HOT DOCS-Lightfoot doc.-interviews/photos/articles-Apr-2019-AND TV viewing info [Archive]

charlene

04-04-2019, 09:47 PM

https://torontosun.com/entertainment/music/the-cats-meow-says-gordon-lightfoot-of-the-idea-of-a-feature-film-about-his-life

Jan Stephenson

'The cat's meow,' says Gordon Lightfoot of the idea of a feature film about his life.
Gordon Lightfoot’s notable life is appearing in all forms currently.

There was Nicholas Jennings’ 2017 bestselling biography, Lightfoot, and a new 2019 documentary, Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, directed by Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni, which will have its world premiere at Toronto’s Hot Docs on April 27 before it gets a theatrical release in early summer and TV broadcast on CBC in the fall.

So the next thing could be a feature film right?

Sure, says the 80-year-old folk-pop legend who is touring southern Ontario including two dates on April 15-16 at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga.

“Well, I mean if somebody wanted to take it on,” said Lightfoot with a laugh. “I’m sure there’s some out there that would jump at the opportunity, who could really get into it with vigour.”

Just don’t ask him if he knows who should play him.

“No,” said Lightfoot. “That’s always such a thing to think about. My goodness. Wouldn’t that just be the cat’s meow if anybody ever did that? I wouldn’t care. Whatever anybody wants to do. It’s a free world. We live in a free world, thank goodness. If they do, I’ll try and help them. If it came down to that I would try to offer some input but I would not spend a whole lot of time. But I could certainly add something.”

We caught up with Lightfoot recently on the phone in Toronto.

What can you tell me about the new documentary?

We worked on that over the last three-and-a-half years with Insight Productions.

Have you seen it?

No, of course not! It’ll be the first time for me (on April 27).

Is it true you have 14 new songs ready to go for a brand-new studio album that would be your first in 15 years?

Yeah, I’ve got a whole bunch of material that I wrote a long time ago that I discovered one day while cleaning out my office. It was a very, very lucky day. They go back to about the turn of the century, 2001, just before the (stomach) aneurysm (in 2002). And let me tell you this. I had already chosen a number of tunes for the Harmony album (recorded in 2001 but not released until 2004) while I was still in the hospital getting over the first series of operations. I had seven operations. I was out cold for six weeks. I had no idea how close it came.

What approach might you take with the new album?

I’m half-tempted to let the whole thing go solo. I’m trying to figure that out right now. That would be really interesting. I remember when Bruce Springsteen did that with his (1982) Nebraska album. It could be (just me and my acoustic guitar) or I could go in with my orchestra and we could start working on the stuff that works into the fall. What I’m trying to say is, I would like to get on with it because I’m not getting any younger, let’s put it that way.

So when do we get to hear it?

Well, if I do it this way (solo acoustic), it’d probably come out in the fall. You don’t want to come out short and you don’t want to come out long. Albums can be too long and you wind up with a couple of sleepers. So like 10-12 (songs). I don’t like 11. I’ve got a couple of newer ones too that I want to record, demos, which will also be originals.

How are you feeling at the ripe old age of 80?

I feel that I move slower and my mouth dries out. (Laughs). I forget names.

But you’re still touring a lot so you must be feeling okay?

We’ve got the crowd these days. Everywhere we go anywhere now usually we’re full. So we’re just going to cruise along and hope that everybody stays healthy.

You closed Toronto’s Massey Hall last year before two years of renovations. Do you expect you will reopen it again?

Probably. They will do whatever they want. (They haven’t asked) not to my knowledge yet, but how could I not be there? For openers. The only thing that could happen is that it could be some kind of a health issue or something like that. So we always try to stay prepared for that mentally. We’ll see if they want me. If they want me, I’ll be there.
—
Gordon Lightfoot 2019 Canadian tour dates:
04/03 Richmond Hill Centre For The Performing Arts, Richmond Hill, ON ( 04/05-06 Empire Theatre, Belleville, ON
04/08 Talk Is Free Georgian Theatre, Barrie, ON
04/09 Stockey Centre For The Performing Arts, Parry Sound, ON
04/11-12 Partridge Hall First Ontario Arts Centre, St. Catharines, ON
04/13 The Meeting House , Oakville, ON
04/15-16 Living Arts Centre, Mississauga, ON

T.G.

04-05-2019, 12:41 AM

Whoa, so he might do the whole new album solo. That would be interesting ... but personally, I`d like to see the ``orchestra`` in on it.

Melissa

04-11-2019, 12:59 AM

".....we'll see if they want me......"
Priceless.

Melissa

charlene

04-25-2019, 10:25 PM

I met Martha Kehoe (Co-producer/director with Joan Tosoni) last July at Massey Hall when I sat beside the videographer for this documentary.. and today she provided me with a ticket for the premiere AND the second night it will be shown on Tuesday. Showings for the public will be in May in many cities across Canada. Late 2019 it will be on CBC TV in Canada and I believe will also be released online as well. I will get more info asap. I am SO looking forward to this wonderful event. Gordon will be doing a Q&A on Saturday after the film airs. There will also be refreshments, appetizers and LIVE music at a nearby location for attendees. I can't wait!! Premiere - Saturday April 27, 2019 - Toronto https://womenandhollywood.com/hot-docs-2019-women-directors-meet-martha-kehoe-and-joan-tosoni-gordon-lightfoot-if-you-could-read-my-mind/

Martha Kehoe is a writer, producer, and director who has worked on and created award-winning documentaries, series, and specials in multiple genres. Her early career focused on music, as she researched and wrote “Country Gold,” a documentary anthology of Canadian country and folk music, as well as produced the Juno Awards and “Canadian Idol” for several years. She worked as a producer, director, and writer on documentaries “Comedy Gold” and ““One Weekend.”

Joan Tosoni is a writer, producer and director who has worked in Canadian film and television production for over 30 years. She’s directed award-winning projects such as “Karen Kain: Dancing in the Moment,” “Kurt Browning: You Must Remember This,” and “Jonie Mitchell: Painting with Words and Music.” In 2016, she directed the Stratford Festival’s “King Lear,” which was shown at hundreds of theaters across Canada and the U.S. and awarded the Canadian Screen Award for Best Performing Arts Program.

“Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind” will premiere at the 2019 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on April 27.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

MK: “Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind” is an intimate look at singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot’s career and artistic output. We try to shed light on Lightfoot’s process, his impact as a cultural figure, and his musicality, while offering glimpses into his personal life and what has driven him to create.

JT: Through concert and archival footage, and through conversations with Gord and others, we wanted to explore the man behind the music that is so loved by so many.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

MK: Gordon Lightfoot was a ubiquitous presence during my childhood. In some ways he was the first Canadian star that resonated with me. I used to listen to his music. I remember sitting under a willow tree around the age of ten thinking about the song “If You Could Read My Mind” and wondering what it meant. Later I was privileged to meet and work with Gord on shows big and small over the years. It’s been a dream project for me and Joan for years basically.

JT: I have known and worked with Gordon Lightfoot for many years. Martha and I first worked together with him in the early ’90s on a documentary about the history of Canadian music, and since then a trust developed between us that allowed him to feel comfortable enough to have his story told.

I agree with something Steve Earle says in the film: “Gordon Lightfoot’s arguably the most important artist that Canadian music’s ever produced, in the mainstream or otherwise.”

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

MK: I think we are hoping that people will appreciate Gordon for the great artist that he is. I hope they will think about his legacy and his unique place in Canadian cultural history and recognize that he has worked very hard on his craft. Something that Gordon offers up in the film is his honesty about some of the darker moments in his past, and I hope viewers recognize that he is on his own journey of acceptance.

Number one, of course, is that people will go home and either dust off their vinyl or tune into Lightfoot playlists on their streaming services!

JT: There is no doubt that Gordon’s memorable songs will be running through the minds of the audience after watching the documentary, but I hope they’ll also come away from the theater with more insight into what makes Gordon tick. For a somewhat inscrutable character, he was very generous with his time, and I believe he really tried to give us as honest a look at his “inner workings” as anyone has ever seen.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

MK: I think the biggest challenge making this film was giving up the idea of making the “definitive” film about Gordon Lightfoot. Because Gord has never consented to making a film like this before, Joan and I felt the weight of trying to do total justice to the man, the music, the career, and the Canadian icon. At a certain point we just had to accept that there are many possible films that could—or perhaps would—be made about Lightfoot and we were just going to make the one that we were making.

JT: Other than securing the financing, which was done with dedication by Insight Productions over the course of five years, I would say the biggest challenge was paring down the wealth of archival and interview material we had accumulated. Another film of the same length could be made with what was left on the cutting room floor, as they say.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

MK: We first proposed and developed this project almost six years ago. Our broadcaster CBC funded development, and we applied to funds after writing proposals and treatments, shooting some material, and creating a demo. We did pretty well and had significant support, but we couldn’t at that point close funding gaps. Basically, all parties were still onside, and CBC supported us through the years as we remounted and reapplied to the various funds.

JT: We got incredible support from the Rogers Documentary Fund, the Rogers Cable Network Fund, the Rogers Theatrical Documentary Program, the Telefilm Theatrical Documentary Program, and the Canada Media Fund. And, very importantly, we would not have been able to make the film without Gary Slaight of Slaight Communications Inc., who backed the film in a very significant way.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

MK: I grew up in a family of storytellers who loved music and movies, so I was always surrounded by enthusiasm for and awe of filmmaking. I came of age in a really great time for cinema, and I remember going to see films like “Chinatown” and “The Godfather” when I was probably too young and too impressionable! I loved epic films and quiet films, and I took Film Studies in university, where I was introduced to the concepts of semiotics and film analysis, and I just loved it all.

JT: I actually stumbled upon my first full-time job, which was as a secretary at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. At that time, it was a great training ground for all things film and television. The first time I ever stepped into a control room to watch a live show being broadcast, I said to myself, in the famous words of Tina Fey’s little daughter, “I want to go to there!”

I was trained and worked as an A.D. and then received a momentous offer from producer Les Pouliot to direct a very popular Canadian television series, “The Tommy Hunter Show,” which was also sold to and broadcast on The Nashville Network. I worked mostly on multi-camera programs, and then had the great good fortune to meet John Brunton of Insight Productions. At that company, I not only directed numerous multi-camera shows but was given the opportunity to tell stories with a more filmic, single-camera approach. That led to my collaboration with Martha on the two-part documentary “Country Gold.” I joined the Directors Guild of America and directed various shows throughout the years.

I consider it a great gift to have been given the opportunity to work not only in the excitement of “live television,” but to have learned the frustrations, joys, and satisfactions of conceiving a style and creating something memorable in the editing room!

part 2 - next post

charlene

04-25-2019, 10:25 PM

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

MK: I remember a conversation I had with comedian Frank Shuster when I was in development for a documentary I directed about Canadian comedy. Frank was in his eighties at the time. He was half of successful Canadian comedy duo Wayne and Shuster, and had also been Lorne Michaels’ father-in-law.

He told me a story about Lorne as a young man asking him whether he thought Lorne should pursue a career in show business, as Frank always called it. He said if you want to do it, nothing will stop you. It’s not advice, but it’s wisdom, and I guess I took that to heart.

JT: Best advice: “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Worst advice: “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” You pick your moments.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

MK: I guess just don’t be afraid. Tell your story—don’t question its validity or whether anyone wants to hear it. Trust yourself and your passion.

JT: I’d rather receive advice from other female directors!

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

MK: I am really not good with narrowing things down when it comes to favorites. I guess some of the films that impressed me most were those I saw when I was just learning so much about film and the world too. Gillian Armstrong”s “My Brilliant Career” was huge for me and my fellow female students, and it’s really a delight in every way. Also, two words: Judy Davis.

Lina Wertmüller’s “Seven Beauties” was a revelation, and certain scenes have just really stayed with me to this day. I also loved Susan Seidelman’s “Desperately Seeking Susan.” It was just so much fun and so in the zeitgeist. “The Piano,” and really all of Jane Campion’s work, is so great. I love “Clueless” for various reasons, including that I’m not a good driver. My daughters went through a period of obsession with Penelope Spheeris’ “Little Rascals,” which is also a great movie that’s so, so dear, with hidden punk sensibilities.

Nicole Holofcener’s “Lovely and Amazing” and “Friends with Money,” Martha Coolidge’s “Ramblin Rose,” and Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” were great. “Marianne and Juliane,” directed by Margarethe von Trotta, was an early favorite as well. Too many to name!

JT: I don’t generally distinguish between woman-directed or man-directed films. If it’s good, it’s good.

W&H: It’s been a little over a year since the reckoning in Hollywood and the global film industry began. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

MK: I think that, overall, it’s a time when we are finally realizing that the world is very small, and it’s more fun to go through life with good vibes for all. It’s exciting to think of all the new lenses that we will be seeing stories through. New voices, new ideas, new stories: Bring it on!

JT: This is the hardest question for me. We could all write a book! I grew up in a much earlier time than the young filmmakers working today. I dealt with the worst of men, but also the best of men, who I truly believe gave me and other women opportunities based solely on merit.

My hope is that any changes that are happening now lead to the day when this is the norm.

charlene

04-25-2019, 10:27 PM

INTERVIEW - AUDIO:

http://www.rcmpodcast.com/rcmp/2019/4/23/139

charlene

04-26-2019, 06:14 PM

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-hot-docs-2019-if-we-could-read-gordon-lightfoots-mind-it-might-go/#comments

Hot Docs 2019:
If we could read Gordon Lightfoot’s mind, it might go something like this...
BRAD WHEELER
PUBLISHED APRIL 24, 2019
UPDATED 6 HOURS AGO

In advance of the world premiere of Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind at this year’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, the film’s co-director Joan Tosoni spoke to The Globe and Mail about the beloved balladeer and which of his stories she and co-director Martha Kehoe chose to tell and which they did not.

Films opening this week: The unstoppable Avengers: Endgame, plus Toronto’s Hot Docs festival begins

What was your relationship with Gordon Lightfoot before you began making this film?

I’ve known him for a long time. So has Martha Kehoe, who co-directed the film with me. I first met him at the 1976 Olympics benefit at Maple Leaf Gardens, which we see some of in the film. I was an assistant director on the show. Subsequent to that, we’ve done many things together over the years. One of which, where our trust started to grow, was the documentary Country Gold, which Martha and I did for CBC in the early 1980s. Gord has to trust people before he’ll let them at him.

How did this new documentary come to be?

John Brunton, of Insight Productions, always had it in his mind that he wanted to do a documentary on Gord. Finally, five years ago, we thought, “Let’s get it done.” Gord agreed right away. It did take five years to get the funding, though.

Because of the licensing fees for the music and archival footage?

Right. That’s expensive, which meant the budget was higher than it would be otherwise. So, it took a while, but Gord was very patient. He said, “Joan, it’ll happen when it happens.”

You spoke to a lot of people in the film. Anyone you wanted to get but didn’t?

Well, everybody wants Bob Dylan, because he’s Bob Dylan. We would have loved to get him, but we didn’t. He doesn’t do interviews. Neil Young is in the film, performing Early Morning Rain at Farm Aid, but he’s a busy guy. Our schedules never came together. In the end, not getting those guys didn’t hurt the film. I hope it didn’t.

Other than his current wife, no family members appear in the film. Why not?

We decided to explore his artistic output. He’s a very private man. He has six children, with four different women. Once you start getting into that, it could be a film in itself. We wanted to get inside his inner workings as an artist. His troubled life, especially in the early days, with his divorces, that’s a lot to go into. We just decided it wasn’t in the scope of this film.

I was surprised there’s no mention of his near death, in 2002, when he suffered a ruptured aortic aneurysm in his abdomen. Why no mention of it?

It was in the cut at one point. Really, the hardest thing about this film was paring down what belonged and what did not. We just decided we had other stuff that we’d rather see. We felt his near death would put a damper on things. He’s still going strong. It’s a choice we made.

Well, I see it as a glaring omission in his story. On the other hand, no Lightfoot fan will likely complain about the footage of him playing Movin’ On at the old Riverboat folk club in Toronto.

That was a promotional video, made by CN Rail. He wrote the song for that film. We knew it was great, and that it had to be in our film. You know, the editing process was not easy. Everybody loves Gord. We could have had two hours of nothing but people praising him.

Everybody loves him, but does he love himself? He comes off as regretful in the film.

He actually says, early in the film, “I guess I don’t like who I am.” He’s a tortured guy, and there’s a sense that he’s now atoning for things. He has regrets, and he clearly states that. He wants to be better. He talks about his band, and that they always want to make the shows the best they can be. That’s him trying to be a good person. Trying, I think, to be worthy.

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind makes its world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival (April 25 to May 6), on April 27 and 30. Information at www.hotdocs.ca

The film also screens at Vancouver’s DOXA Documentary Film Festival (May 2 to 12), on May 4 and 12. Information at doxafestival.ca

charlene

04-26-2019, 06:17 PM

Producer/director Martha Kehoe has provided me with tix for Premiere night, Saturday April 27 and the second night on Tuesday Apr.30.. Showings for the general public will be in May.

I am SO excited!!!!!!!

charlene

04-26-2019, 06:34 PM

https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/gordon-lightfoot-quits-smoking-gets-back-into-songwriting-for-new-album?fbclid=IwAR2Fvc5se5kXLr4zsI03Asa8RK-KXlUiFUwWOL5v-xTduM7x9B9yGHqD5S0

Gordon Lightfoot, 80, quits smoking and ignites a new burst of creativity
Lightfoot is planning a full-length album, his first in 15 years

TORONTO — Gordon Lightfoot says he recently kicked his smoking habit and rekindled a reluctant relationship with songwriting in the process.

The 80-year-old Canadian musician says the two life changes have led him towards planning a full-length album due out sometime later this year or in early 2020.

The untitled project will be his first in 15 years, and even Lightfoot seems surprised at how it took shape. He’d largely sworn off writing new material — calling the process “isolating” — before he picked up the pen more seriously again last October.

“I started the same time I quit smoking — cigarettes that is,” he said from his Toronto home.

It helped that Lightfoot discovered a treasure trove of unreleased material while he was housecleaning last year. Two CDs of songs he recorded nearly two decades ago were tucked away in his office.

“I didn’t even know I had about half a dozen of these tunes,” he said.

Lightfoot says the songs were created in late 2001 and early 2002, as he worked on “Harmony,” an album that was sidelined when he suffered a near-fatal abdominal aortic aneurysm later that year. While “Harmony” was eventually released in 2004, he says several of the songs went missing in the process.

“I know why I was saving them now… but I don’t know why I forgot about them,” he says.

Hearing them again, Lightfoot started thinking about the possibilities of a few other lingering ideas.

“I’ve had four or five that I had been working on for a long time, but finding these other ones just topped me right off,” he said.

