The Tragically Hip Top Forty Countdown: Song 28 — Terri from Nova Scotia

Hey, it’s jD — and this week, we head to the salty East Coast to meet Terri from Nova Scotia, a self-professed late bloomer when it comes to The Hip… but she’s since made up for lost time with a vengeance.

She never saw them live. Not once. Not even close. But through her nephew’s fandom, a Yer Favourites CD, and long drives to school with her son in the passenger seat, Terri became one of the most emotionally tuned-in Hip fans we’ve ever had on the show. Her story’s got layers — part grief, part obsession, and 100% reverence.

Inside this episode:

• How a deep dive during night shifts turned her into a Hiphead
• Why Gord’s lyrics hit like short stories and poetry in equal measure
• That bittersweet moment when her nephew live-texted Gord’s last show from Victoria
• And the beautiful annual tradition she shares with her son (who covers a different Hip song for her every Christmas)

It’s an episode about discovery, about memory, and about filling in the blanks when life doesn’t let you be there in person.

🎙️ Next week, we head west with Ian from Maple Ridge, frontman of the tribute band Gift Shop and one of the most grounded, eloquent voices on what it means to honour The Hip through music.

💬 Pull Quote

“Every song is like a short story. Gord wasn’t just a singer. He was a writer — a fucking genius.”

👤 About Our Guest

Terri from Nova Scotia is a writer, theatre producer, and deep-cut Hip aficionado who never got to see the band live — but found her way into the catalogue through family, research, and pure poetic obsession. She’s one half of Two Fools Productions, staging adult comedies across the Maritimes, and describes herself (accurately) as “the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler of Nova Scotia.”

Check them out: Two Fools on Facebook

🧾 Support the Show

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Transcript follows below.

The Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown

2025-05-24, 8:49 AM

The Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown

Join jD beginning Monday, January 6th, 2025 while he counts down the top 40 songs by The

Tragically Hip as voted by you! Every week on The Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown, jD

welcomes a new guest to discuss their TTH origin story (hipstory) and dissect,

Artist: jD

Year: 2025

Transcript

[0:00] On Friday, May 26th, Podlist 6 is coming to you from the Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown.

Hey, it's JD here, and I am fucking pumped to be filling you in on the latest Podlist. What is a

Podlist, you ask? It's a podcast playlist. In this case, it's a playlist full of Tragically Hip cover songs

by our talented listeners. Here's the deal this year. You can only choose a song that ranked from

169 to 41. To be included in Podlist 6, you'll need to submit your WAV files either by WeTransfer or

by emailing JD at tthtop40 at gmail.com with Podlist in the subject line. Are you ready to shoot your

shot and become podcast famous? What are you waiting for then?

[1:00] Previously on the Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown. Today on the Countdown, we're getting

photos from the sky with a pigeon camera. Dan from Ottawa, tell me about the first time you heard

this song. You know, I'm not 100% sure, but it was probably right after I got the CD. As I, you know,

I don't think it had airplay before the album came out. And I, like others, would just get the CD,

stand in line if we had to, on release day and could not wait until to hear the album. So I'm pretty

sure that's what happened for this. It's been the same for all the albums for me.

[1:41] Music.

[1:49] Here and welcome to the Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown. It is an absolute pleasure to be

with you week over week where we're counting down 40 essential tracks by the hip that you

selected with your very own top 20 balance. I then tabulated the results using an abacus and the

Fonz, double-checking my math with a thumbs up and a good-natured correctamundo. How will

your favorite songs fare in the rankings. You'll need to tune in every week to find out. So there's

that. This week I'm joined by the Tragically Hip superfan, Terry from Nova Scotia, or New Scotland

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for you old school folk. How the hell are you doing on this hiptastic day, Terry from Nova Scotia?

Doing pretty good. Excellent. Are you ready to talk about the Tragically Hip? I am. I'm always ready

to talk about the hip. Well, let's hear your Tragically Hip origin story then. It's not that exciting.

