The Tragically Hip Top Forty Countdown: Song 19 – Jeff from Belleville
Welcome back, Hip faithful. This week on the Countdown, I’m joined by one of our most beloved Sunday Evening Jam regulars — the witty, wise, and wonderfully loquacious Jeff from Belleville. You know him. You love him. And if you’ve ever caught a live stream where he was in the comments, you’ve probably laughed out loud.
But today? Today, we go deeper.
Jeff takes us back to his teenage years, up in a century-old Belleville coach house where Road Apples first took hold and never let go. From bootleg tapes and roadside attractions to mosh pits, surprise shows, and backstage encounters — Jeff’s Hipstory spans 31 shows and countless life moments tied to the soundtrack of this band.
Along the way, we talk memory, meaning, and mortality — including the two cardiac arrests Jeff survived (yes, you read that right), and the unexpected video message he received from Paul Langlois while recovering. This episode reminds us why we do this show in the first place: for the love, for the connection, for the community.
We even get a bonus English Lit breakdown of King Lear — and how defiance, irony, and Shakespearean tragedy might be woven into one of the Hip’s most poetic tracks. (And yeah, we manage to keep the actual title of that track on the DL. You’re welcome.)
👀 NEXT WEEK: We’re off to Ann Arbor for a conversation with Claire — a longtime listener with a gift for lyrical insight and a wild story about hearing the Hip in a cornfield. Trust me, you’re gonna love her.
🎧 BONUS: Early access to upcoming episodes is always waiting for you in the membersHIP folder. And if you haven’t joined the membersHIP yet? Now’s the time. You help keep the lights on, the pods rollin’, and the fundraiser rollin’ toward our $25K goal for ALS Canada.
✍️ GET INVOLVED:
- Submit your hot take or love letter for the Music @ Work podumentary right here.
- Nominate someone for the Let’s Get Fandom Right SuperFan contest! Find the one-pager in the membersHIP folder.
🧠 CLOSING THOUGHT:
If grief really is love with nowhere to go, maybe this show is one of the places it can go. Thanks to Jeff — and to all of you — for helping us build that space.
🎤 Listen wherever you get yer podcasts.
📨 Feedback? Stories? Drop us a line at [email protected]
📱 Follow along: @tthtop40 on Instagram and Facebook
🌐 All roads lead to dewvre.com/tthtop40
Transcript included below.
(And yes, it’s unabridged. Because that’s how we do.)
Track 2:
[0:02] Hey, it's JD here, and you're probably tired of podcasts asking you for money. I get it, so I'm
not going to ask. I am, however, going to strongly suggest, with love, that you give me money. This
isn't about exclusive perks or gated content, though those exist. It's about supporting something
you believe in. If you've been enjoying the Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown, If it's made you laugh,
think, feel something, or reconnect with a band that means the world to you, this is your chance to
give back. I make this show because I love the hip, I love this community, and I believe in telling
stories that matter. But it all takes time, energy, and of course, your support. By joining the
membership, you're not just helping to keep the show running, you're also helping to raise money
for the ALS Society of Canada. No minimum, no catch, no problem. BuyMeACoffee.com forward
slash TTH Top 40. Membership. Support the show. Support the cause. Support what you love.
Track 1:
[1:12] A member of the DATC Media family.
Track 2:
[1:16] Previously on the Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown.
Track 1:
[1:19] Neil from Arroyo Grande, what kind of memories does 50 Mission Cap conjure for you? 50
Mission Cap is actually one of the first songs that I got into, first song being the darkest one. And I
was doing some hip research because I was fairly new to the hip at the time. And I just looked up a
list of what are top 10 hockey songs? And 50 Mission Cap came up. And I'm like, 50 mission cap?
What does this have to do with hockey?
Track 3:
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[1:58] Hey, it's J.D. here, and welcome back to the Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown. It is my
pleasure to be here with you every Monday as we spend some time sharing stories and
experiences while counting down 40 essential tracks by the Tragically Hip that you chose with your
very own Top 20 Ballots. I simply tabulated the results using an abacus and a pair of salad tongs I
found under my bed, wrapped in burlap and bound in a macrame-like twine? Was it a signal? And if
so, from who? How have your favorite songs fared in the rankings? Let me know at tthtop40 at
gmail.com. This week, I'm joined by one of our favorite guests on the Sunday Evening Jam. It's Jeff
from Belleville. Jeff from Belleville, tell me, how the fuck is it going with you on this hip-tastic day?
Track 4:
[2:54] Jamie, absolutely delightful, buddy. I'm absolutely pleased to be here with you. It's a beautiful
day. And I, you know, listening to your intros, it's like when you'd watch the Muppets and Gonzo
would blow the horn and something different would happen. I always look forward to your intros.
Track 3:
[3:12] Oh, thanks, dude.
Track 4:
[3:14] Yeah. Amazing.
Track 3:
[3:16] Yeah, I have fun writing those.
Track 4:
[3:19] Oh, no doubt.
Track 3:
[3:20] Well, let's get right into this. Let's get right into this. And let's get right into your Tragically Hip
origin story. I'm curious. And full disclosure, I shouldn't be curious because we have recorded this
before, but Jeff Tucker is the lost file. Then I've recorded many of these. I've recorded almost 40 of
these. I've never lost anything, but I lost one and we're going to do it again. And I think he's got a
great story and we're going to share it and you'll get to hear it this time because it won't be lost. and
it's going to be fucking great. So Jeff... Kick it off.