Lightfoot’s new burst of creativity comes as his legendary status goes under the microscope in the new documentary, “Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind,” a reflection on his career and influence, which premieres Saturday at the Hot Docs film festival in Toronto.

He’s also continuing with his steady-as-she-goes touring schedule, which rolls through parts of the United States in May and June.

Lightfoot says he’s still undecided on how he’ll present the new songs, though he favours releasing them as solo recordings with only him and a guitar, similar to Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 album “Nebraska.” He’s confident that whatever form they take, the album is “going to be a nice one.”

“There’s about three or four (songs) on there that I really think are good — valid good. They’re philosophical and they’re kind of funny,” he says.

“There’s a couple of lovey-dovey tunes in there, too.”

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JohninCt.

04-27-2019, 07:43 AM

Really nice. I hope you really enjoy the show tonight. Envy you for sure.

charlene

04-29-2019, 10:58 AM

IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND - GORDON LIGHTFOOT documentary. NO SPOILERS at this time ... but what an EPIC night for our Canadian legend and all in attendance...the doc and after party were marvellous.

I'm just getting my thoughts together because it was a lot to take in and the emotional overload had me awake almost all night re-living the previous several hours. Martha and Joan really captured the life and times of a very complex man and his 80 years on this planet..Most of them spent perfecting his extraordinary talents and sharing them so generously with the world. I had so many emotions as the doc played - there were laughs, I teared up many times, saw some wonderful old footage, loved hearing a very candid Gordon and Kim, a few surprises !! and of course, music, always the music. Overall it was a beautifully done piece, great edits and storytelling.

A few things were missing but that is always the case in any attempt at putting a life such as Gordon's into a 90 minute movie.. The after party saw Gordon really, really having a great time, relaxed and enjoying himself, talking with people and loving the different musical artists who performed. Rick, Barry and Michael were in attendance with their partners and all the band, including Carter had some moments in the doc as well. It was a treat to spend some time with them and enjoy something that had them be such an integral part of all these years.

I am SO thankful I was given tickets to attend such a momentous "Lightfoot" moment in time. I was given another ticket so will be back in Toronto on Tuesday to see it again!! - this time I will breathe and try not to cry.

It was an EPIC night and I got a new photo of The Man when I had a few minutes with him. There are no photos or video of the actual documentary but I do have video and photos from the Q @ A and after party.

No set plans to release the doc in DVD form and no news about TV broadcasting anywhere but Canada for the time being.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40766803913_c4160279d6_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/257qwvx)59295205_440811920075676_56649606654045716 48_n (https://flic.kr/p/257qwvx) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

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https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47680235232_2b7e6fb3eb_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fDkEMf)If_You_Could_Read_My_Mind_1 (https://flic.kr/p/2fDkEMf) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33856249228_fdd0d1b178_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/TzL8mY)geoff george photo for Hot Docs (https://flic.kr/p/TzL8mY) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47733403891_4151c85e26_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fJ3aYg)If_You_Could_Read_My_Mind_2 (https://flic.kr/p/2fJ3aYg) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

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https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33856249158_925aa4394b_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/TzL8kL)If_You_Could_Read_My_Mind_3 (https://flic.kr/p/TzL8kL) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33856316258_032a05c787_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/TzLthE)20190427_221908 (https://flic.kr/p/TzLthE) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

lighthead2toe

04-29-2019, 12:12 PM

Wow! This really is great stuff. Thanks for the sharing. Keep up the great work there Char.

charlene

04-29-2019, 12:28 PM

miscellaneous TWITTER/INSTAGRAM photos

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https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47734219511_e45347e3ce_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fJ7mqF)58411043_395955931258208_27419306919518213 50_n (https://flic.kr/p/2fJ7mqF) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47681107892_a9dca3b78d_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fDq9c7)58468350_2643679279036072_6303590863002933 919_n (https://flic.kr/p/2fDq9c7) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33857056998_c7ab146bd8_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/TzQgu3)57462964_113364029866898_465464997895638349 1_n (https://flic.kr/p/TzQgu3) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

charlene

04-29-2019, 04:50 PM

TOM HAYES pics:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33859103708_42cdc92b64_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/TA1KU9)tom hayes pic2-apr.2019 (https://flic.kr/p/TA1KU9) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33859103698_a6602b5784_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/TA1KTY)tom hayes pic1-apr.2019 (https://flic.kr/p/TA1KTY) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

JohninCt.

04-30-2019, 07:17 AM

I sure hope they release it on DVD someday. Thanks,

charlene

04-30-2019, 10:05 AM

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46818177715_b42e197e63_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2ekap7B)gordon-lightfoot-C.Burston-CanPress (https://flic.kr/p/2ekap7B) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

charlene

04-30-2019, 10:14 AM

This photo of Gordon reclining on the couch with his guitar by Cole Burston of The Canadian Press has been nominated for ''Portrait of The Year'' by NPAC : (News Photographer Association of Canada) https://npac.ca/2020/02/2019-national-pictures-of-the-year-finalists/
C.BURSTON-CanPress
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47741804471_4b39dbe698_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fJMeaR)3c.burston-can.press (https://flic.kr/p/2fJMeaR) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47688851502_f387f5c526_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fE6Q6C)1c.burston-can.press (https://flic.kr/p/2fE6Q6C) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46825100315_b0e7ea4bbe_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2ekLSXM)2c.burston-can.press (https://flic.kr/p/2ekLSXM) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

charlene

04-30-2019, 10:46 AM

VIDEO interview -

https://globalnews.ca/video/5218619/gordon-lightfoot-records-again?fbclid=IwAR0VpMoz9OhBhzhEfK9MXwvCnkLcEuUPGRI 0UB3A6pRGcwJFp2hJiutptzI

paskatefan

05-01-2019, 05:37 AM

Wow! Thank you, Char!

Gail

charlene

05-01-2019, 07:18 PM

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47753049611_9295747cca_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fKLRXz)56985630_2212414942172573_1943759106583322 693_n (https://flic.kr/p/2fKLRXz) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47753049581_6c0b770f76_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fKLRX4)57402405_160796174940413_45614755279643162 74_n (https://flic.kr/p/2fKLRX4) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46963734804_1633b918cd_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2ey2qaA)57234196_279906306250488_51521299504107284 42_n (https://flic.kr/p/2ey2qaA) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40786517173_f848fb5956_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/259ayzk)57909287_793025597744401_90419387780526755 38_n (https://flic.kr/p/259ayzk) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

paskatefan

05-02-2019, 06:05 AM

OMG! Wow! Wow! Wow! Thanks again, Char!

Gail

charlene

05-03-2019, 11:13 AM

PLAYLIST:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW8fA0x1r8C8ieD9RA7JVvOyftgyoxhWv

TUESDAY APRIL 30, 2019

Q&A part 1

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewRhm755Wjo&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C8ieD9RA7JVvOyftgyoxhWv&index=1

charlene

05-03-2019, 11:13 AM

Q&A - part 2
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-0sje9yCW4&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C8ieD9RA7JVvOyftgyoxhWv&index=2

charlene

05-03-2019, 11:15 AM

IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E1vDQrMJzo&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C8ieD9RA7JVvOyftgyoxhWv&index=3

charlene

05-03-2019, 11:15 AM

SAME OLD LOVERMAN
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q89XTp5M2Gs&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C8ieD9RA7JVvOyftgyoxhWv&index=4

charlene

05-03-2019, 11:16 AM

COMMENTS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k9pjdyt_rE&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C8ieD9RA7JVvOyftgyoxhWv&index=5

charlene

05-03-2019, 11:16 AM

SPIN SPIN
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVA_Nq8pRfM&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C8ieD9RA7JVvOyftgyoxhWv&index=6

charlene

05-03-2019, 11:17 AM

ALBERTA BOUND-The Good Brothers with Gordon Lightfoot
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG3pDr4JXV0&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C8ieD9RA7JVvOyftgyoxhWv&index=7

charlene

05-03-2019, 11:23 AM

entering the venue for the Premiere of "IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND" - Apr.27,2019.https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40793912623_7aa8795d48_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/259PsZ6)20190427_174447 (https://flic.kr/p/259PsZ6) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

charlene

05-03-2019, 11:25 AM

AFTER PARTY entertainment:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40793912323_a40c9a3df2_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/259PsTV)20190427_214345 (https://flic.kr/p/259PsTV) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46975836454_881f4b8af9_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2ez6ryJ)IMG_4026 (https://flic.kr/p/2ez6ryJ) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40793911803_4c3655695b_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/259PsJX)20190427_214543 (https://flic.kr/p/259PsJX) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40793911603_72d3f71ff0_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/259PsFv)20190427_214911 (https://flic.kr/p/259PsFv) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40793910833_05814701df_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/259Psse)20190427_215041 (https://flic.kr/p/259Psse) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40793910353_d2d28bb042_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/259PsiX)20190427_215212 (https://flic.kr/p/259PsiX) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40793910233_7046f3dbe0_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/259PsgT)20190427_215229 (https://flic.kr/p/259PsgT) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

charlene

05-03-2019, 11:26 AM

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47707751632_44cda7225b_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fFLGrW)20190427_215341 (https://flic.kr/p/2fFLGrW) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40793909283_a9952343b7_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/259PrZv)20190427_221418 (https://flic.kr/p/259PrZv) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40793908783_63397d7ac5_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/259PrQT)20190427_221447 (https://flic.kr/p/259PrQT) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47707751082_521d58d029_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fFLGhs)20190427_221503 (https://flic.kr/p/2fFLGhs) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

charlene

05-03-2019, 11:29 AM

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40793908213_e50b842615_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/259PrF4)20190427_221506 (https://flic.kr/p/259PrF4) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47707750772_aafc47f23b_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fFLGc7)20190427_221509 (https://flic.kr/p/2fFLGc7) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47707750522_0562a65399_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fFLG7N)20190427_221514 (https://flic.kr/p/2fFLG7N) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47707750262_039f9d29c8_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fFLG3j)20190427_221519 (https://flic.kr/p/2fFLG3j) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32816736757_5774bbf368_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RZUmwa)20190427_221525 (https://flic.kr/p/RZUmwa) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46971060954_59276f0c42_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eyEXYw)20190427_221535 (https://flic.kr/p/2eyEXYw) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40793911263_cf3e32f73d_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/259PszD)20190427_221537 (https://flic.kr/p/259PszD) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46971060414_e677ef5047_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eyEXPd)20190427_221541 (https://flic.kr/p/2eyEXPd) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46971060024_eae2c0c544_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eyEXGu)20190427_221545 (https://flic.kr/p/2eyEXGu) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32816734787_bd10829b6d_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RZUkWc)20190427_221547 (https://flic.kr/p/RZUkWc) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

charlene

05-03-2019, 11:52 AM

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46971059464_751e68618d_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eyEXwQ)20190427_230338 (https://flic.kr/p/2eyEXwQ) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46971059174_b32d4210c5_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eyEXrQ)20190427_230456 (https://flic.kr/p/2eyEXrQ) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46971058804_5973fba3e3_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eyEXks)20190427_230506 (https://flic.kr/p/2eyEXks) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32821505417_d6f7c2d670_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/S1jN5r)IMG_4016 (https://flic.kr/p/S1jN5r) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32821506117_7969e03b59_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/S1jNhv)IMG_4005 (https://flic.kr/p/S1jNhv) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33887995798_a7549fe69e_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/TCyQvC)IMG_4008 (https://flic.kr/p/TCyQvC) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33887996258_75c4e14e8b_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/TCyQDy)IMG_4006 (https://flic.kr/p/TCyQDy) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47764905401_7cd20617f5_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fLPCgK)IMG_4015 (https://flic.kr/p/2fLPCgK) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

charlene

05-03-2019, 04:29 PM

THE WAY I FEEL - MARGOT TIMMINS
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5545FcwmqQ&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C8ieD9RA7JVvOyftgyoxhWv&index=8

charlene

05-03-2019, 08:30 PM

Tuesday April 30, 2019 Q&A with Gordon
www.youtube.com/watch?v=frXeKAoB17o&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C-CbxDh_6j2-LRcZ9yRBinc&index=2&t=0s

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVazYGxZLj8&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C-CbxDh_6j2-LRcZ9yRBinc&index=2

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dJJ0sCQuuE&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C-CbxDh_6j2-LRcZ9yRBinc&index=3

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYbLa2itq8M&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C-CbxDh_6j2-LRcZ9yRBinc&index=4

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PT98OMUPwc&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C-CbxDh_6j2-LRcZ9yRBinc&index=5

Off Yonge Street

05-04-2019, 03:41 PM

The website for the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema (located at 506 Bloor St. West in Toronto, near the Bathurst subway station) indicates that the movie "Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind" (88 minutes) will be also be screened on the following additional dates:

Friday, May 24 - 1:00 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
Saturday, May 25 - 3:15 p.m.
Sunday, May 26 - 2:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Monday, May 27 - 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 28 - 3:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 29 - 1:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Friday, May 31 - 1:00 p.m.

The following link has further information:
https://boxoffice.hotdocs.ca/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=91028~fff311b7-cdad-4e14-9ae4-a9905e1b9cb0&epguid=a5fc309a-9963-4fb4-af9e-55bb26639089&.

The website for the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema (located at 506 Bloor St. West in Toronto, near the Bathurst subway station) now indicates that the movie "Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind" will be also be screened on the following dates in June:

Saturday, June 1 - 4:15 p.m.
Sunday, June 2 - 3:45 p.m.
Monday, June 3 - 1:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
Thursday, June 6 - 9:15 p.m.
Friday, June 7 - 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 8 - 6:30 p.m.

The website for the Bytowne Cinema in Ottawa (located at 325 Rideau St.) indicates that the movie "Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind" will be screened at that theatre on the following dates:

Friday, June 7 - 6:55 p.m.
Saturday, June 8 - 4:20 p.m.
Sunday, June 9 - 12:30 p.m. and 5:25 p.m.
Monday, June 10 - 7:15 p.m.

The following link has further information:
https://www.bytowne.ca/movie/gordon-lightfoot.

charlene

05-10-2019, 09:15 PM

TORONTO STAR ARTICLE - May 10,2019
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2019/05/10/gordon-lightfoot-is-glad-new-documentary-doesnt-dig-too-deep-for-dirt.html?fbclid=IwAR3e8nPH9YMpmkHGgPvzWJKAw6SNMe9 h38Q__zsefy9dYw237wfzZdBMhAo

By Ben RaynerPop Music Critic
Fri., May 10, 2019

The first image to flicker onscreen in Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind is a long shot of the film’s titular subject standing with hands on hips at the door of his Rosedale mansion, levelling an iron gaze at the camera that veritably screams “tough nut to crack.”

And, hey, whaddaya know? Gordon Lightfoot is a tough nut to crack. The final impression of the 80-year-old Canadian folk icon left by Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni’s briskly entertaining and entirely legend-affirming new documentary — which received its world premiere with two screenings attended by Gord himself in Toronto during the Hot Docs film festival late last month and will return to the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on Bloor St. from May 24 until June 7 before landing on the CBC’s Documentary channel at the end of the year — is that of a meticulous, if unpretentious perfectionist and professional who prefers to do his deep thinking in private and channel it into song rather than parading himself before the public as an open book, like so many other pop stars of his stature.
So while writer/directors Kehoe and Tosoni do manage to crack open the Lightfoot mystique a little bit in If You Could Read My Mind, the real triumph of their film is that they got Gordon Lightfoot to acquiesce to a documentary examination in the first place. As his longtime personal assistant Anne Leibold, noting that Lightfoot has been approached “hundreds” of times to do similar cinematic projects during her time on the payroll, puts it to the Star: “I applaud them because they got through a thick brick wall with him.”

The dry-witted Lightfoot, who has for years been good-naturedly badgered by Kehoe and Tosoni to let them do a film on his life and work during their occasional run-ins, simply shrugs off the decision to participate in the documentary as a matter of trust and timing.

“I was sitting with John Brunton (the film’s producer) one day and he was describing how a tornado came through Muskoka and almost tore his cottage in half with him inside with his family. That got me thinking,” he says, wedged into an impossibly cramped and humid office upstairs at the Hot Docs theatre with Kehoe, Tosoni, Leibold, Lightfoot’s wife Kim Hasse, a couple of other extraneous bodies and, for some reason, an actual humidifier before attending If You Could Read My Mind’s second screening on April 30.

“This has been suggested at other times. I thought about this a long time ago — a long, long time ago — but about five years ago we were talking about it one day and we said ‘Look at us. We’re still all walking around. Let’s get it done.’ As long as they didn’t go too deep. And I had the feeling that they weren’t going to try to make, like, a hatchet job of this. So here we are. I knew there would be certain things about it that might cause me a little discomfort, but that’s no problem. I mean, it’s a harsh world out there, y’know?”

Much of the filming got done at Lightfoot’s house, he adds drolly, “because I had the parking.”

The first time Lightfoot saw If You Could Read My Mind was in the theatre with everyone else at its actual Hot Docs premiere on April 27, which made the night of the second showing a slightly less stressful occasion for the filmmakers.

He had, Kehoe says, “given us carte blanche” to do what they would with the hours of interviews they began logging shortly after Lightfoot performed a trio of shows at Massey Hall before it went dark for two years of renovations last Canada Day. And yet, although the film doesn’t dig terribly deep for dirt — If You Could Read My Mind really only glances off such potentially contentious topics as Gord’s once-formidable drinking (Anne Murray gets in a good shot nonetheless) and his tempestuous ’70s relationship with notorious groupie Cathy Smith, later implicated in the overdose death of John Belushi and the probable inspiration for 1974’s bitter “Sundown” — there were, no doubt, a few squirmy moments in the cinema to be had on opening night.

The film opens, after all, with a visibly disgusted Lightfoot watching a vintage performance of his 1966 ramblin’-man calling card “For Lovin’ Me,” declaring it “a very offensive song for a guy to write who was married with a couple of kids” and musing “I guess I don’t like who I am” before finally calling an end to the session with a snarled “I hate this f--king song.”

“I’ll be much more relaxed tonight, I think. I was nervous, Gord — really, really nervous about your reaction,” admits Tosoni. “We’ve had our tiffs, right? And I don’t mean the Toronto International Film Festival. You’ve been ticked at us a couple of times, and I just don’t like him to be. But Martha and I did the film that we thought was right and we’re glad he said he liked it. But it was a little nerve-wracking the first time.”

“Joanie and I tossed and turned over it because we did feel that, for one thing, we have this personal relationship with Gord and we also have this huge respect and, also, he had given us his trust,” adds Kehoe. “He didn’t have approval. It was kind of in our hands so we did feel like, wow, we had to do this definitive documentary. But we kinda let go of that idea. In the end, we just said ‘We’re gonna make the film that we’re making about Gord.’ Somebody could come along and make a totally different film about him — and a great one, too — and just take a different angle. We tried to go through the songs as part of the story and kinda create a story around the songs a little bit. So that’s how we wove in the personal life.”

