R.I.P. Gord Downie (1964-2017)

Posted on by keepsmealive Posted in posts by aaronTagged

We knew it was coming. In a way, the nation has been bracing itself and mourning him since his glioblastoma diagnosis announcement, in 2016. I was just arriving at work this morning when my lovely wife texted me the news. I sat a moment in the car and just quietly offered my thanks and a heartfelt goodbye.

We all have Gord stories, and Hip stories, and all of them we hold dear. We were there. We know all the words, every note. We revelled in each new story and instant-classic line in every song. Gord has been so much a part of our fabric for so long that when the Hip ended that farewell tour it still didn’t even seem real.

Today’s news also seems unreal, though we know the truth. Gord was a gentleman, a true poet, a man pushing towards the edges to see what was there while showing us our own nation and history. Endearingly for us all, he was also one of us.

Thank you, Gord. For everything.

33 thoughts on “R.I.P. Gord Downie (1964-2017)”

  2. Reply
    stephen1001 says:

    Thanks for writing this Aaron, well said about him being a part of our fabric.
    And absolutely, we’ve all got our hip memories, and they’ll forever be cherished

    Like

    1. Reply
      keepsmealive says:

      Thanks for Reading, Geoff. I wrote that all off the top of my head when I got home from work, just let it go. I’m glad some of it resonated somehow – it could just as easily have been gibberish, given where my head was at.

      To paraphrase Gordie from the Live Between Us intro to Grace, Too: We’re all richer for having heard them.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Reply
    Sarca says:

    What a week. Faculty’s on strike, and I had to cross the picket line third day running. The hubs called and told me the news…but, I had swallow my tears because a new employee started today and I was training them. Tough. Now I am teary-eyed.

    Liked by 1 person

          1. Reply
            boppinsblog says:

            You can make fun of our accents,using the word eh, our love of hockey…
            But do not screw up Gord Downie’s name in a tribute article the day our country found out that he died.

            How can a famous music magazine screw up that bad?
            C’mon.

            As a point of how much this country loves Gord, on the tv coverage of his last concert 1 in 3 Canadians watched.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. Reply
              Aphoristical says:

              I’ve just been covering some Paul Kelly on my blog, and he’s kind of the Australian equivalent. Just had a number one album there at the age of 62, and received the Order of Australia, but he’s little known outside Australia and New Zealand.

              Like

                1. Reply
                  Aphoristical says:

                  Datsuns are New Zealand – they were pretty huge for a wee while, they got some acclaim in the UK as well. I’ve never even heard it, but I’d be interested to know what you think. Haven’t thought about them for ages.

                  Liked by 1 person

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