Outpouring of love shows Gord Downie’s one of us

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This article was published 24/05/2016 (3454 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Tuesday morning, our nation woke up sleepy after May Long, that most Canadian of long weekends, to devastating news. Gord Downie, our Gord Downie, has terminal brain cancer. The tumour is aggressive. Treatable, but incurable. He is not dead but this is probably how he will die.

The same people who undoubtedly blasted the Tragically Hip all weekend while drinking beer next to a lake, celebrating the unofficial start of a too-short season, were now listening to these songs while weeping at their desks at work. We’ve lost our share of musical icons this year — the name of this column could easily be Upsetting News About Beloved Musicians — but the news of Gord feels different. Of course, it feels different because the sharp stabs of grief being felt coast-to-coast are anticipatory; we haven’t lost him, not yet. This is the tragedy before the tragedy.

But it also feels different because Downie has always been one of us. Hearing about his diagnosis is like hearing about a family member or friend’s cancer diagnosis. It’s completely appropriate that the band’s note to fans announcing the news they’ve lived with since December began with a warm, "Hello, friends." And then they broke our hearts as gently as they could. 

An outpouring of shocked sadness and love has flooded social media, with fans old and new sharing stories about the concerts and albums that helped make them who they are. Even the PM tweeted:

 

Gord Downie is a true original who has been writing Canada’s soundtrack for more than 30 years. #Courage

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 24, 2016

Downie is an icon by all the metrics that make one an icon. He’s a brilliant mind, a singular performer. His is the voice of our nation. The Hip’s music is woven into our cultural DNA. It helped shape our national identity. He makes the strange and inscrutable wholly accessible: The Tragically Hip is both a mainstream band with fame and rock-radio singles as well as a weirdo, deeply intellectual band that cares about being smart more than it does about being cool. I mean, dude wrote a song about the hundredth meridian and then wore a baseball cap promoting a Newfoundland national park in the video. If there’s a godfather of Canadiana, he’s it. As Montreal indie rock band Stars tweeted:

 

gord downie is the poet laureate of the Canadian soul. https://t.co/a3jlWvGSc9 via @YouTube

— Stars (@youarestars) May 24, 2016

 

But Downie’s never been an untouchable god. He’s the kind of guy who calls you himself for an interview without publicist or handler interference, the kind of guy who signs off with a sincere, "take care, eh?" It’s his sincerity — his kindness — that obliterates the line between fan and band. It’s easy to claim a man like that. Little wonder, then, that it feels like our old pal Gord shared some tough news today.

So, this is not a eulogy. Downie is still very much alive. The Tragically Hip is releasing its 14th studio album, Man Machine Poem, in June, and will tour this summer, one last time. "This feels like the right thing to do now, for Gord, and for all of us," the band wrote in Tuesday’s statement.  

And it’s the right thing for us, their fans, too. What a gift it is to be able to tell someone how much they mean to you while they’re still around to hear it. What a gift it is to be able to say goodbye. 

See you this summer, Gord.

 

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @JenZoratti