The thrice-married Lightfoot shrugs again.

“There are things that made me feel uncomfortable at times. But that doesn’t bother me all that much, really,” he says. “It’s mostly about the music. I mean, it’s all basically there — the personal side is there — but the way they handled it, it was, like, ‘Do you want to let it all hang out or do you just want to find a nice spot where you don’t have to go too deep?’ ”

The songs do lead the way in If I Could Read Your Mind, providing a loose narrative thread from Lightfoot’s early upbringing in Orillia — there’s priceless pre-pubescent audio of him singing high-register as a church choirboy — to his early tenure on CBC’s Country Hoedown show to his years as a ’60s coffee-house cool cat rolling through Yorkville, New York and Los Angeles with the likes of Ian and Sylvia, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan on through his elevation to one of Canada’s first true international pop-superstar exports with the arrival of monster hits like “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Sundown,” “Carefree Highway” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” during the early 1970s.

The epochal version of the latter from 1976’s Summertime Dream is revealed to be not just the first take of the song he and his band attempted in the studio, but a recording of the first time they’d ever played it together. And that’s where If You Could Read My Mind’s greatest pleasures lie: in nerding out over the obsessive completeness of each composition Lightfoot still hand-annotates in solitude before giving them up to the world. And nerd out people do throughout the film. Steve Earle, Sarah McLachlan, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson all gleefully go on the record alongside Can-folk contemporaries like Ian and Sylvia Tyson and Murray McLauchlan, as well as such unexpected Gord aficionados as actor Alec Baldwin and Greg Graffin of veteran Cali-punk outfit Bad Religion, professing their love of Gordon Lightfoot’s ageless and prototypically Canadian songwriting.

Lightfoot, for his part, doesn’t mind being viewed as a bit of a museum piece in the film because he isn’t a museum piece just yet. The main reason he didn’t watch If You Could Read My Mind until its premiere was that he was out on the road until a couple of days before the screening.

“I’m always just getting off the road. We have eight legs of touring this year and we’ve only done three legs so far. Five more legs to go. We gotta pay the bills in our band so we work steadily,” he says. “It’s just all part of the game to me. Y’know, we’re busy. We’re still working. I’m working on an album right now. It’s just one more thing that we’ve got going on here, this documentary. There’s a lot of stuff going on.”

A new Gordon Lightfoot studio album would be his first since 2004’s Harmony. He won’t give up details just yet, but he will say he’s determined to finally see it through because “I’ve been talking about it so much that I’ve put myself under the gun.”

“The material is completed, but I will have to teach it to my orchestra and that’ll take some time. That might take until the end of the year,” he says. “I’m not sure if it’s gonna take me three months or nine months yet. It’s gonna be one or t’other. It’ll either come out at the end of this year or early in 2020. Once we have it down, we’ll go in and do it — when everything’s ready to be done.”

There’s a pause before an expertly timed callback.

“It’s a good thing I have all that parking at my house. An entire band can park at my house.”

Ben Rayner is the Star's music critic and based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @ihateBenRayner

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47032105074_224fcc9e57_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eE4Qgm)rene johnston-tor star-apr.30:2019 (https://flic.kr/p/2eE4Qgm) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

T.G.

05-12-2019, 02:16 PM

Ah, so now it looks like Lightfoot WILL be using the "orchestra" and not doing the album completely solo. I prefer that.

T.G.

05-15-2019, 05:16 PM

https://www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1668130

charlene

05-21-2019, 07:36 PM

Round/circular building/apartment hopping to have affairs on Alexander St. in Toronto = CIRCLE IS SMALL. Only Lightfoot could meld that building with a small circle of friends knowing what's going on in a relationship.. https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/gordon-lightfoot-on-starring-in-a-legacy-documentary-about-himself-1.4430644

David Friend, The Canadian Press
Published Tuesday, May 21, 2019 10:28AM EDT
TORONTO --

Gordon Lightfoot didn't need much convincing when filmmakers approached him about a documentary on his prolific music career.

The iconic Canadian folk singer-songwriter figured their timing probably couldn't be any better.

"I'm still walking around," the 80-year-old performer says matter of factly, with a smirk, as he sits between the two documentarians in his Toronto living room.
"So let's just go ahead and let's do it."

And the way Lightfoot tells it, that's how "Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind" came to be -- though its filmmakers Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni, who spent eight years trying to make the documentary happen, tell a different story.

The pair were locked into sanding Lightfoot's career down to a tight 90 minutes, leaving scant room for his childhood, rise to fame, struggles with alcohol, tabloid relationships -- oh, and his colossal influence on a generation of musicians.

"We struggled with it, and we knew we would," Kehoe says.
"You can't make the definitive film about somebody like this. Someone could always come along and do a different film... and you know, we had the feeling that we're women, we're the age we are... we know Gord... We felt we could just make the movie that we would make."

When the documentary opens across Canada in the coming weeks, Lightfoot's fans will certainly have strong opinions about what made the cut and what didn't.

The musician's children are virtually left out of the picture, while the abdominal aortic aneurysm that nearly killed him in 2002 goes unmentioned. But the film uncovers other aspects of the musician that he usually keeps reserved.

It opens with Lightfoot throwing criticism at his early song "For Lovin' Me," a philandering anthem covered by Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and others, that he now considers tactless and unacceptable for his concert set lists.

Later, a slightly agitated Lightfoot spills the beans on "The Circle is Small," a song he acknowledges is inspired by the "apartment hopping" he participated in while having affairs with women during the 1970s in downtown Toronto.

"I didn't have to tell them everything," Lightfoot says of the stories he shared with the filmmakers. "I mean, you've gotta put enough in there to at least make it interesting."

It's those "golden nuggets" Kehoe says were difficult to pry out of Lightfoot, who saves his deepest revelations for his music. After Lightfoot leaves the room for another interview, she explains how intensely private he could be during interviews.

"He would say, 'I don't even know why I'm doing this film.' And I said, 'Gord, it's not really for you, unfortunately,"' she adds.
"I had said to him, 'We really need you to be honest with us. This is your legacy project."'

Lightfoot understandably doesn't spend much time dwelling on the bigger questions of his legacy, possibly because in many ways he's still building it each day. He's in the midst of a U.S. tour that runs until late June.

After that, he'll put the finishing touches on his first album in 15 years.

Much of the material was created by Lightfoot in late 2001 and early 2002 before he suffered health setbacks that complicated the release of his 2004 album "Harmony."

He largely swore off writing new material in the years that followed, though Lightfoot says rediscovering "half a dozen songs" while cleaning out his office gave him new inspiration. He's confident the album will be released by early next year.

"When I was younger, I always felt that I was really not ready for prime time," Lightfoot says.

"I felt like I was too callow, I didn't like the way I spoke. I was in a feature movie and I didn't like the way I acted. It took me a long time to come to terms with that."

His perspective has changed in recent years, he adds, and "everything is just up." He's pleased with his band's live performances, and as he sees it, their comradery on the stage is inspiring.

"We're all sports-minded," he said. "We're like a team trying to improve itself more."

charlene

05-22-2019, 09:52 PM

https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/movies/after-three-marriages-six-children-alcoholism-gordon-lightfoot-is-happy-to-still-be-performing

Gordon Lightfoot is happy to still be performing
'I’m still doing it, and I’m so happy I’m still doing it'

Gordon Lightfoot may be 80 years old (five years older than Mick Jagger!), but he’s got a new album in the works and 40 tour dates in Canada and the U.S. this year. He has to keep moving; his fans have been following him for decades.

“They’re about 10 years behind,” he says, relaxing in his home in Toronto’s ritzy Bridle Path neighbourhood, and temporarily out of the limelight. “It’s always been that way; when I was 28, they were 18.”

He does the math. “I cover about 60 years; a couple of generations, I suppose.”

What keeps him at it? “I love the work,” he says simply. “I’m still doing it, and I’m so happy I’m still doing it. Everybody’s got that mindset. I like to stay hot.”

Lightfoot is flanked by Joan Tosoni and Martha Kehoe, co-directors of the documentary Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, which premiered at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto this year, and starts its regular theatrical rollout on May 24.

Their history with the singer-songwriter goes back to the ’90s, when they did a segment on him for a doc called Country Gold. They later worked with him on the Junos – he’s won 16 in his career, and also performed at various ceremonies. So when the notion of making a feature-length doc about him came up, so did they.

“Joannie and I just kept hanging around,” Kehoe explains with a grin. Lightfoot is more direct: “I have faith in their ability.”

The doc covers the ups and downs of Lightfoot’s life, including his three marriages, six children, alcoholism and sobriety, and the aneurysm in 2002 that almost took his life, leaving him in a coma.

“I woke up from that hearing ‘Minstral of the Dawn,’” he says, referring to one of his 1970 hits. ”For six weeks, I was unconscious, and my sister was getting them to play stuff to see if it would jog my brain enough to wake me up.” Turns out Lightfoot can raise Lightfoot.

The documentary also reminds viewers just how many musicians have covered his songs. A partial list includes Neil Young, Liza Minelli, Herb Albert, Olivia Newton John, Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam, Don McLean, Petula Clark, Glen Campbell, Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers, Judy Collins, Elvis Presley, Diana Krall, Sarah McLachlan and Peter Paul & Mary. But not Frank Sinatra.

“Sinatra tried ‘If You Could Read My Mind’ and ended up throwing the music on the floor,” he recalls. “He said, ‘I can’t do this.’ ”

The new album — he’s still tinkering with the format, but says it might just be him and a guitar, akin to Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska — will include some new songs as well as some older material that has never been released

“I have stuff that I wrote a long time ago that I’m getting ready to use right now,” he says happily. “It was lost and I found it. I found it when I was cleaning out my office one day. As strange as it may sound.”

charlene

05-22-2019, 09:55 PM

https://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu324/inspirationlady/pjt-gordon_lightfoot-6_.jpg (https://s660.photobucket.com/user/inspirationlady/media/pjt-gordon_lightfoot-6_.jpg.html)

charlene

05-23-2019, 10:43 AM

FOR CANADIAN LIGHTHEADS: List of CANADIAN AIRINGS - CITIES/DATES, OF THE DOCUMENTARY - IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND - (more info regarding viewing by out of Canada fans will be forthcoming asap. CBCTV is airing it in late fall and CBC GEM online/doc page will air it as well.. I am not sure if GEM will be viewable out of country..more to come!)

In Theatres Now
04-27-2019 Toronto, ON Hot Docs
05-03-2019 Edmonton, AB Northwestfest
05-04-2019 Vancouver, BC DOXA Film Festival
05-08-2019 Calgary, AB Calgary International Film Festival
05-24-2019 Toronto, ON Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
05-31-2019 Victoria, BC Vic Theatre
06-05-2019 St.Catharines PAC Film House
06-07-2019 London, ON Hyland Cinema
06-07-2019 Cobourg, ON Loft Cinema
06-07-2019 Ottawa, ON Bytowne Cinema
06-07-2019 Hamilton, ON Playhouse Cinema
06-07-2019 Waterloo, ON Princess Twin Cinema
06-07-2019 Sudbury, ON Sudbury Indie Cinema
06-14-2019 Calgary, AB Globe Cinema
06-21-2019 Saskatoon, SK Rainbow Roxy Theatre
06-21-2019 Regina, SK Rainbow Roxy Theatre
07-14-2019 Toronto, ON Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATKIgW49uD4&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR24TP8AyFKd2nIERY1wz7ASAsnTEQuk6-g5u2UKvIBYq5q_fC81g2YIODU

charlene

05-23-2019, 10:49 AM

https://www.original-cin.ca/posts/2019/5/21/gordon-lightfoot-if-you-could-read-my-mind-an-illuminating-voyage-of-an-extraordinary-songwriter?fbclid=IwAR1jmhNAqBCCa1s9hG5fL8QHrQCtLg FF7IUkAnrMkpklxlGrU8FLxW1eRZc

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GORDON LIGHTFOOT: IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND - AN ILLUMINATING VOYAGE OF AN EXTRAORDINARY SONGWRITER
May 21, 2019
By Jim Slotek

Rating: B-plus

You know the biographical doc you’re watching is not exactly going to be a puff piece when the subject spends the first 10 minutes cringing.

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind – a feature at the recent Hot Docs film fest – opens with the 80-year-old Lightfoot at his Bridle Path home with wife Kim, watching cover-after-cover of what turns out to be the song he’s most ashamed of, (That’s What You Get) For Loving Me. The parade of covers includes Peter, Paul & Mary, Ian & Sylvia, Johnny Cash, etc.

Finally, he insists they stop. And when you consider it, the song does contain possibly the most cruel lyrics ever written by a man to a woman.

It’s understandable enough if Lightfoot simply regrets his early callowness. But there could be guilt involved too. If this expansive documentary about one of Canada’s true poets reveals much about his astonishing creativity, it also suggests some things about his personality – one of which is that being one of the women in his life was not always easy. Tellingly, Lightfoot’s four children, from two marriages, are not part of the production.

He clearly had an ego, one that drove him out of the gravity-well of Orillia where he grew up, to Toronto’s Yorkville scene (and odd turns in a barbershop quartet, a spot as a singer on CBC’s Country Hoedown and half of a folk duo).

But what he could do was write songs. There’s the requisite amount of dirty laundry in this archive-laden bio, directed by Joan Tosoni and Martha Kehoe (they obviously weren’t going to let go of his crazily passionate relationship with Cathy Evelyn Smith, who would later be involved in the death of John Belushi). But its insights for music fans are remarkably rich. Self-taught, he wrote his own music and arrangements by hand in hotel rooms. Though he was a perfectionist, one of his biggest hits, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald was not only a first-take that made it to the single, it was the first time the band ever saw the song on paper and played it.

He was friends with people who weren’t easy to know, like Bob Dylan (there’s footage of the famous 1972 Mariposa festival in Toronto, where Dylan showed up to hang with Lightfoot, (who played for a while on a picnic table, and watch Neil Young perform a surprise set – a game-changing moment for me, since I was a 14-year-old in attendance). The film includes intimate moments of chaotic parties with impromptu songs from Dylan and others.

And though the film is full of the usual expert-witnesses (including Steve Earle, Sarah McLachlan, both Ian and Sylvia Tyson, Anne Murray, Geddy Lee and, incongruously, Alec Baldwin), it’s Lightfoot’s own story, with a narrative strung together by songs, that compels. He managed to become an international star while staying as Canadian as maple syrup – a balance that confounds artists even today. The lyrics to Edmund Fitzgerald and the epic Canadian Railroad Trilogy alone should make him required reading in Canadian literature classes.

There is a Boomer attraction to all of this, of course. The archival footage of life in ‘60s Yorkville and the Yonge Street strip alone will bring a tear to many an eye.

In the end, Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind does not quite read its subject’s mind. But you’ll likely come out knowing much more about him, and appreciating his place in history that much more.

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind. Directed by Joan Tosoni and Martha Kehoe. Starring Gordon Lightfoot, Ian and Sylvia Tyson, Anne Murray. Opens Friday, May 24 at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, and across Canada through June.

Lightfoot at 80, with his best friend.https://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu324/inspirationlady/gord-may2019-doc..jpg (https://s660.photobucket.com/user/inspirationlady/media/gord-may2019-doc..jpg.html)

charlene

05-23-2019, 10:50 AM

https://www.straight.com/movies/1232231/doxa-2019-canadian-icon-speaks-out-gordon-lightfoot-if-you-could-read-my-mind

DOXA 2019: A Canadian icon speaks out in Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind
by Mike Usinger on April 24th, 2019 at 11:10 AM

A famously enigmatic (and cranky) Canadian icon tells you everything you wanted to know, and some things you didn’t, in Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind.

The goal was a daunting one for directors Joan Tosoni and Martha Kehoe when they got famously enigmatic Canadian icon Gordon Lightfoot in front of the camera to tell the story of his life.

“We really, really wanted to get something more than what people have heard already,” Tosoni says, in a conference call with Kehoe from Toronto. “And we knew that would take some time, because he needs to trust you. He’s an inscrutable man, and we were aware of that from the beginning.”

The fascinating thing about Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind is the way that one of the greatest storytellers in the history of pop music—Canadian or otherwise—seems at once totally open, and yet at the same time leaves one thinking there’s plenty going on inside that he’s never going to share.

That’s hinted at by Lightfoot’s peers. At one point in If You Could Read My Mind, Murray McLauchlan suggests that Bob Dylan and Lightfoot have more in common than a mutual admiration and respect for each other’s talent.

“Murray says if two enigmatic people could be in a perfect marriage, it would be Bob Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot,” Kehoe says with a laugh. “That’s really true. I was very gratified to hear his drummer say, ‘You could drive across the country with Gord and he’d never say anything poetic.’ He says everything that he has to say in his songs.”

If all this makes it sound like Lightfoot is unwilling to pull back the curtain on his career, it shouldn’t. Fans whose working relationship goes back to the long-running CanCon staple The Tommy Hunter Show, the directors began seriously working to get Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind off the ground a half-dozen years ago. That’s when Lightfoot let them know he was ready to tell his story.

“I think he had a fear that he never wants his career to end,” Kehoe says. “He didn’t want to do a comprehensive film as if it was over. I think, at this point, he’s getting on, and he feels a responsibility to his body of work. So he wants to bring attention to it, and this is part of that.”

If You Could Read My Mind starts off in the present day, with Lightfoot looking back at footage of his younger self performing his ’60s hit “For Lovin’ Me” and being appalled. Not by the fact that it showcased him as a monster talent who’d rack up an endless string of monster hits over the coming decades, including “Sundown”, “Rainy Day People”, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, and too many others to count here. Instead, right before declaring “I hate this fucking song,” he confesses “I guess I don’t like who I am.”

His reason? The song is an almost painfully autobiographical account of a messed-up-on-multiple-fronts Lightfoot walking out on his wife and young family.

Consider that a heads up that Kehoe and Tosoni don’t just focus on the highs in If You Could Read My Mind.

Little moments make it clear how deep the filmmakers dug for the film: an early Lightfoot interview with an impossibly young Alex Trebek; scratchy audio of his earliest live performance, as a choirboy in church in his hometown of Orillia, Ontario. Mixed in with modern-day interviews and performances is a treasure trove of crazily obscure historical moments (Lightfoot as a bit player on the ’60s CBC show Country Hoedown), snaps of old posters and rare archival photos (star-studded ’70s house parties in Toronto where you can almost smell the Crown Royal), and auxiliary interviews with peers and insiders that put his career in complete and important perspective.

The 80-year-old is deservedly feted in the film by a long list of artists that includes Steve Earle, Sarah McLachlan, Geddy Lee, Alec Baldwin, Anne Murray, and a clearly thrilled-to-be-there Greg Graffin of Bad Religion. What also emerges is Lightfoot’s deep respect for his craft—as much as he had a golden touch that’s seen his work covered by everyone from Elvis to the Dandy Warhols, he’s also taken a meticulously workmanlike approach to the business of songwriting.

