The Tragically Hip and Canada’s Fraught Identity

INTRODUCTION

A very interesting series of events that no one could have predicted took place in my country this year — a cultural phenomenon, tied to one man, that caused a swell of emotion not often seen in a country that lacks figureheads, or is often perceived to lack them. That man is Gordon Downie. Along with the band he fronts, The Tragically Hip, Downie caused an entire nation to reflect on itself for a moment; it caused the release of a lot of emotions, including pride, but also ...