Gord Downie was a music icon, a poet whose voice captivated and encapsulated Canada.
On Wednesday, with the news of the Tragically Hip frontman’s passing at 53, the country reflected on his life and legacy.
Here’s a look at how AM640 hosts and their guests remembered him:
LISTEN: Eric Alper joins the Morning Show on AM640
Music commentator Eric Alper joined The Morning Show shortly after Downie’s death was announced through a statement from his family.
Discussing The Hip’s legacy, Alper said that he thinks the greatest bands are able to “hold up a mirror for who we are as a society.”
“The Tragically Hip, I think better than anybody else in our history, was able to let us know where we were and what we needed to do in order to not only become a better country, but better people,” he said.
LISTEN: Alan Cross joins Kelly Cutrara on AM640
Kelly Cutrara said Downie’s death is one of those moments that Canadians will remember where they were when they heard the news.
She and Alan Cross, host of the Ongoing History of New Music, discussed how Downie’s significance goes far beyond the world of music.
“We had our prime minister come out in tears saying, you know, we have lost a great Canadian…,” Cross said.
LISTEN: Music journalist Larry LeBlanc joins the John Oakley Show
On the John Oakley Show, music journalist and record-label co-founder Larry LeBlanc talked about The Hip’s massive success in Canada, and why they never achieved similar fame in the United States.
“It’s very telling that the broadcast of what was the final show of the band in Kingston drew 4.04 million people,” LeBlanc said.
“People were watching it in tents and bars and everything.”
LISTEN: Ry Moran on the Kelly Cutrara Show
Members of Indigenous communities, including leaders such as Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Belgarde and Alvin Fiddler, grand chief of the Nishbawbe Aski Nation, were among those expressing condolences and reflecting on Gord Downie today.
On the Kelly Cutrara Show, Ry Moran, director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba, said Downie was one of the most important public allies for reconciliation.
READ MORE: Gord Downie, Tragically Hip frontman, receives Order of Canada
Downie’s 2016 album Secret Path told the story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old boy who died trying to escape a residential school near Kenora, Ont., 50 years ago.
Moran recalled the emotional experience of hearing Downie play Secret Path for members of Wenjack’s family.
LISTEN: Charlie Angus joins the Tasha Kheiriddin Show
Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus told Tasha Kheiriddin he thinks Downie’s “extraordinary legacy” is the “soundtrack of a nation.”
READ MORE: Gord Downie dead: The Tragically Hip lead singer dies of cancer at 53
Angus said that the Hip’s performance during the Attawapiskat housing crisis — and their song “Goodnight Attawapiskat” — were understood as acts of solidarity.
“It was a dark time and I remember people in the community felt so alone, and the Hip came to James Bay and played in a high school.”
LISTEN: Andrew Morrison of The Jerry Cans on Gord Downie
Tasha was also joined by Andrew Morrison, a longtime Iqaluit resident and member of the Inuktitut folk-rock group The Jerry Cans.
The band released a cover of The Hip’s Ahead by a Century earlier this year.
“We’re remembering him today… we all understood that it was coming, it doesn’t necessarily make it any less deep in our feelings,” he said.
LISTEN: Mike Stafford speaks with listeners about Gord Downie’s legacy
And on the Mike Stafford Show, we heard from you. AM640 listeners called in and shared their stories and memories of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip.
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