The Hip wasn't a very good one at all.  As I started attending college in Toronto in 1992, The Hip were gaining tremendous momentum with the release of their third full-length release, "Fully, Completely" and I really didn't like what I heard.  Now, being a Radio Production student, I worked at the campus station and couldn't ignore the fact that this Canadian band was climbing the charts with "Courage" and "At The Hundredth Meridian", and I suppose that the extended exposure to their music softened me to a degree.

However, it was the Kumbaya Festival in 1993 that really turned my opinion of the band around.  The benefit concert which was founded by Molly Johnson to raise AIDS awareness and money for those afflicted, featured a host of mostly Canadian artists performing a couple of songs each.  If I recall correctly, The Hip were the surprise headliners, performing five songs.  However, I vaguely remember that by the time I had entered the old Ontario Place Forum, rumours were rampant at the band's appearance.  I do remember (with thanks to www.killerwhaletank.com) that singer Gord Downie came out and performed "Hey Maria" with The Andrew Cash Band earlier in the evening. When the quintet hit the stage at the end of the night, I was forever changed.

They started off with "Fully Completely" and also played "At the Hundredth Meridian" and finished with "50 Mission Cap", introducing it as "Flag on your Nap-Sack".  For those who never had the chance to see a show at the Ontario Place Forum, it was an outdoor venue with a circular covered stage which slowly rotated so that during the length of a show, everyone in attendance would see the band facing them without said artists getting dizzy.  Downie would sit on the leading edge of the stage, using his mic-stand in an apparent attempt to keep the stage moving, even proclaiming at one point when it did stop to "Keep the wagon wheel moving, man!".  He would also hop from one monitor to another, all part of some of the stage antics that I had yet to experience in my short history of live shows.

The ultimate moment for me that night, came when Downie introduced a song as, "This is a song about a nautical disaster.  It's called, "Nautical Disaster"".  The band then started playing "New Orleans Is Sinking" which to me was virtually new.  However, in the middle of the song, unbeknownst to me, they started playing "Nautical Disaster", a song that would appear over a year later on "Day For Night".  It's a moment in concert history that to this day is as fresh and exciting as it was when I saw it live, not realizing it's relevance.  I should also point out that although it's hard to pick a favourite Hip song, "Nautical Disaster" remains one of them for me. 

(Also of relevance at that show was Downie previewing another "Day For Night" song, in which he ended one of the songs with the "Them? Here? Now? NO!" lyrics which would later be known as part of "Grace, Too", not to mention the second song of the set being "Thugs", also of the same album and largely unknown to those in attendance.)

From then on, I was gladly a Hip fan, making it a personal mission to get everything they had done before that.  "Road Apples", "Up To Here" and their self-titled 1987 EP quickly became staples in my music collection.  Eventually, material from "Fully, Completely" grew on me to the point that left me scratching my head at my previously held opinion.  I was choked that I likely had a number of chances to see them in their storied early years since at the time, I considered Kingston, ON to be my second home.  I had to settle with just reading and hearing about their early days as a Canadian rock band.

One such story comes to mind.  It was of a show they played in Winnipeg to just a handful of people.  The story is slightly different every time I hear it, but basically, the boys played to either just the bar staff and/or a small group of unsuspecting patrons.  One account has the band so thankful to those folks that they would sit down and have some beers with them.  Another more accurate account had them playing the same night a John Mellencamp show was in town, only to have the post-concert crowd hit the bar and catch The Hip in the middle of one of their sets.  One thing is known for sure; the bar owner prematurely passed judgment on the band and cancelled the rest of their gigs scheduled at the bar that week, despite seeing a pumped post-concert crowd.  Imagine being the guy who once fired The Tragically Hip.  Imagine being one of the patrons at that small bar!

That's what became even more appealing to me about this band.  Their early days consisted of mostly small bar gigs, not to mention Downie's mid-song ramblings and stage 'tricks'.  First, to see such a band with such a vibrant live performance in a small bar is something to behold.  Second, to bear witness to one of Downie's ramblings was like finding a jewel that was not so much rare, but became less and less often an occurrence.  If you don't know what I mean, you should get your hands on the live version of "New Orleans Is Sinking" which features the so-called 'killerwhaletank' story mid-song, or the "Highway Girl" 'double suicide' live version.  Both are classics; both are highly entertaining.

