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Auburn Annie · 12-02-2003, 06:46 AM

From this morning's Toronto Sun:

Tuesday, December 2, 2003

Gordon Lightfoot on the rebound
Canuck music legend on his brush with death and long road to recovery
By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun
If the last year and two months of Gordon Lightfoot's life were a song, "what a tale" it would tell.

First and foremost was the 65-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter legend's well-documented brush with death last September.

As he was preparing for an afternoon soundcheck for a concert at the Opera House in his native Orillia that night, he suffered an abdominal hemorrhage.

"I was lying on the floor of my dressing room and I swear I could not get up," Lightfoot told The Toronto Sun in an exclusive interview prior to his induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame tomorrow night at the Glenn Gould Theatre. "Once I was down, I was down for good. I don't remember anything after 6:30 in the evening. For six weeks I was like that. I did not come to until the middle of October. The rest is just total to black."

Lightfoot was rushed to McMaster Hospital in Hamilton, operated on, subsequently fell into a coma for six weeks, and spent a total of three months in a hospital bed.

At the time doctors credited his excellent physical condition -- he had taken up running -- for his miraculous survival.

"I think I did too many situps," he said, not sounding like he was joking at all.

"I did a lot of situps because I always wanted to strengthen those abdominal muscles, because they made me sing better. And the better I could sing, the better I loved it."

Lightfoot's recovery was also helped along by messages from many well-wishers, including one of his musical heroes.

DYLAN CALLED

"Bob Dylan called me, and you know, he's sort of at the top of the heap for me, so it was as good as it gets."

Incredibly, a mere two weeks after he awoke from his coma, Lightfoot began work on the post-production of his forthcoming album, Harmony -- his 20th original record and named for the opening track -- due for release next spring.

Before his health crisis, Lightfoot had recorded vocals and guitar on nine of the new songs.

Two additional ones were live recordings from his last three Massey Hall appearances.

"When my mind started to recall what I was doing and thinking about the future, I said, 'I have all these tracks available to me,' " said Lightfoot, who listened to overdubs by his band with the help of a headset and a CD player in his hospital room.

Still, while Lightfoot is "feeling pretty good," he still has another major stay in the hospital ahead of him in either April or May following more surgery.

"I'm not quite through with the ordeal yet, " said the singer, who's undergone two operations already. "This is the case of mechanical breakdown, you see. I had a burst artery in my lower abdomen."

And contrary to an earlier story, Lightfoot maintained he still has his voice.

'LARYNX NOT DAMAGED'

"They did not spoil my larynx as was earlier stated, that was a misinterpretation," he said.

"The problem is that the lower abdomen has to be reconstructed and that's where the muscles are that drive the voice. But the larynx is not damaged. There's a voice in there. I tried it out a couple of days ago, I had a couple of the guys over, we had a rehearsal, the first one we've had in 15 months, and there is a voice in there. So I'm not worried about that."

Also helping Lightfoot's recovery was the release two months ago of Beautiful: A Tribute To Gordon Lightfoot, an all-Canadian effort that saw acts ranging from Ron Sexsmith to The Tragically Hip interpreting Lightfoot songs.

"I was really impressed with it," he said. "I tell people, like person to person, I gave it 10 stars. And that way I don't have to single anybody out. It's a real solid content."

Next in the adulation department is tomorrow night's inaugural Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame affair, which will see Tom Cochrane perform Early Morning Rain, Blue Rodeo tackle If You Could Read My Mind, and The Dexters interpret Song For A Winter's Night.

"I've had a little bit of feeling of trepidation about that, but I'll probably be pleasantly surprised," Lightfoot said.

He actually sounded more anxious about his formal attire.

"I had to run out, in the middle of all this, and have a tuxedo made," Lightfoot said. "I mean, can you can get the humour of that? I will be at this function and participate proudly, as a proud Canadian, and if it requires a tuxedo, I shall have to have one.

"But the only problem is that I can't wear a stitch of any of the clothing that I own. And that is the truth. I have two pairs of pants, they are sweats. One pair of shorts. And a whole bunch of T-shirts. Like four or five sets of suspenders. And a lot of running shoes. And a lot of socks and support hose.

"I was trying to figure out a way to get away with these black sweats at the gala." (More on Gordon Lightfoot)

*******************************************

LOL LOL LOL - hey, guys, should we take up a collection for the poor guy and get him something other than sweats??