Track 4:
[4:00] Here we go. Yeah. JD, you know what? I, the last time we did this, I started with a thank you
and I want to do that again. I just want to say thanks to you for creating these podcasts and this hip
community. Uh, I've been listening since back in 2018 when I discovered fully and completely,
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completely by accident, I actually just stumbled on it. I put in a search in Apple I podcast for
tragically hip and lo and behold, I found your podcast that you did with Greg. So it's been
phenomenal and uh you know yeah absolutely the tth top 40 uh requests that you put out for your
listeners to to share stories was uh something amazing and um i wanted to be a part of that
because i'd listened so many times you know before you know on the other end listening you know
saying things or you know having comments so you provided that opportunity to your listeners
which is great and the sunday evening jam was another really cool opportunity for myself and the
community at large. And I think he took the community piece to another level by creating those two
particular pieces.
Track 4:
[5:10] The membership was a no-brainer for me. I'd been listening to all your phenomenal content
about Tragically Hip, so to pay a few bucks in order to be a part of it was a no-brainer. And, you
know, the stories that we've been hearing from fans and people who are part of the community are
phenomenal. They're stories, you know, of admiration, adoration, great respect, appreciation.
Track 4:
[5:35] And grief, you know, not just for Gord, because Gord's gone, but for the tragically hip as a
collective, as a band, because they're not that unit anymore without Gord. And as another artist that
I listen to sings, grief is only love that's got no place to go. And, you know, you have created a place
for that love to go. So kudos to you.
Track 3:
[5:55] Beautiful, dude.
Track 4:
[5:56] And many, many thanks. So I just want to get that out of the way first and foremost.
Track 3:
[6:01] Where did that lyric come from?
Track 4:
[6:03] Um an artist named steven wilson jr he's a relatively new artist he's kind of a country-ish guy
sure um but uh yeah real cool lyric i believe that's the title of a song and a great song he's got many
great songs so yeah well.
Track 3:
[6:21] Thank you so much.
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Track 4:
[6:22] Yes that.
Track 3:
[6:23] Means a great deal.
Track 4:
[6:23] Yeah good it should because i think we all feel this way and and you know i think everybody
tries to express sit in somewhere or another, but, uh, I think it's important to take the time and make
you aware that, uh, that those vibes are out there and that you're appreciated. So, Hey, I don't want
to, you know, Hey, let's keep this going on.
Track 3:
[6:46] This is good news.
Track 4:
[6:48] Yes. So, uh, yeah, my hipsterie began back in 1991 when I was in grade 11. Uh I grew up in
Belleville and uh I was fortunate enough to grow up in a century home and we had a coach house
which uh you know the horse and buggies back in the day uh modern garage is what we call it now
but uh.
Track 3:
[7:28] My father-in-law just came in, and I'm just scared that he's going to walk in. No, he's gone
now. Okay, so start with, I was fortunate enough to grow up in a sentry home.
Track 4:
[7:43] So yeah, I was fortunate enough to grow up in a sentry home, and sentry homes in the area
of Belleville I lived in, many of them had coach houses. Modern day people call them garages but
uh you know they were some buggy back in the day my parents had it restored uh so about grade
11 i made it my bedroom and i was a little bit like mike sievers from growing pains if oh badass yes
total badass uh so that's where my friends and i congregated many many weekends uh to stay out
of trouble in the community or maybe get into trouble up in the coach house. But yeah, it was great.
I had a couch, a stereo, a TV, and of course my bed and my desk were up there. Anyway, this was
our place of congregation all through high school. And one of my good buddies in my high school
group, Daryl McGrath, came over one night with a new cassette. It was Road Apples by the
Tragically Hip. And he told our group that his brother Paul, older brother Paul, who we call Ralphie,
gave it to him and said it was an amazing band that he had to check out and that he and his
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buddies would love it and we always listen to music when we were up in the coach house having
drinks and watching hockey and about the only time music would stop is when Don Cherry and
Ron McLean would do their intermission yeah yeah so um so he put it on and uh you know Little
Bones.
Track 4:
[9:12] Twist My Arm, Cordelia you know the first three tracks and and this is when everyone was
pretty focused on it before we went back to our conversations but uh you know i think it's a sign of a
good band if you don't have someone in a group of seven or eight that says come on turn this off
put the other stuff back on so we had acceptance right away but uh it had to grow as as the hip
songs and albums do uh but it continued to play all through the night and every weekend and it just
sort of started to seep in to our myself and my peer group you know and it took hold um and it's
funny because you know you'd be socializing and music's always in the background there's
conversations going on and, The times that I really remember it sinking in is, you know, I didn't
have a bathroom up in the coach. I was like, maybe Mike Sievers did. We actually had to go
downstairs outside and take a squirt in the backyard. So you'd be out there and the noise of the
conversations would be gone, but the blare of the music, you could hear outside still. And I can
remember, you know, being out there with a bit of a buzz on, looking up at the stars, draining my
bladder. and like just thinking this music is awesome this rocks and that is so incongruent.
Track 3:
[10:33] But i love it.
Track 4:
[10:36] So uh you know it wasn't it wasn't long uh after we were introduced to road apples that you
know i purchased up to here in the ep and it just became sort of a soundtrack for everything that we
did uh weekends up there weekends at the cottage parties we went to because the hip started to
take off all across Belleville among our age group, you know, and above and below, you know, in
the car traveling, you know, with our buddies on weekends.