I once read a story about a show when the band embarked on one of their early US tours.  The concert was, I believe, in one of the Southern states and Downie started going on about this proud family who were happy to have a new addition.  The story, as Downie told it, went on and on about how happy and proud the couple was of their new child.  The father would lift his child high up in the air to show the world, only to have the kids head taken off by a ceiling fan.  The band then abruptly broke into song.

I also knew a girl once who claims that Mr. Downie was so enthralled at the raving fans in front of him during a performance she attended that he proceeded to slip his hand down his pants mid-song.  Her take on it was that he was so animated during the performance, obviously moved by the music he and his band-mates were making and even more-so by the fans that he decided to make the moment as pleasurable as possible.  Of course, I can't verify that this actually happened, but I'm not quick to dismiss it either.  Who knows?

Once I had done my homework on the band, I did what I needed to see them live again.  The second and third shows were part of festivals.  The first being the band's own Another Roadside Attraction at the Markham Fairgrounds in 1997.  The day was a gong show with huge traffic line-ups en-route to the venue.  Of course, in the blazing summer heat, my exceptional 1985 Ford Tempo experienced mechanical problems.  I ditched the car at some strip-plaza and we walked the rest of the way, at one point buying beer from some dude out the side of his van.  The performance was good, although it lacked anything of significance (in relation to the stories I had heard up to that point).

The third was an especially proud Canadian moment as it took place in Rome, NY at the famed Woodstock '99.  The Hip were the first to perform on the Saturday of the three day event, and although I estimated only 30,000 of the 250,000 at Woodstock got up to check out the noon show, I'm certain that almost every single Canadian there was in front of that stage, most of them sporting Canadian flags, hats and anything else in red-and-white.

The next time I would see The Hip would be in Red Deer, AB in November of 2000.  The tour was in support of their seventh full-length release, "Music@Work" (an album that contains another of my most favourite Hip songs, "Tiger The Lion") and it was dubbed "An Evening With The Hip".  No openers, just three hours of the boys split into two sets.  Although personal disturbances surrounded the attendance of this show caused me to miss the entire first half and possibly put a damper on the night, what I did see of the show was not impressive.  I was greatly concerned that my opinion of the band was returning to it's pre-Kumbaya days.

That would thankfully change in a big way in with two shows in 2002.  In July of 2002, some friends and I would make the eventful trek up to Camrose, AB to see them perform at yet another festival, Stage 13.  They would play on the final day of the weekend festival, putting on a performance that although lacked any improv moments, was simply a solid show with incredible energy.  My faith in the band was restored, and when "In Violet Light" was release later that year, I promptly went out and purchased it.  This proved to be vital, as it included a free membership to The Hip Club (THC), which would assist me in attending the last two shows I saw.

THC members were given first crack at tickets for their theatre tour in support of "In Violet Light", and although I missed the boat early on, I still managed to exploit my membership for second-row tickets on the balcony of the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary.  The opener was the up-and-coming Sam Roberts, who performed with pure enjoyment of his rock music that I was thoroughly impressed.  The concert also boasted one of the best sounding Hip shows I had ever seen.

The last time (although I'm certain it won't be the final time) was also with the help of my THC membership.  To promote their then up-coming ninth full-length release "In Between Evolution", the boys embarked on an exclusive, short cross-Canada club tour.  What I had missed early in their career was to finally be rectified.  The Tragically Hip at a small venue, namely the Whiskey, here in Calgary on June 23^rd, 2004.  The show was fantastic, intimate, and an experience I won't soon forget.  With two encores, the show was lengthy but for many in attendance, it could have lasted all night.  For this fan, it was excellent even if those early days could never be duplicated.  It certainly helped that during their final encore they played another of my favourite Hip songs, "Springtime In Vienna".

And so we are brought to today, one day before this storied Canadian band is inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.  Now that I've looked back at the time I've devoted to seeing and following this band, I can certainly see why Baker and the rest of the band are all about looking forward.  With so many fond memories and good times, who wouldn't one want to keep on going, creating more to remember?  I look forward to the next time I pick up a Hip album and attend a Hip show.

