The Tragically Hip Podcast Series

Every Wednesday night at 8pm ET, we spin the wheel and land on one randomly selected Tragically Hip song — then we discuss, debate, and dissect it with three panelists and a very opinionated live chat.
This week, the wheel landed on “Leave” from In Violet Light (2002) — and we got into the groove, the two-part structure, Gord’s bird-heavy storytelling, and where this track sits in the album’s pacing (aka: the unsung bridge between heavy hitters).
Next week’s random pick: “Wild Mountain Honey” from Music @ Work.

This Week’s Song
Song: “Leave”
Album: In Violet Light (2002)
Producer: Hugh Padgham
Format: Live panel + chat discussion (one song, one hour, no wrong takes)

Panelists
Andrew (Winnipeg)
Patrick (Toronto)
Craig (Langley) (also plays in the Hip tribute band Gift Shop)

What We Talk About (Highlights)
Album “go-to” picks right now: World Container, In Violet Light, and We Are the Same
Why “Leave” feels like an album track / deep cut — and why that’s not an insult
The band’s groove (Sinclair + Fay love all over this one)
The song’s structure: essentially two halves instead of a standard verse/chorus/bridge pattern
Lyrical rabbit holes: quotes, birds talking to birds, and that killer line: “How do we learn to hurt?” (discussed, not solved — because Gord)
Live history note from the panel: “Leave” appears to have been played live only a handful of times (per setlist research mentioned on the stream)
Chat check-in: one-word reactions and a great listener description of the track as a “start the day” song — gentle, moving, pointed but laid back

Timeline (from the stream transcript)
[0:38] jD sets the table: the On Shuffle format + “no wrong takes”
[1:47] Introductions: Andrew (Winnipeg), Craig (Langley), Patrick (Toronto)
[3:36] “Go-to Hip record right now” discussion
[10:43] Song discussion begins: first impressions + where “Leave” fits
[18:31] Music deep-dive: groove, dynamics, structure (two-part feel)
[24:09] The “birds” thread expands (and yes, people noticed)
[35:31] Live-performance chat + setlist mention
[48:09] Wheel spin: next week’s song is “Wild Mountain Honey”
[49:54] Panelist plugs + shoutouts
[53:01] Breadcrumbs teased for upcoming stuff + community reminder

Next Week
🎶 Next song: “Wild Mountain Honey” (Music @ Work)
🗓 When: Wednesday at 8pm ET
💬 How to participate: Jump into the live chat and bring your takes.

Panelist Plugs (as mentioned on-stream)
Andrew: Head Full of Radio (podcast) + Alphabet Soup (University of Manitoba radio show; archives mentioned)
Patrick: The Deep Cover Show (on hiatus; returning around early February per the stream)
Craig: Plays in Gift Shop (Hip tribute band). Mentioned a “Depression Suite” video posted last week and an upcoming Vancouver show announcement with details expected February 20 (as teased on-stream).

Join the Community
Instagram: @tthpodseries
YouTube: youtube.com/@tthpods
Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/tthpodcastseries
Email: [email protected]

This week on The Tragically Hip On Shuffle, jD and panelists Andrew (Winnipeg), Craig (Langley), and Patrick (Toronto) break down “Leave” from In Violet Light (2002) — groove, structure, lyrics, and where it fits on the record. Next week: “Wild Mountain Honey.”

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Fully & Completely: Redux

Episode 103— Road Apples (1991)

A presentation of The Tragically Hip Podcast Series
Hosted by jD and Greg LeGros
If Up to Here was the sound of a band kicking the barroom doors open, Road Apples is what happens when they walk in knowing the room already belongs to them.
Released in February 1991, this record lands right in the middle of a cultural earthquake — Nevermind, Ten, The Black Album, Out of Time, Loveless, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Rock music is shedding its hairspray, sharpening its teeth, and looking for something that feels real again.
And here come The Tragically Hip — louder, darker, more confident, and somehow more mysterious than ever.
In this episode of Fully & Completely: Redux, jD and Greg LeGros dig into Road Apples as the moment where the band perfects their bar-band bravado — and then quietly starts planning their escape from it. Produced once again by Don Smith, recorded largely live off the floor, this album sounds like five guys in a room who trust each other completely… and aren’t afraid to push.
We talk about:

Why 1991 might be the most important year in modern music
Road Apples as the band’s first true leap — not just forward, but outward
The brilliance of Little Bones as an all-time album opener
Gord Downie’s emerging lyrical mythos — cab drivers, King Lear, Macbeth, and prison-yard stares
How Cordelia and The Luxury reveal a darker, more literary Hip
Why Long Time Running becomes one of the band’s first truly communal songs
The quiet devastation of Fiddler’s Green
And how Last of the Unplucked Gems gently closes the door on one era… and opens another

This is the album where the confidence hardens, the writing deepens, and the band stops sounding like anyone else. The last gasp of their blues-rock skin — and the first clear signal that something bigger is coming.
School’s still in session.
And things are starting to get interesting.