Track 4:
[11:04] And yeah, it just seemed we were always listening to the hip from that point on. And, you
know, the next year was July, it was 92. And on July 1st, the hip were playing up at Molson Park in
Barrie. And so, yeah, we decided to, a few of us, venture up for this endeavor and see our now
favorite band live for the first time ever. And so myself, Daryl McGrath, who was the buddy who
brought the tape, you know, for the first time to the group, another buddy, Eric Colson, and another
one, Jay Ritchie, we piled into a vehicle. And on this fateful day, we headed up to Molson Park. And
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it was something like I'd never experienced before, not just the show, but the journey up there, you
know, traveling West. Yeah. West down the 401. Uh, and as we started to get, you know, close to
the GTA, uh, ready to go North on the 400 to Barry traffic just started to bog right down.
Track 4:
[12:12] It was nuts. It was all traffic heading up to Molson park and to see all these cars in stop and
go with with other kids in our age group who were ready to go for a full day outdoor event on a
beautiful day. People had signs in their vehicle, hip or bust. We had a cooler of pops to drink when
we got up there for the tailgate because I think doors opened at 10 that day and we were up trying
to get up there super early to partake in some tailgating. The tailgate party started, on the highway
before people got up there. Like I remember people, you know, sliding over van doors, sliding open
their mini van doors, pulling up beside another car and people handing beer across, you know, from
one vehicle to another. Oh yeah. Girls flashing, people pulling over the side of the road, take a piss.
Track 4:
[13:10] It was debauchery, but it was so cool. You know, like I've never experienced, you know, I am,
I'm, 18 or 19 at this point uh 18 i think and you know i just never been apart or experienced
something like this and uh it was cool like our we pulled over on the 400 for a few of us to jump out
and take a squirt and the last guy to get back into the vehicle was jay ritchie and while he was still
draining it we decided to drive away and that was extremely comical to watch him scamper along
the 400 with thousands of other people, you know, viewing this.
Track 3:
[13:46] Uh, you know, pulling up his drawers. Oh yeah.
Track 4:
[13:50] Trying to catch up to the vehicles. We sped away and us laughing uncontrollably in the
vehicle. Um, but, uh, yeah, it was, uh, it was a cool event and, um, you know, we get up there and
they, they had a pretty cool lineup. Uh, that was, that was the event where the hip played in
vancouver earlier and then flew to molson park uh to play or vice versa um and.
Track 3:
[14:15] Then they played in the east coast as well they played they played in the east coast.
Track 4:
[14:18] That day as well it's crazy yeah yeah it was it was a very cool thing uh but you know when
the the hit came out um towards towards the end of that day my group of friends and i we were sort
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of standing just on the outskirts of the mosh pit about in front of Bobby Baker and Gord Sinclair and
uh it was amazing I was mesmerized I had you know you have visions of what your favorite band or
these rock stars as you perceive them to be are going to look like and how they're going to behave
and you know I was mesmerized by the band I pictured these rock stars in like leather pants and
stage clothes that's not what you get it all you know like they came out and these guys were in
cowboy boots they were in jeans you know short sleeve button-ups and golf shirts pretty normal
haircuts a little shaggy you know but uh they were just regular dudes and uh I thought, I thought
that these guys are just regular dudes. This is so fucking awesome. They're amazing. They played
Road Apples tunes and a few Fully Completely tunes, which fully completely hadn't been released
yet.
Track 3:
[15:34] Oh, that's awesome.
Track 4:
[15:36] Yeah. So that was it. I was hooked. I was hooked for life right from that moment and still am
and always will be. Oh, that's great. It was really phenomenal. It was a great experience. That was
the first of 31 shows that I ended up attending.
Track 3:
[15:52] 31.
Track 4:
[15:53] Yeah.
Track 3:
[15:53] Nice number.
Track 4:
[15:54] Yeah. Yeah. I think, uh, you know, obviously they're EP and up to here. I didn't get to see
because I didn't, you know, tune into them until Rhode apples. But I think now for plan a was
perhaps the only tour that he didn't cash them on, uh, which was kidding me. Yeah. Yeah. That
was, that one was in 2012.
Track 3:
[16:12] Following them all the way through.
Track 4:
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[16:14] All the way. Yeah. Yeah. my boys were born in 2011 and 2013 so that 2012 tour was uh it
was a busy time for me little tough little tough yeah yeah but uh you know i i know uh in listening to
the podcast many people have kind of drifted from the band at certain times um was i a little more
intense on them in the earlier years definitely but uh but i always got their albums you know within
the first week they were released as time went on and and listened and listened and you know got
to the shows and stuff so, But it just built from there. And I went off to university. I was up at
Carleton in Ottawa. And the internet was just emerging in those years, 93 to 96. And I remember
going to the computer lab. And this is back when web pages were text only. There was no visuals
on the internet. and uh yeah i uh i managed to find a tragically hip site um where you could trade
bootlegs and i began you know compiling a bit of a bootleg collection i think i ended up with 14 or
16 bootleg tapes by the hip but a few of the highlight ones were uh you know the album that they've
released is it called a night at a roxy yeah from back in 90 no night roxy.
Track 3:
[17:43] Is the movie yeah it's just roxy.
Track 4:
[17:44] Just roxy yeah it was a 90 91 show uh that was a bootleg i had back in those days which as
we all know is a phenomenal bootleg oh my god double suicide highway girls on there sorry killer
whale tank is on there or one of the two or both they.
