Paul Langlois, guitarist for The Tragically Hip, does not have a lot of spare time on the road but he did manage to rent a video: "Rock Star," last year's cinematic tribute to eighties hair bands.
"I liked it more than I thought I would. I know those bands. In our hometown in Kingston, Ontario, it's sort of what we started playing because it was such a cover band/tribute scene," he said.
Fortunately, the Hip decided to change their sound before they released their first album, "Up to Here," in 1986. Since then, it's safe to say they've encountered far more success than Mark Wahlberg's box office flop. Here's a sample of their touring schedule:
It's their last show before they take a month-and-a-half long break in their hefty, international tour. But contrary to popular belief, many individuals south of the 4,000-mile Canadian border do know who they are and their fan base isn't limited to cities directly south of Ontario like Buffalo. All three of their concerts at the Somerville Theatre in Boston are sold out. So are their two shows at Irving Plaza in New York. And according to Langlois, they have a loyal following in cities like Tuscon, Houston and San Diego.
Even Langlois's six-year old daughter is starting to catch on to her father's music. She just listened to their latest album, "In Violet Light."
"She was iffy about wanting to listen to it in the first place. But she likes it. Hopefully over the years she gets a sense that we have a special situation to be able to do this so long with the same people. It's an achievement in itself."
The Tragically Hip are indeed in a unique position. Eight albums after "Up to Here," the band's line-up is still the same: Gordon Downie on vocals, Langlois and Bob Baker on guitars, Gordon Sinclair on bass and Johnny Fay on drums. In the nineties, the Hip forged a reputation as one of Canada's favorite sons, the quintessential rock band north of the border. Although they're joined by Canuck colleagues like Nickelback and Our Lady Peace, the land of the maple leaf is more closely identified with the Hip than any other Canadian band that has crossed over into the States.
Well, they do sing about hockey in hit songs like "50 Mission Cap," and "Fireworks." Here's a sample of the best lyrics from the latter song: "You said you didn't give a f--- about hockey/ And I've never saw someone say that before/ You held my hand and we walked home the long way/ You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr."
Orr, by the way, was the legendary defenseman for the Boston Bruins.
But like most of the Hip's lyrics, their messages often transcend their apparent meanings and national borders. Langlois provides an explanation of "Fireworks" on the band's official Web site: "On another level, the song explores relationships: between a boy and a girl or two countries or anything. The person you're relating to can all of a sudden turn your whole world upside down and it just doesn't matter."
On their ninth studio release on Rounder Records, "In Violet Light" is a contrast between light and dark and opposing forces in general. For instance, on "Throwing Off Glass," Langlois plays a reflective melodic backdrop to Downie's contrasting lyrics:" 'Why is the world so creepy?' she asked." The lead singer answers later, "I told her that it isn't/ That it's just exquisite/ Because like love it has its barbarous threats."
According to Langlois, the album was recorded in a marathon session, from morning to midnight, six out of seven days of the week, for two months in the Bahamas. In other words, they flew down to a vacation spot to get their work done.
The Hip's summer tour across North America hasn't offered much rest either, but the band is made up of seasoned musicians who built a reputation for their great live shows. Langlois actually identifies the ability to perform a killer set as a trait emblematic of successful Canadian bands.
"They have to. There's no situation [in Canada] where you can jump from a record to a video and you're a hit. A lot of times, to even get noticed, it's not a demo tape, it's if you can play live and if you can show yourself across the country," he said.
Obviously this is mostly the result of the inundation of American sounds into Canada. Not that the country doesn't have its own way to preserve its heritage. By law, 35 percent of the songs aired on commercial radio in Canada must be Canadian.
"It's protectionism for sure, but it's necessary just to even up the playing field," Langlois said. "Canada's a tough place to tour even. I mean the gigs are 12 hours apart and there's only really 12 major cities that you can play. So having that little radio support. is probably a good thing."
Ironically, one of Langlois's favorite activities has a distinct American flavor to it: driving in his convertible with the top-down in summer while listening to rock music.
"That's the best place to listen to music. You can sort of step outside your body and ride along the highway. Anything by the Stones has been great on car stereo," he said.