What ultimately emerges is a picture of a deeply conflicted and perhaps tormented artist, whose life includes a long path of failed relationships and the profound regrets that come with them. No matter how big a Lightfoot fan you might be, you’ll learn things to the point where you’ll never listen to the timeless “If You Could Read My Mind” the same way again.

“He really is an artist, first and foremost,” Kehoe says. “But also within that headspace there’s the workman, there’s the dreamer, there’s the lover, there’s the crabby guy. All these different characters are there within Gord. And then there’s also this guy from Orillia, and that’s who he feels he needs to be a lot of the time.”

With that, Tosoni jumps in with, “He’s very, very unpretentious, but not pretentiously so. He’s basically got a very Canadian personality.”

https://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu324/inspirationlady/gordonlightfoot_2675.jpg (https://s660.photobucket.com/user/inspirationlady/media/gordonlightfoot_2675.jpg.html)

charlene

05-23-2019, 04:35 PM

GLOBE AND MAIL review: BRAD WHEELER https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-the-legend-of-gordon-lightfoot-lives-on-as-does-he/

On his way to the second-floor space of Early Morning Productions, the Yonge Street office where all of his business affairs are looked after, Gordon Lightfoot would pass a homeless man in the foyer of the building. After giving the man $20 one day, every time thereafter he felt compelled to give him at least the same amount. “I started high,” Lightfoot has explained, “and I just had to continue with it.”

So it is with him, his whole career. Lightfoot started high and everybody expected him to keep up the pace. People – friends, fans, family members, record labels and lovers – took pieces of him and wanted more. A shy, fair-haired boy from Orillia, Ont., an eager-to-please Lightfoot didn’t like to say no. Write us an anthem, Gordon, something about railways. Give us an encore, play us a song, shoot me a loan, would you? Hands were out, all the time. They took his girlfriend, even – the jealousy of Sundown was not baseless.

The pressure got to him. “I was under contract to a record company and I wanted to produce, and that’s what I did.” Lightfoot told Vanity Fair in 2016. “I made sacrifices. The isolation of it all managed to destroy a couple of my [marriages].”

Driven and conflicted by expectations, insecurities, loyalties and immense ambition, he broke down eventually. (And did so well before the abdominal aneurysm that nearly killed him in 2002.) A Canadian Club enthusiast, Lightfoot heckled an audience member at London’s Dominion Theatre in 1981, before walking off the stage altogether. Divorces and drunk-driving happened. Worst of all, after his hit-making heyday, Lightfoot began making bad music.
The singer-songwriter, now 80 years old and sober since the first Trudeau prime minister, is the subject of a new documentary, Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind. Named after one of his signature songs, the title alludes to his complexity and, according to one of the film’s directors, his impenetrability. “There’s no easy answers with him,” says Martha Kehoe, who made the film with fellow Torontonian Joan Tosoni. “He just isn’t prepared in that moment, with the camera on him, to do any kind of self-mining.”

The biodoc’s telling early scene has Lightfoot and his current and third wife, Kim Hasse, watching an old clip of him singing (That’s What You Get) For Lovin’ Me. We see Lightfoot wincing at the song’s blatant misogyny, before telling the directors to turn the thing off. “I guess I don’t like who I am,” he says, in a rare moment of introspection.

“It’s not a free ride being Gordon Lightfoot,” Kehoe told The Globe and Mail. “You have regrets. You’ve done stuff. You’ve screwed people over. You’ve put yourself first. You’ve believed your own fame. He doesn’t want to articulate it in every way that that is true, but if you spend time with him, it’s all there, somewhere.”

He spoke about some of those regrets when I visited him in his airy mansion in the city’s tony Bridle Path neighbourhood. In his small wood-panelled study and songwriter space, a gaunt but willing Lightfoot was comfortably surrounded by 12-string Gibson guitars, Fender amplifiers and cassette recorders as old as his last hit.

The Globe and Mail: Tell me about (That’s What You Get) For Lovin’ Me.

Lightfoot: It’s a song about unrequited love. I didn’t understand what the word chauvinism meant when I wrote it. I was married at the time. It could have been offensive, but my wife, Brita, was European. She understood what poetic licence was, I suppose.

Globe: Would you write a song like that today?

Lightfoot: Probably not. I would take the brutality out. You don’t want to create emotional trauma to people who are close to you. You have to be careful what you say when you’re writing a song. It’s the songwriter’s curse.

Globe: The song was covered by Johnny Cash and Peter, Paul and Mary. Is that the ultimate compliment, for a songwriter, to have one’s work recorded by others?

Lightfoot: Yes. I think you could say so. I still ask the question “why?” though.

Globe: You wrote good songs, that’s why. Why would you ask such a thing?

Lightfoot: Because I still question my own ability. I have my whole life, and I continue to do so.

Globe: Is that healthy?

Lightfoot: I don’t know if it helps or not. Did you say “helping” or did you say “healthy?”

Globe: Healthy.

Lightfoot: I don’t consider myself to be a genius, by any stretch of the imagination. It bothers me to be referred to as such.

In the documentary, Lightfoot is not specifically referred to as a genius, though Burton Cummings does say the Canadian Railroad Trilogy songwriter should be part of this country’s history-book curriculum. Canada chronicler Pierre Berton never rhymed “Gitche Gumee” with “the skies of November turn gloomy," and it was Lightfoot, not Tom Thomson, who wrote A Painter Passing Through.

When the lights were raised following the film’s first public screening at TIFF Lightbox, an older gentleman stood up and raised his walking cane in the air. “Let’s hear it for Canada’s one and only, Gordon Lightfoot,” he so much as hip-hip-hooray-ed.

Seated on one side of me at the screening was Bernie Finkelstein, something of a Canadian music legend himself. I asked him if he knew who the man with the cane was. “I don’t,” he replied. “But I don’t like him. I can’t stand cheerleaders.”

Finkelstein, who started True North Records in 1969 and who still manages Bruce Cockburn, used to promote shows with Lightfoot’s long-time friend and booking agent, Bernie Fiedler. Asked if Lightfoot was a Canadian icon under siege with expectations early in his career, Finkelstein agreed. “Canadians want their artists to succeed in the United States,” Finkelstein answered. “It’s important to them.”

charlene

05-23-2019, 04:45 PM

Where Joni Mitchell and Neil Young left the country early in their career, Lightfoot stayed in Canada. He became the home team. Mitchell wrote Help Me, Young wrote Helpless, and Captain Canada, the canoe-tripping troubadour, wrote Carefree Highway and record-setting alimony cheques.

But when asked if the demands asked of Lightfoot were unreasonable, Finkelstein waved off the premise. “I’m not sure being a millionaire songwriter was ever all that hard,” he said. “These artists get a lot of phone calls, but I don’t think any of them are going to say it’s upsetting. The only complaints from them I ever heard backstage were about the cold-cut platters.”

Seated on the other side of me at the screening was Bruce Good, a musician who has known Lightfoot since the late and 1960s and who had a more sympathetic understanding of the pressures Lightfoot faced and still faces. “He realized people wanted a piece of him,” said Good, featured in the film, speaking about how Lightfoot’s wistful 1968 toe-tapper Did She Mention My Name makes his eyes well up to this day.

As part of the seminal Canadian folk-rock group the Good Brothers, Good has faced some of the pressures that Lightfoot does, though on a much smaller scale. “If I’m walking through a crowd of people at a concert, I put the blinders on, because I know if I make eye contact, they’re going to ask me something or want something. I can hardly imagine what it’s like to be Gordon Lightfoot.”

What it is to like be Lightfoot is to be asked of constantly. “Here comes mister cool along the walk of fame, I was in demand, always in control,” Lightfoot sang on 1998′s autobiographical single A Painter Passing Through. “The world was in my hands, my touch had turned to gold.”

Back in the 1970s, when the Sometimes When We Touch star Dan Hill needed a Learjet in the middle of the night in Moncton, he called Lightfoot.

After an indie-rock band recorded Lightfoot’s Great Lakes standard The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the band’s musicians got upset when Lightfoot refused to recognize the cover version and accused him of lifting the song’s melody.

In 1966, with Canada’s centenary approaching, CBC needed an instant folk classic that captured the glory of the country’s spike-driven origins. Fuelled by coffee, cigarettes and a fat commission, Lightfoot wrote Canadian Railroad Trilogy in three days.

That same year, at a summer post-show party in Toronto, the star Canadian folkie Ian Tyson approached his friend Lightfoot at four in the morning. Earlier in the evening, Lightfoot had a introduced a new song to a crowd at the Riverboat coffee house.

“It’s a good one, Gordon,” Tyson said to Lightfoot at the after-party. “What it’s called?” Informed the song was Go My Way, Tyson made a request. I’d like to hear it again. Why don’t you go and get your old guitar and play it for me?”

A sleep-deprived Lightfoot acquiesced. There was no end to the requests made upon him.

A young John Macfarlane, who would go on to serve as editor of Toronto Life and the Walrus, was a music writer for The Globe in the 1960s. He was at the party where Lightfoot played for Tyson, and included the story about it in a Globe profile, one of the first major Lightfoot features ever published. “It struck me as an important Canadian moment,” Macfarlane recalled recently.

In Macfarlane’s interview with Lightfoot, the 27-year-old songwriter described himself as a “cosmopolitan hick” and a “country boy, doin’ the best I can.” As if he were a rube – or worse, a John Denver.

“I think that was a glib way of shutting down any further discussion,” said Macfarlane, who back then almost rented an apartment in the three-story home Lightfoot shared with his wife, before the couple wisely decided against sharing a house with a journalist. “He was learning how to deal with incursions into his psyche, which were not welcome. He was a working man, and his work was music.”

Indeed, sit-downs these days with Lightfoot rarely result in much reflection. However, when asked about new songs, the songwriter (who hasn’t put an album of fresh material since 2004’s Harmony) gleefully pops out of his chair to retrieve the lyric sheets to a couple of unrecorded songs he’s been working on for a new album. One of them is called The Laughter We Seek. The other one has the line, “I’ve got one too many women in my life.”

Lightfoot crows about the latter song: “How’s that for an idea, eh? Now, how would I come up with something like that?”

When it is suggested that a song about one woman too many would seem to be in the vein of For Lovin’ Me, the kind which he said he’d never write again, Lightfoot is quick to protest. “No, it’s not!” he says quickly. “That was a hurtful song. This is not hurtful. This is whimsy, you see?”

After the interview, we stand in his vaulted front hall, where some of the cast fixtures look out of place. Turns out Lightfoot had salvaged the pieces from the Rosedale mansion where he once played host to Bob Dylan, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and all the others. “I didn’t want to leave that house," Lightfoot laments. So, why did he? “It was my former wife’s idea, to get away from downtown distractions.”

When asked if he’ll play the first concert at Massey Hall when the venue, currently undergoing extensive renovations, re-opens next year, Lightfoot eyes brighten. “I don’t want to hog the stage,” he says. “But if they want me to do it, I’ll be there.”

Lightfoot obliges, as he does.
https://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu324/inspirationlady/Geoff%20George%20photo-HOT%20DOCS.jpg (https://s660.photobucket.com/user/inspirationlady/media/Geoff%20George%20photo-HOT%20DOCS.jpg.html)

charlene

05-23-2019, 09:06 PM

https://nowtoronto.com/movies/reviews/gordon-lightfoot-if-you-could-read-my-mind-documentary/?fbclid=IwAR1dzMyhiQWxRmOiLu1dLLwhOAAozdY9nXr0C4-1QVcdC7WfJjzPIRjSXfI

Review: Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind is a candid, revealing music doc
Even though the film offers the requisite career arc checklist, the Canadian singer/songwriter offers lots of insights into his music and life

BY RICHARD TRAPUNSKI MAY 22, 2019 3:47 PM

If you’re worried Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind is the kind of hagiography all too common in music docs, that danger is thwarted before the opening credits. Watching old 1960s footage of himself playing his early hit For Lovin’ Me, the Canadian icon looks down, shuts his eyes and cringes.

“I was so naive,” he says of the ramblin’ man country kiss-off song, which was covered by everyone from Johnny Cash to Elvis.

“I don’t think I knew what chauvinism was.”

While the film could easily indulge in baby boomer nostalgia, Lightfoot doesn’t let it. Now 80, he’s gregarious and reflective, grateful for his accomplishments without overlooking his faults. Considering the depth of his career – which, with songs like The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald and the Canadian Railroad Trilogy, defined a ruggedly sensitive version of Canadiana – that makes him almost the perfect subject.
He even sometimes speaks in sound bites (and he even calls them sound bites).

It’s rare that Lightfoot provides this type of access, and it gives writer/directors Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni a lot of rich material to work with.

There are other talking heads, too – everyone from Sarah McLachlan, Anne Murray and Steve Earle to, for some reason, Alec Baldwin – but it’s Lightfoot himself who provides the most insight.

That helps temper the requisite career arc checklist, which is pretty much unavoidable in this genre. He’s an affable tour guide, from his hometown of Orillia (even providing a recording of himself singing in church when he was an eight-year-old soprano) to the 60s folk revival scene in Yorkville, which is intercut with scenes of the bougie Yorkville of today.

He’s happy to talk about individual songs, too, revealing a laborious, somewhat isolated approach to writing. And he frankly discusses his 80s alcoholism, without glorifying it in the context of his legendarily excessive, celebrity-filled Rosedale mansion parties.

There’s plenty of exceptional archival material, including old and new performance footage – you can see Lightfoot behind the scenes at the final pre-renovation show at Massey Hall last year – and lots of shots of Toronto’s neon past. (There are even a few parallels made between Lightfoot and Drake – both were heavily associated with Toronto in their respective heydays.)

For all of Lightfoot’s introspection, he often downplays his actual genius – you use your imagination and make sure it rhymes, he says. And the main reason he’s still as prolific a performer as ever, he claims, is because he has six children (not to mention grandchildren) for whom he still feels responsible.

But he admits to feeling some regret about his life, especially for the trauma he’s caused women throughout his relationships. Rather than go into specifics, he hints that it’s there in the lyrics of his songs – that, if you want to really get below the surface into his deeper thoughts and emotions, that’s where you have to look.

For the most part, the documentary follows his lead, choosing not to dig too far into any salacious details, even though they provide the weight behind Lightfoot’s self-reflection.

Even if it’s not all spelled out, you don’t have to read his mind – there are plenty of his songs to listen to.

charlene

05-23-2019, 09:09 PM

If You Could Read My Mind offers an entertaining, if shallow, look at Gordon Lightfoot
BRAD WHEELER
PUBLISHED MAY 23, 2019
Oddly missing from the documentary is anything on Lightfoot’s near death in 2002.

What’s left to say about Gordon Lightfoot, the Early Morning Rain balladeer and stoic Canadian who has weathered decades of examination? Plenty, but a new biodoc on him doesn’t dig too deep into the darker crevices of the man’s life.

Instead, we get an entertaining but superficial and laudatory overview of one of his country’s greatest singer-songwriters. Archival film of a young Lightfoot crooning about trains at the long-gone Riverboat Coffee House will thrill the old folkies. Pressed into talking-head service, Burton Cummings, Steve Earle and, yes, actor Alec Baldwin testify on Lightfoot’s behalf. Just Murray McLauchlan hints at his fellow songster’s gloom.

Of Lightfoot’s former wives and lovers, only onetime girlfriend Cathy Smith is heard from – and she’s subtly vilified. Oddly missing is anything on Lightfoot’s near death in 2002. Instead there’s footage of the Captain Canada troubadour canoeing, in a film that is not interested in tipping any boats.

charlene

05-23-2019, 09:13 PM

https://www.thegate.ca/film/039291/review-gordon-lightfoot-if-you-could-read-my-mind/?fbclid=IwAR15QoHanQouEMFX2et6xWz7Vl48CGLrBlQ7IgUh IgKlam13Ddtn5cG567g

4.5 out of 10
Andrew Parker
A laudatory, unchallenging, boilerplate pat-on-the-back for one of Canada’s biggest musical icons, Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni’s documentary Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind is the kind of fan service that I find dubious, but I assuredly understand the appeal of it. A lightweight retelling of the life and times of bestselling and beloved singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, If You Could Read My Mind only pays passing lip service to many of the darker, less inviting aspects of its titular subject’s life in favour of focusing positively on all his hits, friendships, and accomplishments throughout the years. What emerges is a fine enough bullet point recitation of facts that are recounted jovially by the documentary’s titular subject, but it’s as deep as an unfolded servillette.

Produced in part by the CBC, Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind is the kind of documentary about a famous person that can be made practically by buying a kit off the shelf. It opens with thirty or so minutes talking about some of Lightfoot’s biggest hits (including the numerous songs that would go on to have arguably bigger lives as covers performed by other artists), followed by another third of the film that talks about his early years playing coffee houses in Toronto’s trendy Yorkville neighbourhood and New York’s even hipper Greenwich Village, and then spends a final thirty minutes finally getting around to the harder personal details of Lightfoot’s life. Talking heads that know Lightfoot well pop up here and there to add a bit of context, but they don’t tell the viewer anything that the artist doesn’t already freely offer up about himself. It’s a popular documentary arrangement that’s as reliable as one of Lightfoot’s musically rudimentary, but lyrically poetic folk rock ditties.

“Man, weren’t the sixties a great time for music?,” the film seems to ask like it’s trying desperately to sell a K-Tel compilation of Freedom Rock tunes. “Also, did you know that Gordon Lightfoot is one of Canada’s most famous and influential singer-songwriters?”

To these questions, it’s hard for me not to respond with, “Yes. I knew that already. So why aren’t you telling me more about his importance and life outside the public eye instead of telling me what everyone already knows while coddling his already well cultivated public image in the process?” Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind isn’t so much a serious documentary as it is a calculated, only vaguely forthcoming charm offensive.

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind is aimed squarely at his legions of fans (especially his Canadian ones, with Kehoe and Tosoni basically painting him as the only singer-songwriter who ever mattered in the country, without ever once comparing him to anyone else in the process) and not for anyone who might be interested in how complex and contradictory he is as a person. Lightfoot is more than willing to open up about his alcoholism and mentions in the film’s closing moments that he’s caused a great deal of pain to some of the women in his life, but anyone wanting to know more about his numerous children, divorces, or failed professional and romantic relationships won’t have any greater insight as to why none of that worked out for him. To hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, Lightfoot just had a terrible drinking problem and there was nothing else that cast darkness over his life. Life isn’t that simple for a successful musician who was operating at the level that he was, but Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind asks viewers to think that it was. And other than an opening moment where Lightfoot talks about the one song that’s too painful to sing anymore and the insinuation that his hit track “Sundown” was a thinly veiled, but laughably hypocritical jab at an ex, anyone hoping to learn more about his actual works will be left equally in the dark.

