The Tragically Hip Trivia Questions & Answers : Page 2

Gord Downie has been the lead singer of this popular group ever since they first started. He has lived in the Kingston, Canada area all his life and is very much into ecology and water rights. He has four children and a long-time wife Laura. He is known for keeping his family life very private.

Sort of self-explanatory and beyond its time, kind of prophetic. This song was banned from the radio shortly after Hurricane Katrina.

The band got its name from skit contained in the movie "Elephant Parts" by former Monkee Michael Nesmith.

This song is named after a small town in Northern Ontario and tells the story of a cop who works in the city and finds his job stressful and difficult. One of the things he has to deal with in the city is a riot fueled by racism and anti-semitism. He contemplates quitting and is only able to unwind when he travels back to the small idyllic town where his loved one waits for him. "Bobcaygeon" won the Juno Award for Single of the Year in 2000.

Hengelo, Netherlands, the great plains of Canada, and Buffalo, New York are all geographical locations represented in the lyrics to the song. "At The Hundredth Meridian" is a lyrical representation describing the line that divides Western Canada from Atlantic Canada. When traveling from the east to the west, the hundredth meridian is roughly where the central plains of Canada begin:

"...At the Hundredth meridian
Where the great plains begin"

Hengelo and Buffalo are locations that The Tragically Hip had performed gigs at during the early 1990s. The lyric representing "Buffalo" is in reference to an incident in which lead singer Gord Downie had a shoe thrown at him and he subsequently left the stage. Some Tragically Hip folklore has it that the word "Buffalo" represents the large roaming animals that were common in the plains of Canada.

Hengelo on the other hand was a gig that the band performed in the Netherlands. It was an homage to their partying that was common at many of their earlier gigs. While some denial took place, a video arose that was filmed at the Hengelo gig. It was some of the earlier proof that the band did exist and what their sound was like at that time.

"I remember Buffalo, I remember Hengelo"

A final and important geographical reference in the song is a lyric that references the Canadian geography that has formed over Canada's history:

"Driving down a corduroy road
Weeds standing shoulder high
Ferris wheel is rusting
Off in the distance"

To many Canadians, a "corduroy road" is representative of western settlement such as the stretch of road between Burwash Landing and Koidern in Yukon Territory, Canada. Corduroy roads were often built over swampy terrain using logs that were placed perpendicular to the road. While they were a much improved road from plain mud or dirt roads, they were still often impassable or offered an extremely rough ride for passengers. These lyrics refer to these roads and the abandoned scenery that is often present in the distance of the Canada's prairies.

"Antares" was written for Kurt in 1998. It was one of Browning's best routines and the music is lovely and haunting. It is instrumental only.

Originally calling themselves The Rodents, after the group saw the film "Elephant Parts" by Michael Nesmith, they renamed themselves after one of the skits featured in this film. And if you were wondering, this is the Michael Nesmith who had been a member of the Monkees.

The Tragically Hip are Gordon Downie, Bobby Baker, Johnny Fay, Paul Langios and Gord Sinclair.