Gord Sinclair

Earlier in 2016, Gord Downie had publicly announced that he had an aggressive form of brain cancer and that it was terminal.

One of Gord's last wishes was to go on tour one more time with his bandmates, Rob Baker, Paul Anwa, Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay, who had started the Tragically Hip as high school friends in Kingston back in the 80s.

So the five of them set out on this phenomenally challenging and inspiring tour in the summer of 2016 to play shows while Gord still could.

He died just over a year later.

In the early days, was there a moment for you where it really crystallized? Like you were like, okay, we're doing something that's actually going to be really, really big someday.

uh you know when you write your first song uh that's a big moment it's uh there are lots of little moments along the way it's not like you've crossed some threshold but i remember standing side stage at seabird island on the first roadside attraction which was probably 91 93 93 and uh You know, I guess we were a big enough band that we could put together a festival and ask our favorite artists.

You know, Gord Sinclair said, my favorite band's Midnight Oil.

Let's ask Midnight Oil.

But it speaks volumes about just how ridiculously high the bar was during the Phantom Power era.

You can hear that classic late 90s sonic space, that deep, warm bass line from Gord Sinclair, Johnny Faye's Steady Pocket, and Gord Downie navigating the melody with that effortless, quiet intensity.

Having tracks like Mystery finally restored to the discography feels like finding a lost chapter in

your favorite

Lynn, how about you?

I think the 10 times played seems to be wrong, frankly, because Gord Sinclair does say that, and Rob said that they workshopped the song quite a bit live to see how it went over.

So I can't imagine they'd only do that 10 times, I think, if you're...

Makes

So it was never going to be on Up To Here.

It was past that.

But it's a time when Gord Sinclair is still writing songs.

And Gord Dandy's going, we're changing.

For years, I was just on the cocktail party circuit and covering entertainment and all kinds of goofy stuff in Montreal.

And then I saw that happen and I went to Gord Sinclair, who we were never allowed to call Junior, but for you in Toronto, he was Gord Sinclair Junior.

He was our news director, legendary newsman.

And I said, I'm going to New York.

And there was sort of an aspect of, you know, the scene at the beginning of Dances with Wolves where the guy meets with this customs official or whatever, and it's the last meeting that customs official is ever going to have.

And he sort of waves him along and says, all right, on your journey.

And for Gord Sinclair, who was by then in the last years of his career in life, Sinclair looked at me for a moment and said, do you know what you're doing? I said, I got a credit card and I got a cell phone.

And yeah, I know what I'm doing.

Vocalist, Gord Downie.

Guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker, a.k.a. Bobby Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Faith.

13 studio albums, two live albums, 50-plus singles over a 33-year career.

And we know Gord Downie passed away in 2015, and the last show, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

But yeah, I believe, was it...

Who chose the set list for the last tour? Was it Paul or Gord? It was Paul.

Paul.

So, yeah, for for for Paul to choose it, who knows? But great tune.

I, my music at work has that, just that sloshy rock and swing to it.

And, um, I don't know.

I can instantly, you can just picture Gord shaking his ass, you know what I mean? Doing his thing.

And, uh, it's, it's a tune.