Kehoe and Tosoni have made a film that’s so softball that they might as well be lobbing Lightfoot nerf balls encased in bubble wrap. While the film’s subject appears eager, jovial, or likable at all times (especially during a somewhat embarrassing moment where he prattles on about his love for Drake while driving down Toronto’s Yonge Street like the world’s least cool grandfather), Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind is a film that’s constantly on edge. It’s hard to tell is Kehor and Tosoni don’t want to ask Lightfoot about anything too triggering or if he rebuffed them when they tried.

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind might be a film about an enduring Canadian music icon, but it’s also the story of a man (or possibly those around him) who are extremely protective of his overall legacy. Anything that could be seen as portraying such an icon in a negative light – like his relationship to Cathy Smith, the woman who said she injected John Belushi with the speedball that killed him, or infamous shows in the 70s that ended with the singer storming off after a drunken tantrum – are given a time limit to be talked about and examined. These moments of darkness are paved over quickly in favour of getting back to the hit parade as soon as possible, leaving many dangling questions in the process. It can’t overlook these moments, but Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind isn’t entirely up front with the viewer about how little the subject wants to talk about them.

I’m not saying that Gordon Lightfoot isn’t an iconic musical artist (even if most of his songs, like many folk artists of the period, manage to sound the same in spite of their ambitious, sometimes delightfully strange lyrical content) or that every documentary about a famous person needs to dwell in the darkness. What I’m saying is that Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind is a feature length promo clip for an established artist who doesn’t need any more promo clips to pad out his resume. It’s a documentary so stock and uninspired in its aims that one could easily do their own research about Lightfoot and uncover a more richly rewarding story than the one the subject and filmmakers are providing for viewers. It’s a movie about an icon, and everyone involved here will do everything in their power to make sure you don’t forget it. What the film doesn’t want you to know is that Gordon Lightfoot is more complicated than he seems.

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind opens at The Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto on Friday, May 24, 2019. It opens at The Vic in Victoria on May 31, PAC Film House in St. Catharines on June 5, at the Hyland in London, The Loft in Cobourg, Bytowne in Ottawa, Playhouse in Hamilton, Princess in Waterloo, and Indie Cinema in Sudbury on June 7, at The Globe in Calgary on June 14, and at the Roxy Theatres in Saskatoon and Regina on June 21.

paskatefan

05-24-2019, 05:19 AM

I don't expect every review of the documentary to be totally "glowing" in its tone, but the last one was so unnecessarily nasty, eh? Sounds like a case of sour grapes to me!

Gail

T.G.

05-25-2019, 02:33 PM

Chat w Gordon Lightfoot on his documentary Gordon Lightfoot If You Could Read My Mind - YouTube

charlene

06-03-2019, 10:58 AM

PART ONE:

https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2019/06/02/film-doc-reads-gordon-lightfoots-mind?fbclid=IwAR1lLV9SgeN3hgOwj92E4xC35zM73ASvfLAX 6LBWDceyFKPqR2Z1rq78BoU

Film Doc Reads Gordon Lightfoot's Mind

Jun 02, 2019 by Kerry Doole

It is a mite challenging to interview the subject of a film documentary about it when, right at the start of the chat, it is revealed that said subject has not viewed it himself.

That was the case recently when we were summoned to Gordon Lightfoot's Bridle Path mansion in one of Toronto's most desirable locales (Drake will soon be the near neighbour of the legendary folk troubadour). Our object was to explore Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, a feature portrait of the man and his music that is just now being released in theatres.

The interview was scheduled a few days before the film had its world premiere at the Hot Docs fest in Toronto, and Lightfoot was deliberately waiting for that occasion to see it for the first time. "I want to to see it as part of the group there that haven't seen it yet," he explains.

Given the length of time the project took to come to fruition, what is a few more days after all? The film's co-writers and co-directors, Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni, were part of our interview, and Kehoe acknowledges that "it took us a while to bake the cake, about five years."

She also admitted that "Joan and I are nervous [about the premiere]. We want Gord to enjoy it on some level. For him, it's hard, like looking at pictures of yourself through different things. It is a different experience, but we're hoping he'll appreciate the work that went into it and we hope he thinks it's an authentic film."

Our sources report that the film was enthusiastically received at the premiere, and Lightfoot guested with pals The Good Brothers at a post-screening party that also featured performances by Cowboy Junkies, Fergus Hambleton, Skydiggers, and more.

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind does a fine job of tracing the ups and downs of Lightfoot's fascinating life, while, perhaps more importantly, also exploring his creative process, the relationship with his long-time band, and the huge impact his work has had on fellow singers and songwriters, from Canada and around the globe.

Given Lightfoot's stature, it is surprising to hear that financing the project encountered problems. In a follow-up interview, Kehoe tells FYI that "along with [renowned producer] John Brunton, we’ve had a documentary on Gordon in mind for a long time. About five years ago, Gord felt he was ready and gave the go-ahead. We shot a day with him in Orillia and made a promotional video to help get funds to make the film."

"CBC was always behind the project, but to tell the story properly, we needed to bring more funding to the table. A doc with a lot of music and footage rights is not cheap. We worked hard to do that, and everything kind of came together last year. Rogers stepped up with three funds, along with Telefilm and Canada Media Fund.

"Finally there was Slaight Communications, without whom we wouldn’t have been able to complete the film. Gary and his father Allan Slaight have been long-time friends and supporters of Gordon Lightfoot, and Slaight Communications played a crucial role in final funding."

After its theatrical run, Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind will be broadcast on CBC and CBC Doc Channel in late 2019. Prospects for an international release are also promising, Kehoe reports. "One of our executive producers, John Murray [John Brunton and Gary Slaight are the other two executive producers), was meeting with sales agents at Hot Docs and there’s a lot of interest in the film for international. We were pleased to see how well Gordon is known and admired around the world."

Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni have a long professional relationship with Lightfoot. Back in the early '90s, the pair featured a segment on Lightfoot in their acclaimed music documentary Country Gold and later worked with him on one of the Juno awards telecasts they helmed.

Tosoni recalls the Country Gold filming, noting that then business manager Barry Harvey was very surprised that Gord was so open. Kehoe adds, "we were in your house in Rosedale, Gord. I remember the piano was behind you, and there was the leaded window out the back. It was a beautiful interview."

The trust built up with Lightfoot proved invaluable in the making of the new film. He opened up his house for part of the shoot, noting that "the parking situation is better here than downtown! We had The Good Brothers [longtime friends] in here one afternoon."

The filming of Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind began last June, and Kehoe explains that "the first thing we did were Gord's shows at Massey Hall. We wanted to show him in action there before the Hall closed for renovations."

The singer's vast and rich catalogue of songs is at the core of the film. "We wanted it very much to be about Gord's music," says Tosoni. "We tried to play the songs a little long for what would normally be in a film, but you can't do full justice to his songbook in just one film, even if it was 88 minutes of song after song."

The release of the film comes a year after the publication of Nicholas Jennings' best-selling biography, Lightfoot. Material from that tome has been used for the film, but the timing of the two projects is "coincidental," says Lightfoot. "Nick knew from about 2002 that he was going to do the book. I looked at him one day and said, 'Nick, we're still walking around, let's get it done.'

"I am deeply honoured that there is enough interest in me to do any of this stuff," Lightfoot reflects with typical modesty.

Few singer/songwriters command as much peer respect as Gordon Lightfoot, and a formidable list of stars sing his praises in the documentary. That group includes Steve Earle, Randy Bachman, Tom Cochrane, Burton Cummings, Ronnie Hawkins, The Good Brothers, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Ian Tyson, Anne Murray, Sarah McLachlan, Murray McLauchlan, and Sylvia Tyson.

One seemingly unlikely interviewee was US punk rocker Greg Graffin (Bad Religion). Tosoni explains that "Martha came across a solo album by him and noticed that sometimes he sounded quite a bit like Gordon. We subsequently went to see him play at the Horseshoe in Toronto and decided he might give an interesting and unexpected perspective on Lightfoot, which I think he did."

Gordon Lightfoot may have been forced into flipping through his back pages for the film and the book, but he isn't ready for the rocking chair yet. "I just turned 80 years old, and I'm still working," he tells us with obvious pride.

This is a man who has done very well financially from his long and illustrious career, though he does complain that "every time we go out I spend 80 percent of the money on the band and expenses. It is a good thing when we get paid in US dollars! "

Still a perfectionist, Lightfoot sticks to a physical fitness regimen he has followed since 1982. "I still hate going to the gym, and yet I do it so I know I can do good shows," he says.

charlene

06-03-2019, 10:58 AM

PART TWO:

Good news for his fans is that a new album is in the works. "I have songs that I've found that I'd forgotten about, so I have filled up the song bucket to the point where I know I can make another album, and there will be one.

"We are trying to figure out how to go about it right now. It could be like the Springsteen album Nebraska, but without the harmonica. There is no bass or drums on that record, and that is the way my record will be I think."

Lightfoot's determination to pursue music as his career came at an early age, though in our interview he does reminisce about early jobs. "Growing up in Orillia, I worked in a plant and I drove a truck all through high school. I loved doing that. One of the most interesting times was when I ran a laundry route, up through Muskoka, three days a week, up to Parry Sound.

"A linen supply company had an agency there. I remember this guy, Roy O'Halloran, as every time I went there something would be lost. I used to dread going there! I told that story recently when I played a show at a beautiful little hall in Parry Sound."

Linen delivery's loss was certainly music's gain. Asked to reflect further on his career, the troubadour tells us that "with all sincerity, I am so happy with it. I do wonder where I would be if I hadn't been able to get any covers of my songs. I guess I was trying to prove something at the beginning. I was under contract to write more tunes, and the next thing I knew I'd write another album!"

Gordon Lightfoot is rightfully ranked right up there with Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen in the pantheon of great Canadian songsmiths, and all four have had their classic material covered by hundreds of artists. Fittingly, as our interview time expires, Gord leaves us with an anecdote about his compatriot, Joni.

"I was just talking to Elliot Roberts, her manager, five days ago. I have known Joni since 1964. I remember that she [and husband] Chuck had a 4-story walkup in Detroit. She sat down with Tom Rush and me in her kitchen one night, back before she even had a record deal. She played practically her whole first album for us, at her kitchen table."

"Tom went out and recorded three of those songs, and he was the first person to cover Joni's songs."

Not even Mitchell can compare to Lightfoot in terms of songs covered, however. Here is just a partial list of those who have covered his timeless material: Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Eric Clapton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Judy Collins, Johnny Mathis, Anne Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Sarah McLachlan, Barbra Streisand, Peter Paul & Mary, Harry Belafonte, Jane’s Addiction, Richie Havens, Glen Campbell, Headstones, Toby Keith, and Rheostatics.

Unsurprisingly, Gordon Lightfoot has been inducted into both the Songwriters Hall Of Fame and The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Martha Kehoe sums up the man's illustrious career this way: "Making Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind reinforced the knowledge that Gord was meant to do what he did, to create what he did, during his life .. that he had a calling, if you will. And that he worked hard at it, and continues to do so."

T.G.

06-05-2019, 10:29 PM

Just saw the documentary tonight. It was an enjoyable view. Especially liked a lot of video clips and photos I haven't seen before. As the producers said, this doc could have been made in a number of ways, but it stood pretty well on its own. Certainly, Gordon's stature and influence were well represented. It was also good to see this on a big screen with good sound system.

paskatefan

06-06-2019, 05:22 AM

Oh, please bring this documentary to the USA (& the rest of the world)!

Gail

charlene

06-13-2019, 06:57 PM

VIDEO CLIP from DOCUMENTARY:
He loves Toronto and DRAKE: https://www.instagram.com/p/Byk6p3HAfIj/

charlene

07-10-2019, 11:12 AM

TORONTO - AIRING: July 14,15,16,17.

https://boxoffice.hotdocs.ca/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=91028~fff311b7-cdad-4e14-9ae4-a9905e1b9cb0&epguid=a5fc309a-9963-4fb4-af9e-55bb26639089&

Off Yonge Street

08-16-2019, 12:14 PM

Earlier this week, I watched the documentary movie "Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind" for the second time. (The Mt. Pleasant Theatre in Toronto has been screening the film several times a week for over a month. I saw the movie before in June at the Bloor Cinema.)

When I saw the movie earlier this week, I watched it with two family members who had also seen it before. Each of us enjoyed the movie even more watching it a second time.

In the first minute of CTV News anchor Lisa Laflamme's interview with him in May 2019 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6vlVNfeJ-Y), Lightfoot states that he would have preferred if the movie featured "more music . . . and less jawboning" and that, for the movie, he would chosen songs from his more recent catalogue.

For me, the mixture of music and interviews in the movie was just right. I thought the song selection in the movie was excellent, but I agree with Lightfoot that ideally the movie would have included some of his more recently-written songs.

My favourite parts of the movie (among many) occurred when snippets of "Shadows" were played during the segment about Lightfoot's canoe trips and when Lightfoot played "I'll Tag Along" solo in an empty Massey Hall.

In my opinion, the movie "Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind" is best seen "in the dark, on a screen that's larger than life, with a simpatico audience" (to borrow some words from the movie critic Leonard Maltin used in a different context).

According to the IMDb.com website, the Mt. Pleasant Theatre in Toronto (located at 675 Mt. Pleasant Road, just south of Eglinton Ave. East - tel: 416.489.8484) will be screening the movie "Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind" on Sunday, Aug. 18 at 2:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. Please note that the only form of payment that the Mt. Pleasant Theatre accepts is cash.

I encourage Lightfoot fans in the Toronto area to see the movie on the big screen while they can.

Off Yonge Street

12-31-2019, 04:21 PM

johnfowles

01-01-2020, 01:08 PM

The documentary movie "Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind" is currently available in Canada on CBC Gem (a free streaming service):
https://gem.cbc.ca/media/documentary-specials/episode-50/38e815a-01215e77045.

Unfortunately, CBC Gem is exclusive to Canada.
True BUT I found
https://pixelprivacy.com/vpn/change-ip-address/canadian-ip-address/
which has a lot to say on this subject including:-
The IP address system is the ID system used on the internet; every device connected to the internet has a unique IP address, which includes, among other information, your geo-location. Many services geo-restrict their content and enforce those restrictions using IP address detection. This means you may not be able to access your usual services while abroad. Thankfully, a VPN can mask your location by providing you with an IP address from a country of your choosing. It does this by tunneling your traffic through an intermediary VPN server in that country.
How do I get a Canadian IP address from abroad?
Follow these steps to get your internet freedom back and continue to use all the services you can get in Canada.

Choose a VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN).
Download and install the appropriate VPN app for your device.
Connect to one of the VPN’s Canadian servers.
Surf to a Canadian-restricted site, such as the CBC, and you should be able to view content with no issues.
But there are a number of alternative free ways to achieve the same result which I intend to check out tomorrow (after today's jollifications are over
Happy New Year everybody!!

charlene

01-04-2020, 09:45 PM

From a friend in Germany:It's possible only with a Canadian IP-address. Outside Canada one has to use a VPN plug in or client. Because I use the browser Mozilla Firefox it’s very simple. I had to go to the add-on settings in Firefox and browse for the add-on “rusvpn” and installed it. After selecting Canada as endpoint I had access to the cbc video server. That was all and it’s free of charge.

youngstranger

01-05-2020, 02:41 PM

The absolute easiest way to do this if you are outside Canada, is to download a little extension for your Chrome browser called "Hola". You'll see the little symbol on the top of your browser when you do it. Then when you go to the CBC page with the documentary, it should automatically detect that you want to be in Canada. If not you can manually chose Canada.

The whole process should take about two minutes, and has allowed me to view this long wished for and rather excellent documentary!!!

Unfortunately I can't insert an image here to show how it works.

Andy T.

01-06-2020, 01:55 AM

I've been using the TOR browser for years to get around certain regional restrictions, but I've never needed to actually select a specific country as was needed here to see this content. TOR is random and I think if I kept re-rolling the connection it would have eventually worked, but I wanted to see this vid. So I followed what charlene laid out above... and it worked.

lighthead2toe

01-06-2020, 11:03 PM

T.G.

01-08-2020, 02:01 PM

Great work there Char putting all this up for us. I've watched the video several times and keep wanting to go back!
Being the rabid Gord fan that I am, I tend to get rankled when I read the negative reviews but when that happens I recall the quote from Irish playwright, Brendan Behan: "critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how it's done, they've seen it done every day. but they're unable to do it themselves.

Well said, Ron. Another one of my favorite artists was relentlessly lambasted by critics to the point they wrote a song directed at them:

Critics' Choice (2002 Remaster) - YouTube

lighthead2toe

01-10-2020, 09:57 PM

T.G.

01-17-2020, 05:04 PM

Very nice song there TG. It was sometimes difficult to hear the complete lyric as the keyboard tended to over power the vocal from time to time but I could hear the sentiment and it's really great to hear these kind of tunes being written. They send an important message. When a song is written and gets heard and listeners pick up on it the song will always be remembered.

Yes, Ron, I think the song came from a heartfelt place. Obviously the composer was hurt by all the criticism and wrote that in response. Interestingly, most of the criticisms centred around Chicago's supposedly bombastic sound and arrangements, so Robert Lamm decided to respond by recording a stripped down song -- just him and a piano:

[Verse 1]
What do you want
What do you want?
I'm giving everything I have
I'm even trying to see if there's more
Locked deep inside
I'll try I'll try
Can't you see
This is me

[Verse 2]
What do you need
What do you need
Is it someone just to hurt
So that you can appear to be smart?
Keep a steady job
Play God play God

[Chorus]
What do you really know
You parasite you're dynamite
At oversight misunderstanding what you hear
Oh you're quick to cheer
And volunteer absurdities
Musical blasphemies
Oh Lord
Save us all

imported_Next_Saturday

02-17-2020, 01:11 PM

The film was really good. I thought Carter Lancaster's soundbite about Gord's powerful strumming setting the tempo as effectively as a live drummer was very perceptive. Worth watching.

charlene

03-21-2020, 03:44 PM

documentary news: If You Could Read My Mind nominated for a Canadian Screen Award - 2020 TED ROGERS BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY .
https://www.academy.ca/2020/if-you-could-read-my-mind/

charlene

05-05-2020, 08:23 PM

Streaming on-demand this summer is If You Could Read My Mind, a documentary about prolific Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, directed by Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni.