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The Tragically Hip On Shuffle — “You’re Everywhere” (In Between Evolution)

Episode Summary
Welcome to the very first episode of The Tragically Hip On Shuffle — a weekly live-streamed conversation where host jD and a rotating panel of fans spin the wheel, land on one randomly selected Tragically Hip song, and discuss, debate, and dissect it from every angle: lyrics, themes, musicality, album context, and the personal connection that makes Hip fandom feel like home.

For the premiere episode, the shuffle lands on “You’re Everywhere” from In Between Evolution (2004) — a loud, sharp, post-9/11-era record produced by Adam Kasper that captures The Tragically Hip in full rock-and-roll form. From the opening riff to the vocal urgency in the chorus, this track becomes the perfect test case for what this series is all about: thoughtful takes, layered interpretations, and the shared realization that there’s rarely one “right answer” in Gord Downie’s writing.

Panelists this week include:

Tim (Columbus, Ohio) — co-host of the long-running music podcast Dig Me Out, and a proud defender of deep cuts
Ryan (Victoria, BC) — frontman of Nautical Disaster, a Tragically Hip tribute band, with a vocalist’s ear for emotional delivery
Justin (Vermont) — longtime Hip fan and Discovering Downie alum, bringing album-level context and a sharp eye for lyrical subtext

Together, the panel explores why “You’re Everywhere” feels both deeply personal and uncomfortably political, how In Between Evolution balances big guitars with uneasy undercurrents, and why this song—despite being lesser-played live—hits with the kind of emotional pressure that grows louder the longer you sit with it.

And yes: the episode also features the first official On Shuffle tech gremlin moment, a brief detour to the green-room snack table, and a laminated birthday card signed “No.” So there’s that.

In This Episode

The On Shuffle format: one random Hip song, one hour, zero forced takes
First impressions of “You’re Everywhere” and why the groove is deceptively simple
The vocals: urgency, desperation, and that “live-in-the-can” feel
Lyrics + themes: layered meaning, media saturation, democracy, identity, and memory
The line “when I reel my Irish in” — and why it can mean 10 different things
Album context: where “You’re Everywhere” sits in the In Between Evolution tracklist and why it works as a centerpiece
Rare live sightings: an early “workshopping” version with a different working title and lyrics
Producer talk: Adam Kasper (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden connections) and how the Hip chose heavyweight producers across eras
The show’s mission: The Hip as refuge, ritual, and community hang

Key Quotes

“There are no wrong opinions. There are no wrong takes. But my hope is there will always be a moment.”
“It’s a simple song structure… but it’s how they play it.”
“Gord layers ideas — the subtext can run through the entire album.”

Featured Song

“You’re Everywhere” — The Tragically Hip
Album: In Between Evolution (2004)

Next Week on The Tragically Hip On Shuffle

The shuffle chooses the next track live at the end of the episode.
Next episode song: “Leave” from In Violet Light
🕗 Live Wednesday at 8:00 PM ET

About the Panelists

Tim (Columbus)
Co-host of Dig Me Out — a long-running podcast featuring album reviews, interviews, and roundtables spanning 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond, with a special love for the underappreciated gems.

Ryan (Victoria, BC)
Frontman of Nautical Disaster, a Tragically Hip tribute band. Also a community-builder: the band helped raise $5,000 for their local food bank through a fundraiser show.

Justin (Vermont)
Longtime Hip fan and Discovering Downie collaborator. Also involved in Vermont motorsports projects including the Vermont Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Where to Watch + Follow

Watch the live stream (and replays): youtube.com/@tthpods
Subscribe for weekly episodes of The Tragically Hip On Shuffle and more from The Tragically Hip Podcast Series.

SEO Keywords

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Tags

#TheTragicallyHip #TheTragicallyHipOnShuffle #YoureEverywhere #InBetweenEvolution #GordDownie #CanadianRock #MusicPodcast #LyricAnalysis #AlbumDeepDive

