By Steve Newton When I interviewed Gord Downie in July of 1995 the Tragically Hip was flying high. Since I'd talked to him six months earlier, the band had won group of the year at the Junos, performed on Saturday Night Live, toured widely with Page & Plant, and opened for the Rolling Stones. Not … Continue reading That time Gord Downie told me about the Tragically Hip touring with Page & Plant and opening for the Rolling Stones
Tag: the Gord Downie Tapes
That time Gord Downie told me about the “unique” life on the road with the Tragically Hip
By Steve Newton On July 2, 1995, I did my fourth Georgia Straight interview with the Tragically Hip's Gord Downie. It had only been six months since our previous chat, and it was unusual--even back then, when newspapers were thriving--to publish two feature stories on the same band within such a short span of time. But … Continue reading That time Gord Downie told me about the “unique” life on the road with the Tragically Hip
That time Gord Downie told me that the Tragically Hip was just striving to exist in the United States
By Steve Newton When people discuss the history of the Tragically Hip, one subject that arises is how the band was unable to make it big in the States, and to garner anything resembling the same degree of commercial success that they enjoyed up in Canada. When I did my third interview with Gord Downie, … Continue reading That time Gord Downie told me that the Tragically Hip was just striving to exist in the United States
That time Gord Downie raved to me about Tragically Hip tourmates Change of Heart and the Odds
By Steve Newton One thing I figured out about Gord Downie during the five interviews I did with him between 1989 and 1995 was that he really, really likes musicians. Especially musicians who play in bands. He was always quick to rave about the new groups he'd heard lately, or maybe the ones the Tragically … Continue reading That time Gord Downie raved to me about Tragically Hip tourmates Change of Heart and the Odds
That time I told Gord Downie that the Hip’s “Nautical Disaster” made me think of Neil Young & Crazy Horse
By Steve Newton When I interviewed the Tragically Hip's Gord Downie in January of 1995 it was less than four months after the release of the band's fourth full-length album, Day for Night, and I was still playing the crap out of it. I would also play "Nautical Disaster" over and over again, until it … Continue reading That time I told Gord Downie that the Hip’s “Nautical Disaster” made me think of Neil Young & Crazy Horse
That time Gord Downie and I talked hockey after the 1994-95 NHL lockout
By Steve Newton When I interviewed Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie on January 18, 1995, it had been exactly one week since the end of the historic NHL lockout that had started the previous October. That lockout caused the 1994-1995 hockey season to be shortened from 84 games to 48, the shortest season in 53 … Continue reading That time Gord Downie and I talked hockey after the 1994-95 NHL lockout
That time Gord Downie told me that he thought “The Inevitability of Death” was kind of a funny song
By Steve Newton As a freelance writer for the Georgia Straight back in the heyday of the weekly paper, it was highly unusual that I would interview the same artist more than once in the same calendar year. But I did two interviews with Gord Downie in 1995--one in January and another in July--because the … Continue reading That time Gord Downie told me that he thought “The Inevitability of Death” was kind of a funny song
That time I asked Gord Downie about the cool cover art on the Tragically Hip’s Fully Completely
By Steve Newton This audio excerpt from my 1992 interview with Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie concerns the intriguing album-cover art for Fully Completely, which the band released less than a month before our little chat. At the time I was still trying to make sense of the weird kind of collage that would become … Continue reading That time I asked Gord Downie about the cool cover art on the Tragically Hip’s Fully Completely
That time Gord Downie told me about recording Fully Completely with producer Chris Tsangarides
By Steve Newton I did my second interview with Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie in November of '92, shortly after the release of the unforgettable Fully Completely album. It was the only Hip album to be produced by Chris Tsangarides, the same guy who helmed Thin Lizzy's final albums, Renegade and Thunder and Lightning. In this … Continue reading That time Gord Downie told me about recording Fully Completely with producer Chris Tsangarides
That time Gord Downie told me about Bill Barilko and the story behind the Tragically Hip’s “50 Mission Cap”
By Steve Newton I did my second interview with the Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie in November of 1992, one month after the release of the Fully Completely album. As you may already know, that's the best Hip album ever, partly because of the uber-Canadian song "50 Mission Cap", which mentions a hockey card and … Continue reading That time Gord Downie told me about Bill Barilko and the story behind the Tragically Hip’s “50 Mission Cap”
That time Gord Downie told me that talking about the Tragically Hip’s new Fully Completely album made him sound like a commercial pitchman
By Steve Newton Back in November of 1992 I did my second interview with Gord Downie, when he called me up to promote the Tragically Hip's new album, Fully Completely, which I firmly believe is their best ever. I started off by observing that it was their most varied album yet, and Downie took it … Continue reading That time Gord Downie told me that talking about the Tragically Hip’s new Fully Completely album made him sound like a commercial pitchman