Wednesday 3 October 2012

Old Time Hip

French and I used to buy every Tragically Hip album the day it came out.  We'd then head over to his shed and give it a listen.  Once we went to a mall hours before it opened and stood in line for hours with many other fellow fans.  We wanted to be the first to own the new album.

Back in the shed we'd go through every song.  We'd read the lyrics that were all folded up tight from being in the cassette or CD case.  I'd make comments, but he'd always shush me.  It was like he was absorbing every nuance of sound.  After a few listens we'd discuss the songs, and the album as a whole.  Within a few days he'd have learned how to play them all on his guitar; Sweaty would wander out and sit in on the drums.  I'd do my best to strum and sing along.

Those are the only songs, those ones I learned back then, that I can still play straight from memory.

The Hip dropped a new album yesterday.  I listened to it alone in my car on that long commute to work.

4 comments:

Kat Mortensen said...

I love "Boots or Hearts".

happygirl said...

I don't know this band. But I know the draw of music. I often wonder how I can remember every word to every song we sang in my college garage band, but I can't remember all the antibodies of blood groups. The mind is a funny thing.

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erin said...

my son said something the other day that came to mind while reading this. we're in a two bedroom apartment now waiting on approval to move to the states to a farmhouse we now own. my bedroom is...well, i don't have one. my bed is in the living room. i was on my computer watching a movie and eating popcorn in bed. my son was on the couch, not far from me when he said, mom, you're living the dream.

reading you feels like this often, like you're living the dream. even the sweet and bruised parts, well, you need them too for the whole dream.

xo
erin