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

It’s been nearly 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 all our nation’s most charismatic, beloved musicians? And has it actually been nearly 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 have 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 throughout 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 have been one thing particular, and a sure type 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 top of Canadian rock, and life after Gord’s loss of life.

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

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

Gratitude to the followers that got here alongside and the fellows I performed music with. Rewatching it made me actually admire what Mike went via. Mike moved with Gord from Amherstville once we have been solely 13, and he’s coming at it not solely as a buddy, however honouring his household and honouring the group. I feel 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 feel timing was a giant 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 have been… a bit bit misplaced. You simply type of retreat into your personal form of expertise, and I had an analogous expertise as nicely. You realize, attempting to determine what it’s all about. However, once we went into our previous highschool, it was vacant. It had been offered to Queen’s College. College students have been all gone, and in October of 2021, we have been capable of go in there for 4 days and actually simply type of take it over, use it as our set.

That was nearly 4 years to the day that Gord had handed. And I type of simply realized lately that it was in all probability the correct quantity 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 enthusiastic about, or speaking about, the band and positively the early days as a result of it’s what we wished to do once we have been in highschool.

I keep in mind that feeling, the lump in my throat, , 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 all the time acquired me once I’d hear one other story, clearly one thing I didn’t find out about my brother that these guys did. They have been spending most of their time away collectively. So, that was actually nice for me. And a whole lot of that’s in all probability not within the doc, nevertheless it’s, , it’s in right here [gestures to his heart] without end 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 feel grief is all the time going to be with you. It by no means goes away. The great instances, you keep in mind them; they’re like a pleasant cleaning bathtub 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 via life, to accommodate. Time is de facto simply one of the simplest ways to cope with it. Like we did within the band, you place one foot in entrance of the opposite. We by no means targeted on the horizon, conquering the world. It was all in regards to the subsequent gig, the subsequent tune we’re going to write down. And it’s the identical factor with coping with grief.

We misplaced a brother. We went via the whole lot that we did collectively, very collectively and overtly collectively, after which all of us went off individually and grieved. Utterly alone. And that was actually laborious.

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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 prefer to have a meteoric rise throughout that point?

Johnny Fay: It was enjoyable! I used to be pondering again to a number of the stuff that we had carried out. We had this one gig we have been actually enthusiastic about, we have been opening for 54-40 on the Spectrum in Montreal. After which a 12 months to the day later, 54-40 opened for us at Penguin Park in Saskatoon.

I keep in mind speaking to some folks they usually stated to me, “It felt like we have 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 have been all utilizing the identical PA firms and stuff. We have been touring within the winter, which was fairly treacherous, and the truth that we went via that and lived is a narrative in itself. It was a reasonably 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 Massive Sea out east, and it was like, yeah! We have been all doing it and we have 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 telephone down and watched it for actual, however (again then) was a reasonably golden age of individuals going and listening to music.

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

Mike Downie: Definitely, once I was setting out to do that doc, I actually wished 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 enormous success in Canada, however not almost as a lot in America. I feel we actually took a very good 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 People suppose?”

Again then it was nearly a parental approval type of factor that we would have liked. And that’s what occurred to the Hip. After which in fact, it flipped, as a result of then Canadians have 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 feel 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 have been popping out of our shells, rising up within the shadow of Nice Britain and the US. It simply took us some time to search out our footing, and I consider The Tragically Hip helped transfer that ahead in a giant method.

One factor that stood out in regards to the doc, proper off the highest, is that you just have 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 greatest rock bands in Canadian historical past. Trying again, does it ever really feel like a dream?

Gord Sinclair: Very a lot so, I used to be simply enthusiastic about this yesterday. When (we have 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 have been there with me [gestures at bandmates], as we’re from a small city and this was a giant, huge live performance. I keep 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 once we have been enjoying on tennis racquets as youngsters listening to the Rolling Stones, after which we’re having a pint with them. It’s laborious to consider.

It’s type 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 wished to do after seeing Rush play, and as a music fan to have the ability to try this… to have the ability to admire that on a winter’s evening in Saskatoon, or Pigtown, there’s a child on the market who’s possibly pondering the very same factor. You get that sense of neighborhood that music creates. Music is a good pressure 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.