Gord in Book.

Restless · 12-31-2002, 12:23 PM

Im sure most of already know Gord is/was a big wilderness canoeist and wrote about it in several songs (Whispers of the North, Home from the Forest, etc etc)
There are 2 photos of Gord and friends trying to retreive Gords canary yellow Old Town canoe which is wrapped around a big rock in the river. The photos are in Cliff Jacobsons book entitled "Expedition Canoeing". Beleive it or not, but they were able to get the canoe out and then pound out all the dents back to its original shape. If they had not, they would have...as Gord put it.."we would have been screwed"!
NM

MaryEllen · 01-17-2003, 07:24 AM

quote:Originally posted by paddletothesea:
Im sure most of already know Gord is/was a big wilderness canoeist and wrote about it in several songs (Whispers of the North, Home from the Forest, etc etc)
There are 2 photos of Gord and friends trying to retreive Gords canary yellow Old Town canoe which is wrapped around a big rock in the river. The photos are in Cliff Jacobsons book entitled "Expedition Canoeing". Beleive it or not, but they were able to get the canoe out and then pound out all the dents back to its original shape. If they had not, they would have...as Gord put it.."we would have been screwed"!
NM

Don't forget his references to his canoeing in "Christian Island" too. But I gotta tell ya, every artist has his turkey. The Beatles had "Mr. Moonlight" and "Yellow Submarine." But speaking of yellow vessels on the water, Gord's big turkey had GOT to be "Canary Yellow Canoe." That might be one of the worst records I've ever heard, and I love the guy.

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Rick

fowlesjohn · 01-17-2003, 11:11 AM

hold up, hold up.

Gord was just jamming with what he felt cool with in "my canary yellow canoe".

not all music comes out smooth and we can still comprehend the stuff that caused this jamming...he digs canoeing. I dig kayaking but they are not yellow (well maybe...I've never seen one yellow before...) enjoy the pleasure that he had in the song.

gwen snyder · 01-17-2003, 11:11 AM

hold up, hold up.

Gord was just jamming with what he felt cool with in "my canary yellow canoe".

not all music comes out smooth and we can still comprehend the stuff that caused this jamming...he digs canoeing. I dig kayaking but they are not yellow (well maybe...I've never seen one yellow before...) enjoy the pleasure that he had in the song.

MaryEllen · 01-17-2003, 08:33 PM

quote:Originally posted by gwen snyder:
hold up, hold up.

Gord was just jamming with what he felt cool with in "my canary yellow canoe".

not all music comes out smooth and we can still comprehend the stuff that caused this jamming...he digs canoeing. I dig kayaking but they are not yellow (well maybe...I've never seen one yellow before...) enjoy the pleasure that he had in the song.

Gwen, Gwen...lighten up. I promise--I'm a huge fan. I'm not bad-mouthin' the guy, but the song leaves a lot to be desired. I'm not talking about slick, I'm not talking about production values. I'm glad the ol' boy loves his canoes, I have even pictured him slurrrrving along, around the little islands of Georgian Bay as I listened to some of his road songs, the clever voicings of the loons in the background. I'm a huge Beatles fan too, but that don't change the fact that Mr. Moonlight and a few others are downright horrid. I think every good artist deserves to have his little creative Waterloos, and I do believe this puppy is Gord's. hahaha. But please...don't doubt my fanaticism for the guy. I sort of feel with all I've invested in Gordon Lightfoot since 1967, I have a right to single out the tough material. There's been no dearth of it either, I might add, but the good ones are soooooo good that they far outweigh the bad ones.

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Rick

fowlesjohn · 01-19-2003, 12:06 AM

correct...
we do get into the smooth and accepted quite easily.really, it is nice to jam to the "exceptions" too, occasionally. don't you agree?

gwen snyder · 01-19-2003, 12:06 AM

correct...
we do get into the smooth and accepted quite easily.really, it is nice to jam to the "exceptions" too, occasionally. don't you agree?