FOR CANADIAN fans - CBC GEM Online streaming available now. (Not viewable for out of country fans)

FOR U.S. fans: THIS SUMMER- INFO on dates and venues yet to come: Greenwich Entertainment Reveals Official Trailer For ‘Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind’ WATCH VIDEO TRAILER at link:

GREENWICH ENTERTAINMENT REVEALS OFFICIAL TRAILER AND POSTER FOR THE UPCOMING DOCUMENTARY ‘GORDON LIGHTFOOT: IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND’ OUT THIS SUMMER
HTTPS://WWW.PRESSPARTY.COM/PG/NEWSDESK/SHOREFIREMEDIA/VIEW/211457?FBCLID=IWAR2-LVMRYJKL24EH08OUCLQ5HYOGQEABNSQRLPDXDDPJO0XITBCZP8 I6Q04

Geddy Lee, Sarah McLachlan and Alec Baldwin Appear in Gordon Lightfoot Documentary
If You Could Read My Mind arrives this summer
By ANGIE MARTOCCIO

Rush’s Geddy Lee, Sarah McLachlan and Alec Baldwin appear in If You Could Read My Mind, a documentary on Gordon Lightfoot, streaming on-demand this summer.
Directed by Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni, the film chronicles present-day Lightfoot performing a show and signing autographs as he fondly looks back on his nearly six-decade career — from his coffeehouse performance days in Ontario, Canada, to his rise to international fame in the Seventies.

“He is one of the greatest examples of timeless singer-songwriter,” Lee says in the clip, sitting alongside his bandmate Alex Lifeson. “He’s a Canadian national hero, but he also speaks with a voice for everyone,” adds Bad Religion’s Greg Graffin.

Lightfoot also breaks down the making of his 1966 song “Early Morning Rain.” “I knew that I had to sit down and do the work,” he tells the camera. “That turned out to be one of my biggest, most important tunes.”

Photos from the Seventies — including Lightfoot with Bob Dylan — are interspersed throughout the trailer, with a vintage clip of Lightfoot joking to a talk show host that alcohol helps maintain his prolific career.

“There was a beauty in what he was writing about, but there was a lot of internal pain that none of us would know about,” Lenny Waronker, a long-time record producer and former head of Reprise Records, says. “And it makes you love him, because you just have to listen to his lyrics, and then you get it.”

charlene

05-15-2020, 08:33 PM

PLEASE read this whole post:EDIT: “not available in u.s.” DOCUMENTARY NEWS - it seems you can pre-order the IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND doc at APPLE iTUNES.
It is also at GOOGLE Play to be added to a WISHLIST if you have an account.
BOTH links are below:
I do not know if this is related to the GREENWICH ENTERTAINMENT news that the DOC will be streaming in the U.S. this summer. (already on CBC GEM for Canadian viewers)
****I do NOT know more than these TWO links and info at them. I will find out and post more info asap.****
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/movie/gordon-lightfoot-if-you-could-read-my-mind/id1501774247
and
https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Gordon_Lightfoot_If_You_Could_Read_My_Mind?id=356D BACD8F3F2A23MV&hl=en_CA

imported_Ordinary_Man

05-16-2020, 12:41 PM

Thanks for the info Char. I watched the trailer and I'm VERY interested in seeing this but I keep bouncing back and forth between the Canadian and USA Apple sites with no joy. And I added it to my google wishlist too.

I would guess (certainly hope) that with the size of the USA market that it will be available to us soon.

charlene

06-18-2020, 07:59 PM

Pre-order your DVD now for the IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND documentary from AMAZON.COM - release date is August 25, 2020: (at the U.S. site there is an option for GLOBAL shipping)

More info regarding Amazon.ca and Amazon U.K. to come:

https://www.amazon.com/Gordon-Lightfoot-Could-Read-Mind/dp/B088GKF32Y/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=gordon+lightfoot+-+if+you+could+read+my+mind+documentary&qid=1592522967&sr=8-10

imported_Next_Saturday

06-19-2020, 12:06 PM

Hoping for free viewing for Amazon Prime members...

charlene

07-28-2020, 08:06 PM

It will not be on AMAZON to view: VIRTUAL AND IN THEATRE INFO AT THESE LINKS. SEARCH for your area and info.

https://www.gordonlightfootmovie.com/tickets/?fbclid=IwAR1XVn1ImanAJ2V86Cs6h2vLDzuhkJboxt3e3xYo 0WZbFTwnxkwXAl_kVC8

AND:

https://watch.eventive.org/gordonlightfoot?fbclid=IwAR0DKsBdEie6a3_UXNhlgfEiX qzCZcnIBi1t4tpx97yVzBXJ_Loxgrs8sKo

charlene

07-28-2020, 08:13 PM

VIDEO AND PHOTOS AT LINK:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2020/07/28/gordon-lightfoot-reveals-if-you-could-read-my-mind-takeaways/5491743002/?fbclid=IwAR3QRbLTXeumXXqpryC7ojffRuqDY2vgEeZ89xK6 yuSgEL4rC3z51itlFSk

Poetry, parties and painful 'Sundown': 5 takeaways from Gordon Lightfoot doc 'If You Could Read My Mind'
Bryan Alexander
USA TODAY

A national treasure in his native Canada, singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot's recognition with a new generation of American music fans could be summed with his repeated name drop in Netflix's "13 Reasons Why" as an ironic text message code word for the high school kids.

They too come to respect the honey-voiced singer of folk-pop classics like "If You Could Read My Mind," "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," "Sundown" and "Carefree Highway." The five-time Grammy-nominated song poet gets his film due with the documentary "Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind."

Here are five major takeaways from Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni-directed film, opening in virtual cinema and theaters Wednesday.

"If You Could Read My Mind" charts Lightfoot's early days as an angel-voiced choir boy in small-town Orillia, Ontario, before he headed to the big city Toronto to find his singing fortunes. Lightfoot quit his banking job for his first professional gig with The Singin’ Swingin’ Eight on the Canadian TV show "Country Hoedown," which required a nightly square dance.

"I got myself a payday that lasted 2½ years," Lightfoot tells USA TODAY, giving himself high marks for the background vocals. "but I was not a dancer."

Elvis Presley made it 'Rain,' but Frank Sinatra could not

Directors Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni delve into Gordon Lightfoot's world in the documentary "If You Could Read My Mind."

Contemporary and friend Bob Dylan, who presented Lightfoot with his career Canadian Juno Award, summed up Lightfoot's obsessively crafted songs, saying that when he heard one, he wanted "it to last forever." Dylan has covered many Lightfoot songs, including "Early Morning Rain." The love ballad "If You Could Read My Mind" was covered by disparate voices including Viola Wills, Johnny Cash, Barbra Streisand, Olivia Newton-John, Neil Young and Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass (to name a few).

The young Lightfoot almost crashed his car in joy when he heard Elvis Presley's cover of "Early Morning Rain."

"I wasn't even aware he had done the song," Lightfoot says. One legend who didn't perform a Lightfoot song: Frank Sinatra – who threw down the song sheets for "If You Could Read My Mind" in the studio, saying, "I can't sing this."

"I always thought that was very funny," Lightfoot says.

The drinking and partying became an issue

A gregarious host, Lightfoot's house parties were legendary, with Joni Mitchell and Dylan pulling out their guitars for late night jam sessions. But as his global fame took off, Lightfoot's drinking spun out of control. By the time he appeared in his first movie with Bruce Dern, 1982's "Harry Tracy, Desperado," it had gone too far.

"I was at the height of my drinking and I look terrible," Lightfoot says in the documentary. He was warned by his record company to give it up.

"It was time to pack it in." he says in the documentary about that time in his life. "I don't know how I made it through."

Lightfoot quit cold turkey and threw his energy into pursuits such as canoeing and sailing the Great Lakes.

Lightfoot had a complicated romantic life

The three-times-married Lightfoot has evolved to the point that he can't listen to 1967's "For Lovin' Me," an early hit with dismissive lyrics.

"It was an embarrassment to my wife at the time," he says now of first wife, Brita Olaisson (they divorced in 1973).

At the peak of his fame, Lightfoot had an infamously mercurial affair with singer Cathy Smith, who heavily influenced his moody hit "Sundown," filled with suspicion and infidelity.

"It was one of those relationships where a feeling of danger comes in," Lightfoot says in the documentary. Years later, Smith spent 15 months in prison after injecting John Belushi with a powerful mixture of cocaine and heroin that killed the comedian in 1982.

Smith is featured in archival footage speaking coldly about Lightfoot: "I took off the edges what I could use, and left behind the rest, and he couldn't hurt me," she said.

Lightfoot nailed 'Edmund Fitzgerald' in one take and keeps rolling

"What a run it was. I'm happy for every moment in the 80 years I've been here. I appreciate having been alive," Lightfoot, now 81, says in the documentary.
The singer was immediately inspired by the tragic Edmund Fitzgerald, the heavily laden ship that sank in a Lake Superior hurricane in November 1975. In the studio weeks later, he started playing "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" with his band and recorded a raw version in the first take. The ballad went on to be a major hit a year after the disaster and an enduring tribute to the 29 dead crew members.

Lightfoot, 81, has endured and will continue to perform with his band when the pandemic allows.

"I notice I'm slowing down," he says. "But we've got lots of toe-tappers in our show, and I've got a really great orchestra and we love to play. Because we're good at it."

charlene

07-30-2020, 01:31 PM

https://americansongwriter.com/new-documentary-gordon-lightfoot-if-you-could-read-my-mind-tells-the-full-story-of-the-songwriting-legend/?fbclid=IwAR3wvAKsqcX_gZkQ1WSeDde1gtouda-LOO7P8vAZP1pYGgYORf6h1QbYoXY

New Documentary “Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind” Tells The Full Story Of The Songwriting Legend
Robert Dye
-
July 29, 2020

The long, storied journey of the great singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot receives the big screen treatment in the documentary Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, which opens today via Virtual Cinema. The film, directed by Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni, received Lightfoot’s full participation and features exclusive interviews with the legend, weaving his story within the framework of the ‘60s folk movement as one of its leaders, into his status as a ‘70s acoustic rock god.

Fans can purchase tickets to watch the film virtually here: https://watch.eventive.org/gordonlightfoot/

With undeniable classics including “If You Could Read My Mind,” “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (read our Behind The Song here), “Sundown” and “Early Morning Rain,” Lightfoot is in the pantheon of revered songwriters of our time. The beloved Canadian icon has sold over 10 million albums, received 5 Grammy nominations and, at the age of 81, plans to resume touring once the pandemic subsides.

Bob Dylan once said, “every time I hear a song of his I wish it would last forever.” In the documentary, fellow Canadian musician Geddy Lee of Rush states “he is one of the greatest examples of a timeless singer/songwriters.”

According to the press release, the documentary, produced by Insight Productions, “takes audiences from high school auditoriums in straight-laced, small town Ontario in the ‘50s to the coffee houses of Toronto’s Yorkville and NYC’s Greenwich Village in the ’60s, through Gordon’s turbulent, substance-fueled arena shows of the ’70s, and finally to the artist – older, wiser – in present day. Interwoven throughout the film are Interviews with multiple generations of Lightfoot fans, in and outside the music industry – from Steve Earle and Sarah McLachlan, to Alec Baldwin and Geddy Lee – as well as behind the scenes stories from members of his longtime band.”

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, a CBC Docs and documentary Channel Original, is presented by Greenwich Entertainment and Insight Productions in association with Canada Media Fund, Slaight Communications, Telefilm Canada and the Rogers Group of Funds through the Theatrical Documentary Program and with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Rogers Cable Network Fund and the Rogers Documentary Fund. The film’s TVOD release date is set for August 21st.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftmy3xjup8c&feature=emb_logo

charlene

07-30-2020, 05:26 PM

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/29/movies/gordon-lightfoot-if-you-could-read-my-mind-review.html

‘Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind’ Review: A Troubadour Looks Back

The singer-songwriter, now 81, is frank about his own work and refreshingly open to today’s music.

If you haven’t laid eyes on the singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot in a while, you may be stunned at the beginning of this straightforward, engaging documentary about his life and work, directed by Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni. Now 81 years old, Lightfoot doesn’t resemble the curly-haired, oft-mustachioed, outdoorsy-looking troubadour of his 1970s heyday. Skinny, his clean-shaven face now long and almost gaunt, his hair straight and combed back, he looks like an aged underground rocker.

Lightfoot was anything but underground. A prodigious songwriter and distinctive singer, the Canadian’s 1960s work made hits for other acts, and in the ’70s, he and his moody ballads rode high on the pop charts.

The critic Robert Christgau once called him “a weird new kind of purist: uncompromising proponent of commercial folk music.” Early in the movie, a montage of artists as disparate as the British rocker Paul Weller and Lightfoot’s Canadian contemporary Neil Young singing the great “Early Morning Rain” demonstrates the durability of Lightfoot’s work.

Lightfoot is frank about sizing up that work — the movie opens with him expressing disdain for the sexism of his early hit “For Lovin’ Me” — and he’s refreshingly up-to-date in his perspectives about today’s music. Driving around Toronto, he sees a billboard of the hip-hop artist Drake and starts enthusiastically praising his countryman. He also speaks candidly about his relationship with Cathy Smith, a singer who was, years later, imprisoned for her involvement in the death of John Belushi.

Much of the remainder of the movie features musicians and performers, some Canadian, some not (Alec Baldwin got in here somehow) praising Lightfoot — his voice, his work ethic, his facility (he knows musical notation and writes his own lead sheets).

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind

Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 31 minutes. Information on viewing is at www.gordonlightfootmovie.com.

paskatefan

07-31-2020, 05:40 AM

Thanks for the article link, Char. We can't wait to order the DVD later in August!

Gail

charlene

08-01-2020, 04:41 PM

NEW - (previous was a bad translation/ripoff) https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/gordon-lightfoot-if-you-could-read-my-mind-review-1234721670/?fbclid=IwAR3riPEQFxRr6kc5pnLsf2iUPvwrQYT28pAJX3tX wi71pqBXuK5QRatPVEsas

‘Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind’: Film Review
The Canadian folk-pop legend is well-served by a documentary that understands his melancholy mastery.

By Owen Gleiberman
In the opening scene of “Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind,” a companionable and highly entertaining documentary about the folk-pop troubadour of Canada, Lightfoot, now 81, sits at home with his wife, Kim, and watches clips of himself on Canadian television singing the 1965 song “For Lovin’ Me,” an ode to the arrogant adulterer he once was. Back when he wrote the song, Lightfoot was married, with a couple of kids. “At the time,” he recalls, “it just came out of my brain. I didn’t know what chauvinism was.” He chuckles, sheepishly, at his insensitivity. Yet looking at the clips, we see the brashness that made Lightfoot a star. In those early days, he resembled Ryan O’Neal with a hint of Nick Nolte; he had the kind of squinty rugged golden-god looks you’d see on the hero of a television Western. And even then, what he could do with a note was extraordinary. It would ring out, soft and shimmering but clear as a bell, with that quickened vibrato that could melt you.

Some pop songs are inescapably happy, like “Give It Up” by KC and the Sunshine Band or “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and some are sad, like “Eleanor Rigby” or Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.” But then there’s the kind of song that’s happy and sad at the same time, like a gorgeous splash of late-afternoon sun glinting through the rain. That’s the sound of Gordon Lightfoot. In the ’60s and ’70s, the words and melodies poured out of him, and they often expressed an indelible melancholy, yet there was a rapture to it all, a feeling that Lightfoot was transported by the things he was singing about. His most famous lyric (addressed to the woman he was married to when he wrote “For Lovin’ Me”) was, “If you could read my mind, love,/What a tale my thoughts could tell…” And listening to Lightfoot’s songs, you just about could read his mind. He wrote with the sincerity of Dylan (who he was friends with), in a style that merged folk and country and pop, but the liquid-gold lilt of his voice turned every ballad into a confession.

In “Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind,” Lightfoot looks like a different person than the wavy-haired preppie cowboy he was in his heyday. He now has a been-around-the-block Chet Baker gauntness, with long hair combed straight back and falling down over his shoulders and features that are aged but sharp and lean, giving him the slithery look of a rock ‘n’ roll wizard. He’s a survivor of excess — battles with the bottle, three marriages, plus two other relationships in which he had children (he has six kids in all). Yet he was the kind of obsessive songwriter who turned that trauma into incandescence.

We hear testimonials, from people like Sarah McLachlan and Steve Earle, about his immaculate quality as a musician: the way his 12-string guitar was always perfectly tuned for that impeccable ringing sound (he was such a powerful and propulsive guitarist that for a long time he didn’t need drums), the way he wrote his songs out on music paper, notating the melodies like cantatas, and the way the tunes themselves were built like intricate pieces of cabinetry. From the start, his songs were covered by a dazzling array of artists, and we see versions of the heartbreakingly beautiful 1966 ballad “Early Morning Rain” sung by Peter, Paul and Mary, Ian and Sylvia, Judy Collins, and Elvis in his white suit. (The film then jumps decades ahead to versions by Paul Weller and Neil Young.)

We also hear about what a revolutionary figure Lightfoot was in his native Canada — which sounds quaint and a little dull, but isn’t, because what he did, in effect, was to invent pop stardom for a country that was seeking its identity. In 1967, Canada celebrated 100 years of existence, and amid the centennial its citizens were asking themselves, “Okay, we’re here. But who are we?” That’s a question that popular culture was put on earth to address, and Lightfoot arrived at the perfect moment to answer it. In the documentary, Geddy Lee, the lead singer of Rush, says, “He sent the message to the world that we’re not just a bunch of lumberjacks and hockey players up here. We’re capable of sensitivity and poetry.”

Lightfoot’s rise to stardom channeled the excitement of the era. There are marvelous clips of him performing in the coffee houses of Yorkville (which was then the bohemian district of Toronto), and in the folk clubs of Greenwich Village, and it didn’t take long for him to attract the attention of Bob Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman, who signed him. He recorded his first album for Warner Bros./Reprise, “Sit Down Young Stranger,” in 1970, and the record bombed. But the song that would become its breakout smash inspired Warner Bros. to reissue the album after changing its title to “If You Could Read My Mind,” at which point it leapt onto the charts and ignited Lightfoot’s career.

“If You Could Read My Mind” has been directed, by Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni, in a conventional, let’s-show-the-warts-but-not-get-too-close-to-them style, but the film could still be seen as a companion piece to “David Crosby: Remember My Name” — another documentary about a fabled counterculture rocker looking back on his demons. Lightfoot’s were less dramatic, but they provided their pleasures and took their toll. A vivid section of the film sketches in his post-divorce life in a Toronto apartment complex, an experience he chronicled in the song “The Circle is Small.” His girlfriend at the time was Cathy Smith, the woman who (years later) injected John Belushi with a speedball the night he died, and Lightfoot addressed his relationship with her in the delectably ominous “Sundown,” the closest thing that he (or maybe anyone) ever wrote to a folkie film noir.

