Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - For Gord

Episode Date: October 18, 2017

For Gord Downie

One, two, three, four. One, two. September 17th For a girl I know it's Mother's Day Her son is gonna leave And that's where he will stay Wind on the weather vane Tear and blue eyes sail on me As Falstaff sings a sorrowful refrain For a boy in Fiddler's cream

His tiny knotted heart Well I guess it never worked too good The timber tore apart And the water gorged the wood

You can hear her whispered prayer Yeah For men at Mass that always leave The same wind that moves your head Moves your boy through Finland's green Oh, nothing's changed anyway Oh, nothing's changed anyway Oh, any time today He doesn't know us all

There's nowhere that he's really been But he won't travel alone No, not in Fiddler's Green There's the line. He doesn't know his soul And there's nowhere that he's really been. But he won't travel long alone, no, not in Fiddler's Green. I told my kids if I pass away and they want to have some kind of a celebration of life, they can play Fiddler's Green.

of life they can play Fiddler's Green. Last night, Gord Downie passed away. He was 53, and we all knew this day was coming. Very recently, Tim Thompson was here, and I told him I feared the worst when Gord did not show up for the TIFF launch of the hip documentary, Long Time Running. But knowing this was coming does not make it hurt any less because I'm recording this now in a great deal of pain. I just got the news maybe 15 minutes ago and I didn't know what to do, so I thought I'd play some hip tracks and share a few thoughts. The Tragically Hip is my favorite band of all time, and I've seen them in concert 12 times, most recently last August.

recently last August. And I wish I had seen him, you know, a hundred times more. I think the only reason it's 12 is because of, you know, budget and time. But I could never get enough Tragically Hip. And Gord was a huge part of that. Gord, lead singer, songwriter, national moral compass and conscience. And we had him for 53 years, and I suppose we should be lucky we got 53 years of Gord Downie. guitar solo I looked up and you were there Just sitting there all alone Holding your fist in the air Like if you need me you're on your own You drove me home through a snowy tomb And I fell asleep in my seat I had the dream of having no room

You were there just staring at me At the lonely end of the ring You and me At the lonely end of the ring You and me Oh, to join the rush I think about hip songs a lot. Like just last night I was at George Bell Arena. My oldest boy had a game.

And for 10 years he's been playing host league hockey at George Bell Arena and for 10 years I've been sitting usually by myself at the lonely end of the rink right behind the goaltender

on the north side and every time I sit there I hear this song in my head, Lonely End of the Rink. And I sit there and I think about Big Bruce, my Uncle Bruce, who would sit at the lonely end of the rink behind his son, Mark, who was an aspiring goaltender. And I would think about big Bruce back there and what it's like to sort of be alone with your boy between the pipes and you support him and you love him, but you can't step on that ice and stop the puck.

It's up to him now. We lost Bruce Young. He died at 58 of a heart attack. And every week during the winter, I'm at the lonely end of the rink, and this song's in my head, and I'm thinking of Big Bruce. I think that's part of the power of Gord's poetry, that he happens to set to great music. It can apply, you can apply it to your life,

your unique circumstances. You and me At the lonely end of the ring At the lonely end of the ring guitar solo 12 men broke loose in 73 From Mill Haven, maximum security 12 pictures lined up across the front page Seems the Mounties had a summertime of long wait Where the cheap, total people left nothing to feed

So the last thing they to do is hang around here. Most of the camp towns have long French names. But one of the dozen was a hometown shame. Same pattern on the table, same clock on the wall. I remember the first time I heard the hip, it was on Q107. Back in 1989, I listened to a lot of Q107. Me and my buddy Joe would throw it on the stereo and listen to the new rock of the time. At this time, we were still big Guns N' Roses fans.

And I heard Blow It High Doe. And the sound captured me. I was hooked right away. And there were several singles off that album up to here, which I ran out and bought ASAP at Sam the Record Man Dance downtown. Even though Joe picked up Alice Cooper, which is cool. But I'm happy with my pick. There was a cut on the album, you're listening to it now, 38 years old, which I just loved.

And I never heard it in concert, and I went to many a hip show, and I never heard Gort sing 38 years old. And then one year, I had tickets to see the hip at Fort York, which is a very cool venue to see a concert if you ever can. Hip at Fort York, which is a very cool venue to see a concert if you ever can. And I can't remember the circumstances, but I somehow ended up taking my mom to the show. And I'm like, okay, mom, you're going to see your first hip show. And I'm pretty sure that was her last hip show. But like a good sport, she came to Fort York with me to watch the hip. I wore my Bill Burrill Co. jersey. Let's go, Michael, son, we're taking you home. And that night, Gord and the boys played 38 Years Old. It is the only time I've ever heard them play it live.

