Ken and the folks at Reverend were very close to TTH. Here are his thoughts and a couple nice stories he shared.
As those of you who are close to me know, I'm devastated today by the loss of Gordon Downie of the Tragically Hip. Knowing it was coming doesn't make it suck any less.
I became an instant fan after hearing them on 89X - Canadian radio that permeated Detroit airwaves. When I heard Little Bones I was hooked - Jim Neill and I wore out the CD that year, if that's possible. They kept putting out amazing record after record - and the further away from Canada they got into the US, the smaller the venue we could see them at. In the 90's my friend Vicci & I got fleur-de-lis tattoos on a radio station dare to get into a meet & greet... and I was somehow able to keep in touch.
When touring for In Violet Light, my friend Jay Harrington interviewed them for a fanzine - and I had him ask them if they wanted to check out some Revs in Detroit the next night. Penny and I drove up to Pine Knob with a trunk full of guitars & basses. Gordie flipped over Penny's green Hawaiian scene slingshot. After that we were lucky enough to hang out every time they came through. While touring for World Container it clicked - and Robbie & Paul got a Double Agent, Charger 290, Jetstream 390 & a Double Agent. The Flatroc stayed in Pauls rig for years - and Robbie used the Charger 2x in the final concert on BBC.
During this time of working with the band, Gordon Downie was always so cool with Penny & I, and any guests we happened to bring. I took my Kira to see them in Rochester NY when she was only 12 or 13, and Gordon saw her practicing ballet in the back hallway outside of the dressing room. He watched for a while, then came out & sat on the floor and talked to her about dance... and thanked me for bringing her.
The last time we got to talk to him was in Rama Ontario a few years ago. It was a weird Casino show - the they asked us to have dinner with them after. My last conversation with him was about fitbits of all things. He kept asking "What's the endgame? So people know how many steps they take.. what do you do with that? " It was hilarious.
He was one of a very few rock singers in my opinion who really had something to say - and came up with amazing ways to say it. He told stories & made his lyrics come to life live & in the studio. I feel privileged to have spent the tiny little bit of time with him that we did, and it's hard to imagine the hole he is leaving in the lives of those who were close to him - as in ALL of Canada.
"Heaven is a better place today - because of this - but the world is just not the same" - Gordon Downie.