Actually, it's kind of sad. I'm the biggest hip fan that's never seen a live show. Oh, my goodness

gracious. Yeah, tragically. Yeah. Oh, I'm so sorry. I discovered the hip a little later in life. My nephew

was a huge fan and I, you know, I knew of them and everything.

[3:14] But really, I didn't get into it until I bought Your Favorites. Okay. And would listen to it driving

my kids to school and sort of getting into all the favorites. And I was like, yeah, this band is really,

really great. And then Gord gets brain cancer. and I'm thinking, I'm never going to get to see this

band. And, you know, tried to get tickets for the last show and everything never worked out. But so

I've tried to make up for it by really, you know, doing a deep dive and, you know, getting to know all

the albums, you know, going down the rabbit hole as far as the band goes, you know, learning

about them. And uh so yeah so now i'm a huge hip fan and i never seen a live show.

[4:19] Oh terry from nova scotia that is heartbreaking what what about i want to know more about

this deep dive though i want to know more about what you've discovered and where you started

with that deep dive did you start at the start or did you cherry pick what did you do well i'm the type

of person that once i get hooked on something i uh i spend a lot of time just researching and uh

around this time i was working nights and i would spend like three or four hours just.

[4:59] Going on a deep dive at the hip like i knew like gourd's kids that sounds kind of creepy i knew

his kids' names and his ex-wife's names and all the things about, and I you know, I just, really, and

then like, just reading about tours and different, songs, and I'm also a writer, so I can really

appreciate Gord's lyrics. And I think that's what kind of drew me in was the lyrics, because really it's

like a short story. Every song is like a short story, and And he's a genius. The phrasing, just the, I

don't know, everything. It's so, so good. And also his voice, so distinctive and really, I mean, I know

it's sort of up for debate whether he's, you know, some people are like, I don't really think he has a

great voice. Oh, my. I think he has an amazing voice. Me too. And, you know, the emotion. But in

this song that we're going to talk about, it gets so quiet. Sorry, one sec. Sorry.

[6:12] The one thing I forgot to tell you, I'm so sorry, is we don't talk about the song in the first half.

That's all right, because it's like a big reveal for everybody. Okay, you can edit that out? Yeah, I'll

edit that out. All right. Okay, so his voice. Okay. Yeah, I mean, he gets so big, he gets so emotional,

but he also gets really quiet sometimes. And I love that. Really soft. And so I just love this band and

I love Gord Downey. And even my nephew was like, how do you know that?

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[6:51] How do you know that, you know, he's divorced and blah, blah, blah. And his daughter,

Willow, is an artist. and all these things. And I'm just like, I don't know. It is, you know, I'm not

stalking anybody, but I just really love finding out things about somebody that I find so interesting.

Yeah. You want some of that maybe context, you know, so you can read the lyrics even deeper. But

also contact, because I never got to see them live. I never got to be in that room with him, you

know.

[7:28] And so this is my only way and then i started to be like oh well i gotta go to a sarah harmer

show, because you know she sang on some of the hip stuff and she was such a good friend with

gourd, and then i'm like well i gotta go see city in color because you know sleeping sickness and

then i gotta go see you know so that's how i'm making up for not seeing him live is by you know

that what six degrees of separation or something no that's great but it's also great just to go out and

support live music right like that's wonderful definitely and i love canadian artists you know like just i

can't even think of really any american artists that i'm into right now it's all canadian that's great

have you had a chance to watch any of the docuseries yes yeah i loved it loved it you must have

really liked it for all that oh yeah all the juicy details and the info yeah amazing i loved it and i love

that mike downey really.

[8:36] He obviously had the in, right? So he was able to get, you know, all the stuff that maybe that

first documentary, long time running, really couldn't get. So I love that.

[8:53] The chapter four, or the, was it chapter four, I think they called it, or the last hour of the

documentary was really sad, though. Holy shit, right? That was. Yeah. That was unreal. That

gotcha. That gotcha. I haven't watched it again yet. Especially, what's that? I haven't watched it a

second time yet. No, I will. I will with my son who will be home for university at Christmas. So I'm

going to watch it a second time with him because I've sort of recruited him. He's a musician and I've

sort of, he's sort of getting it now. But. How old is he?

