"You find it oddly strangely comforting that no matter how old you get, when it comes to matters of the heart, you're always 15 inside. It's a story that gripped Downie, even as he struggled with the brain tumour that was killing him. He was transfixed by Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe residential school student who died of hunger and exhaustion while trying to walk 600 km home to his family. 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 . The final concert, in Kingston on Aug. 20,2016 was broadcast byCBC. 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. 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. Three days after the funeral, Downie had a seizure. ET. Downie never sought to be iconic. Thats whats missing as we celebrate doughnuts and hockey. Everyone was prepared for the funeral at any moment. Last night, Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by, his familywrote in a statement. Both it and Battle of the Nudes are credited as Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles. In June 2020, the Tragically Hip and manager Jake Gold announced that they were undertaking an "archaeological dig" to select music and memorabilia from the band's archives for future release. Its focus is on youth learning and combining Cree education with the contemporary world. [1] [54] [55] The surviving members of the Tragically Hip made the news of his death public the next morning, by sharing an official statement from his family on their website: [54] Vandoliers Play Tennessee Concert in Dresses to Protest State's New Drag Bill Where some go to get lost. Bodie is currently a State Historic Park. Then he got up, silently, walked over to a pile of wood, picked up two logs, and returned to put them on the fire. [43], In September 2017, Downie announced what would be his final solo double-album titled Introduce Yerself; it was released on October27, 2017, ten days after Downie's death.[44][45][46]. Tragically Hip: Canada Waves Goodbye to a National Treasure. It was, in a way, a very Canadian approach to celebrity. Author Joseph Boyden, who invited them, said their motivation was to "initiate a guerrilla act of love for a people who are so thoroughly underrepresented but now, somehow, overexposed for only their shortcomings. 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. They're writing all the music and I'm writing all the lyrics and we're coming up with some neat stuff. His family and managers said future releases are planned, including solo material and unreleased work with the Hip. Those tender offerings touched his heart and he takes them with him now as he walks among the stars.. In 2008, Downie appeared as a guest vocalist on City and Colour's single "Sleeping Sickness". Not a word. Your father is now buried. when she met a 23-year-old Downie, who was just getting started with the Hip, playing mostly university gigs.. The statement was released via the band's official Twitter. Garrett and his bandmates became invested in the fight against clearcutting in B.C.s Clayoquot Sound, and convinced the Hip to join them. Everyone whose family has ever been cursed with cancer projected stories onto the tale of a man who chose to stare down a terminal diagnosis and take the show on the road. There can be a certain darkness in the lyrics, in some ways that reminded me of reading and listening to Leonard Cohen or Robertson Davies. When he spoke, he gave us goosebumps and made us proud to be Canadian. "It takes ahold of you. Even when he stepped outside the Tragically Hip, Gord Downie loved to make rock records, first and foremost. He says that watching it stirs a mixture of sadness and pride. Following the release of Man Machine Poem and the Tragically Hips final concert, Downie continued to work. With seven solo albums to his name, Downie's own music refutes definition, renowned for its adventurous poetry . [37], The tour was profiled in the 2017 documentary film Long Time Running, directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier. The hour-long film chronicles that last year of Gord Downie's life, and his determination to tell Chanie Wenjack's story: "It's such a simple story, that's part of its grasp," says Mike. Downie formed the Tragically Hip in 1984 alongside childhood friends Bobby Baker, Paul Langlois, Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay. He saved a special energy for Kingston, playing a near three-hour set that was at once jubilant, raucous and heart-wrenching. He was married to Laura Leigh Usher. He was also a dedicated activist, focusing on environmental issues and the disenfranchisement of Canadas indigenous community. Gord Downie passed away a year ago on October 17, 2017. . [14] Gordie doesnt like to be the centre of attention, added Lorna. It was viewed by an estimated 11.7 million people. Video clips dont do justice to the energy in the room generated by a performer who communicated more with a flick of the finger than anyone elses high kicks. He saw it as something that I think made sense to him as his life was coming to an end.". Gord knew this day was coming his response was to spend this precious time as he always had making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss on the lips. Downie had an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer called glioblastoma, which he discovered after a seizure in December 2015. With seven solo albums to his name, Downie's own music refutes definition, renowned for its adventurous poetry . The bands management broke the news just after the May long weekend in 2016, while simultaneously announcing a tour to promote the new album. Working with Gold and Gregg, the Hip signed a record deal with MCA that led to an eponymous 1987 EP, but the band didn't start to become a household name until 1989's Up to Here, which included the hits Blow at High Dough and New Orleans is Sinking, both of which still get heavy play on Canadian radio. 