Track 3:
[18:00] Both are yeah.
Track 4:
[18:00] Both are okay uh misty moon that misty moon concert that you had that back then too i had
that bootleg back then and that's been released in one of their deluxe editions now uh had a an
outtake demo tape which is was my all-time favorite back then i listened to it all the time in my sony
walkman writing to and from classes but it had a handful of songs that are on saskadelfia and still
some that are unreleased and that was a phenomenal tape so that just added to you know my love
for the band and intensified uh, you know, my love for the hip, but, uh, yeah. And then just, just live
shows over the years. Um, I'll sandwich it with a couple interactions with the band and throwing a
few in between, but, uh, I'll go through them quickly. Cause I just, they're not all epic stories, but
things that for some reason stuck in my mind, I clearly going to any hip show was phenomenal and
it's an experience in its own. And I could dissect every single one, you know, and talk to nausea.
Uh, As I've heard you say. Yeah, so I think, you know, just a couple of highlight shows. In 98, I saw
them at the Iron Horse Saloon, which is in Kingston. And that was one of those surprise release
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secret shows.
Track 3:
[19:17] Holy shit, Jeff from Belleville. That's amazing.
Track 4:
[19:20] It was. My buddy Eric Colson, he was residing in Kingston at that time. And he had found out
about it. Got an inside tip somehow. So he dialed me up. And I made it up when we got into the
show, which was Dynamite. Uh 95 uh markham fairgrounds another roadside attraction yeah that
show yeah i.
Track 3:
[19:41] Was 93 and 95 yeah.
Track 4:
[19:43] Okay but you know i don't think i did either it was uh but that was you know again an epic
event you know these are roadside attract the roadside attractions or another roadside.
Track 4:
[19:56] Attraction they were all epic i was.
Track 4:
[19:58] At the 2002 walkerton benefit show which was super cool it was just a neat vibe you know
for the water crisis they did a benefit concert with a handful of other bands and then uh 2011 i was
at the bob cajun show which again yeah yeah yeah another special show that was special ones in
there yeah yeah but uh in so just to kind of go chronologically in 95 a few buddies and i went down
to catch them back to back we went down to syracuse i'm in syracuse and rochester the next night
syracuse was a jam-packed sweaty hot show um at a place called club chameleon and uh it was it
was phenomenal like you'd have to stand on your tiptoes to get a breath of air that was slightly
cooler than the air amongst the crowd and even that air up high was warm you know just
everybody drenched um and it was it was a dynamite show and then the next night we saw them at
the uh it was called the rochester auditorium it was like a old theater venue with a beautiful wood
stage and and all seating and then they had an upper balcony and we were front row center up in
the balcony and it was perfect after a hot sweaty night uh just to be able to relax and take them in
uh but that was really cool afterwards we uh the group that we were with we went around back by
the tour bus and waited.
Track 4:
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[21:27] And I think Gord St. Clair was the first one to come out. And he was a pretty quiet, timid guy.
He was, you know, very pleasant.
Track 4:
[21:37] Didn't say a whole lot. And I think we were a little awestruck in that moment.
Track 4:
[21:42] So it was a brief interaction. And then he was on to the tour bus. Johnny Fay was the next to
come out. And he was in a bit of a hurry, I think.
Track 4:
[21:50] And he stopped to sign some tickets for us, which was really cool.
Track 4:
[21:54] Ticket stubs. and I think we asked them if uh Gord Gord would Downey was coming out oh
Gordon Paul went up they left already they went to hang out with a buddy so it was a little bit of a
bummer that you know we didn't catch those two but then Bobby came out and he was he was
awesome he was just all smiles yeah he came out and he was hanging out and uh again we were
still a little bit awestruck and I think he got a kick out of that and he he spearheaded most of the
conversations he asked us if we wanted to do pictures he signed ticket stubs for us and we
exchanged lyrics on some unreleased songs with him or recited them I remember in particular and
you know.
Track 4:
[22:38] They were songs that we had heard on bootlegs I think that they were workshopping and he
got a chuckle out of that and he said that's not quite how it goes but that's pretty darn good and
yeah it was neat it was just a neat interaction really really cool dude and uh so that was our first
interaction with the band or my first interaction with band members um and just to touch on a
couple other things uh i saw the hip in toledo twice at the toledo zoo amphitheater in 96 and 98 and
there's just one funny thing that i remember maybe it's not funny to anybody else but gorg was
always sort of trance like and in the zone and often you know eyes closed and he never I know he
did but I didn't experience him often break character and break that.
Track 4:
[23:26] Sort of artist like in the zone kind of, you know, aura that he had on stage. But when I was
out, I don't remember which of the two shows, somebody brought a blow up sex doll to the show.
And mid concert, they, you know, this is in the area when the beach balls would go all over the
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place.
Track 3:
[23:47] Sure.
Track 4:
[23:48] So somebody brought a sex doll and blew it up and, and it, it, you know, started to get
elevated and it was standing, you know, basically fully up and down on top of the whole crowd. So
it stood out like completely clear and obvious and and it started making its way up but Gord had his
eyes closed as this thing emerged and started making its way up to the stage and uh so he was
you know in the middle of a song eyes closed and he was really into it and this thing made it right
up center stage front and center probably about two or three rows out and Gord opened up his
eyes, and there had been no sex doll standing there first and now all of a sudden this sex doll was
front and center looking him in the eye and it just stopped him in his tracks and and he started to
crack up and he had to recover himself and then get back in its own mind yeah neat really neat
moment yeah.
