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Old 06-02-2013, 08:27 PM   #26
KHester
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Default Re: Video: Lightfoot Interview

I would love to see the entire interview
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Old 06-03-2013, 03:15 PM   #27
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transcript and photo - http://www.ucobserver.org/features/2...don_lightfoot/

VIDEO:
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Old 06-03-2013, 03:17 PM   #28
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Canadian musical icon and former choirboy talks about his beginnings, faith and activism at St. Paul’s United in Orillia, Ont.

By Karen Hilfman Millson

Q What is your first memory of singing in front of people?

A I do remember the night. I remember I had an audience. A couple of my cousins and my uncle were there, as well as others. I was about four years old at the time, and I did indeed stand up on my grandmother’s table and belt out a song. But I don’t think it was Jesus Loves Me, as some have said. It was more risqué than that.

They all sang, all of my family. The four sisters sang as a quartet together: Aunt Lola, Aunt Babe, Aunt Laura and Jessica, my mother. They had some really good renditions. My grandmother Ethel Trill played the piano in the living room, and they sang. It was a wonderful time.

Q In those younger years, many people in Orillia encouraged you. Some of that encouragement came from here at St. Paul’s United. Can you share some of those memories?

A By the time I reached Grade 7, Ray Williams, the choir director here at St. Paul’s, already had me involved in singing in competition. I got all of my basic training right here, right where I’m sitting tonight. I stood in this very spot and sang at so many weddings. Every Christmas, I would stand up and do a Christmas tune, and at Easter I would do the same. Songs like (sings), “I come to the garden alone, While the dew fell on the roses.” Up a couple of octaves.

Q You were still fairly young when you began to write songs that have touched the hearts of people around the world. One of the early ones is the Canadian Railroad Trilogy, written for Canada’s centennial year. How did that come about? A I went down to the CBC to Bob Jarvis’s office, and he said, “Gord, I want you to write a song for a special TV show that we’re going to do on New Year’s Day, 1967. I want it to be about the Canadian railroad. Go to the library, right now, and get a book by Sir William Cornelius Van Horne.” I got the book, read the book and wrote the song.

The song was done very quickly. I went back to the CBC, where I had been a week before, walked in and sat down at Bob Jarvis’s desk. I played [the piece] with my 12-string. He said, “Gordon, I’m impressed.”

Coming from Bob Jarvis, that was something. He was one of the really good producers at CBC, an important guy. And so I said, “Fine, when do we start?” He said, “We’re going to do it next week.” They came in with a 15-piece orchestra and we went in and recorded it in two hours, and that’s the track we used on the television show.

Q Of the many songs you’ve written, there are two that you change the lyrics to slightly when you perform them now, and there’s one song you won’t sing anymore. Can you tell us about those?

A I learned a lot of things from the many women I met. One of the things was, don’t write songs that are chauvinistic. And boy, I wrote a couple at the start, like That’s What You Get for Loving Me. Oh my goodness, I’ll never write another song like that. That one taught me a lesson. It really did. Others still sing it, but I won’t anymore.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, that’s one I always treat with respect. There is a ladies’ committee in Madison, Wis., that I’ve stayed in touch with for years and years. [It includes] the captain’s wife and daughter, the daughter of a deckhand, the mother of a 21-year-old boy who was the youngest person in the crew to go down with the boat.

The part in the song about the hatch covers giving way as one of the possibilities [for the shipwreck], well, that was the job of Cheryl’s father and Ruth’s son who were deckhands. They were supposed to be the guys who were looking after the hatch covers. I felt a cringe, I felt something in my soul, because they knew that wasn’t what happened and I had no business assuming what happened.

In concert, I change the line of the song to say, “At 7 p.m. it grew dark, it was then he said, ‘Fellas, it’s been good to know you.’” No more hatch covers.