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. The remains of Bodie are being preserved in a state of arrested decay. ~ 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 1. Then sit back and see what happens, because its not like you can control it. [74], Arjun Sahgal, an oncologist with the Sunnybrook Hospital who had been involved in treating Downie after his cancer diagnosis, lauded Downie's strength and courage in continuing to tour, make music and use his fame to publicize both cancer awareness and indigenous reconciliation issues, and called Downie "a Terry Fox in the modern day".[75]. "Gord and I, we knew so little about residential schools," Mike says. Aided by teleprompters showing the lyrics, Downie pranced about the stage with his signature theatrical dance moves, though less kinetically than in the past. No other act of the day was embraced with the fervour and frenzy that Hip fans displayed toward Downie as a performer, but it was his lyrics that inflamed his fans. In addition to the Tragically Hip's performance, Downie sang a song with a local band, Northern Revolution. SHAPIRO: In. Lets celebrate our next 150 years.. The group said they were "humbled" with the award. His most famous Canadian collaborations are with Richard Terfry (better known as Buck 65), Dallas Green of City and Colour and Alexisonfire, the Sadies and Fucked Up. The last 150 years arent as much worth celebrating as we think, Downie said. If the Tragically Hip frontman had to check out early as he did on Tuesday at 53 years of . Downie was born on Feb. 6, 1964, in Amherstview, Ont., just slightly west of Kingston, to Lorna and Edgar, a travelling salesman turned real estate developer. [6] In an interview with Canadian music journalist Steve Newton, Downie noted that the Tragically Hip's early setlist was originally drawn to bands such as The Yardbirds and The Stones, a decision that was made because the Hip wished other Kingston bar bands would also play the genre. Canadian rock legend Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip died at the age of 53 from brain cancer. I think that everyman quality matters.. He died on October 17, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Create the spark. It's there all the time, tuned in to Fox News. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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 band was big enough in the mid-'90s to organize Another Roadside Attraction, a travelling music and arts festival that included a mix of Canadian acts (Rheostatics, Eric's Trip) and international stars (Midnight Oil, Wilco) all hand-picked by the band. [34] The tour's final concert was held at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario, on August 20 and was broadcast and streamed live by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on television, radio and internet. Canadian Icon Gordon "Gord" Edgar Downie February 6th, 1964 - October 17th, 2017 We lost a true Canadian icon, talented poet and musician. Do the work. I dream about it, but I dont want to get too far ahead of myself, he said. [62] Additionally, several National Hockey League teams and players, as well as the league itself, paid tribute to Downie through social media, owing to the high popularity of the Tragically Hip's music among Canadian professional hockey players. He sang about Canada, but disavowed nationalism, his songs exploring heavy topics like David Milgaard's wrongful conviction (Wheat Kings) or Canada's treatment of First Nations (Now the Struggle Has a Name). He was the son of Lorna (Neal) and Edgar Charles Downie, a travelling salesman, later a real estate broker and developer. Updated at 11:10 a.m. Throughout his career, Downie seemed unfiltered on stage. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. [citation needed], In Kingston, Mayor Bryan Paterson issued a statement, laid a wreath in Springer Market Square near City Hall, and signed a condolence banner. Years later, when he decided to be more vocal, he made sure he did his homework, studying casework, speaking at hearings, relying on research and science rather than his celebritymuch like his old friend Sarah Harmer, another Waterkeeper supporter. Downie died on October 17, 2017 at the age of 53. [36], Downie toured with the band in summer 2016 to support Man Machine Poem, the band's 13th studio album. Very quick question to anyone that might be able to answer it.. [citation needed], Downie died of glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, on October 17, 2017, at the age of 53 in Toronto. The song "Goodnight Attawapiskat" from the album Now for Plan A was a result of this trip.