An American man is claiming he probably knew about The Tragically Hip before most Canadians did -- and thinks he knows why the band didn鈥檛 have as big of an impact in the United States.
Eric Hazell, a college English professor in Georgetown, Texas, is a self-proclaimed huge fan of the Hip and has seen the band play around 15 times. Hazell first heard the band on a radio station in the 1980s and has loved them ever since.
鈥淚 lived in Maryland in the late 1980s and a local alternative rock station there in Washington, D.C., was playing New Orleans is Sinking and a friend of mine and I just loved that song,鈥� Hazell told 麻豆影视 Channel.
According to Hazell, he began dating a girl from Toronto shortly after finding out about The Tragically Hip. The first time he met her parents, he mentioned the Canadian band, whom they had never heard of. A few years later, his girlfriend鈥檚 parents were trying to introduce the band to Hazell.
鈥淔or the next 10 years I teased them that I discovered the Hip before they did,鈥� said Hazell.
While the band has been a mainstay in Canada, it never seemed to find the same amount of success in the United States, something that Hazell attributes to lack of publicity. According to Hazell, more people just need an introduction to the band.
鈥淲hen people hear it, they really enjoy it,鈥� said Hazell. 鈥淚 think part of it is just exposure.鈥�
Hazell also thinks it mostly has to do with different cultures. According to Hazell, the band seems to appeal more to Canadian sensibilities than American. After having spent a significant amount of time in Ontario in the 1990s, he found that generally, Canadians seem to be aware that there are other people in the world and not just them.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 meet many Canadians who went around thinking they were the most important person in the room,鈥� said Hazell. 鈥淚 think the Hip, the way that they play, displays that same sort of group sensibility.鈥�
According to Hazell, none of the band members seem to stand out against the others, all of the instruments and the vocals form one unified band. The Tragically Hip is known for being The Tragically Hip, he said, not for Rob Baker鈥檚 guitar solos or Gord Downie鈥檚 vocals.
Hazell expects The Tragically Hip鈥檚 last show on Saturday night in Kingston to be a very emotional night, but is happy that both the band and fans will be able to enjoy one last tour together.