Apparently, it was the first time in 20-something years they had played it live. They don't play 38 Years Old, but I heard it that night at Fort York. And I was so damn happy. I know my mom didn't understand the importance of that moment, but I think she knew that it made me happy, and that made her happy. I'm glad I got to take my mom to a hip show. Thank you. guitar solo Does your mother tell you things Long, long

When I'm gone Who you talking to She telling you I'm gone It's a great mistake When I'm wide awake Driving's rained out Weatherman with fingers in the sky

Pokes it out, pulls it in Don't know why Same mistake It's been a long time running It's been a long time coming It's well worth the wait I'm glad I got to take my wife to a hip show as well. This song, Long Time Running, was our first dance song at our distillery district wedding.

And now when I hear it, I think of my Monica. It's been a long time And when it came to planning the wedding, I pretty much let Monica make all the decisions, like in terms of, well, everything, honestly. The venue, everything. She chose everything, and all I asked is that I get some input on the songs, is that I get some input on the songs,

and I knew what song I wanted to play when I did the first dance with my mom, and I knew parts of it were obvious to me, but I really lobbied hard for this song for our first dance, and I knew she had veto power. I'm just glad she didn't veto it. I would say you've been told You'll work me against my friends And you'll get left out in a cold Fuck Road Apples was a good disc. It's the same mistake Cordelia, Fiddler's Green.

It's been a long, long time running. Long time running. It's been a long, long time coming. It's been a long, long, long time running. I'm running Swellworth away Swellworth away Swellworth away Swellworth away It's well worth the wait Watch the band

Through a bunch of dancers Quickly follow the unknown With something more familiar Quickly, something familiar Quickly Something familiar Covered My world Think I'm It doesn't matter

August 12, 2016 I saw the Tragically Hip for the last time at the Air Canada Centre. I went alone. I wanted to get tickets to take my two oldest kids. I wanted them to see their daddy's favourite band of all time while they could. And I couldn't get tickets.

But I kept trying. Eventually I got one ticket. And I biked over, bought a t-shirt, and switched between rocking out and crying that night. And I...

Gord came out in a Jaws shirt and I knew I had to have a Jaws shirt and I... I think there was a moment where I would have spent a thousand dollars for a Jaws t-shirt. And I eventually got a Jaws t-shirt

and I wear it all the time and it... It's all about Gord to me now. But my final memory I want to share is not from that August 12, 2016 show, which was amazing, but it was the final show in Kingston. but it was the final show in Kingston. I was in Inganish, Cape Redden, Nova Scotia with the entire family. And I was streaming the final hit show, of course.

The two little ones were asleep. My wife was exhausted and she went to bed. My oldest son heard a Frank Ocean album was dropping and he went in the other room to stream that. Which is cool. James, that's cool, bud. Still love you, man. But Michelle knew something was happening that was important to daddy. And she never left my side.

I started crying. And Michelle started crying. And we just cried together. And it was so cathartic. No one gets me like Michelle gets me. And since that day, she's seen Gord a couple of times. Because there was a wee day in Toronto and she saw Gord. And then on July 2nd, she saw Gord in Ottawa.

And she's so excitedly, Daddy, Daddy, I saw Gord again. And that's actually the last time I ever heard of Gord making a public appearance. And I feared the worst and expected the worst, but I wasn't ready to the beach. Sundown in the Paris of the prairies We kings of all treasures buried All you hear are the rusted breezes pushing around where the vain Jesus

loves and a simple lighter receives the killer's face Maybe it's someone standing in a killer's place Twenty years for nothing, well, there's nothing new besides No one's interested in something you didn't do This isn't something you didn't do.

We're kings in pretty things. Let's just see what the morning brings. Thank you, Gord, for the music. The soundtrack of my last 25 years. And if I have my way, my next 25 years. Thank you. Wait and see what tomorrow brings Late breakin' story on the CBC A nation whispers we always knew that he'd go free They add you can't be fond of living in the past

Cause if you are then there's no way that you're gonna last We hate kings and pretty beds Let's just see what tomorrow brings We're kings and pretty things Oh, that's what tomorrow brings Thank you.