[24]. "Patrick and I are comfortable with the word legacy. The album was scheduled for release on October 27th. Nonetheless, someone piped up. Written entirely in the first person, Downie tried to feel what Chanie Wenjack was feeling on his journey from moment he was taken away from his family, to his lonely death. At the Assembly of First Nations in Gatineau, Quebec, on December6, 2016, National Chief Perry Bellegarde honoured Downie with an eagle feather, a symbol of the creator above, for his support of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. In the middle of the set, Downie made a plea for reconciliation with Canadas Indigenous peoples, calling out the Prime Minister by name. ", Mike says he hopes the film makes it clear that this idea, "meant a lot to this guy, he wasn't chasing causes around, this was really important. When you have five children, its hard to remember all the details, said Edgar. The Hip, as they're often called, won 16 Juno awards (the most of any band) and received a raft of other honours, including the Order of Canada. "Then for him to say, 'Look at this, this is our country too. [30] In December 2017, Downie was again named Canadian Newsmaker of the Year for the second year in a row, in recognition of the public reaction to his death. Those were the private reasons. [34][35] Doctors at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre confirmed the same day that it was a glioblastoma, which had responded favourably to radiation and chemotherapy treatment but was not curable. Downie, who won two Junos for the 10-song solo album, thought of the Secret Path music, concerts and film created with artist Jeff Lemire as his legacy project. There was no left turn in Downies career greater than his first solo album, 2001s Coke Machine Glow, compiled of songs his Hip bandmates had rejected and works culled from an accompanying book of poetry by the same namewhich set sales records in a corner of the publishing industry where 10,000 copies might as well be 100,000. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord. It's not easy and, what can you say, there's a lot of pain without really going back and digging it up.". After the final cross-country tour, all 17 Hip recordings (including box sets and live concerts) were back on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart as sales and downloads skyrocketed. All the while, he was writing and recording: with the Hip, keyboardist Kevin Hearn, avant-garde noisemakers Dinner is Ruined, and separate projects with producers Kevin Drew and Bob Rock. He clearly was so taken with it and couldn't let it go.". No one. Fifty Mission Cap,for instance, recounts the story of Toronto Maple Leafs hero Bill Barilko, who died in a plane crash months after winning the Stanley Cup. The group also has a Canadian Music Hall of Fame induction, a Governor General's Performing Arts Award, an honorary fellowship with the Royal Conservatory of Music and a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund is a registered charity. His subject matter was always broader than he was given credit for, but its easier for armchair academics to latch onto songs about hockey and a late-breaking story on the CBC; those topics werelow-hanging fruit in the dense forest of Downies imagination. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. Downie was also featured in the sitcom Corner Gas in the episode "Rock On!" At Queen's University, Downie's alma mater, flags were lowered to half-mast following news of his death. 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. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord. "Who are you comparing us to?" Post navigation Canadian rock legend Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip died at the age of 53 from brain cancer. "It certainly took ahold of Gord, I think, because it's just so simple a boy trying to get home. CBC Television broadcast his solo Roy Thomson Hall concert of Secret Path on October 22. Today Bodie is an authentic, intact ghost town. A childrens choir sang The Stranger, the opening track from Secret Path. It wasnt until the 1991 release of the bands second album, Road Apples, that Downie seized the lyrical reins entirely. [73], In the wake of Downie's death, CTV rescheduled the planned broadcast premiere of Long Time Running, a documentary film by Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier about the Man Machine Poem Tour of 2016, from November 12 to October 20. And for him that missing piece became very obvious. "Gord knew this day was coming his response was to spend this precious time as he always had making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss on the lips," the statement said. Downie dismissed questions about why the band didn't break big in the U.S., telling CBC that he felt successful after the band's first practice. Gord Downie, the lead singer for the beloved Canadian alt-rock bandthe Tragically Hip, died Tuesday at the age of 53. Downiejoined a punk band called the Slinks; their friendly competitors at the school were a Grade 13 group called the Rodents, featuring bassist Gord Sinclair and guitarist Robbie Baker. The Idol: How HBOs Next Euphoria Became Twisted Torture Porn. Musician manager Jake Gold, who along with Allan Gregg gave the Hip members their first shot, told the authors of the book Have Not Been The Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-95, about the Toronto show that won them and an ambivalent crowd over. 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. Gordon Downie was born in Amherstview, Ontario, and raised in Kingston, Ontario, along with his brothers Mike and Patrick, and sisters Charlyn and Paula. 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. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. 