‘The Tragically Hip: No Gown Rehearsal’: An intimate take a look at Canada’s band

It’s been virtually precisely seven years since Canadians misplaced The Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie, and greater than eight years for the reason that band performed their last-ever present in Kingston, Ont.

Time, elongated and obfuscated by the pandemic, appears merciless. Has it actually been that lengthy since we misplaced one in every of our nation’s most charismatic, beloved musicians? And has it actually been virtually a decade for the reason that group of men fondly known as “Canada’s Band” ceased to play?

The Tragically Hip: No Gown Rehearsal, a four-part docuseries streaming on Prime Video beginning Sept. 20, gives an extremely intimate take a look at the band, from its humble beginnings in small-town Ontario to its glory days onstage.

Directed by Gord’s brother Mike Downie, all 4 hour-long segments of the docuseries are unapologetically uncooked, with vignettes from Gord himself and every of the band members because the plucky bunch of boys develop from youngsters dreaming of changing into rock stars into, nicely, rock stars in their very own proper.

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Brother of Gord Downie recounts emotional remaining tour of ‘The Tragically Hip’

Jaw-dropping live performance footage is featured all through — even die-hard Hip followers will see issues they’ve by no means seen earlier than (no spoilers right here!) — and there are interviews with household, buddies and others who knew them through the journey. Canadian celebrities and followers, together with Dan Aykroyd, Jay Baruchel and Bruce McCulloch, amongst many others, categorical their love and incredulousness in regards to the band, cementing what any fan already is aware of: The Tragically Hip had been one thing particular, and a sure form of musical magic Canadians could by no means see once more.

International Information sat down with Mike Downie and the remaining members of the band — Paul Langlois, Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay — to speak about what the docuseries means to them, what it was like accelerating to nationwide fame on the peak of Canadian rock, and life after Gord’s loss of life.

When revisiting the entire archival footage, reflecting on previous performances and the whole lot that you simply’ve all been by way of collectively, how did it really feel to observe?

Gord Sinclair: It’s just like the drone shot in lots of methods. We at all times saved a reasonably slim horizon all through our careers, attending to the subsequent gig after which the subsequent alternative to make a file, subsequent alternative to take a while off, writing and stuff. While you step again and take a look at it, to me, it’s a sense of gratitude for the chance that we had…. We had been by no means certain whether or not we had been going to have the ability to make one other file after the earlier one.

Gratitude to the followers that got here alongside and the fellows I performed music with. Rewatching it made me actually recognize what Mike went by way of. Mike moved with Gord from Amherstview after we had been solely 13, and he’s coming at it not solely as a good friend, however honouring his household and honouring the group. I believe he did an exquisite job. Once more, it’s a pleasant look again, for certain.

Why did you determine on now because the time to place this docuseries on the market?

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Mike Downie: I believe timing was an enormous a part of it, and it’s defined within the movie.

I do know for the fellows within the band, the years after Gord’s passing had been… just a little bit misplaced. You simply form of retreat into your individual kind of expertise, and I had an analogous expertise as nicely. You realize, making an attempt to determine what it’s all about. However, after we went into our outdated highschool, it was vacant. It had been offered to Queen’s College. College students had been all gone, and in October of 2021, we had been capable of go in there for 4 days and actually simply form of take it over, use it as our set.

That was virtually 4 years to the day that Gord had handed. And I form of simply realized lately that it was most likely the correct amount of time, prefer it was nonetheless actually shut. You see it within the interviews. However there was additionally sufficient distance to have some readability as nicely, and to start out fascinated about, or speaking about, the band and positively the early days as a result of it’s what we needed to do after we had been in highschool.

I do not forget that feeling, the lump in my throat, you realize, as we began speaking in regards to the band and the whole lot. However quickly the story takes over. Gord’s not with us anymore, however he’s alive in these tales. It at all times bought me once I’d hear one other story, clearly one thing I didn’t find out about my brother that these guys did. They had been spending most of their time away collectively. So, that was actually nice for me. And lots of that’s most likely not within the doc, but it surely’s, you realize, it’s in right here [gestures to his heart] endlessly now.

Has diving into the movie, creating it, the whole lot, having the lump within the throat… has that helped every of you along with your sense of grief?

Rob Baker: I believe grief is at all times going to be with you. It by no means goes away. The great instances, you bear in mind them; they’re like a pleasant cleaning tub or an evening out. You’ve nice reminiscences of it. However grief is one thing that pierces your pores and skin and leaves scars, you need to reform the way in which you progress by way of life, to accommodate. Time is actually simply one of the simplest ways to cope with it. Like we did within the band, you set one foot in entrance of the opposite. We by no means centered on the horizon, conquering the world. It was all in regards to the subsequent gig, the subsequent track we’re going to put in writing. And it’s the identical factor with coping with grief.