His drinking, on the other hand, had a slow-creep effect, dramatized by his appearance in the 1982 music video for “Blackberry Wine,” where he looks as depressed as he is bloated. But Lightfoot ultimately got sober, taking canoe trips to the Canadian wilds as his refuge, and the film tries for something poetic by saving “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” for its last chapter, as if that majestic sea shanty about the mysterious and tragic sinking of a bulk carrier on Lake Superior expressed Lightfoot’s own propensity to hit bottom. The song was written and recorded in 1976, well before he conquered his alcoholic demons. But it’s presented as a kind of mystical deliverance, right down to the fascinating story of how on the recording that was put out, what we hear is Lightfoot’s band playing the song for the very first time; they could never again attain the transcendence of that performance. “If You Could Read My Mind” celebrates how Gordon Lightfoot turned his own wreckage into something sturdy and sublime.

charlene

08-03-2020, 07:01 PM

DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: https://www.onlineathens.com/entertainment/20200803/movie-review-ldquoif-you-could-read-my-mindrdquo-ode-to-iconic-singer-songwriter

By Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times

For our neighbors to the north, the documentary “Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind” reaffirms the Canadian singer-songwriter’s position as a national treasure. U.S. audiences will be reminded of the power of an artist who was once a radio staple and regularly sold out shows at the Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theatre and Universal Ampitheatre whenever he came to L.A.

Written and directed by Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni, the film is smartly structured around notable songs in the Gordon Lightfoot catalog, charting his journey from small-town, post-World War II Ontario to the coffee houses of 1960s Toronto and his chart-topping run of hits in the 1970s, as the gifted musician found success across the folk, country, rock and pop realms.

Known for his distinctive baritone and emotion-rich songs about heartbreak and betrayal (“If You Could Read My Mind,” “Sundown”), isolation (“Early Morning Rain,” “Song for a Winter’s Night”) and trains and ships (“Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”), Lightfoot connected to Canada’s roots in a way that holds few analogs.

Canadian musicians, including Ronnie Hawkins, Ian and Sylvia Tyson (the former folk duo, now divorced), Anne Murray, Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush, Tom Cochrane and Sarah McLachlan, attest to that connection in the documentary, along with observations from Americans Steve Earle, Greg Graffin of Bad Religion and (somewhat inexplicably) Alec Baldwin. Bandmates and Lightfoot’s contemporary, Murray McLauchlan, offer insights into his creative process, but it is the man himself who reveals the most about his work ethic and the price he paid for that devotion.

The five-time Grammy nominee and 2012 inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, who studied and learned to write music at an early age, earned perhaps his strongest endorsement from the peers who have covered his songs. Attracted by the poetic lyrics and strong craftsmanship, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Peter, Paul and Mary are among the many who have recorded Lightfoot compositions.

The thrice-married Lightfoot is an affable, introspective and frank subject, acknowledging mistakes made along the way in both art and love, and the intertwined nature of the two pursuits. In the film’s opening scene, after watching a vintage television performance of the 1965 confessional “For Lovin’ Me,” he declares, “I hate that (expletive) song,” dismayed not by the quality of his writing but the revealing content about his first marriage.

Kehoe and Tosoni weave together a bounty of archival footage and photographs to visually capture Lighfoot’s performances across his almost six-decade career. Any detail lost in the documentary’s nontraditional narrative is more than made up for by the powerful emotions it churns up, particularly during a 2018 concert at Toronto’s venerable Massey Hall just before it closed for renovations (nicely established with ghostly imagery during a striking opening titles sequence).

“Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind” is a thoroughly engaging retrospective of a hard-working, hard-living performer who survived to tell the tale. Overcoming alcoholism in his 40s and a near-death experience in 2002, Lightfoot learned to embrace life, accept regret and at age 81, is ready to get back out on the road.

“Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind” is now available for streaming rental via athenscine.com.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50186413811_28bf6e2253_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2jsNumK)Carl Samrock photo - 1974 (https://flic.kr/p/2jsNumK) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

charlene

08-04-2020, 08:12 PM

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceweinstein/2020/08/04/lead-like-gordon-lightfoot-and-you-will-not-only-endure-but-prevail/?fbclid=IwAR19vP7akJnTdN1hePrkMdofVJGX7JtRiIz2tDvc tyKwl1AMTxw8L15xtqs#b50a16a4e39d

Lead Like Gordon Lightfoot And You Will Not Only Endure But Prevail
Bruce Weinstein

If You Could Read My Mind, an absorbing, lovingly crafted new documentary about iconic singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, presents seven leadership lessons you can’t afford to ignore. Whether or not you’re a fan—but how could you not be?—this essential film by Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni reveals the secrets behind Lightfoot’s sustained success.

Follow even a few of these lessons, and—to borrow a phrase from William Faulkner Nobel Prize acceptance speech—you will not only endure but prevail.

Do The Work

Gordon Lightfoot Before 1977...

How many times do you get a pitch for a so-called fast track to riches? Every week my inbox and LinkedIn messages are rife with come-ons for making millions quickly and with little effort.

Lightfoot developed a passionate following by performing constantly in the early 1960s. Still, he knew singing and playing guitar weren’t enough to build a career on. “If I’m going to earn a living doing this, I’m going to have to write some songs...I knew I had to sit down and do the work,” he says early in the documentary.

As a result of this intense focus, ”out popped ‘Early Morning Rain,’ and that turned out to be one of my biggest, most important songs.”

Lead like Lightfoot. Sit down and, as Larry the Cable Guy says, git ‘er done.

There’s No Substitute For Talent

Working hard is necessary but not sufficient for being an exceptional leader. Lightfoot wouldn’t be where he is today if he were a hack songwriter and unable to bring his songs to life in the studio and in concert. Yes, he got better as he went along, but his talent was always there, waiting to unfold.

There’s a reason Lightfoot’s song “If You Could Read My Mind” continues to be played widely and covered by artists: it’s marvelous. There’s also a reason why thousands of songs written and recorded at the same time are forgotten: they were mediocre.

Whatever your own field is, if you don’t have a talent for it, you won’t go very far. Perhaps that’s not a goal of yours to begin with.

But if you want to soar, there is no substitute for having talent. No matter where you are in your career—just starting out, well into it, or winding down—it’s never too late to switch over to something you’re better suited for.

Lead Like Lightfoot. Nurture your talent or find a different field you’re better suited for.

Be A Servant Leader

Decades after he wrote his hit songs, he still gets a kick out of playing them for fans.

When your focus is on serving people rather than yourself, you can’t help but smile, no matter how tired you might be of doing the same thing over and over. I can’t speak to working on an assembly line, of course. No amount of reflection on my customers would make me smile, I reckon.

But if you’re fortunate to be doing something you love, Lightfoot’s attitude is worth keeping in mind when the going gets tough.

Lightfoot is a servant-leader.
Robert K. Greenleaf coined the term to refer to someone who “focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong.” The servant-leader “is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…”

“It’s always about the songs,” Lightfoot says. “That’s all I think about when I’m performing—to make them as good as I can.”

Lead like Lightfoot. Find joy by focusing on service.

Come To Terms With Your Past

Early in If You Could Read My Mind, Lightfoot bemoans the lyrics he wrote for his song, “For Lovin’ Me.” Those lyrics include these lines: “So don't you shed a tear for me / Because I ain't the love you thought I'd be/ I got a hundred more like you/So don't be blue / I'll have a thousand 'fore I'm through.”

He now says bitterly, “I’ll never write another song like that for as long as I live. It was a very offensive song for a guy to write who’s married with a couple of kids.”

Who among us wouldn’t want to redo something—or a lot of things—we did years ago? It’s not possible (yet) to get into a time machine and undo them, but like Lightfoot, we can acknowledge our sins and move forward accordingly.

Lead Like Lightfoot.
Take responsibility for past mistakes and do what you can avoid repeating them.

Perfectionism Has Its Place

5 Star review

There’s a reason why albums like Sundown, Summertime Dream and Salute hold up years after they were made: there’s a baked-in excellence that makes them sound fresh every time you listen.

That excellence didn’t happen on its own. It had a taskmaster behind it. “I was in the studio around the same time when Gordon was re-recording all of his hits” for the Gord’s Gold album, says singer Anne Murray. “I heard some rumblings from some of the musicians...about how particular he was about everything and how many takes he would insist upon.”

Of course, perfectionism can be counterproductive. Captain Queeg in John Huston’s The African Queen and Ace Rothstein in Martin Scorsese’s Casino are perfectionists to a fault. They’re tyrants. But Lightfoot’s approach to recording is perfectionism at its best: a commitment to excellence that results in albums that stand the test of time.

Lead like Lightfoot.
Know when it’s important to be a perfectionist.

Address Your Drinking Problem

Psychology concept, Stop Addiction or Dependence

Lightfoot developed a drinking problem that interfered with his performances and relationships. Mo Ostin, the president of the label where Lightfoot was under contract, pulled him aside one day and said, “Gord, you better stop your drinking.” Beverly Lightfoot, Gordon’s sister and office manager, told him the same thing. He paid attention and quit.

You can see the difference it has made when you compare performances of his drinking- and post-drinking days. In videos of the former, he’s not only much heavier, but he doesn’t smile much. After he gave up drinking, he became lighter physically and spiritually. His joy in performing is visible and palpable. He looks happier.

“If you plan to face tomorrow, do it soon,” he sings in “Race Among the Ruins.” Indeed.

Lead like Lightfoot. When you’ve got a problem, there’s no shame in admitting it. Then comes the hard part: moving beyond it.

Motion’s The Potion

Giving up alcohol wasn’t the only thing that helped Lightfoot become healthy. Exercise made a huge difference too. Canoeing was difficult at first but eventually became routine. “After about four or five days of paddling, you even don’t even have think about it. You just keep doing it.”

One of the trainers at his gym told him, “Motion’s the potion.”

“I’m just about 80 years old and I’m starting to live off of that little idea,” he says with a smile. “Just don’t stop”

A nice side benefit: canoeing in the Canadian wild gave him ideas for songs that “manifested themselves later.”

Lead like Lightfoot.
Move your body regularly.

On a personal note, I’d like to thank Gordon Lightfoot for the many years of listening pleasure he has given me. His recorded songs, with their elliptical, poetic lyrics and memorable melodies and brought to life by a crackerjack band, have been a constant companion since the 1970s.

Along with millions of fans around the world, I owe Gordon Lightfoot an enormous debt of gratitude.

paskatefan

08-05-2020, 06:09 AM

Wow! Great article! Thanks, Char!

Gail

BendRick

08-09-2020, 10:23 PM

Saw this movie/documentary today in a very tiny theater. Only 3 other people there. Outstanding movie, a must see for any GL fan. I got shivers / chills many times while watching. It's everything you need to know about GL's life and career. And a blast to the past if you grew up in the 1960's-1970's.

charlene

08-21-2020, 07:44 PM

RENT TO VIEW / PURCHASE DOCUMENTARY, ''''IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND'''' @
AMAZON and ITUNES:

https://www.amazon.com/Gordon-Lightfoot-Could-Read-Mind/dp/B08F7PB2DL/ref=sr_1_2?crid=NNWVO82FR81S&dchild=1&keywords=if+you+could+read+my+mind+gordon+lightfoo t+documentary&qid=1598037574&s=instant-video&sprefix=if+you+could+read+my+mind%2Caps%2C171&sr=1-2&fbclid=IwAR1jLNctKi1OnMD6iCjo6DBf1fDWTQsZ87aRa7CfJ rA6M91nUjqeb-Wzr9w

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/movie/gordon-lightfoot-if-mind/id1501774247

charlene

09-18-2020, 06:09 PM

IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND documentary review: https://decider.com/2020/09/18/gordon-lightfoot-if-you-could-read-my-mind-review/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=syndicated&utm_campaign=partnerfeed
‘Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind’ Is Affable Portrait Of Canada’s “Poet Laureate”

By Benjamin H. Smith @bhsmithnyc
Sep 18, 2020 at 4:30pm

I used to think of Canada as America Lite, the less problematic but ultimately less interesting version of these here not-so United States. Maybe I had it wrong. Maybe Canada is just America fully evolved, politically and emotionally, without the dysfunction, resentment, and rage. I mean, I know they’ve got their own past and their own problems, but they seem mild in comparison to the seething cauldron of “What the fuck?” we currently live in down here.

No less an authority than Geddy Lee of Rush calls singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot Canada’s “poet laureate” in Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, the new documentary, which is currently streaming for free for Amazon Prime subscribers (also available for rent). At other points in the film he’s cast as the country’s answer to Bob Dylan. I’m not sure that I, let alone Lightfoot himself, would agree. They’re innately very different artists. Besides, Lightfoot’s music and career speaks for itself. He’s sold millions of records in the U.S and Canada and his songs have been covered by everyone from Johnny Cash to Barbara Streisand to Elvis Presley.

Now 81 years old (80 when it was filmed), If You Could Read My Mind finds Lightfoot looking back on his career with pride, gratitude and regret. It’s fascinating to see how the good looking, brawny, curly haired ’70s celebrity has transformed into a sinewy, straight haired but still pretty good looking old man. “I’ll never write another song like that as long as I live,” he says while watching an old performance of him singing the song “(That’s What You Get) For Lovin’ Me,” a hit in Waylon Jennings in 1966. He’s ashamed of the sentiment, the broken hearts and broken marriages that inspired it. After another few bars, he says with a chuckle, “OK, I hate this fucking song so let’s move on.”

If You Could Read My Mind jumps around in time, while focusing on Lightfoot’s biggest hits and career highlights. It starts with him cruising his old stomping grounds in Toronto, professing his admiration for the city’s current favorite son Drake. As a young man, he worked a straight bank job before quitting to sing in the chorus of a Canadian country music variety show. Early on, he knew his songwriter was the key to his success. He rejected an early recording contract as part of a duo with singer Terry Whalen where he’d have to split songwriting royalties. “Terry didn’t write any songs so I didn’t wait to have to give Terry 50% of every song that I wrote for the rest of my career,” he says. Good idea.

Lightfoot began playing folk clubs and coffee houses in Toronto’s Yorkville area, hobnobbing with Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens. Other artists were inspired by his songwriting, which “screamed Canada,” according to The Guess Who’s Burton Cummings. Lightfoot says he initially patterned himself on Dylan, trying to merge folk, country and pop with poetic lyrics. The admiration went both ways, with Dylan calling Lightfoot one of his favorite songwriters. The two would later become friends.

Halfway through, we hear about Lightfoot’s early life in a small town in Ontario. Not happy to just play music, he wanted to learn to read and write and compose, later studying music in Hollywood. Seeking new inspiration, he explored alternate guitar tunings and put songs together piece by piece, “First the chord progression, then the melody and then the words.” His fellow musicians and backing band speak with admiration about his abilities as a musician, one who writes his own sheet music and is a perfectionist in the recording studio.

Though Lightfoot’s personal life seems tame by Ozzy Osbourne standards, he speaks plainly about affairs and drinking problems which alternately inspired and derailed him. As his days in the Top 10 became a thing of the past, Lightfoot found solace in the bottle but gave it up in the early ’80s at the urging of his record company. He got fit and slimmed down, becoming an avid canoeist in the Canadian wilderness where he found new inspiration. In 1986, Dylan inducted him into the Candaian Music Hall of Fame.
The film ends with footage of Lightfoot performing live, his voice weaker than in its prime yet still able to muster the same nuance and melody. Like one of his perfectly crafted folk-pop songs, If You Could Read My Mind is enjoyable and interesting, even if it lacks the drama of a more troubled or complicated artist. After this past year, however, I’ve had all the drama I can stand.

Benjamin H. Smith is a New York based writer, producer and musician. Follow him on Twitter:@BHSmithNYC.

paskatefan

09-19-2020, 06:20 AM

^ Thanks for the latest article link, Char. We received our copy of the DVD this week, & watched it last night. Wow, it is terrific!

Gail

imported_Next_Saturday

09-22-2020, 05:11 PM

Very happy it is now free on Amazon Prime Video.

charlene

09-22-2020, 05:31 PM

https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/gordon-lightfoot-if-you-could-read-my-mind-directors/?fbclid=IwAR06laxgC8thzpYtTn5ZpovxZ3vLOhMksa71T1ta cjM9XyhL19Lv6NnWAT0

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind Directors Talk Epic and Intimate Musical Moments
Gordon Lightfoot is a national treasure in Canada and Directors Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni dig past the archives.
By Tony Sokol
|
July 16, 2020

The documentary Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, directed by Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni, is an intimate look at a prolific singer-songwriter who enriches and is enriched by the history of Canada. Most of the world knows Lightfoot as the singer with the recognizable baritone who put out hits like “Sundown,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” and “Early Mornin’ Rain.” But in his native country, he is a national treasure. Before international fame, in 1967, he actually wrote and performed a piece called “The Tale of Canada” for the country’s 100th anniversary. After worldwide renown, he mined contemporary local history with the “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

Lightfoot caught the performance bug early. He was five when he debuted his rendition of “I’m A Little Teapot” at St. Paul’s United Church Sunday School in Orillia. He would go on to study composition, do time as a singing drummer in jazz orchestras, Canadian Broadcast arranger, and session player, even recording with guitar legend Chet Atkins in Nashville in 1962 before moving into folk rock. Working for a time with the same manager as Bob Dylan, the two remained tight friends as they both played Greenwich Village clubs and the folk circuit. Lightfoot performed an acoustic set before Dylan took the stage to play electric for the first time, the documentary reminds us. They are unabashed fans of each other’s works.

Lightfoot rose up the charts with hits like “Carefree Highway,” “For Lovin’ Me,” and “Rainy Day People.” Besides Dylan, his songs were covered by Elvis Presley, Neil Young, Marty Robbins, Glen Campbell, Ann Murray, Harry Belafonte, Johnny Cash, Liza Minnelli and the Replacements. Frank Sinatra, however, passed on recording “If You Could Read My Mind” for being “too long,” according to the documentary. Lightfoot was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012 and dropped his first full-length album in 16 years, Solo, on March 20.

Quite a few musicians and music enthusiasts are enthusiastic about Gordon Lightfoot, and the documentary lets artists like Sarah McLachlan, Geddy Lee and Gordon Alex Lifeson of Rush, and The Guess Who’s Randy Bachman explain what they learned coming up, and Ronnie Hawkins talks about the fun of it. Alec Baldwin talks to the fan side, comparing Lightfoot to more poetic singer-songwriters like Cat Stevens.

Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni, who co-directed Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, spoke with Den of Geek about the epic songs and even more epic parties thrown by Canada’s favorite singer-songwriter.

Den of Geek: Is it federally mandated in Canada to be a Gordon Lightfoot fan?

Martha Kehoe: Gord is in a very singular position, and I think Murray McLachlan kind of points it out in the film when he says, “People were looking around going, ‘Where’s our music, and where’s the Canadians’ stuff?'” And then all of a sudden there it was. So it’s more just a situation that Gord was a very significant artist in Canada, and people were just fans of him from the get-go. He came along at a certain time and place, where Canadians were looking for something, and he just had the talent, and he had the charisma, and people just liked him. We were excited that there was someone that good from Canada.