Track 3:
[24:44] When you get to see them be people right.
Track 4:
[24:46] Completely yeah which which they are and which is one of the things i think people love
about them so much but you don't always get to see those moments and that was uh that was a
gourd being a person moment which uh maybe that's why it stood out to me um so yeah it was uh
just to throw a few more 2004 i saw them at um, old port henry i think it was or uh oh what's it
called it was uh it was sorry yeah it was in Kingston and it was, sorry, the Royal Military College is
where they played.
Track 3:
[25:22] Oh, okay.
Track 4:
[25:23] And that was really neat. It was a great show, but Dan Aykroyd, Kirk Muller, and Doug
Gilmore got up on stage to introduce them. You know, just local Kingston celebrities banding
around some other local Kingston celebrities and legends in the Tragically Hip. And Dan Aykroyd
got up and played harmonica in one of their songs, that show too, which was really neat. Really?
Yeah.
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Track 3:
[25:45] I hope it wasn't like a scared or something like that.
Track 4:
[25:48] It was i'm joking.
Track 3:
[25:50] Like a slow song i just i just can imagine somebody just wailing wailing away on the
harmonica and it's like 38 years old is playing or something but anyway i have.
Track 4:
[25:59] I should think i think it was locked in the trunk of the car oh.
Track 3:
[26:01] That'd be cool.
Track 4:
[26:02] Don't call me on that but i think it was it was a good it was a good jamming song so yeah that
was that was really neat uh, In 2009, we saw them at the K-Rock Center, which is now, I think, the
Slush Puppy Center in Kingston.
Track 3:
[26:18] That's right. Yeah.
Track 4:
[26:19] Yeah. And we, you know, we always used to try and get on the floor, you know, close to the
stage. And for whatever reason, those tickets got chewed up really quickly. And we ended up
getting stage right over where Paul stands. Is that stage right or stage left?
Track 3:
[26:36] I never, you know, it's such a brief time. I think it's the opposite. it i think.
Track 4:
[26:41] It's like from.
Track 3:
[26:42] The so it would be stage right i think.
Track 4:
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[26:44] Still stage right we're on the side paul's paul plays on uh paul and we'll we'll.
Track 3:
[26:50] Hear it from people don't.
Track 4:
[26:51] We yes someone will correct us on that uh and we were uh in the stands uh probably seven
or eight rows up but basically as we're sitting we're about eye level with the band turned out it was
a beautiful place to have tickets uh because you just sort of out of the mayhem the sound doesn't
pound you so hard but you can take it all in and you can really observe the band well uh so anyway
like uh we're there and like any show we're on our feet and we're going to be on our feet for the
entire show and so the the band comes out the show starts and uh there was a big group of us and
we had about eight or nine of us in the row and there was a tap on a shoulder from behind and uh
we were asked to sit down so that the people behind us could see the band because they were
sitting and of course that wouldn't go over well, typically. However, It was also divulged that, would
you sit, please sit down. We're the parents of the band.
Track 3:
[27:47] Oh, shit.
Track 4:
[27:48] To see the boys play at this home show. There wasn't a single argument for a second from
any of us. That was a respect moment. Absolutely. We sat down and we enjoyed the show sitting
on our butts and we're happy to do so, you know, so that the parents of the band members could sit
and enjoy the show. You know, nothing epic or cool, but it just stood out. I remember that being
pretty cool.
Track 3:
[28:10] No, that is cool. That is cool.
Track 4:
[28:12] I thought so too yeah so uh two more quick uh concert things uh i was at uh the national arts
center in ottawa to see them in 09 and this was uh we are the same tour and uh during the show
gord left the stage and took the microphone and he walked on the backs of the seats halfway out
singing which i thought was i'd never seen him do that before i'd never seen him do that before
yeah and i i thought that was just amazing but the other day on on one of your chat groups i was
joined i had joined in and i was reading and somebody who had been to several we're at the same
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shows commented that he did that at many shows during that tour i didn't know that but it stood out
my mind because i'd never seen him do something that cool i thought it was just so awesome he
threw himself into the audience and they were all reaching up to hold him and support him as he
walked from a back of one chair to the other to the other. Just a cool moment.
Track 3:
[29:14] That's perilous.
Track 4:
[29:15] Right?
Track 3:
[29:16] Yeah.
Track 4:
[29:17] And he didn't injure himself, which was great.
Track 3:
[29:19] That is good.
Track 4:
[29:21] Anyway, I thought that was a really neat moment. Man, oh man. In 2016, on the final tour, I
was fortunate enough to see them twice. I saw them in Toronto.
Track 3:
[29:36] Good for you.
Track 4:
saw them there.
[29:36] Yeah, it was the show on the 14th. I don't remember if that was the second or third one, but I
Track 3:
[29:43] I feel like that's the third one because they finished on the 20th and there was two shows in
between, but I might be wrong.
