Does the Tragically Hip get a pass?

It’s interesting to listen to the radio and hear different top 40 and chart toppers on different stations.  In my car, I listen to Rock 102 FM in Saskatoon.  Only because my CD player is broken (with a Within Temptation CD stuck inside it), and I don’t have the ability to play mp3s on it.  At least not right now.

But I’ve noticed something when certain songs play.  Like this morning there was a Theory Of A Deaman tune playing and a lot of the lyrics were bleeped out (or it was the radio edit).  Instead of playing the song, so as to save most from hearing Theory Of A Deadman (which is akin to hearing Nickleback), I’ll list the lyrics.

How come I never get laid, nice guys always lose.
How could she have another headache
There’s always some kind of excuse
I still hate my job, my boss is a dick
“I don’t get paid nearly enough
To put up with all of his shit”

I hate my job, all of my rich friends
I hate everyone to the bitter end.
Nothing turns out right, there’s no end in sight
I hate my life!
Yeah!

I hate that I can’t tell when a girl’s underage,
You know, I tell her she’s a nice piece of ass,
Then her daddy punches me in the face

So if you’re pissed like me
Bitches, here is what you gotta do
Put your middle fingers up in the air
Go on and say fuck you

That’s the uncensored version, with the areas that are censored highlighted in bold.  It’s pretty safe to say that there’s a lot in there that’s really not often heard on the air on commercial radio.  When I worked in radio, this song wouldn’t even have been considered.  After all, it was hugely controversial to play the edited version of Alanis Morissette’s You Outta Know on the air.  And then, there’s the Tragically Hip.

I think they get a pass, but not sure why.  Their songs aren’t really controversial, but they do have a serious message, and often times tell a story.  But they also don’t hold back when they want to drop and F-Bomb.

The lyrics in this one are “you said you didn’t give a fuck about hockey i never saw someone say that before”.  While the F-Bomb is pretty subtle in the song, it’s still there, unedited.  And that’s not the only Hip song to get a pass while sneaking in the F-Bomb.  There’s several others that have snuck into commercial radio unedited from anything profain (though, to be honest, an F-Bomb is a lot less profain than some things).  And while I love the Hip, their songs quite possibly aren’t the most recognizable throughout the world, which may be a problem with our Canadian identity (which I honestly don’t see as a problem).  Or, maybe the Hip have put in a subliminal message that goes something like this:

Love each other, Love your neighbour, Love your country, Be good to everyone, Don’t be a dick, and say fuck once in a while

 

31 Days of Ghosts: Fort San Sanitorium, Fort Qu’appelle, Saskatchewan

Ghost Stories: Fort San Sanitorium, Fort Qu’appelle, Saskatchewan « Turn the Page.

Bringing this one back because it stirred a lot of responses.  It would seem that old sanitoriums like Fort San draw a lot of interest.  Especially if there are claims that it is haunted.

I don’t know for certain if it is or not, but there are a few people who commented that they have experienced quite a few different things while visiting the old grounds (whether they were on there legally or not).  As far as I know, the old grounds and the sanitorium are both condemned and were as I heard slated for destruction.  I’m not sure if this is true or not, nor do I actually know if it has been demolished.

Whatever the case maybe, it’s an old story that dates back to the days when tuberculosis was an epidemic.  While most ghost stories often are in some gothic location, there are quite a few that seem to reflect the age of death and disease.

Give the page a read through, and, if you’ve ever been there, share a story or two.