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Fully & Completely: Redux

Episode 102 — Up To Here (1989)
A presentation of The Tragically Hip Podcast Series
Hosted by jD and Greg LeGros
If Episode 101 was the band trying to get hired, Up To Here is the band showing up like: we’re already the headliners, you just don’t know it yet.
Released in September 1989, The Tragically Hip’s first full-length LP is the moment where the sweat and swagger of the EP turns into something sturdier — a vibe, a sound, an identity. This is the record that made the country start paying attention in a different way. Not “hey, that bar band is pretty good,” but “oh… this is our band.”
We set the scene: Mulroney still running the country, the first Grey Cup at the SkyDome (and yes, the Rough Riders/Roughriders nonsense is as chaotic as it sounds), and a pop-heavy musical world where Repeat Offender, Milli Vanilli, Paula Abdul, and even Dr. Feelgood are moving units like it’s a national sport. Meanwhile, the underground is brewing — Sonic Youth, the weirdos starting to kick the door open — and out of Kingston comes this bluesy, barroom, don’t-overthink-it-just-turn-it-up record that somehow becomes a diamond-certified Canadian classic.
We talk about why Up To Here connects with everybody — the Queens Pub crowd, the farm-town beer crowd, the “I only know four Hip songs but I know them perfectly” crowd — and how certain tracks became bigger than the band itself. There’s a whole New Orleans is Sinking tangent involving Crown Royal, Lake Ontario, and one of the most wholesome cross-cultural Canadian moments imaginable.
This album is loaded. Side A is basically a greatest hits package. But we also dig into the deeper stuff: the early emergence of Gord’s strange, slippery cadence; the way the band’s confidence jumps from the EP to this like it got shot out of a cannon; and the idea that every Hip album has at least one track that quietly points at what comes next.
Up To Here is where the lesson plan gets real.
In This Episode

The cultural and musical landscape of 1989 (Mulroney, pop domination, the underground brewing)
Why Up To Here hit everywhere in Canada — bars, cottages, dorms, and car stereos
The leap in identity from the EP to a full-on signature sound
“New Orleans is Sinking” as a national anthem (and as a live-performance launchpad)
Gord Downie’s early “how-the-hell-do-you-sing-that” cadence taking shape (“38 Years Old”)
The record’s “top-heavy” track sequencing — and why it works
Deep-cut advocacy hour: “Every Time You Go” gets its flowers
The “DNA track” theory: one song per album that hints at the next record
Listener callout: What’s your Up To Here moment?

Album Discussed

Up To Here (1989)
Produced by Don Smith
A barroom-recorded, road-tested, diamond-certified cornerstone.

Time Capsule Tracks

jD’s pick: 38 Years Old
Greg’s pick: Opiated

What’s Next

Next week, we keep moving — and you can already feel the band getting sharper, stranger, and more themselves. The evolution is in motion.

Listen & Subscribe

Fully & Completely: Redux is available wherever you get your podcasts.
📲 Follow The Tragically Hip Podcast Series on Instagram: @tthpodseries
💬 Join the Facebook Group and hang with like-minded Hip fans
✉️ Reach jD: [email protected]

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Fully & Completely: Redux

Episode 101 — The Tragically Hip EP (1987)

A presentation of The Tragically Hip Podcast Series
Hosted by jD and Greg LeGros

Class is officially back in session.
In Episode 101, Fully & Completely returns as Fully & Completely: Redux, kicking off a weekly, album-by-album journey through the catalog of The Tragically Hip — starting where it all began: the self-titled 1987 EP.
This episode takes us back to a pivotal year in Canadian history. Brian Mulroney is Prime Minister. The loonie replaces the dollar bill. Edmonton is the City of Champions. And in a music landscape dominated by The Joshua Tree, Appetite for Destruction, Sign o’ the Times, and Document, a sweaty, blues-rock bar band from Kingston quietly releases their first official recording.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not fully formed.
But it is the sound of a band just out of high school, road-tested, tight as hell, and figuring out who they might become.
jD and Greg dig into the historical and musical context of 1987, the Canadian charts of the era, the bar-band DNA baked into this EP, and the early lyrical breadcrumbs that hint at where The Tragically Hip were headed. Along the way, they debate throwaway lines versus keeper lyrics, celebrate the power of live mythology, and agree — as most Canadians eventually do — that Highway Girl is the track that escapes the gravity of its origins.
This is the starting point.
The chalk outline.
The sweaty stage at the Horseshoe before the arenas.
And from here on out, it only gets deeper.
In This Episode

Why 1987 matters — culturally, musically, and politically
The Tragically Hip as a very good bar band (and why that matters)
Blues rock, R&B roots, and early Stones influence
Canadian pop vs. underground grit in the late ’80s
First signs of Gord Downie’s lyrical instincts
The role of live performance in shaping Hip mythology
Time Capsule Track: Highway Girl

Album Discussed

The Tragically Hip (EP, 1987)
Produced by Ken “Kenny” Greer
Eight tracks. Under 30 minutes. A launching pad.

What’s Next

Next week, the tour continues with the next chapter in the evolution — more confidence, sharper songwriting, and the beginning of something unmistakably Hip.

Listen & Subscribe

Fully & Completely: Redux is available wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow, subscribe, and settle in — we’re taking this fully and completely, one record at a time.

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