[9:33] He is 24. That is so cool because I don't think of that cohort as being hip fans at this point. So

good work flying the flag. Well, the thing, too, is that he was in high school when I was driving him

to school, listening to your favorites. And he sort of, you know, I don't think he wanted to admit that

he liked it, but I think he respects it now and he gets it. So that's really a, you know, and now every

Christmas, his gift to me is he records a hip song the way he would do it in his own way. So, yeah.

That's so special. Yeah. Oh, wow. It's really sweet. Do you ever share them?

[10:26] Well, I haven't, but he did a really great job of So Hard Done By. Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah. I'll

talk to you after we stop recording about it. Proud mama. Yeah. That's very cool. There's a really

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sad part about my nephew being at the last show in Victoria, BC, and him texting me and saying,

Gord's doing this, and Gord's singing this one, and whatever. And I'm like, crying my eyes out, you

know, kind of living vicariously through him. But that's cool. We don't want to bring the listeners

down too much, though. Hey, you know what? It's part of the package now with this band.

Unfortunately, it's in the backpack, right? Yeah. That sadness, that grieving is just, and I don't know

how long it's going to.

[11:18] Be for. because occasionally I'll put on a song and it just takes me somewhere that does

make me nostalgic or sad. Yeah, I think you're right. It's grief. Yeah. Definitely. So what do you

think? Should we start talking about the song of the week? Yes. We'll get right back after this break.

Hey, this is Paul Langlois from The Tragically Hip saying hello. Now on with the countdown.

[11:44] Music.

[17:03] Boy, do I remember this track. Having bought Day for Night at Midnight on release day, I

listened as soon as I got back to my dorm. I was amazed with virtually every track, but that slow

song. Wow. Terry from Nova Scotia, what did you think of Scared when you first heard it?

[17:24] Um, well, I loved it. Um, you know, minimal drums, really focused on the lyrics. Um, my son

described it as skeletal folk instrumental. Skeletal folk instrumental. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Like the, the

instrumental part. But, um, the meaning of the song has kind of changed for me over the years.

Interesting. It's evolved because when I first heard it, I really felt like it was, he was talking about a

relationship. Okay. Like, I don't know. If it's like some kind of kink or something, like I can make you

scared, you know, if you want me to kind of thing. But now I feel it's a bit more political to me. Okay.

In a different way. It's like, I feel like he's speaking about fear to, you know, fear can intimidate or

manipulate.

[18:34] And also the line, tickled to death by their importance, I feel like that is such a great lyric

because I feel like it speaks to ego. Yeah. I feel like it speaks to the ego of men that are so proud of

themselves. It doesn't have to be men, but just in general. I get it. I get it. Like a type of control.

So... As always, Gord's lyrics are up for interpretation. And, you know, was it just random words

that rhymed? Who knows? But for me, and I think everybody, it's, you know, it's up to the listener to

decide what he's talking about and how it sort of resonates with you. But for me, I feel like it's

almost like.

[19:27] Like, it's political for me in a way that, you know, he's talking about, you know, tests have

shown that, you know, I just feel like it's less more of a relationship song now. And more for me is

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just talking about how we can be manipulated by fear. Wow. So where do you go with that defang

destroyer limps into the bay? Where does that fit in to your analysis, if it does? At first, I thought he

was speaking about, you know, an injured whale or an injured shark or something like that. But I

realized that it's a, he's speaking about a ship, right? About a, that's what a defang destroyer is.

Isn't it like a ship or something that's out of commission or something? Yeah. But then again, that

could be, you know, something that's out of commission. Integrity.

[20:38] Honesty. Yeah. You know, and these children, which may be future generations, they're just

wading into the water, the blood-soaked water. You know what I mean? Like, we're just, they're just

going there. They're going into that. and what will happen to them. Oh, man. Am I getting too deep

with you? No, not at all. I find that some of Gord's songs, they take you somewhere, and not in an

unsatisfying way, but in a curious way, they make you want to know what's next.