Track 4:
[29:50] Yeah, they did Ottawa on the 18th. I was at that one. I think you're right, Jamie. I feel like it
was the last show in Toronto, and that was August 14th, 2016. And this one is just kind of, it stood
in my mind, and it's nothing epic even related to the band. I think it's just, you know, a hip, you
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know, community story. But before the show started, my wife and I, my wife Shannon and I were
standing in line to get drinks for the show. And, you know, we were going to double up. I was
getting two big, expensive beers and she was getting two expensive wines. And as we're waiting,
we get talking to, you know, there's a fan in front of us, fans everywhere, but there's a guy in front
of us and some people behind us. And we just got shooting the shit with them and talking and
sharing stories. And, you know, we were talking about shows we had been to. And I was saying
how this is this is the 30th show that I've been to. And they were they thought that was
phenomenal. and all they wanted to hear a couple stories which i was happy to share and when we
got up and ordered drinks uh i ordered you know my two beer and shannon or two wine which who
knows was probably like 60 bucks at the acc and the guy that was in front of us talking with us
sharing stories he goes i'm buying your drinks he said i i appreciate your stories uh this is so cool it
was great talking with you and uh pay it forward man you know and i just thought what.
Track 3:
[31:18] A Cool fucking community.
Track 4:
[31:20] Right. Who does? Like just meet a stranger, share some stories and, you know, Here's, you
know, what, 60, 80 bucks for a few drinks. Like, anyway, I just thought I'd share that.
Track 3:
[31:31] There's very little in our existence that we acknowledge a shared experience. If that makes
sense, we're so good at internalizing experiences and making them about our own reality that we
often forget that there's a whole cohort of people that have experienced very similar things. And
sometimes just with a knowing glance or a quick story or dropping the name of a band, you know,
you get that look back and it's like, yeah, I fucking get you. I fucking get you, you know? Yeah.
Track 4:
[32:07] Yeah. It was me. My wife and I remember it to this day. And, uh, and maybe if that, that, that
guy's listening, if not now in the future, he finds that about the podcast and he hears it and he'll
remember that. That was me. I remember that, you know, but worth mentioning. It stayed with me,
you know, so.
Track 3:
feel about that?
[32:27] Well, Jeff, what do you say we shift gears and we get into the song of the week? How do you
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Track 4:
[32:35] I feel pretty darn good about that, Jamie. Let's do that.
Track 3:
[32:38] I wonder what it's going to be. We'll find out right after this.
Track 2:
[32:44] Hey, this is Paul Langlois from the Tragically Hip saying hello. Now on with the countdown.
Track 1:
[32:48] Down 19 no no no no no no no 19 19 no no no no no no no 19 do you get the reference 19.
Track 3:
[37:09] Cordelia was easily one of my early favorite songs when I got Road Apples on CD. I loved
that it felt like bigger than just a song. It's very big. Jeff from Belville, what did you think of Cordelia
the first time you remember hearing it?
Track 4:
[37:28] Yeah, Jamie, you know, I kind of described in the first part, the first time I heard it, which is
back in 91 up in the coach house. And, you know, would have been the third song by the hip that I
had heard.
Track 4:
[37:39] And I think at that time we were, you know, closely paying attention to the first few songs.
And I can't, you know, say exactly what I felt in that moment, but it stopped me in my tracks. You
know, these lyrics, these musicians that were just like rocking like crazy. And you're trying to follow
what Gord is saying. And, uh, I remember being taken back by it. Uh, and, and as I said, it seeped
in and left an impact and still to this day, when I, when I listened to Cordelia or Road Apples, you
know, it kind of takes me back to, to the, those days and those feelings. And I just feel like, you
know, Cordelia and the other songs on Road Apples just have a slightly deeper hold than, uh, you
know, some of the other, I mean, I love all the other stuff, but yeah. Though i hear you yeah yeah
and and the first time i heard it live actually was was the following year at that molson park show
they played cordelia at that show yeah so oh man yeah it is it is absolutely phenomenal but uh
yeah i mean it's it's a great song and that whole is just jam-packed with top-notch songs too.
Track 4:
[39:00] But Cordelia is definitely one of my favorites on the album.
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Track 3:
[39:06] Do you have a line on what the hell it's about? Angst on the plank?
Track 4:
[39:11] Yeah. You know, it's a bit of a mind twister. But, you know, I think back to when Gord, I think
you've included the sound clip on one of your podcasts, when Gord was asked in an interview what
Cordelia was about. And he said something along the lines of, I don't know, read King Lear. It's a
metaphor for Cordelia, right? So, you know, I, I try to, uh, when I think about that song, I try to
frame it around what Gord had said. And I think this song is about defiance, uh, defiance and irony,
uh, which, which also kind of makes sense to me because Gord, you know, he was, uh.
Track 4:
[39:55] Uh, what do we, an English is that what he, I think he took English or, or he was a literary
guy. Uh, yeah, for sure. at school and uh i you know i think back to you know high school days
when you know you'd read shakespeare or whatever and your teacher would say now you know
write me an essay on irony in this play pick an example you know things like that but you know i
could see gore doing an exercise in in you know his literary work in writing songs and uh in taking
cordelia now I didn't read Cordelia, but I, you know, have looked up online the essence of what it's
about. And in essence, you know, King Lear was a king and he was splitting up his kingdom among
his three daughters, Cordelia being the youngest and his favorite.
Track 4:
[40:43] But before he split it up, he asked them all to proclaim their love publicly to him. And he had
a big ego, so he expected them to, you know, go overboard in their proclamation of love. And so
the older two daughters kind of BS'd him and went over above and beyond and completely flattered
him, which he ate up. But Cordelia, she held true to who she is. She did love King Lear, her dad,
but she wasn't willing to sell herself out and go into this BS like her sisters did. And she basically
said she loves him as a father or as a daughter should love her father. And in essence, defied what
he desired. You know, so there's the defiance piece. So he banished her and disowned her. And
after doing so and turning his kingdom over to the two daughters.
