Gnurple Forum - Gordon Lightfoot is coming in April

NormMonkey

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Gordon Lightfoot is coming in April
23.01.2008 at 13:03:32

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/01/22/lightfoot-tour.html

Anybody wanna go? Ticketmaster.ca says the tickets will be going on sale 02/04/2008 and will be $10-75.

As soon as I read that article I just had to queue up 3 Gordie songs on my MP3 player and listen immediately. Unfortunately I don't have Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald on there, a sad omission in my collection. I'm also contemplating hiding in a dark room with a CD player and a good set of headphones as soon as I get home.

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BretCB Global Moderator PG-13 Posts: 3125 Gender:	Re: Gordon Lightfoot is coming in April Reply #1 - 23.01.2008 at 16:25:31 I'm not really in a big hurry to see Gordon Lightfoot. I'll let my grandmother know, though, maybe she's free. (Sorry. Gordon Lightfoot is actually OK, but I'm not terribly interested in seeing him live)
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NormMonkey YaBB Administrator Live for eustress Posts: 2261 Gender:	Re: Gordon Lightfoot is coming in April Reply #2 - 23.01.2008 at 16:39:15 He may be old, but his music is incredible. That's not just my opinion, it's the reason for his status in Canadian music. If I get to go it'll be interesting to see the age demographic at the show.
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BretCB Global Moderator PG-13 Posts: 3125 Gender:	Re: Gordon Lightfoot is coming in April Reply #3 - 23.01.2008 at 16:45:42 His music is OK - I wouldn't call it "incredible", though. What is his status in Canadian music? How is he on the scale compared to Rita McNeil, Anne Murray, Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, etc.?
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NormMonkey

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Re: Gordon Lightfoot is coming in April
Reply #4 - 23.01.2008 at 17:13:05

From the article: "Lightfoot has won 15 Juno Awards, been nominated for five Grammys Awards and been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame." The article describes him as a "Beloved Canadian folk singer" and "a legendary songwriter and performer".

(another biography site says he's won 16 Junos, not sure who's got it right)

A quick search reveals this site listing his awards and recognition: http://www.lightfoot.ca/awards.htm

Both the Tragically Hip and Blue Rodeo have done covers of Gordon Lightfoot's songs.

Wikipedia says "he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honour. Lightfoot is also a member of the Order of Ontario, the highest honour in the Province of Ontario."

This may or may not be his last tour, as "Lightfoot's manager, Barry Harvey, suddenly passed away at 56 on December 4, 2007." As he's 70 years old, he may just decide to retire. He's earned it.

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Manon Wizened Guru Posts: 677 Gender:	Re: Gordon Lightfoot is coming in April Reply #5 - 25.01.2008 at 18:19:05 All that said, it's still foguey music. I haven't ever knowingly heard him on any radio station I listen to, but I have heard the covers.
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NormMonkey

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Re: Gordon Lightfoot is coming in April
Reply #6 - 28.01.2008 at 11:31:12

There's loads of music worth listening to that isn't played on "Today's Top 40" type radio stations. Leonard Cohen comes to mind as an example that I know some of us forum members like. Actually, everybody I know here on the forum has some musical favourites that aren't "Today's Top 40" so I know we're not all as close-minded as to not appreciate music just 'cause it's old or isn't being fed to us by the radio stations.

I'm surprised at the lack of enthusiasm for one of the greatest Canadian musical artists. Although everybody has their own tastes in music (nobody else I know likes the Oak Ridge Boys, for example), I guess I figured that as a bunch of Canadians at least some of you would have some appreciation for Gordie.

I guess musical appreciation comes partly from the music we're exposed to as kids, and partly from actively maintaining an open mind when exposed to new music. I know a lot of the music I like which doesn't intersect with the music other people I know like is music my dad enjoyed listening to (including, apparently, Gordie).

With that in mind, when I have kids I must be sure I expose them to all kinds of great music. I remember my dad being fond of sitting and listening to music without doing anything else just for the sake of appreciating it fully. One of my dad's good friends took it to an even higher level with a room and very high-end audio playback equipment dedicated to the purpose . I hope I can instill the same respect and admiration for musical talent in my kids that my dad gave me. If he were here today I wouldn't be able to thank him enough for it.

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The thing about ideas, though, is that they lead to more ideas. Have you ever noticed that when you sit down to write something, half the ideas that end up in it are ones you thought of while writing?

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BretCB

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Re: Gordon Lightfoot is coming in April
Reply #7 - 28.01.2008 at 12:57:25

You've fallen victim to the fact that I'm not a big concert goer (big famous bands; there's a couple local bar bands I check out semi-regularly), and never have been really. I tend to prefer specific songs, not a band's (or artist's) whole body of work. In fact, I can't think of anyone I'm so enamoured with as a band that I'd be first in line to buy tickets for their show.