And then in the song If You Could Read My Mind, I was going through the breakup of my marriage at that time. Years later, my daughter Ingrid came up to me one night and got me to change a line in that song. She said, “Daddy, it’s not ‘the feelings that you lack,’ it’s ‘the feelings that we lack.’” And I said, “You know, you’re right. I can’t do anything about the record, but for the rest of my life I promise you I’ll say, ‘the feelings that we lack.’” Because she was clear that I was pointing at her mom, you see. She finally says, “Wasn’t it a two-way street, Daddy?”

Q You told me once you don’t like to be “preachy” about social justice (an interesting comment to make to a preacher), but you’ve worked with David Suzuki and First Nations people in British Columbia, and with Suzuki and Sting to stop a dam being built in Brazil. What about your kids? Have any of them shown an interest in social justice issues?

A My daughter Meredith is in the Occupy movement. I used to go down [to St. James Park in Toronto] to see how she was doing. When she had been there for about two months, I took her a sleeping bag one day because it was getting colder. The press were all there. The next day, my daughter and I had our picture on the front page of the Globe and Mail.

Q What about the young songwriters of today? Do you see much potential in them?

A The music of the young ones today is well produced. But it all starts with the songwriting. There are some good people out there. One of them is Justin Bieber. I listened to his album long before I knew we would both be invited to sing at the Grey Cup. I can’t find a single person
who appreciates his music unless they are 14 or 15 years old, even though the quality is there. There are some great songs.

We get lots of stuff at the office from new songwriters. I respond to just about everything that comes in, either by e-mail or phone. I like to see people encouraged like I was. It was my mother who planted the seed for me by the time I was eight, when she told me that some of the great singers we listened to all the time actually made money singing. I was that young when I started to think about a career in music.

Q You’ve had a wonderful career, but it hasn’t always been easy. You’ve had some tough times in your life. What kept you going?

A Yes, some tough times. Like the first night I sang Couchiching. It was the Friday night of a concert in Orillia, the night before I ended up in hospital for an extended stay, and I sang that kind-of-ironic last verse, “I’ll do my final number by Lake Couchiching.” That’s exactly what almost happened.

Sometimes I think I’m really, really lucky, no matter what has gone down. I can say one thing: it’s faith in God that keeps me going. I go to church a lot more than I used to. But the faith that I got, I learned right here in this church when I was a kid.

I remember the sermons, I remember the prayers, I remember the vibes. I remember the singing at Christmas and singing at New Year’s. You can’t help it — you have to have faith when you get that kind of groundwork.

This interview has been edited and condensed.
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Old 06-03-2013, 07:55 PM   #29
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Default Re: Lightfoot interview in Orillia @ St.Pauls church-NEW

Fabulous.
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Old 06-03-2013, 09:35 PM   #30
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Fabulous indeed, it's great to hear that his faith keeps him going.
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Old 06-04-2013, 03:45 PM   #31
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This was a great interview. Sounds like Gord has come full circle with his faith and it has been renewed and restored. Super!
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Old 06-04-2013, 09:20 PM   #32
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Default Re: Lightfoot interview in Orillia @ St.Pauls church-NEW

With his songs, I've always known that Gord has had a spiritual side. It's good to see him reaffirming his faith. I've always thought that "The House You Live In" sounded a lot like it could have been taken from Proverbs, after all the song is full of wisdom. "Too Late For Prayin" also has quite an impact.
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Old 06-06-2013, 12:58 AM   #33
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Default Re: Lightfoot interview in Orillia @ St.Pauls church-NEW

This is really great. I have no idea how I missed this the first time around, but thanks, Char, for bringing it up again! What a wonderful interview. I've seen so many, and I love them all, but this is my favorite. He looked like he was as relaxed as if he were sitting in his own living room, chatting with friends. And when he sang the first bit of that beautiful old hymn, which has always been one of my favorites, well, let's just say that "dry eyes" is NOT an ailment I experienced while watching that.

This video totally made my day.