(Thanks again go out to www.killerwhaletank.com and also to www.hipbase.com for being there, helping me remember certain dates and facts.  Gord knows that I couldn't rely on my memory.)

www.thehip.com

Lollapalooza Returns...Again...Kinda

When Lollapalooza returned in 2003 after being MIA for five years, many fans were excited.  The line-up boasted some big names including the return of Jane's Addiction, whose singer Perry Farrell is one of the people behind the festival.  Despite the 2003 line-up including A Perfect Circle, Queens of the Stone Age (for only a handful of dates) and Audioslave (who, in my humble yet distinguished opinion, easily stole the show in Seattle), some reports showed that it didn't break even.  Some shows were even cancelled that year.

Last year, the festival was to expand to two days at each stop, featuring more eclectic acts, showcases and activities.  The announced headliners were certainly different from previous years; the Pixies, the Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth and Morrissey.  Sadly, that wasn't enough to sell tickets and the whole tour was scrapped before it even began.

So, what can Lollapalooza organizers do to try and revive the struggling festival?  How about sticking with last year's idea of running it for two days, but only holding the show once?  That's the somewhat confirmed plan, with it running in Chicago's Grant Park on July 23-24.  The line-up has yet to be announced (although rumours are that Beck, The Killers, Kings of Leon and Widespread Panic are tapped performers) and don't expect it before the third week of April either, although the web-site is to be updated today (April 1^st...hopefully this isn't an April Fool as well).

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050330/music_nm/music_lollapalooza_dc&e=4

The Strokes Have An Announcement To Make...

...the third album is almost finished.  Oh, and singer Julian Casablancas claims that this will be better than the last record.  And drummer Fab Moretti points out that they're overdubbing sitars and strings in March, so we can expect the new record as soon as two months from now.  Interesting; sitars and strings.

This was all communicated to fans by The Strokes in a recent fan club newsletter.  Manager Ryan Gentles mentioned on the same newsletter that the band's touring intentions for 2005 are much more elaborate than the last time out in support of "Room On Fire" (Chart Magazine dubbed it "their three-minute tour, if that's any indication).

http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2005/03/3004.cfm

Kelly Osbourne Says Her First Album Was "Crap"

Really?  You don't Say?!  What tipped you off Kelly?  That it debuted on Billboard at number 101 and never went any higher?  Or maybe, JUST MAYBE...it was the fact that the album just wasn't very good...at all?

Apparently, she had little control over the first album but she states that for her second release (titled "Sleeping in the Nothing") she was much more involved.  It's slated to hit stores on June 7^th, so we'll see how much better it is this time around. 

http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/18015590

Paul Hester of Crowded House Commits Suicide

In a sad bit of news this week, drummer Paul Hester of Australian rock band Crowded House was found in a park in Melbourne after he hung himself.  He was 46.

He disappeared from his home on Friday (March 25^th) after taking his two dogs for a walk.  The following day, Metropolitan Ambulance Services arrived on the scene and although they reported he had "attempted suicide" and tried to resuscitate him, he was declared dead 20 minutes late.

Hester and singer Neil Finn were originally in New Zealand band Split Enz, before forming Crowded House in 1985 with bassist Nick Seymour.  Finn, who is currently touring London, mourned his death.  "I am deeply saddened by the loss of a close friend."

http://www.undercover.com.au/news/2005/mar05/20050326_paulhester.html

Dinosaur Jr. Return With More Than Just Re-Releases

It's been just two weeks since Merge Records re-released Dinosaur Jr.'s first three albums, "Dinosaur", You're Living All Over Me" and "Bug".  However, it's not just the albums that are coming back.

The original trio (singer/guitarist J. Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph) have made plans to tour, starting with an appearance on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (I miss Kilbourne) on April 15^th.  Mascis will be performing the following day with his current band The Fog in Los Angeles with "very special guests".  One can only assume that means Dinosaur Jr.  The summer tour only has three dates set (June 8^th in London, June 10^th at the UK Download Festival and July 29-31 at Japan's Fuji Rock Festival), although more are expected.

http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2005/03/2904.cfm