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NATIONAL POST
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TV hopefuls get singing advice from genuine Canadian Idol Gordon Lightfoot
Angela Pacienza
Canadian Press
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Gordon Lightfoot and Canadian Idol competitor Elena Juatco.
TORONTO (CP) - Is Gordon Lightfoot cool again?
Somewhere between playing small folk festivals and recovering from a
ruptured blood vessel in his abdomen, the 65-year-old songwriter's career
seems to have found new wind.
Older patriots who remember when Peter, Paul and Mary made Early Morning
Rain a U.S. hit in the mid-'60s have been following the singer's recovery as
documented in headlines. And less than two weeks ago he re-emerged on stage
to help air dry Peterborough, Ont.'s soggy summer setback.
But some of the under-30 crowd in the Peterborough audience left the hockey
arena to gather outside with friends when the gaunt singer took the stage.
They weren't acquainted with the music legend's vast catalogue.
That'll change Wednesday night when hottie Canadian Idol competitors wearing
the latest designer clothes give Lightfoot's songs an Idol makeover, as well
as unprecedented access to a MuchMusic-raised listener base -many of whom
will likely be asking their excited parents "Gordon who?"
TV's most popular summer program -which normally highlights flashy pop
fare -is featuring Lightfoot's melancholic folk repertoire. The remaining
six contestants have each chosen a track from his list of over 200 songs to
perform for the competition.
Knowing a good opportunity when he hears one, Lightfoot got on board with
the TV show and offered contestants some pointers on performing and
songwriting during rehearsal sessions at Toronto's McClear Studios, a
downtown landmark which has captured the sounds of stars like Mel Torme,
Anne Murray, Ringo Starr and Rosemary Clooney over the years.
"If I'm going to leave some songs as my legacy then I'm going to make darn
good sure that when they get done I'm around to help as much as possible,"
he told the group, whose members range from 18 to 27.
"My stuff is not your normal kind of stuff. It's folk, country oriented . .
. It requires a special kind of attention this material. I want to be
involved."
Before heading into the one-on-one lessons, Lightfoot -looking the
antithesis of a celebrity with his suspenders holding up his jeans -also
gave them a brief history lesson on his career, explaining how '60s folk duo
Ian and Sylvia gave him his first break at the height of Toronto's
coffeehouse scene.
"Some of you may have heard them or heard your parents mention them," he
told the green group.
After that study, Lightfoot started his coaching sessions and offered advice
on the following (names of songs being covered are omitted at CTV's
request):
On fancy stuff . . .
At the sight of Jason Greeley walking in the studio with his guitar,
Lightfoot pipes up: "Are you ready? You going to impress me, are you?"
"The vocal sounds good," encourages Lightfoot after Greeley has run through
the song. "When you get up there you might find another couple of percentage
points of energy but that's all."
"All it requires now is you go play it a few times which you will. It's a
real good song. People love this song," the veteran performer adds.
"I've always been a firm believer that simplicity is the key to getting your
point across," says Greeley, 27, born in Carbonear, Nfld.
"Absolutely," says Lightfoot.
"Too much fancy stuff doesn't work," adds Greeley.
- On refuge. . .
With 19-year-old Jacob Hoggard, Lightfoot discusses songwriting.
"I have a band," the apprentice carpenter from Abbotsford, B.C. says
hesitantly. "I write most of the music . . . probably 90 per cent of the
music and the lyrics."
"Well don't stop doing that," says Lightfoot in a grandfatherly tone.
"No, I don't think I could," replies Hoggard. "That's the biggest outlet for
me."
Lightfoot cuts in: "I use the word refuge. Can I start using that outlet
word that you just used?"
"I like refuge. Refuge makes you seem like an Israelite," replies Hoggard.
- On the drink. . .
The quiet Kalan Porter, a student from Medicine Hat, Alta., asks Lightfoot
to explain the story behind the song he's chosen to perform.
"This is one of those kind of personal type tunes . . . It's one of those
cases where you direct your personal life into your songwriting," says
Lightfoot, his voice wavery. "Sometimes it hurts . . . If it makes for a
good song I say do it."
"No matter how upset you might feel, you could be going through the breakup
of a relationship or something of that type, if there's a song there and
you're worth your salt you're going to write the song."
"Cool," mumbles Porter. "Thank you."
"A drink or two might help but I gave that up years ago," Lightfoot adds
grinning.
- On busking . . .
With 23-year-old Theresa Sokyrka, Lightfoot wants to find out about her
experience as a street musician.
"I busk all the time. It's how I make my money," says the Saskatoon
musician. "Don't make much of it though."
Lightfoot, born in Orillia, Ont., approves.
"That's really an excellent thing to do," he said. "You think about it from
the rehearsal (side). I'm one of those guys that's big on rehearsing. I
always encourage people to rehearse a lot."
- On the ladies . . .
Lightfoot tells Vancouver-born Elena Juatco to stay focused because "we need
more ladies on the show."
"Stay focused on it," he said. "You've got to think about a lot of stuff.
You've got more than just one song to think about at a time these days. I
wish you all the best."
"Thank you so much," she replied.
"I hope you do well. We're running short (on ladies)."
"It's only two left," said Juatco.
"Sing it through a few times. You know what you've gotta do. I always find
if I get in a room and run through it three or four times it starts to gel
after a while," said Lightfoot.
- On a good night's rest . . .
"All you gotta do is go rest up a little bit," Lightfoot tells Shane Wiebe,
a perogy vendor from Abbotsford, B.C. "You look like you've had lots of
sleep."
Wiebe asks what his song is about.
"I never know what they're about," Lightfoot says slyly. "All I know is it
sounds good."
"Sometimes that's just the way it goes, eh?" replies Wiebe.
"It was written way back when, in the very early years," explains Lightfoot.
"The emotional tight rope was just starting to tighten. The roller-coaster
was starting up."
"It's a beautiful song," gushes Wiebe.
"I like what you did with it," replies Lightfoot.
- This week marks the first time one of the 25 Idol franchises has allowed
the contestants to show off other talents besides vocals. Thursday's
one-hour results show will give viewers a chance to check out the
competitors' instrumental skills. The six will play guitar, piano, bass,
mandolin and fiddle together on Lightfoot's Canadian Railroad Trilogy.
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