Joan Tosoni: And also, he was very prolific. I mean, he was a hit-churning machine there for quite a few years.

Kehoe: Popping out records. He was very, very popular in Canada from the time of his first record, but Gord was never pleased with how those United Artists records performed, so that’s why his deal with Warner was such a big deal, and that’s when he started having the international hits. He felt like the United Artists label didn’t quite know how to promote him. He did a lot of soundtracks in those days.

Do most Canadians know Gordon Lightfoot the way Americans know, say, Bob Dylan?

Kehoe: It’s a very different relationship though. I think Bob Dylan inspires some awe. Gord inspires awe but if you see Gord downtown, people smile at him, people say, “Hey, Gord.” They feel a little closer to him, I would say, than people feel to Bob Dylan. Bob’s always been an enigma, and Gord, while being intensely private and so forth, has approachability for Canadians. Canadians feel like we know him a bit. I feel like Americans don’t feel as comfortable with Bob Dylan as Canadians would feel with Gord.

Tosoni: I agree. And Bob Dylan has maintained a kind of, how do I describe it? He’s deliberately maintained that distance.

Kehoe: He probably had to. The other thing is that Canadians, historically anyway, have been a little less intense than Americans. So even if you are a huge fan of somebody as a Canadian, you might not say hi to them if you saw them in a restaurant. I think everybody feels like Gord could be a friend of theirs, whereas you don’t necessarily feel that with Bob Dylan.

How did you approach Gordon Lightfoot about being in the documentary?

Tosoni: Well, we had been talking about it for years, but Gord felt he wasn’t ready. It was too soon for him. So when he was about 75, he said, “Okay, now it’s time. Let’s do it.” We did a preliminary shoot to make a promotion reel for funding, but it did take us five years to get the complete funding to do the film. So it was always in discussion, and we only went ahead when Gord felt he was ready.

So it wouldn’t have been made without his input?

Kehoe: Well, we didn’t even think of that. His input was a big part of it. We’ve done things about his career before, but we sought to make this a feature film. Gord’s had a lot of profiles done on him. He’s done tons of promotion, but he’d never done anything that felt like you’d really feel like you’d spent time with him. We wanted to do something that was intimate and really authentic to Gord somehow.

Tosoni: Gord has done so many interviews. But I think at this stage, he committed himself to maybe revealing more than he did in the standard interviews. He recognized the importance of a documentary that was going to be more in-depth and maybe have to reveal more of himself than he had before.

Kehoe: Although, honestly, when he first saw the film, his attitude… What did he say, Joanie? Was it jaw-boning?

Tosoni: Oh, yeah. “A little too much jaw-boning and not enough music.”

Kehoe: That was his thumbnail take on his first watching of the film.

Tosoni: We asked him when we had completed the film and before anyone had seen it, if he wanted to see it, because we were opening at the Hot Doc Film Festival in Toronto. And there was going to be a big audience of some VIPs, people in the film, et cetera. And we asked him if he wanted to see it. He said, “Nope. I’ll see it with everybody else.”

Since that time, he’s seen it with a few audiences, and he told me, “I really like the film now.” But if it had been up to him, it would have been all music and no talk.

Did the Second City skit “Gordon Lightfoot Sings Every Song Ever Written” come up in conversation?

Kehoe: We actually didn’t talk about that, but he would know all those SCTV guys, and he would’ve found that hilarious. He doesn’t mind being lampooned, especially now. I think he’s a lot less sensitive than he used to be when he was a younger man. He talks about that in the film, that as a Canadian, he always felt like he was a little bit awkward, that he had a little bit of hay in his hair compared to some of the slicker people he used to meet in the music industry. But he’s got a good sense of humor about himself.

Tosoni: Burton Cummings does a thing when he’s onstage: “Lightfoot singing “Maggie May” and Gord laughs at it. He’s okay with it.

While I was waiting for you to call, I was watching a video of Joni Mitchell jamming with Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn at Gordon Lightfoot’s house. So I want to ask about his reputation as a terrific rock and roll party host.

Kehoe: Yeah. He had that big house in Rosedale for a long time, and it was sort of an unofficial headquarters for a group of people that hung out in Toronto. I say Gordon Lightfoot is kind of our Zelig or Forrest Gump. He’s met everyone. He’s been a part of every single scene in Canada. There’s never been a party in Canada that Gordon Lightfoot couldn’t get into, and that’s now and then. And he hosted a lot of them too.

He always had sort of an open door policy. Steve Earle told us a story about when he was in Toronto, and he’d been a fan of Gord’s. And they said, “Okay. Well, let us make a call.” And somebody just drove him to Gord’s door and let him off and said, “We’ll come and pick you up in a couple hours.” And Steve was like, “Oh, my God, what do I do now?” But they went in and played guitar for a couple hours.

Tosoni: And now whenever Steve plays in town, Gord goes and sits in the audience, this many years later.

Kehoe: Gord told us a little bit about Bob Dylan, because as we make the point in the film, Gord has been a lifelong fan of Bob Dylan and still rhapsodizes about his talent as a songwriter. Gordon’s tight with Ronnie Hawkins. So when Dylan used to come up to Toronto to rehearse with the band, Gord would’ve been in on that scene. He was on the New York scene with his manager there. He knew Joni Mitchell before she’d even had a hit song. He knew a lot of musicians, and he was a partier, and he loved to host parties. So yes, he was, and he used to have a lot of parties at the Continental Hyatt House as well in L.A.

part 2 next post.

charlene

09-22-2020, 05:31 PM

part 2
Dylan is also famously a fan of Gordon’s, so were you surprised that such diverse musicians from Anne Murray to Rush would sing Gordon’s praises?

Tosoni: No, it wasn’t a surprise. We were aware. And in fact, one of our disappointments making the film was that we were shooting mostly in the summer. Once we got the go-ahead in May, we had to start getting interviews, and there were several people who were willing, Joan Baez being a major one. We would’ve loved to have had Joan Baez in the film, but she just was on a huge tour, and we just couldn’t get a date where she was available to do an interview. And so, we do know that he has a lot of other performers, with diverse backgrounds, that admire him.

Kehoe: And also, I do feel for that generation of musicians, like the guys from Rush. As they say in the film, he was the first Canadian that got an international following and stayed in Canada. There’d been a few people before who had gone to the States and just disappeared into the United States entertainment world. Gord was the first one that stayed at home. So everybody like Rush and Anne Murray, they used him as an example like, “Hey, this guy has hits on the radio. He makes a lot of money touring, but he still lives in Toronto. You don’t have to go to the States to be successful as a musician.” So that’s another area where he really was kind of a role model for a lot of subsequent Canadian artists.

How did Alec Baldwin, who’s neither Canadian nor a musician, get involved?

Kehoe: We were looking for people that spoke to different aspects. And Alec had Gord on his podcast, and you could just tell from the podcast that he was a real fan. We reached out to a number of people, and Alec played a nice role for us. First of all, he’s a big star, so that’s helpful for your film, but he also is a very articulate music fan and knows a little about the industry. So he was able to speak about Gord as a fan, as someone who wasn’t Canadian, who didn’t have that historical pull. He didn’t grow up listening to his music. He was a fan because the songs that were coming on the radio, and we thought he did a rather nice job of articulating those points.
We decided early on we didn’t want to have a really didactic documentary, where we would have a narrator and it would be sort of all that. We wanted it to be very much a conversation, maintain an intimacy. Alec was able to put together a few different things we thought were important that we wanted to show the depth and the breadth of Gord’s fans.

Tosoni: And interestingly too, he said yes immediately. We contacted his people, and we got a positive response right away. It was a really great experience doing that interview with himGordon Lightfoot just released his first new album in 15 years. Did the documentary push him into this or did you happen to catch it at the right time?

Tosoni: In the early 2000s, he had an aneurysm that nearly killed him, and he had just before that written songs. He claims that he forgot about them, and he discovered them in his archives. In his home, he discovered this treasure trove of songs that he’d forgotten about. So he thought, “I’m going to put them out, because they never got put out.” And then he was going to add orchestration to them and a band and everything like that. And he decided it was better just solo, so he brought out this new solo album of songs that he wrote 20-ish years ago.

You both had experience in live television, how is that similar to filming the concert experience?

Kehoe: We did very minimal filming. Joan had already directed a live concert in Massey with him around 2011. We had that, and we felt like that [2018] concert at Massey Hall was kind of special, because Gord played multiple dates in Massey Hall, every year for many years. So fans go to see him and there’s a very unique kind of mood that’s quite noticeable. It’s a give-and-take between the audience and Gord. People go there with their children, so the kids have the experience. It’s just a very special thing to be a part of. And Massey Hall is very closely associated with Gord. It was closing for renovations, and they had asked Gord to finish it out.
It’s sort of his second home, and we wanted to cover the experience of him being backstage and the vibe around him being at Massey Hall, so that’s how that was decided. But we didn’t do it with multi-camera and stuff like that, like we would do if we were doing a TV show. We were shooting single camera just to get a few important moments.

Tosoni: Yes, but many of the clips that you see in the film I directed or they were from programs that we had done in the past.

Did anything come out during the filming? Any of the topics surprise you? I was surprised by the Cathy Smith story, the John Belushi connection.

Kehoe: Well, we knew about that, because that was rather famous, and a rather infamous scandal. Again, when anything like that happens from somebody from Toronto, everyone knows about it. So we knew about that, and we’d been interested a long time in his relationship with Cathy Evelyn Smith. And so, we kind of knew that, and we knew it was something people might have forgotten. You wanted to have some exciting “Wow” moments in the film, so that certainly provided one. We found that little clip of her being interviewed, and that was quite an interesting clip, we thought.

I even saw a picture of him with Willie Nelson. Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan made a lot of duets. Why do you think Gordon wasn’t a celebrity collaborator?

Kehoe: I think Gord is just really a private type of guy, and he is quite a perfectionist, and then I think it makes him a little bit nervous performing with other people of a certain magnitude. I think that he likes to control his own sound a lot, and I think he would play with anybody informally and off-camera, anyone, because we know he does, and he has. But on-camera, he likes to be really in control of his own sound and his own performance. I don’t know, that’s just a guess.

Tosoni: Yeah, I agree, and not only on-camera, but in the studio. I think that it was indicated in the film, he was very controlling in the studio. He had control. He’s in charge. And as soon as you’re collaborating with somebody, you lose that control, and maybe he wasn’t comfortable with that.

Kehoe: That’s full-on speculation.

Lightfoot worked with the same musicians for years. You said he was sort of controlling, but do they function as a band? Do they input into arrangements, or were they just backing musicians?

Kehoe: I think they do have input into arrangements. I think it’s a little bit of a combination. A lot of artists use studio musicians and then put a band together to tour. Whereas Gord played with those guys for many years. He’s been with Rick for 50 years, and I feel like there is just a very known quantity. But when they talked about “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” they would’ve had some idea of what they were doing. But they all played along, and they used the first take as the song.

Tosoni: Gord also does arrangements, but I think he is open to input from his band, and particularly those he’s been with the longest. For example, he had Pee Wee Charles in his band for a few years, and I think Pee Wee had a certain freedom in the arrangements because of the instrument and because it was something new. I don’t know if that’s really true, but I think he’s collaborative. But again, Gord has a lot of control and hears everything in his mind, and he’s also a music writer, because he can write the score.

What does “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” mean to the people around Lake Superior? It only happened a year before he wrote it. Is it still legend?

Tosoni: He plays it at every concert. It’s certainly a favorite. And also, he came to know the families of the men who were lost in that shipwreck. He carried very much about them and even changed a lyric, one lyric about what caused the sinking was somebody left the hatch open. They found that wasn’t true, and he changed the lyrics so that wasn’t indicated, because he came to know those people. They would come to the concerts.

Kehoe: And he would go to memorials there too, so he’s been very much in touch with all the survivors of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and it’s very much on his mind now. It was one of the only things he spoke to us about, caring how things were represented in the film. He gave us total carte blanche in the film, but he wanted to make sure that the Edmund Fitzgerald details were as he knew them to be.

part 3 next post

charlene

09-22-2020, 05:31 PM

He also was a boater on the Great Lakes. Did the wreck change how he approached the lake?

Kehoe: I don’t think so, because I think that if you’re a sort of a leisure sailor in Canada, you’re not sailing in November. I think November is freighters-only on the lakes, because of those things. So I think what he had more than anything was a love of the lakes, a love of the islands there, and a love of that whole area. Gord also loved industry in a way that men of his generation really did. I think he’s very interested in all sorts of blue-collar walks of life, of guys that work on ships or miners, or the railroad. He just was fascinated with every aspect of that sort of thing. When he read that story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, I think Gordon’s a guy who sees poetry in things, and he sees epic-ness in the everyday. I think that he really felt that that was such a tragedy. As he says in the movie, if they’d made another 15 kilometers, they probably would’ve been safe. And I really think that he felt it was a tragedy that it deserved more notice. He wanted to write an epic poem for this tragedy and for these sailors.

Which documentary filmmakers influenced you?

Kehoe: When I was at film school, I met the Maisel Brothers. They came and talked. And obviously, the films that they made Grey Gardens and Give Me Shelter, that’s kind of ground zero. I’ve always said that one of my favorite films of all time is Nanook of the North, which was not really a documentary, but it had certain documentary elements. Ken Burns, there’s so many great documentary makers now.
Canada has also had a long history of documentary. And the CBC, which is the national broadcaster who was our broadcaster partner on this, has a real history of documentary, so that’s something as Canadians that we just grew up with. We used to watch docs when we were kids. I’d be remiss if I didn’t say the guy who is one of our executive producers. John Brunton, who owns Insight Productions, made a film for TV in 1980 about Canadian music, and that really influenced me.

Tosoni: And me too. We didn’t really even know each other at the time, Martha and I, but we both had a bit of the same experience of seeing that program. It was a series called Heart of Gold, based on the Neil Young song, but it was on the history of rock music in Canada, basically, pop and rock. And he had a hard time. People laughed at him when he said he wanted to make this film. And when we saw it on TV, I was calling my friends and saying, “You’ve got to watch this thing. If you miss part one, there’s two more parts. Watch it.”

As fate would have it, we did the second. It’s now a trilogy. Martha and I made Country Gold together, which was a three-hour series. And then Martha made Comedy Gold, which was on Canadian comedy.

He’s been covered by many artists. What are his favorite covers of his, and what are yours covers of his songs?

Kehoe: Sarah McLachlan covered “Song for a Winter’s Night,” and that’s really lovely. While I was researching this, I heard the Harry Belafonte version of that, and that was quite nice as well. Tony Rice is a bluegrass player, and he did a whole album of Gordon covers. And honestly, they’re all quite fantastic. Glen Campbell’s done some good ones. Anne Murray, her version of “Cotton Jenny” was kind of a hit in Canada. Obviously, Neil Young’s version of “Early Morning Rain.”

Tosoni: And we can’t forget Alison Krauss’ version of “Shadows.” And also the Tragically Hip version of “Black Day in July,” which is in the film because Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip are very, very beloved in Canada. Downie died a year or two ago, and when we were making the film actually. We used one that I loved in the film and that’s the Diana Krall and Sarah McLachlan cover of “If You Could Read My Mind.” I think it’s really beautiful. Gord says he’s never heard a cover he didn’t like.

It’s a shame Sinatra tossed “If You Could Read My Mind.”

Kehoe: Well, apparently, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” hit the ground that night, same session, as well. So he was in good company of songs that were rejected out of hand.

imported_Ordinary_Man

09-22-2020, 07:32 PM

"Before international fame, in 1967, he actually wrote and performed a piece called “The Tale of Canada” for the country’s 100th anniversary."

I assume, perhaps wrongly, that "The Tale of Canada" is the Canadian Railroad Trilogy. Or is there another anthem that I have neither heard nor can find?

If it IS the Trilogy, was it renamed, or did the writer either get it wrong, or just use some poetic license? Anyone know?

charlene

09-28-2020, 07:55 PM

https://www.thejudge.movie/2020/09/28/gordon-lightfoot-4-0-gavels-88-rotten-tomatoes/

Gordon Lightfoot – 4.0 Gavels 88% Rotten Tomatoes

Which is your favorite disaster song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot or The New York Mining Disaster 1941 by The Bee Gees? The full name of the film is Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind. Now a very sprightly 81-years old, Lightfoot spans the decades, his songs recorded by Johnny Cash, Peter, Paul and Mary, Barbra Streisand, Glen Campbell, Sara McLachlan and The Grateful Dead. And unlike I Am Woman, the too-cutesy biopic of Helen Reddy, this film gives you the blood, sweat, and tears of the Canadian icon.

Writing over 200 songs, the Gordon Lightfoot documentary doesn’t skimp on the music. Do you remember Early Morning Rain, Rainy Day People, or Sundown. His “mercurial relationship” with Cathy Smith leads to the “spaghetti western feel” of Sundown. Was she stepping out on him? Maybe you will be interested in the mutual admiration society between Lightfoot and Bob Dylan. Said to help define the folk-pop sound of the 60’s and 70’s, I give Gordon Lightfoot 4.0 Gavels and it receives an 88% Rotten Tomatoes rating with a 7.7/10 IMDb score.

Plot

Lightfoot grew up in the small town of Orillia, Ontario. As with many musical talents, his journey to stardom begins singing “boy soprano” in St. Paul’s Church. Later, in a barbershop quartet and a local dance band, Gordon announces to his surprised, but supportive, parents that he will attend Westlake College of Music in Los Angeles. After 18 months working in a bank, and on the verge of a promotion, he quits to join Country Hoedown. His boss asks “you are quitting to become a square dancer?” Shortly thereafter, Gordon recognizes that he must buckle down and write songs.

Actors

No actors here, much of the film reminisces with Gordon Lightfoot on his blessings, his regrets, his successes, and his ability to overcome alcoholism. One gets the standard stock footage of Lightfoot throughout his career and commentary from those who knew him best. He admits to being a bit of a “prima donna.” Anne Murray has a nice anecdote of their first “meeting.”

EXCLUSIVE | Gordon Lightfoot's artistry is complete, say creators Martha Kehoe, Joan Tosoni before docu release | MEAWW
Final Thoughts

Not only is Gordon Lightfoot sometimes described as Canada’s greatest songwriter, he gets the title of their poet laureate. Lightfoot loved to party, but friends say he loved to drink even more. Those closest say he needed it to handle the spotlight. “Elemental and raw and magic” describe his music. It is the depths of his emotions that come through on If You Could Read My Mind, Sundown, and the haunting Edmund Fitzgerald.

“If You Could Read My Mind celebrates how Gordon Lightfoot turned his own wreckage into something sublime,” notes Variety. Or, as Reeling Reviews says, “pretty darn good stuff for a fan like me.”

Not everyone likes documentaries as not everyone likes classic oldies. Still, history will note that Gordon Lightfoot is a legend of the music industry, not only in Canada, but of the world.