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Old 06-07-2013, 03:05 AM   #34
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Default Re: Lightfoot interview in Orillia @ St.Pauls church-NEW

thank you. what an awesome man, with an incredible story and a mesmorizing voice.
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Old 06-07-2013, 03:19 PM   #35
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Default Re: Lightfoot interview in Orillia @ St.Pauls church-NEW

Fabulous interview.
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Old 10-16-2013, 03:21 PM   #36
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Old 10-16-2013, 03:37 PM   #37
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Default Re: Gord sings with church choir this Sunday

Looks like he got his hair cut.
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Old 10-16-2013, 04:33 PM   #38
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6 years ago.....yeah, maybe that was the last time
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Old 10-16-2013, 04:55 PM   #39
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Originally Posted by jj View Post
LOL ! Love it!
The original Church of Gord and the hymns we know and love..

Hymns by G.Lightfoot..lolol...
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Old 10-17-2013, 06:29 AM   #40
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A song composed from the heart can be as meaningful as any established hymn.
If you believe that God inspires our words and uses us as channels of communication, then Gordon Lightfoot's words can be interpreted as modern hymns. I often send friends the line ' I wish you good spaces in the faraway places you go ' when they're off on holiday. Holiday comes from Holy Day, after all...
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Old 10-17-2013, 03:07 PM   #41
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Default Re: Gord sings with church choir this Sunday-June 17-2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug View Post
Looks like he got his hair cut.
It sure fooled me too Doug!
the problem was that, Char obviously having rediscovered a heap of great photos that she had not previously attached naturally resurrected this seven year old thread but then omitted to mention the fact .
Doug and I then both thought it must be a new thread and failed to see that the Sunday in question was way back in 2007. This was not helped by the fact that when opening the reply window the title bar omitted the date as this screenshot demonstrates



Personally I think that Gord should please himself on whether he wants to waste his time and money at the barbers.
My theory is that Gord has taken note that Willie Nelson ,five years his senior is stll going strong although Gord has a way to go in hair length yet!






The keen sighted erudite and cleverclogs Mr Jones was not however so easily taken in!!
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Old 02-21-2014, 01:21 AM   #42
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Default Re: Lightfoot interview in Orillia @ St.Pauls church-NEW

This whole page and posting is just beautiful. I never realized that about The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald. What a man he is to step up and respect the feelings of others and either change a lyric or not sing the song any longer. A man or woman who lives by their principles is always a friend of mine. But I am wondering exactly when he decided not to use "the hatch cover" lyrics for on the "All Live" he was still using it. And I can't recall the last few times I've seen him sing it although I've sang along during the song. But in all fairness to Gordon, he wrote "the hatch ways caved in". He never said that the water came in through open hatch covers. If the "hatch ways or covers did cave in under the weight of water, maybe three waves, wouldn't the blame be on the ship builders and not members of the crew? God bless all who passed that day. And thank you Gordon for bringing their story to us so we'll always remember them.

Last edited by dray7austin; 02-21-2014 at 02:24 AM.
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Old 02-21-2014, 09:37 AM   #43
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Default Re: Lightfoot interview in Orillia @ St.Pauls church-NEW

Quote:
Originally Posted by dray7austin View Post
This whole page and posting is just beautiful. I never realized that about The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald. What a man he is to step up and respect the feelings of others and either change a lyric or not sing the song any longer. A man or woman who lives by their principles is always a friend of mine. But I am wondering exactly when he decided not to use "the hatch cover" lyrics for on the "All Live" he was still using it. And I can't recall the last few times I've seen him sing it although I've sang along during the song. But in all fairness to Gordon, he wrote "the hatch ways caved in". He never said that the water came in through open hatch covers. If the "hatch ways or covers did cave in under the weight of water, maybe three waves, wouldn't the blame be on the ship builders and not members of the crew? God bless all who passed that day. And thank you Gordon for bringing their story to us so we'll always remember them.