I'm a big Top 40 guy. I enjoy lots of other stuff, too, but probably 90% of what I listen to is stuff that charts now, and another 5-6% is probably stuff that charted some day in the past. Everyone is welcome to criticise, as many people have in the past, but I enjoy the clean commercial sound of professionally produced artists. Yes, they all sound "the same", within their genre, and it's rarely thought-provoking, unique, or ground-breaking. But I guess I don't look for that in my music. I don't want to have to work to listen to my music, or tell myself I enjoy it because of what it could be, or raise my fist to join the social protest the singer is proclaiming, or appreciate the subtleties of cultural and political commentary in folky songs. I want something I can tap my foot to, and sponge up the lame wanna-be-meaningful lyrics that I'm going to forget in a year and remember nostalgically in 10.

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Manon

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Re: Gordon Lightfoot is coming in April
Reply #8 - 07.02.2008 at 22:06:19

I can recognize that someone is good at something without liking that something at all. Opera singers, for example, are stupendous singers...and you couldn't pay me to go to the opera. Also, good lyrics do not make a good song, there also has to be a good melody, well plaid, and a good voice singing it, and all of those things are somewhat a matter or opinion. For example, I think Leonard Cohen is a great songwriter and a rather poor singer, and Neil Young's voice is like nails on a blackboard to me, although I like the lyrics and music.

There are lots of Order of Canada recipients I've never heard of I'm sure, and many of those I would have no interest in even if I did know what they did.

I'm not plugged into any music scene at all, my only influence is the radio. What they play is what I hear. I flip through 7 different stations while driving. If something gets no air time I will not hear it. I have no idea one would discover new artists (in a personal way I mean) any other way.

The music my parents listened to? Don't make me laugh. We listened to silence mostly, and choir/folk music, as in whatever the choir my mom was in at the time was rehearsing, and that was mostly in French. Any "modern" music was referred to as "that awful noise" by my mom, and I honestly have no idea what kind of music Dad liked. I think 15 years away from radio/TV/media alienated him so much from pop culture that he never got back in.

All that negative stuff said, it really just comes down to this for me: I couldn't name 2 Gordon Lightfoot tunes. After reading Norm's post, I realize I know some covers of his stuff, but I still can't say I've ever knowingly heard him sing. I am therefor not interested in the concert. Concerts cost money, and I will only pay to see artists I know I love. Maybe someday I will get to know his stuff and see the light Roll Eyes

but until then...

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NormMonkey

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Re: Gordon Lightfoot is coming in April
Reply #9 - 08.02.2008 at 09:20:51

Just for the record I'm not suggesting y'all go to a concert to hear something you don't wanna hear.

I'm expressing surprise that none of this bunch of Canadians cares for Gordie's music.

But since the conversation has evolved in another direction about listening habits,I'll continue down that path:

Most of the time I listen to Majic 100 - it's the only radio station that plays the 80's / sappy stuff that I like, on a regular basis. It's also my only source for new tunes, which kind of sucks. I would like to explore some of the other areas of music that I really enjoy: Jazz (instrumental, I don't really "get" vocal jazz), Oldies, Folk, hell there's even some Country I like. I used to discover new stuff by listening to what other people play, but it seems playing music at social events has fallen out of style these days. I know Terra's dad has a pile of records in a closet and when I looked through them I saw a bunch of stuff I like (including Gordon Lightfoot) so next time I'm there I'll probably pay more attention to that collection.

When it comes to new music, yeah I probably do "work" to enjoy it. I try to keep an open mind and I look (OK, fine, listen) for elements (I'm more of a rhythm and sound guy than lyrics) I like. If, say, the drumming or the bass line or chord progressions attract me I'll tune myself into them and ignore the other bits of a song for awhile. I don't consider it work, though, in the same way that I don't consider spending half an hour to take a picture of a toothbrush work.

When I'm working intensely on something and I want music so that external stuff - people moving around and talking, etc. - don't distract me, I'll turn on some techno/trance/goa. I find the upbeat tempo invigorating, helps me move forward with what I'm doing, and the repetitive, mostly non-vocal nature of the stuff is very good for tuning out. For that stuff I go to various Internet channels. I don't know or like any of it well enough to know artist names - mostly 'cause I'm usually working and don't bother looking.

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The thing about ideas, though, is that they lead to more ideas. Have you ever noticed that when you sit down to write something, half the ideas that end up in it are ones you thought of while writing?

--Paul Graham, Hackers & Painters

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