BILLW · 01-19-2003, 07:38 AM

You're right gwen, some of them are an acquired taste but fun when you finally get it.

Bill

Sheila Ann · 01-19-2003, 09:37 AM

Ah but sometimes you have to watch out for those songs you decide you don't care for...they can be sneaky little devils. I had decided that I didn't like "Ring Neck Loon". One day while doing a big copy job at work I realized I was humming "Ring Neck Loon"

Go figure!
SheilaB

joveski · 01-19-2003, 01:37 PM

i liked canary yellow canoe from the first time i heard it. as with ring neck loon, it takes time. i used to "hate" the song when i first got the album but now love the tune and atmosphere that it has.

fowlesjohn · 01-19-2003, 08:08 PM

bravo and/or exactly,

joveski, sheila ann, watchman and billw, you hit the nail on the head. and here i will admit first time i heard ring neck loon, i said flop then i settled into the song and just like sheila it grew on me.
music is a universal sigh sometimes and sometimes it's your own groove, your thing and you find yourself dancing in the dark to it...by yourself or with a crowd you get it and you are there with the artist performing. with gord it is easy because he has so many possibilities for an assortment of people to like which ever flavor he is performing. but, an artist enjoys all of his work if the customer finds the groove and it is a possibility that they feel stirred by this flavor then they go for it and love it or they are speaking spanish when gord is speaking french, ya know what i mean? this is simple, but, so are we humans. so take some french lessons rickcee and then see if you still do not like it, ok?

gwen snyder · 01-19-2003, 08:08 PM

bravo and/or exactly,

joveski, sheila ann, watchman and billw, you hit the nail on the head. and here i will admit first time i heard ring neck loon, i said flop then i settled into the song and just like sheila it grew on me.
music is a universal sigh sometimes and sometimes it's your own groove, your thing and you find yourself dancing in the dark to it...by yourself or with a crowd you get it and you are there with the artist performing. with gord it is easy because he has so many possibilities for an assortment of people to like which ever flavor he is performing. but, an artist enjoys all of his work if the customer finds the groove and it is a possibility that they feel stirred by this flavor then they go for it and love it or they are speaking spanish when gord is speaking french, ya know what i mean? this is simple, but, so are we humans. so take some french lessons rickcee and then see if you still do not like it, ok?

01-19-2003, 10:41 PM

I have been aG.L fan for some thirty years andiheard him say himself there are songs that hedosn't like any more.He's even said that hedosn't do"Black DayIn July"any more cause he felt it had served it's purpose as a song.

01-19-2003, 10:41 PM

I have been aG.L fan for some thirty years andiheard him say himself there are songs that hedosn't like any more.He's even said that hedosn't do"Black DayIn July"any more cause he felt it had served it's purpose as a song.

fowlesjohn · 01-20-2003, 10:23 PM

rickcee

I was a bit narrow minded in these comments . please accept my humblest apology if I seemed a bit too opinionated.

also, I think you're right that he could have his klinkers...tonight I downloaded the two tones stuff and I think maybe I finally found one of his klinkers...it's a good thing we can listen and not depart from being a fan after a different flavor is observed.

matthew bullis is a very smart young guy. i'm glad his mom is a Gord fan, too.

also, paddletothesea, I had no idea that Gord was that big of a wilderness buff until I got into this page and now I am glad to know these things. I like everyone else just pray that Gord is doing better.

gwen snyder · 01-20-2003, 10:23 PM

rickcee

I was a bit narrow minded in these comments . please accept my humblest apology if I seemed a bit too opinionated.

also, I think you're right that he could have his klinkers...tonight I downloaded the two tones stuff and I think maybe I finally found one of his klinkers...it's a good thing we can listen and not depart from being a fan after a different flavor is observed.

matthew bullis is a very smart young guy. i'm glad his mom is a Gord fan, too.

also, paddletothesea, I had no idea that Gord was that big of a wilderness buff until I got into this page and now I am glad to know these things. I like everyone else just pray that Gord is doing better.


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