[21:15] Definitely. Definitely. And I mean, if we could sit down with him and be like, yeah, man, I want

to pick your brain. Like, what were you talking about? I don't even know if you'd tell us. No, I don't

think so. But what I'd kill for is like 25 to 35 minutes with that notebook that I don't know if you saw it

on Facebook when Patrick pulled it out of the dusty confines of wherever it had been stored. But

my goodness, what? Sorts of treasures would be in there that you would see oh my god definitely i

mean, it's just the the scribblings of a of a genius yes how would we how would we decipher all of it

i don't know we need some sort of um oh what's it called cipher decoding or something but also So

to see, you know, maybe something written that is a lyric to one of the songs that we love would

just be like, oh, my God, that's from, you know, like 100th Meridian or, you know. Totally. Silver Jet

or something like that. Yeah.

[22:27] So what's your favorite? Not favorite. Favorite's so overused and it's so definite. But what

tracks do you tend to go to these days? You mentioned that scared has changed for you and

evolved. And going back to Gord's voice, something I wanted to point out as well is I feel like his

voice evolved over his career as well. Like he really, it really became an instrument that he honed

and crafted and perfected over the years. Like he could do anything at the end, you know, um, like

when you listen to man machine poem, but I digress. I want to know what, um, sort of stuff you go

to at this point. Like where, where is your go-to?

[23:13] It changes. That makes sense. Some days I'll feel like, I want to listen to Now for Plan A.

Yes. You know, or I want to listen to In Violet Light. I tend to go for the non-hits. Oh. Yeah. I guess

you sort of, with your favorites, you sort of wore them out maybe. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All those years

of driving back and forth to school. But that's not to say I don't love, because I love 38 years old. I

think that's one of the most amazing songs, and his lyrics just, in that song, just blow me away. Me

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too. I mean, who writes about prisoners escaping from, you know, I mean. Yeah, and all the terrible

things that go on. And makes it into a song that you really want to listen to. Yeah. Yeah. Um, but

yeah, I tend to go for the non-hits. Like I love, you know, like I said, Silver Jet. I love Dire Wolf. I

love, you know, I do love Up to Here because.

[24:25] Um, I have to say, even though it's their, one of their biggest hits, New Orleans is Sinking,

but when I hear Gord say, all right, at the beginning of that song, I'm just like, I get chills. And I

know exactly when he's coming in And you know when you're driving And you hear New Orleans is

thinking And you know that he's going to go alright And you're just like yeah You know it's just But

you know I love At Transformation, Alfred Plan A I love So Hard Done By Day for Night, It just You

know every song has merit, Every song has merit There's not a stinker in the bunch no i mean even

if you look at this list there were 169 songs that received votes, 169 i think the band has about 180

in total uh so for there only to be 11 that didn't get votes is staggering and i i mean i might be off

with the 180 it could be even less than that so, fantastic you're you're totally right when you say that

somebody's number 20 is somebody's number three you know or yes definitely definitely.

[25:43] Well, Terry, it's been wonderful talking to you this afternoon, and I really appreciate your

time. Was there anything that you wanted to plug at all? Oh, well, yeah. My friend and I have a

production company called Two Fools Productions. We write adult comedy performances. We have

a play right now that's going on until November 16th. It's called Bite Me. Okay. So if anybody from

Nova Scotia is listening and they, I mean, I don't, this is going to run when the play is over, but

check out our Facebook page. It's called Two Fools. And we always have something new coming

up. And like I said, it's two women in there, you know, two women of a certain age, right? Funny,

funny shit. And it's all adult. It's all, you know, like we say, if you're easily offended, don't come to

one of our shows. You're in the wrong fucking place.

[26:51] We're the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler of Nova Scotia, my friend and I. I love it. So anyway.

And I love your great province as well. I love every time I go there. We spent the summer of the

pandemic at a cottage in Nova Scotia and then PEI as well. Just we were like, we're going to be

locked down. Let's be locked down somewhere beautiful, you know? Definitely. Yeah. Salt to the

earth we are. That's right. Well, again, that's what I've got for you this week. So thanks for stopping

by and pick up your shit. 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.

[27:49] Music.

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