Loved the band, loved the book!

I loved the band and loved the book. I've been to many of the Tragically Hip shows and once met Rob Baker in the airport in Vegas. He was on the same flight as me, so I chatted with him before the flight boarded. I'm embarrassed to say that I asked the stupidest, but most frequently asked question: Why do you think you didn't do as well in the US as you did in Canada? Michael Barclay gives a really good answer to this question... they did do well in the US and may have actually preferred the 1000-2000 person venues they played better than the arena shows in Canada. Another observation is that Canadians always wanted the top 10 songs played whereas in the US they could likely play to a less demanding audience. There are always two sides to extreme fame.

I stopped buying albums after Phantom Power, but listening to this book encouraged me to dust off my old CDs and to download the new ones. I also downloaded Gord's solo albums and am quite enjoying them all.

I know many people who really didn't like The Hip, but that's too bad for them. This book shows how unique they were in terms of band politics, friendships, song lyrics, and even talent. Not many bands stay together as long as they have and continue to create amazing songs.

Although I know many of the songs by heart, I didn't always know what they meant. The book dives into the stories behind many of the songs. It's truly amazing how some of the songs turned out to be prophetic.

I listened to the book, so George Stroumboulopoulos read the book to me. He did a fantastic job and was clearly a friend and fan of the band.

Although much of the the book centered around Gord, given the circumstances of their final tour, Gord's cancer, and ultimate death, you'll find a lot of great quotes and stories about all the members of the band.

Since listening to the book, I've also watched the movie "Long Time Running" I enjoyed it and noticed that some of the quotes from the book came directly from the movie.

I was aware of Gord's involvement in the Secret Path - raising awareness for those who suffered at the hands of residential schools, and I knew that Gord and Joseph Boyden were friends, the book gives more details on how the story of Chanie Wenjack came to be a story they focused on. One chapter of the book is dedicated to this part of Gord's history and it goes into the politics of white people telling stories / raising awareness of Aboriginals. I've the Wenjack novella and plan to get the book and the album that Gord created. It's an important story to tell so that history is not repeated and that we see that Canada has made many grave errors over the course of its history. #audible1

6 people found this helpful

A lot of unnecessary padding only very loosely con

A lot of unnecessary padding only very loosely connected to the Hip.
A very long listen for something that could have been presented in 2/3 of the time.
Just the same worth the listen if you're a Gord Downie fan. Very little content on the other members.
Similar to the Led Zepplin book When Giants Walked the Earth in that the author is easily distracted. Needed a good editor to reign him in.

1 person found this helpful

great bio

no interviews with the band members is the only deficiency
otherwise, a great bio of a great band

1 person found this helpful

Written and Read by Uberfans

The hyperbole is a bit much sometimes but the story is good. Some stories and themes are repeated.

1 person found this helpful

love the hip not sure about the book

I can say alot of things about this audiobook. First I have to say I was not sure what to expect. Loved listening to old stories and the development of the hip. However I really struggled to get through it as it really boring and the book concentrated on other groups and situation other than the hip which was not a bad thing just was not what I wanted. give it a listen determine for yourself but overall I was disappointed. But not sure why.

2 people found this helpful

Lots of great listening - take out the other half

I just finished a great audiobook about the Beatles (Dreaming the Beatles) that was half this length.

This book is excellent when it focuses on an accurate story of the Hip, but it regularly loses its way. Why do I need a lengthy story about the author's one night stint in a cover band as a "full disclosure" reply to one of the band members' quotes denigrating cover bands?

Why does the author make hyperbolic claims about the band then disparage other Canadian acts? He touts that 50 Mission Cap is the only non-novelty Canadian song about hockey then spends several minutes taking Big League by Tom Cochrane down peg by peg so that it doesn't count in this discussion. Why can't we appreciate both songs?

While those detours are repeated frequently, the rest of the book is great. I really enjoyed hearing about the band members' origins and how the albums were created, but if you're a big Hip fan who has done a lot of reading on them, I imagine this wouldn't break any new ground for you. The author states twice in the foreword that the band members didn't respond when he reached out to them for interviews and later for fact checking, so you're not getting any inside scoops in this book.

George Stroumboulopoulos is an excellent narrator, and I did enjoy the book, but I think it would be better if it were half the length and more focused.

Amazing book. Don’t even have to be a hardcore fan to love it.

I’m a Hip fan, but not one of those Hip fans. And you don’t have to be to listen to this book. (If you are a hardcore fan, god bless you. You’ve already bought the hardcover and don’t need my review to convince you to listen to this).

I loved everything about this. George is the perfect narrator for one. He has the credibility, and besides that his voice is great.

The book surprised me in bringing out multiple voices and views of the band and it’s impact as well. Though obviously a tribute and homage to the band, the book doesn’t fall over itself with unnecessary gushing and hyperbole.

It also included a lot of interesting comparisons and context throughout. I loved hearing about the pick up hockey scene in Toronto, the deaths of other great artists, a bit of Canadian music history.

All in all it’s a fascinating read and would be loved by any Canadian, music fan, hockey fan, or good human :)

Mostly great

Really loved the stories behind the band’s evolution and details about specific album sessions and songs. I’d definitely recommend this to music lovers, especially Canadians. Only downside for me were the chapters between those that focused on specific albums or eras. Some of those felt like padding towards the end.

Prepare to cry a lot

I lost touch with “the hip” after the first 4 albums.. yet I felt such a strange connection with this story... as so many Canadians did.

Thank you

wonderfully narrated by George Stroumboulopoulos

I've followed The Tragically Hip throughout the years, but never delved into their day to day experiences. The author, Michael Barclay retells the Hips story, sometimes in great emotional detail. Even though the book is 17 hours long, I was always excited to hear the next chapter, the next adventure.
I highly recommend it to all.