This Saturday night in Toronto at The AIR CANADA CENTRE. Like Bob Cole would say it's gone a be a dandy...


My prediction, The Habs 3 The Leafs 2...

Well I've been gone for a couple of days, and look at all these new posts! I haven't read all of them yet, but I've been wanting to relay something to Char.

Char, I am so thankful for your obviously thinking back to some of our discussions when coming up with what questions to ask Gordon. A couple of them that spring to mind, are who the song Inspiration Lady was written about, the subject of a Gordon Lightfoot postage stamp, the possibility of his performing in England and Australia, the state of his health/hand/picking and the status of his writing. Having been involved in many of these discussions, I almost feel like I had a small role in the interview, and I wanted to again thank you so much for bridging the distance between myself and someone I admire so much who is seemlingly untouchable and who has influenced my life in so many ways with his music.

I had many more questions!
When he asked if I wanted to do the interview in one of the phone calls, I remember telling him that the message board was full of fans asking all kinds of questions about songs, his life, his health etc. and the folks would be thrilled to hear some new questions/answers from him.

Some of our conversation sort of veered off in unexpected ways at times, as conversations do, but I think we were both quite comfortable with it that way. I wasn't keen on just going down a list of questions and having him rhyme off answers.

Having talked to him a couple of weeks earlier for 30 minutes helped too...it helped me at least! And he was very sweet to say he would help me along!
lolol
Hopefully I'll get another chance to ask more of the questions that pop up here...

Personally,I really don't like exercise. :rolleyes:

I know the benefits of it are good but I just don't have the drive or motivation (not to mention time) to devote to it.

I would say though that I might consider it,if Gordon can do,I guess I certainly could. It's just the thought of exerting myself for what feels like a tediuos thing.

I would like to lose this "Teletubbie" belly I have though. :D Eh-oh!

This talk about the benefits of exercise not only got me feeling lazy, but also wondering.....Does Lightfoot still smoke ?

yes he still smokes...

Char got it from her interview with The Poet
Genius that he is still smoking. Too bad, but a guy with the willpower that he has, giving up booze Labour Day 1982, and has not had a drink
since. He must like smoking, because Im sure he'd be able to kick the habit.

Of course smoking is suppose to be the most difficult thing to get rid of.

Ronnie Hawkins had cancer, and he couldn't stop smoking..

Im glad I dont smoke.

Hawkins cancer by the way simply vanished. Doctors could not understand it!!! :rolleyes:

Thanks Char! Fabulous reading. The most stunning part of the interview for me was the moment Gordon decided to open up about Inspiration Lady. You folks know as well as I do that Gord almost NEVER talks about the meaning of his songs. I don't think he likes to reveal the personal connections, and I think, like many artists, he wants the listener to create their own meanings with the songs. So to have him start with the "scripted" answer, but then drop the real answer (without any pressure being added by Char)...Well, that was captivating, honest, and quite neat to read. I also think that his comments on isolation in songwriting and the effects it had/has on his relationships were fascinating. We love the music he creates, but there is a price to be paid to be that devoted to your craft. Hope that you can get another interview in the future Char.

MM

Hello Sir John,

You never stop amazing me with all the knowledge you have. I love reading all your posts even if I don't always understand some. Not your fault, just my education is not as good as yours. :)

Speaking of barcodes....

I heard this bit of trivia the other night :

'The first item ever scanned was a pack of Juicy Fruit chewing gum'.

Does Lightfoot chew gum ?

I am delighted Rose that you have admitted enjoying some of my screeds
My lengthy and off topic reply I have now deleted and moved to a new topic "technology" on the small talk forum at:-
http://www.corfid.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ul...c&f=2&t=001395
John

[ April 04, 2007, 07:53: Message edited by: johnfowles ]

I have kind of thought that Gord may end his touring at Massey in '08, since he didn't mention this I still have hope he will make it to Colorado.
I hope he calls you again and you can ask all the other questions that we have been dying to know.
I did check out Minority - most definately not my kind of music. Mad Dan looked like even I would have to wear earplugs. :)

[ April 04, 2007, 19:16: Message edited by: brink- ]

well we know where he WON'T be going on tour so it's possible a trip to Colorado might be in the works for 2008...
keep yer fingers crossed.
Massey in May 2008 is a date tho.
Yeah - earplugs are mandatory for MINORITY...
lol

Hi, CHar. Just got back into action after a few days off, and I read your fantastic interview; you got more out of him than some of the hour-long programs done by the "professionals". Great reading.

