Hey, I wrote a book about Gord Downie, and it looks freakin’ awesome!

By Steve Newton

After more than 35 years as a journalist, I’m finally moving up in the world.

I’m gonna be an author!

Yeah, that’s right. Shove over Stephen King, there’s an unstoppable new force in the publishing world.

Just kidding.

But I do have a damn nice-looking book comin’ out.

On February 6 Indigo Press will release Gord Downie, a custom coffee-table tome created for Indigo by Sterling Publishing out of New York City.

Here’s what it says on the back of the book:

This is the story of Gord Downie’s creative journey as lead singer and lyricist for venerable rock band the Tragically Hip, covering his solo career, his philanthropic work, and beyond, leading up to the much-loved musician’s untimely death from brain cancer at the age of 53 in October 2017.

In this unofficial retrospective, rock journalist Steve Newton, a longtime Hip fan, charts the quintet’s rise to fame as “a group of buddies from Kingston who started out playing Stones covers in a basement before finding their own unique and powerful voice, one conveyed by a rock poet whose art would capture the imagination of an entire country.”

During the Hip’s meteoric rise, Newton interviewed Downie five times for the Georgia Straight, gaining keen insight into how the Kingston rocker regarded his work and the artistic motivations behind it. Newton blends Downie’s candid commentary with impressions drawn from seeing the band live, poring over classic Hip albums, and studying their songs, many of which are inspired by references to Canadian locations, people, and events.

Containing more than 175 color photographs and reproductions of rare memorabilia, this is the first fully illustrated, comprehensive book paying tribute to Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip–an essential keepsake for every true fan.

So there you have it. If you love Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip you might just love my book.

I’m hopin’, anyway.

You can order it here now, and you can learn about the West Coast book launch here.