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. Gordon R Downie (1899-1943) - Find a Grave Memorial Born in 1899 and died in 13 Oct 1943 Winnipeg, Manitoba Gordon R Downie Skip to main content Home Memorials Cemeteries Famous Contribute Register Sign In Register Sign In Memorial updated successfully. He died Tuesday night surrounded by his children and family, according to a statement on the band's website. " Rosa Hwang (@journorosa) October 18, 2017. [7], On December22, 2016, Downie was selected as The Canadian Press's Canadian Newsmaker of the Year and was the first entertainer selected for the title. " [Gord] is the right person to tell the story," she says, "because the Creator chose him. Upon hearing the news, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a tribute statement on his official website. ", After his final appearances with the Tragically Hip, Downie released Secret Path, a multimedia project that tells the tragic tale of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack, who died of exposure and hunger in 1966 after running away from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Kenora, Ont. In the space of a month, he transformed the half-century-old tale of Chanie Wenjacka 12-year-old boy who froze to death running away from residential school in 1966into a current concern. In 2018, two recordings by Downie, "The East Wind" and "At the Quinte Hotel", were released on the compilation album The Al Purdy Songbook. It would be the last time. What followed once the show hit the road, though, was a public outpouring that few could have predicted: a year of Downie transforming from an aging rock star to tragic hero. [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". Gord Downie, singer of The Tragically Hip, died of complications from brain cancer Tuesday night at the age of 53. As their popularity in Canada grew, the Tragically Hip seemed primed to cross over in America, especially during alternative rocks Nineties heyday. 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. Downies on-stage improvisations were a principal part of the bands appeal from day one, though he was not yet a lyricist. 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. ", Audience Relations, CBC P.O. "She said, I wouldnt go to the lobby of my building to see Frank Sinatra. In a 1991 profile of the Hip, a reporter from the Kingston Whig-Standard visited all the band members families. Kingston Transit buses displayed "GORD, WE'LL MISS YOU" on their electronic destination signs, alternately with the regular route number and name display. It's so important to the country that we get this right. [79] The album is co-written with Josh Finlayson, a frequent collaborator, and is accompanied with an acoustic version of all the produced tracks. The man slumped a bit. No one. Solo albums were a pressure-release valve for Downie during the early 2000s, as the Hip became elder statesmen in danger of being taken for granted. 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. They then honoured the 215 children who were recently found buried. He also called Downie "the greatest frontman this country has ever produced.". "I think he really tried to put himself in those shoes and imagine what that was like," Mike says. A Kingston hospital diagnosed the 52-year-old singer with primary glioblastoma, an aggressive and terminal brain cancer. "His main focus was the release of Secret Path," says Gord's brother, Patrick Downie. Over three decades, the Tragically Hip released 14 studio albums, the majority of which topped the Canadian album charts and were eventually certified Platinum (their first three LPs all went Diamond). Though he wasn't afraid to go it alone as a solo artist, Downie's legacy will always be tied most closely with the Tragically Hip. I see stuff and I ," Patrick says, taking a moment to collect himself before continuing his thought. [16], Also in 2014 Downie appeared as a guest vocalist on "The Art of Patrons", a song from Fucked Up's album Glass Boys.[17]. in which the Tragically Hip are shown as a local band practising in the main character's garage. Brad Wheeler tells his. [49] They had four children. As with the blanket ceremony, the emotion and pride on his face was palpable. Over the course of his career, Downie released three other musically adventurous solo albums, a collaboration with Toronto roots-rock band the Sadies, and a book of poetry. But he did, at the final Tragically Hip show at the K-Rock Centre in Kingston on Aug. 20broadcast live on the CBC to an estimated 11.7 million viewers, with 20,000 people from across the continent assembled in Kingstons Springer Market Square to celebrate. They tapped into rocknrolls primal energy in ways that had been largely forgotten by the late 80s: they were a dressed-down, no-frills roadhouse bar band whose videos were rejected by MTV, a band whose sound was far removed from the eras pop stars, stadium rock, hair metal, aging Boomers, newer bluesy bandseven from alternative icons like R.E.M. On the evening of October 17th, 2017, Downie passed away at the age of 53. TV is the main source of information. Downie was born Feb. 6, 1964, to parents Edgar Charles and Lorna Downie and grew up in Amherstview, Ont., just outside Kingston. Now, nearly a year after Gord Downie's death, his brothers Patrick and Mike are premiering a new CBC documentary they've produced Finding The Secret Path. Kevin Light/Reuters, I would get very jumbled emails when he was in treatment, or texts at odd hours of the night, says one former musical colleague. "For me, it's not as easy. As we move towards resolution and understanding and greater serenity in all aspects of our life, love's pretty elemental and that's nice to know.