B'stone--like it or not, it's time to hit the treadmill. Once you hit a certain age (like you, in your 40s, no?), those few extra pounds get tougher and tougher to get rid of. I didn't get it though my head until I was around 47 and was around 50 lbs. overweight, and my BP could have propelled someone to the moon. Now I've dropped about 35 of the extra pounds and my BP's 116/76, working out 3-5 times a week for two hours. It's tedious, but then again dropping dead from a heart attack or being permanently disabled from a stroke isn't much fun either. Exercise is also good if, like my daughter, you suffer from depression--like Gord said, it makes you feel better (something about releasing seratonin into the system). Once you get into the habit, it's not so bad; the most difficult thing is just dragging your a** to the gym in the first place. Give it a try.
Your pal,
DQ

I hope you mean he may end his 2008 tour at Massey, not that he'll end touring (forever) at Massey next year. From the sounds of it the grim reaper is going to have to yank him offstage before he ever stops touring. I expect he'll keep on keepin' on if they have to wheel him onstage at 95. We can all croak (as in sing) along with him.

There was no mention in our conversation of ending his LIVE performances in 2008 - at Massey or elsewhere.

I'm sure his last concert will be at home at Massey tho - as a planned finale or taking retirement as an afterhought when finished at Massey and just making the decision..

Well hopefully he'll feel like touring for a few more years. It would be a nice touch to name his final tour - as many have done in the past. That way we wouldn't be left hanging, wondering, waiting, hoping... sorry. I saw B.B. King recently and he's a lot older than Gord and still sounds great. So hopefully we'll get 10 more tours, eh ?

Bill :)

Wasn't it George Burns who was well into his 90's when he said: I can't die yet, I still have gigs to do?" Ron J. [/QB][/QUOTE]

Yes - from wikipedia:

"...the likelihood that Burns would live to see his 100th birthday became a running gag in his (and plenty of other admiring comedians') stage work, but he indeed intended to live that long, even booking himself to play the London Palladium as a 100th birthday celebration. (This supplied another joke for his act, with Burns commenting "I can't die; I'm booked.")

He died at age 99, less than two months from his 100th birthday.

I appreciate the concern Don. :) No,I'm just 38 (39 this June). I have tried on several occaisions to get myself going but something always gets in my way.
(No,not the refrigerator with food in it! :D )

I'm not as bad off as I was in 1995,when I topped out at 228! I'm down to a somewhat more comfortable 202 (as evidenced in my pic's on here). I do have the "leftover" part of being so though.

I have learned not to eat portions that are enough for a family of four! :eek:
I wont say specifically how & what I used to eat because it'd kinda gross some out here.

Let's just say when I got on my own for the first time,I was like a college student in the same manner. Eating what they want 'cause Ma & Pa aren't there to say "no!" :rolleyes:

Anyhow,I'm in a new job and hopefully it'll last enough so that I can get into a real workout and get in shape. My ideal weight (according to the Dexatrim I took looong ago)is 190-195. So I'm not far off.

I hope you mean he may end his 2008 tour at Massey, not that he'll end touring (forever) at Massey next year. From the sounds of it the grim reaper is going to have to yank him offstage before he ever stops touring. I expect he'll keep on keepin' on if they have to wheel him onstage at 95. We can all croak (as in sing) along with him. [/QUOTE]Wasn't it George Burns who was well into his 90's when he said: I can't die yet, I still have gigs to do?" Ron J. [/QUOTE]He was 2 months past 100 when he died.
But, what I was saying about Gord. I thought he would end his touring at Massey, but continue to play at Massey on his regular schedule.

I think he will continue to tour as long as he is able. Hopefully, that will be many more years. I don't understand why so many fans say they think that "this year" or "next year" will be his last. If anything, he has said that he plans to tour, and loves it. So why read something into it that isn't there?