Track 4:
[41:41] They then basically started to undermine him and, you know, run him out of his kingdom,
which led to him becoming mad. Now, the irony is, is that Cordelia, in essence, came back to help
King Lear and save him from the other two daughters. And so he had a hard time remembering
who Cordelia was because he had gone insane but as the you know the player the story winds
down he begins remembering who Cordelia is.
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Track 4:
[42:14] And finally begins to reconcile with her but again another stab of irony is that they get
captured by the other two daughters and their armies in essence and Cordelia is killed and she, As
King Lear's holding Cordelia in his arms, he also dies. So, you know, there's a lot of irony there. So
to go back to the song, you know, I think about angst on the planks, anxiety standing on a plank,
spitting from a bridge. These are kind of, you know, defiant acts. Just to see how far down it really
is. Defiant just because. Robbing a bank, jumping on a train.
Track 4:
[43:01] Defiant acts, again. um you know tin can man dragging from a car uh you know these are
just other defiant things making noise just for the hell of it really right marrying words falling in your
wake you know falling in your wake leaving problems and confusion and chaos behind you you
know just to see what you can't eliminate defiant acts just to see what happens you know treading
board treading the board screaming out mcbath just just to see how much bad luck you really get
be defiant again just because um you know jumping in the ring with your hidden cape the bull can't
decide what it is that's a defiant act right there you know like so i think there's the defiance there
and then the irony piece the verse near the end thief lingers on on his hands and knees must be
one more thing you really need it's pretty ironic i think you know dying in your dreams falling on
your knife falling on your own knife other ironic moments a thief blinded on the jaw he's got to steal
for life you know uh so i think he takes these two literary things and he writes songs around them
defiance and irony and then you know the chorus is where i think oh really a piece comes in it takes
all your power to prove that you don't care i'm not cordelia i will not be there i will not be there.
Track 4:
[44:27] I will not be there so you know i i think i think gourd's saying.
Track 4:
[44:32] You know if if someone says to gourd or the band don't be yourselves don't be true to
yourselves do something just because i want you to which as we know that is not the tragically hip
right you know, they're not going to do that and then and then you know if they don't they're going
to be what banished um you know so so where i think gourd says i'm not cordelia i will not be there,
um it's not that he won't be cordelia in the first part by staying true to who he is but if you banish me
for staying true to who i am i'm not coming back to you like cordelia for King Lear, right? She was
there for him. I won't be there. You can do that to me, but I won't be there. So I think that's where
he's saying, I'm not Cordelia. I will not be there. And repeat it a few times. So you try to get me to
sell out on who I am. And when I don't, you screw me over. I'm done with you. You know, that's kind
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of how I wrap my head around the song.
Track 3:
[45:42] I like it. Yeah.
Track 4:
[45:44] It's a phenomenal tune. Yay.
Track 3:
[45:47] Also, you gave us a little English class anxiety there with your retelling of King Lear. Thanks.
I listened to it. I was like, I was suddenly back in grade 12, like sweating bullets about having to
write an essay on irony.
Track 4:
[46:04] There's going to be a test and an essay after this, Jamie. I hope you're ready.
Track 3:
[46:07] Holy shit.
Track 4:
[46:09] Yeah.
Track 3:
[46:10] Jeff, I really want to, you know, lift my hat right now. And I want to let people under the hood,
so to speak, because you and I have hung out. We went to see the Strictly Hip together and we
hang out on Sunday nights on the jam. And I've got to know you a little bit. And we also did the
other interview. And I know that there's, you know, another part of your hipstery that we didn't really
get into. And I would be remiss if we didn't get into it because I think it's a pretty big part of the
modern Jeff from Belleville. And I'm curious if you would get into that.
Track 4:
[46:51] Yeah, of course, Jamie. Happy to. Yeah. So in 2018, I had a cardiac arrest playing hockey,
you know, and I keep myself relatively fit and pretty good shape. Watch what I eat. I do all the right
things. uh but uh that all being said i had a cardiac event uh cardiac arrest uh had a uh what's
called a ventricular fibrillation uh but i was fortunate enough that i had you know some good friends
there who took action started cpr got a aed brought me back with the aed and uh yep and i i have a
device cardiac implant now to assist if anything like that happens again.
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Track 4:
[47:41] Five years, sorry, was it 18? Approximately five years went by and everything was pretty
good. In 2023 November, I was yet again on the ice as a coach with my oldest son's hockey team.
And as I came off the ice, I had another cardiac event. My defibrillator fired a couple of times and I
went into, I had what's called a ventricular tachycardia storm. I was rushed to hospital and I
required another 10 external shocks while at hospital. Uh, so of course I arrested again, uh, and,
uh, I was in hospital for a couple of weeks. Um, anyway, that's, uh, you know, uh, just the base of
the story just to set it up.
Track 3:
[48:25] It's heavy, dude. It's heavy.
