[charlene]

GL-we did two in Quebec..I came out and gave them my comment t’allez vous?
CW-your Ontario learned French! When you were in school was French taught?
GL-yes it was, in high school.
CW-when I was in school it was taught in the lower grades. That’s about all I can say in French -comment t’allez vous?
GL-I never got a chance to use it very much. We do play in Quebec, particularly in Quebec City, but most of the people are Anglophones anyway that come to see us.We get quite a few francophiles as well. We’re very happy to be there. I’ve seen Robert Charleboise show here in town and he doesn’t do anything in English and it’s a great show. It’s like you get out there and do a great show, great musically and that and even if you don’t speak the language you’re not going to get any complaints, I’ve never had any anyway. We just do the whole show in English. It would be nice if I could do it like Leonard Cohen and the girl who sings in two languages too…Celine Dion…They perform in both languages, I’d like to be able to do that.
CW-you had one song in French years ago.
GL-I did but it had political overtones. I played it for a year or so
CW-well it’s still pretty relevant now. So you’re just planning on heading out and doing the tours till you just don’t want to do it anymore? Is that the plan?
GL-yes and in the in-between times we look after our duties at home. We’ve all got families and we’ve all got normal family lives. All of these things are tended to at the same time as the music and they’re two separate entities. But we don’t overdo it on the music. We just play a certain number each and every year. They’re tightly packed and well spaced.
CW-I know, it’s staggering when I look at how many concerts you do in a certain number of nights and how far you travel.
GL-it’s all within travelling distance of one another. The crew has the bus and the truck carries the equipment and the band uses the aircraft.
CW-you mentioned that you drove from a certain point coming back from the east coast.
GL-from Quebec City, it made perfect sense. And I wanted to see the countryside.
CW-that’s nice. It’s one thing to fly quickly to wherever you need to get to but you really don’t see much of the country at surface level.
GL-we rented some cars there and kept them right through to London. The aircraft left and flew back to Toronto. I didn’t want to keep the pilots on hold. There was a couple of down days in there also. I don’t like the aircraft sittin around. It was all driveable so we just decided to do it that way and it’s a good time of the year. It’s a beautiful trip from Quebec City to Montreal.
CW-I’d like to see you in Ottawa one time at the Centre there.
GL-we had a couple of nights in there , it was a good engagement.
CW-you opened that facility.
GL-yes in 1967.
CW-you also opened Roy Thompson Hall during the inaugural week.
GL-Anne Murray and I each performed.
CW-I was there that night.
GL-it’s an amazing world.
CW-it’s an amazing history that you have. Wayne’s website is so comprehensive with details of your life and details of everything but you need to write a book about it.
GL-we’ll keep it rollin’.
CW-did you catch the “Crazy Heart” movie with Jeff Bridges?
GL- yes I did.
CW-what did you think of it?
GL-I loved the acting in it.
CW-I don’t know if it was just his look but I saw a lot of Kristofferson in the character.I understand that Kris came and saw you in California at a show a couple of years ago.
GL-last year. I went up to see him at Casino Rama when he was there around the same time as the Havelock Festival.
CW-I missed that because I was away on vacation.
GL-it was viable for him to do it and he had his wife with him, Lisa and they said they would come and see us in Stockton because I was going to be there about a month later. It’s fairly close to where they live, well not fairly close..it’s a four hour drive. They drove up from Malibu up to Stockton. They drove up, I know Kris from the old days, we met years ago, I’ve followed his career and he’s followed mine; he’s influenced me and influenced him and we’ve talked about that. He’s a shy type so he got into movies. (laughing)
CW-I first saw him at Massey in 1973. You were there that night too.
GL-that’s right. And the lady he was married to at that time.
CW-yes, Rita Coolidge. She was there that night. She’s still performing too.
GL-she lives in Asia now.
CW-what would draw her over there?
GL-she’s got work over there. It’s interesting. Two of the kids are with her, all grown up.
CW-how many grandchildren do you have Gordon?
GL-four.
CW-there’ll be more grandchildren when Miles and Meredith head out.
GL-I just take them as they come and love them.
CW-I wanted to ask you about a song. I call it “On The TV” because that’s how I first heard it.
GL-it’s called “On The High Seas”
CW-when you sang it on a tv special you sang ‘on the tv’ was that just a spur of the moment thing or was that the original lyric?
GL-well I was kinda undecided about the lyric.
CW-I like “on the tv’ myself.
GL-I think what I’ll probably do is use that.
CW-I’d prefer that myself!
CW-do you get a lot of CD’s sent to you from other artists?
GL-yes, yes I do.
CW-they’re asking for your opinion?
GL-yes they are.
CW-they want you to cover one of their tunes?
GL-and get them a record deal..(laughing)
CW-I guess because you have a production company.
GL-we produce alright!
CW-do you offer criticisms or helpful hints?
GL-sometimes I will respond.
CW-I know Jason Fowler has mentioned a few times that he’s given you his CD’s and you have responded.
GL-I listen to his stuff. He’s a good little guitar player. There’s a good crop of people out there.
CW-Hugh’s room really does promote and feature some amazing talent.
CW-so what do you have planned for the summer, just hang around the house and entertain the kids? You don’t head north?
GL-well I still go to the gym every day and I’m in the office four days a week. No I don’t head north.
CW-you don’t rent a cottage anywhere?
GL-no I stay right here in town and keep looking after business. I love the city in the summer. I go to the gym everyday so I have to go downtown to do that. I come into the office all summer , we’re getting geared up for the fall tour. Things will be planned, I stay focused, I stay prepared. I’m always in a state of being prepared for the next grouping of shows. You can’t just cancel it out of your head. It can’t be far from your thoughts and you’ve got to stay focused on it while looking after the family and business issues at the same time so it’s a bit of a juggling routine. That’s why we have regular rehearsals with just the three of us, Rick and Terry and I on Friday afternoons..
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