Just my 2 cents. With good health, I think we'll see Lightfoot on tour for many years to come.

now there's a thought maybe Gord will make us come to him instead of him always coming out to concerts in our neck of the woods... How many of your would go to concerts if he only had them up at Massey?

ME

;)

I thought for several years that 70 would be the time he decided to cut the touring and stick around Toronto. That is just my 2 cents worth, my opinion. I am not reading anything into something, I just have an opinion. I did say that he didn't mention retiring and it gave me hope he will end up in Colorado. I certainly didn't intend to imply that it was written in stone.
Certainly a nice interview though, do you think Val?
Me too Sunny.

Dear Char,
I´ve been on this forum for quite some time now andI would like to take this wonderful interview as a moment in time to say ´hallo´to all of you. I always felt like I had nothing to offer in terms of experiences,therefore I never registered. I did that now,because,dear Char,I have the deepfelt wish to thank you for this beautiful interview. I agree with Bill and Sundown17.-It really touched my heart, both the way you did it and also what Gordon had to say. Thank you so very much.I´ll be back some other time to share my humble experiences. Maybe my user name gives you a clue on that one .Take care and Happy Easter to all of you. V.

Hi V...and all who have replied about the interview..thanks for your appreciation and kind words. I didn't do much...just talked and asked a few questions!!
lol
One of my questions I didn't get to ask concerned a "farewell tour" or would he just walk off the stage and call it a day with some sort of press release. Would that memorable night be at Massey? ("of course!" he would say) And how soon afterwards would the "comeback" tour start?
lol

CHar

V - June 1976-Germany-2 dates on the tour - Frankfurt and Munich..

Hi, there again Char, What a quick reply. And Yes, it was Frankfurt, alright. Ìt´s been quite a day´-that was a quote-Opening line! And what a day it was, indeed.Temperature almost 40°celsius. But a wonderful concert just the same,although a bit on the short side,due to problems with the plane(this subject was discussed some time ago on this forum).Summertime Dream Tour ,that was. V.

Char,
Thank you so much for posting the interview. I can't think of anything to add that somebody else didn't already say. It was great! It was fantastic! It was nice to hear from/about Gord again!. Be well, you and Gord!

-Gary

Let me add my voice to the chorus of thanks to CHar for posting this interview!

Say, Char, is it possible for you to post an MP3 audio file of the interview that we could download and listen to? If converting your tape is a technical problem, I'm sure that there are many of us on this list who'd be glad to make the MP3 file for you - and I'm one of them.

P.S. For the benefit of those of U.S. south of the border, please keep us posted [no pun intended ;) ] on the Lightfoot stamp!

Maayan! Couldn't stop reading it until I had read the whole thing.

If I saw "Lightfoot" on my caller ID, I'd have a heart attack. (for not being there when he called)

Char,

Great interview -- thanks to you and Gordon.

Re: Ring,ring: "Hi Char, it's Gordon Lightfoot calling".
 

Great interview with Gordon Lightfoot, Char! I am so envious. I would give almost anything to have done that interview. I have been a GL fan since the mid 1960's, when I bought his first album, "Lightfoot", at the PX in Camp Hansen, Okinawa (1966?)

I am planning to see Gordon in Merrillville, IN on April 5, 2008. I can hardly wait.

Thanks for this wonderful site (which I just now discovered), and keep up the great work!:)

Re: Ring,ring: "Hi Char, it's Gordon Lightfoot calling".
 

Welcome to you labguy, a lot of us were envious of Char for doing that interview. But it couldn't happen to a better person than CHar... After all she is Gord's #2 fan, {lol} me being #1 of course :biggrin: (just kidding Char) !!! I myself could have not done it. :)

Re: Ring,ring: "Hi Char, it's Gordon Lightfoot calling".
 

Hi labaguy,
I will also be at Merrillville in April.
I am a new fan and slowly discovering each and every song as I work my way through the albums.

I can't even tell you how many songs I am already calling my own...he is such a great artist and I am amazed at his brilliant lyrics.

You will find the people here are extremely nice and helpful.
Hope you enjoy your time here as much as I do.