Track 4:
[48:26] Yeah. Yeah. But I'm here to talk about it. So that's the great thing. Um, as a result of, uh,
That, you know, a lot of friends and family were obviously aware. And one of my good friends from,
we cottage just north of Kingston. And one of my good friends up there, he's a first responder in
Kingston. His name is Steve Barker. He happens to know a fella in Paul Langlois' band. The
drummer, I think it is, who is also a first responder. Anyway, I guess over beers one night, stories
were shared. And, you know, he ended up telling my story and this fellow was listening and Steve,
we call him Blister, Steve Barker, Blister. Blister shared that I was a big hip fan. Anyway, somehow
it made its way back to Paul.
Track 4:
[49:21] And on January 10th, I got a text from Blister and he said, this is just for you. Don't put this
out on social media or share it or anything like that. So I opened up the video message. And it was
Paul Langlois. And, yeah, it was really cool. But, you know, he just shared a message. He called
me by name and said, Jeff, you know, I kind of heard about what was going on through a few
friends. And I just wanted to reach out and let you know that I'm thinking about you. And I hope that
you get your heart back working properly and everything works out and stay positive.
Track 4:
[49:59] And he strummed a couple. he had his guitar with him and he strummed a you know a few
quick chords for me and um you know just a message to say I'm thinking about you I hope you're
doing okay, uh and and that was really cool it uh it lifted me up for sure at a time that I was you
know definitely having a tough go and uh you know I had it so that I could I could go back and look
at it uh every now and again when I needed a little pick me up uh and it's just a neat thing to have
And, um, yeah, I, I sent a message back to him, uh, months later, you know, when I was feeling a
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little bit better just to thank him and let him know it had an impact and, you know, say that, uh,
maybe one day I could thank him over a beer. I didn't hear back from him, but that's neither here
nor there. Uh, I think it was pretty spectacular that he did it. It's a speaks to the individual that he is.
Yeah. Yeah. So a very, a very cool moment.
Track 3:
[50:55] Definitely. Oh, thanks for sharing that, Jeff.
Track 4:
[50:59] Oh, yeah, of course.
Track 3:
[51:00] Yeah, it's got me a little emotional. I won't lie to you. That's heavy shit. So, you know, being
in your age cohort and, you know, hearing that.
Track 4:
[51:12] Right.
Track 3:
[51:14] Yeah. But you know what? Like you said, I love the optimism and I love, I'm here to tell the
story, man. I'm here to tell the story. This is fair.
Track 4:
[51:23] Absolutely.
Track 3:
[51:23] I wonder, I wonder, uh, I wonder if there's anything that you would like to plug at all before
we say goodbye today.
Track 4:
[51:32] Uh, yeah, JD, actually nothing, nothing on a personal level, but, um, just in general, uh, to, to
listeners and who listen regularly or people in the future are going to be listening. Uh, and it kind of
goes back at, uh, that second cardiac event I had, um, after that occurred, I ended up having panic
attacks and a lot of anxiety.
Track 4:
[51:55] Which I've had to work through and learn how to cope with. And I've been seeing a social
worker at a place called Hello Counseling in Port Hope, Amy Erickson. She's the owner, and it's,
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you know, made a big impact and assisted me greatly in managing my anxiety. But another thing
that sort of came into her practice a little later on I think last November it was she brought
somebody on who does something called neurofeedback and she thought it would be a good
treatment for me which I was happy to engage in after doing a little research on it and it has made
a drastic difference in managing my anxiety and neurofeedback is used for a multitude of other
things, not just anxiety, stress, anger outbursts, PTSD, sleep disorders. People can Google it.
There's a lot of things that it's helpful for. But yeah, I know in this day and age, those ailments
impact a large, large portion of our population. So, you know, my plug is just look after yourself.
Look into neurofeedback even it's a it's a relatively new thing i had never heard about it.
Track 4:
[53:21] Prior to being introduced to it in november and anyone that i've talked to who's familiar with it
or has experience with it have very positive things to say.
Track 4:
[53:35] So just look after yourselves pay attention to your mental health, and look into
neurofeedback, if it's right for you. It was phenomenal for me. So that's...
Track 3:
[53:48] It sounds like it, yeah.
Track 4:
[53:49] Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's made an epic difference.
Track 3:
[53:53] Oh, wow. Yeah, panic attacks can be ravaging, you know? That can be absolutely horrifying.
Track 4:
[54:02] They can derail you in the moment and for a duration after the moment. And it's not fun.
Track 3:
[54:07] And mine used to they don't so much anymore but mine used to manifest themselves as a
heart attack like i would be convinced that i was having a heart attack i could feel pain in my arm
i've never had one so i don't i don't like my father-in-law says trust me if you have one you'll know
the pain but but when you're in the midst of a panic attack you don't you're not thinking rationally
and you know like oh no and uh it can be it can be absolutely topsy-turvy so really kudos for you for
getting that help and for sharing that information because uh of course that's important yeah yeah
yeah well jeff from belleville it has been an absolute fucking delight to sit with you this morning and
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talk about cordelia and talk about your live hip experiences um thanks so much for stopping by
yeah.
Track 4:
[55:03] Jd thank you thank you for the opportunity. Thanks for creating this community. I thoroughly
enjoy it. And I think I'm going to go put on Cordelia and crank the hell out of it right now.
Track 3:
[55:12] I'm going to do the same.
Track 4:
[55:13] Nice.
Track 3:
[55:14] Pick up your shit.
Track 2:
[55:17] Thanks for listening to the Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown. To email us, send an email to
tthtop40 at gmail.com. We're social. Find us on all the socials at TTH Top 40. Podcasts and such.
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