12-02-2003, 06:46 AM	#1
Auburn Annie Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Upstate New York Posts: 3,101	From this morning's Toronto Sun: Tuesday, December 2, 2003 Gordon Lightfoot on the rebound Canuck music legend on his brush with death and long road to recovery By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun If the last year and two months of Gordon Lightfoot's life were a song, "what a tale" it would tell. First and foremost was the 65-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter legend's well-documented brush with death last September. As he was preparing for an afternoon soundcheck for a concert at the Opera House in his native Orillia that night, he suffered an abdominal hemorrhage. "I was lying on the floor of my dressing room and I swear I could not get up," Lightfoot told The Toronto Sun in an exclusive interview prior to his induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame tomorrow night at the Glenn Gould Theatre. "Once I was down, I was down for good. I don't remember anything after 6:30 in the evening. For six weeks I was like that. I did not come to until the middle of October. The rest is just total to black." Lightfoot was rushed to McMaster Hospital in Hamilton, operated on, subsequently fell into a coma for six weeks, and spent a total of three months in a hospital bed. At the time doctors credited his excellent physical condition -- he had taken up running -- for his miraculous survival. "I think I did too many situps," he said, not sounding like he was joking at all. "I did a lot of situps because I always wanted to strengthen those abdominal muscles, because they made me sing better. And the better I could sing, the better I loved it." Lightfoot's recovery was also helped along by messages from many well-wishers, including one of his musical heroes. DYLAN CALLED "Bob Dylan called me, and you know, he's sort of at the top of the heap for me, so it was as good as it gets." Incredibly, a mere two weeks after he awoke from his coma, Lightfoot began work on the post-production of his forthcoming album, Harmony -- his 20th original record and named for the opening track -- due for release next spring. Before his health crisis, Lightfoot had recorded vocals and guitar on nine of the new songs. Two additional ones were live recordings from his last three Massey Hall appearances. "When my mind started to recall what I was doing and thinking about the future, I said, 'I have all these tracks available to me,' " said Lightfoot, who listened to overdubs by his band with the help of a headset and a CD player in his hospital room. Still, while Lightfoot is "feeling pretty good," he still has another major stay in the hospital ahead of him in either April or May following more surgery. "I'm not quite through with the ordeal yet, " said the singer, who's undergone two operations already. "This is the case of mechanical breakdown, you see. I had a burst artery in my lower abdomen." And contrary to an earlier story, Lightfoot maintained he still has his voice. 'LARYNX NOT DAMAGED' "They did not spoil my larynx as was earlier stated, that was a misinterpretation," he said. "The problem is that the lower abdomen has to be reconstructed and that's where the muscles are that drive the voice. But the larynx is not damaged. There's a voice in there. I tried it out a couple of days ago, I had a couple of the guys over, we had a rehearsal, the first one we've had in 15 months, and there is a voice in there. So I'm not worried about that." Also helping Lightfoot's recovery was the release two months ago of Beautiful: A Tribute To Gordon Lightfoot, an all-Canadian effort that saw acts ranging from Ron Sexsmith to The Tragically Hip interpreting Lightfoot songs. "I was really impressed with it," he said. "I tell people, like person to person, I gave it 10 stars. And that way I don't have to single anybody out. It's a real solid content." Next in the adulation department is tomorrow night's inaugural Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame affair, which will see Tom Cochrane perform Early Morning Rain, Blue Rodeo tackle If You Could Read My Mind, and The Dexters interpret Song For A Winter's Night. "I've had a little bit of feeling of trepidation about that, but I'll probably be pleasantly surprised," Lightfoot said. He actually sounded more anxious about his formal attire. "I had to run out, in the middle of all this, and have a tuxedo made," Lightfoot said. "I mean, can you can get the humour of that? I will be at this function and participate proudly, as a proud Canadian, and if it requires a tuxedo, I shall have to have one. "But the only problem is that I can't wear a stitch of any of the clothing that I own. And that is the truth. I have two pairs of pants, they are sweats. One pair of shorts. And a whole bunch of T-shirts. Like four or five sets of suspenders. And a lot of running shoes. And a lot of socks and support hose. "I was trying to figure out a way to get away with these black sweats at the gala." (More on Gordon Lightfoot) ******************************************* LOL LOL LOL - hey, guys, should we take up a collection for the poor guy and get him something other than sweats??