I think we mostly agreed that immortalizing the hatch cover lyric on the All Live was a huge contradiction. I wonder if management or Gord wrote apologies after that business decision.

Sure the recordings were made before the change to lyrics were made but why not slip in an easy vocal edit or make a little effort to record recent bit in entirety or edit the few seconds. Maybe they tried. After what Doidge pulled off in producing the Harmony tracks, this wouldn't seem a big deal.


I'm sure the family(s) know Gords done lots for them and are not too hung up on it. Well I'm not sure but imagine so. Likely informed them before the cd release. That would be good damage control and imagine he and class act management would be on top of it. Good ask...
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Old 02-21-2014, 09:57 AM   #44
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This summer when we performed the Wreck in Orillia, Karen confronted us about singing the old lyrics. She was very on the ball! We said "oops"

I said the new lyric didn't make sense. In November it grows dark at 5pm but poetic license and I think the phrasing works well in seamlessly replacing the old.

The Wreck has the hatch lyrics immortalized on
summertime Dream album
Gords gold 2
Songbook
Reno live DVD
Soundstage
Much more music live

The All Live was a good chance to rectify

Let's look forward to done future comp that hopefully includes rarities or new songs. I've heard there are no more rarities in existence and that he doesn't write. But lately I've also read otherwise
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Old 02-21-2014, 12:13 PM   #45
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Default Re: Lightfoot interview in Orillia @ St.Pauls church-NEW

I may have missed something in my question. Not being a seafaring person like my Grandfathers, I would think the original lyrics of "the hatchways caved in" whether it happened like that or not, would not be an insult upon any of the family members or upon the memories of their loved ones who lost their lives. It's nice that Gordon is the type of person to not wish to hurt others whether it be TWOTEF or even IYCRMM. But in all honesty, and this is my own opinion, I think the original lyrics about the hatch covers need not be changed. The lyric never mentions any person aboard the Edmund not doing their job. To me the lyric itself speaks about the power of water and how such a large ship could end up as twisted or broken metal on the bottom of the ocean. I never imagined one person or even two were to blame. It would be the same as blaming the folks who are in charge of fire extinguishers after a building burns down after a massive fire. I can only blame the forces of nature of what happened out on that lake. I'm for leaving the lyric as is. That's myself personally of course. I don't ever want to see anyone hurt over Gordon's lyrics. And neither does he obviously. But I just don't see why anyone would be. But like I said, not being myself a seafaring person, I may not have the full understanding of the lyric. I hope for song to remain the same.

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Old 02-21-2014, 12:51 PM   #46
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i dont know how many hatchmen there are/were typically, but the mother of the young one had said she sleeps better now (since the revelation from investigations, and the lyrics change) ... i think Gord would do something liek this even if it simply effected one life and the legacy of another )

there are prior threads that go into it all very thoroughly... i'm not sure what the best bootleg recording with the new lyrics is...but char likely captured it
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Old 02-22-2014, 06:01 AM   #47
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I'm glad Gord didn't overdub the "All Live" lyrics, because it would have compromised the integrity of all its songs being exactly as they were performed at those concerts. However, in view of his commitment to publicise the recent findings (and to perform the resulting new lyrics since then), I was surprised the album cover etc didn't include a footnote mentioning it.
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Old 02-22-2014, 10:20 AM   #48
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What an awesome interview! Thanks!
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Old 02-22-2014, 02:22 PM   #49
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave, Melbourne,Australia View Post
I'm glad Gord didn't overdub the "All Live" lyrics, because it would have compromised the integrity of all its songs being exactly as they were performed at those concerts. However, in view of his commitment to publicise the recent findings (and to perform the resulting new lyrics since then), I was surprised the album cover etc didn't include a footnote mentioning it.
ok, i'm giving this comment a Facebook-ish LIKE
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Old 07-15-2014, 04:34 PM   #50
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other pics ; 2005 with Rick and Terry AND 2007...
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