We misplaced a brother. We went by way of the whole lot that we did collectively, very collectively and brazenly collectively, after which all of us went off individually and grieved. Fully alone. And that was actually exhausting.

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The Morning Present: September 6

Watching this footage is simply mind-blowing. It’s such as you’re proper there within the pit. Within the ’90s, Canadian rock was such a beast. What was it wish to have a meteoric rise throughout that point?

Johnny Fay: It was enjoyable! I used to be considering again to among the stuff that we had completed. We had this one gig we had been actually enthusiastic about, we had been opening for 54-40 on the Spectrum in Montreal. After which a yr to the day later, 54-40 opened for us at Penguin Park in Saskatoon.

I bear in mind speaking to some folks they usually mentioned to me, “It felt like we had been watching a airplane take off, and also you guys went into the clouds!”

Having a dialog like that afterwards, it was like, “Actually?” 54-40, Blue Rodeo, The Northern Pikes… we had been all utilizing the identical PA corporations and stuff. We had been touring within the winter, which was fairly treacherous, and the truth that we went by way of that and lived is a narrative in itself. It was a fairly thrilling time to be a band that was enjoying rock ‘n’ roll on this nation at the moment. There have been some actually, actually nice bands on this nation. After which Nice Large Sea out east, and it was like, yeah! We had been all doing it and we had been all having enjoyable. It was a good time to be making music as a result of it was pre-phones, which at our final present, that’s all you noticed. Some folks put the cellphone down and watched it for actual, however (again then) was a fairly golden age of individuals going and listening to music.

Canadian success vs. U.S. success: Does it matter if The Tragically Hip had been as widespread within the U.S. as they had been in Canada?

Mike Downie: Actually, once I was setting out to do that doc, I actually needed to reply this query as soon as and for all. As a result of, I really feel, for lots of people, there’s this asterisk about large success in Canada, however not practically as a lot in America. I believe we actually took a superb run at it within the documentary, as a result of the reality is, it actually wasn’t about measuring nation to nation. It was actually this concept of validation that Canadians, particularly within the ’80s and ’90s, we’re our personal artists, our personal something and saying, “Yeah, that’s fairly nice, however what do the Individuals assume?”

Again then it was virtually a parental approval form of factor that we wanted. And that’s what occurred to the Hip. After which after all, it flipped, as a result of then Canadians had been like, “Wait a minute, this implies the whole lot to us. We love this.” And we realized it doesn’t matter what the remainder of the world thinks as a result of it’s ours. That confidence wasn’t actually there earlier than. And I believe the band had this inherent confidence due to this brotherhood and this partnership and this collaboration. The band had this confidence of their songwriting and of their efficiency.

Canadians had been popping out of our shells, rising up within the shadow of Nice Britain and america. It simply took us some time to search out our footing, and I consider The Tragically Hip helped transfer that ahead in an enormous means.

One factor that stood out in regards to the doc, proper off the highest, is that you simply had been all boys with a musical connection, fantasizing about changing into rock stars. And also you grew as much as be members of one of many largest rock bands in Canadian historical past. Wanting again, does it ever really feel like a dream?

Gord Sinclair: Very a lot so, I used to be simply fascinated about this yesterday. When (we had been teenagers), Rush performed the Jock Hardy Enviornment, which is a small half-hockey enviornment, possibly 2,000 folks… I do know most of you had been there with me [gestures at bandmates], as we’re from a small city and this was an enormous, huge live performance. I bear in mind they opened up with Bastille Day, and it was the loudest, most superb factor I’ve ever seen. It was actually inspiring.

And yesterday we’re sitting there, and right here’s Ged (Geddy Lee, Rush frontman) on TV speaking about our tunes. The 16-year-old me is like, “Wow.” It’s superb. I nonetheless have issues wanting that man within the eye as a result of it’s Geddy Lee! It’s fairly unimaginable, again after we had been enjoying on tennis racquets as children listening to the Rolling Stones, after which we’re having a pint with them. It’s exhausting to consider.

It’s form of like a dream come true, that stage of inspiration. It speaks to the facility of music for me, as a result of I nonetheless maintain these reminiscences actually, actually strongly. Music was the one factor I needed to do after seeing Rush play, and as a music fan to have the ability to do this… to have the ability to recognize that on a winter’s night time in Saskatoon, or Pigtown, there’s a child on the market who’s possibly considering the very same factor. You get that sense of group that music creates. Music is a good power for good.

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‘The Tragically Hip: No Gown Rehearsal’ is now streaming throughout Canada on Prime Video.

This interview has been edited and condensed.