Talking with Paul Langlois
jD, Pete, and Tim welcome Paul Langlois to the show to talk about his new record Guess What.
Tracks
Will to Fight
Desperation Calling
638 Main
Guess What
Transcript
Track 1:
[0:03] Well, I would see him working away in Timothee's from time to time, like I would walk past Timothee's and there would be Gord Downie sitting there on a laptop and, you know,my reaction as a super fan is like, I got to go in and say hi.
And then, and then as the same super fan, I'm like, what if he's writing?
Well, what if he's writing the next fucking great song? And I'm the asshole who interrupts that, right?
Track 6:
[0:28] Well, he would have been writing something, but he kind of put the songs together after.
Track 1:
[0:35] Oh, gotcha. Okay. Okay, gotcha.
Track 6:
[0:38] So, how is my signal? Because I can hotspot. It could be better.
Track 1:
[0:41] No, this is good. You're coming through great.
Track 4:
[0:43] It's great.
Track 5:
[0:44] Okay.
Track 1:
[0:44] It looks like a nice day. Are you outside?
Track 6:
[0:47] I'm outside.
Track 1:
[0:49] That's great.
Track 6:
[0:49] These are my little sister's paintings. Yeah, I sort of had a thing built where I can live outside and just be Oh, man Shelter shelter up there, you know, yeah So I spend a lot of time outhere.
So I'm in downtown Kingston ish like about five blocks from the center of downtown and Cool.
Yeah, so I like it here. We've been here like five years ever since the kids left Nice, nice.
Track 5:
[1:23] Just the two you have? Sorry.
Track 6:
[1:26] Two girls, yeah. And they're both kind of making their way in Toronto, 27 and 23, and in their separate career paths.
Track 5:
[1:34] Okay.
Track 6:
[1:36] So they're kind of, you know.
Fairly entry-level and where they're working, but Sure.
All right, and we just thought we Give them a break and they pay us far less rent than they would have to pay.
Track 5:
[1:49] Yeah.
Track 6:
[1:49] No, that's good I said and we've actually used the place because I have to be in Toronto More than I ever thought I thought I was retired and now I have to be in Toronto all the timeand So we stay there every time Cool.
Ah. Toronto hotels these days, you're saving 600 bucks every time.
Track 1:
[2:07] Toronto hotels are insane right now. They're totally insane.
So the premise of this podcast was, I found these two friends of mine that are from different parts of the world, but they both grew up in Southern California, and they had not heard ofThe Hip.
So this is getting hip to The Hip, where we're taking them from not having heard them, and We go through the discography and sort of get their reactions as to what they're hearing.
Because you know, you guys are a cultural phenomenon and it's strange sometimes when you meet people who aren't aware of this thing that is like 11 million people watched the lastconcert. You know, that's staggering when people don't know.
Track 6:
[2:51] I've got to say, great concept for a podcast. I did notice the title and I didn't really catch, like I didn't really know what it meant.
Yeah, I love it. I love it.
Track 5:
[3:03] We're of the we're of the same generation pretty much here And you know Pete and I grew up with Southern, California radio you know, that's what got us into music and You know80s 90s.
Track 4:
[3:15] Yeah the radio.
Track 5:
[3:16] Yeah, I was making mixtapes off the radio and Middle school and yeah, you know, we didn't we didn't have the the hit playing on 91x in San Diego No, not a lot of radio play inCalifornia.
Track 6:
[3:28] There's a San Francisco station, uh, K-Fog?
I forget the name of it. That's not K-Fog. There was a San Francisco station that played us, which is why we were able to, you know, eventually play the film or, you know, a couple,couple of days in a row kind of thing and sell that out.
But that, I think it's K-Fog, something like that.
Track 1:
[3:50] It sounds very San Francisco. Yeah. There you go, actually.
Track 6:
[3:55] Our radio play was random. Dallas, we got played in the early days, and Chicago, we got played.
So all the non-border towns, like, you know, Buffalo, they have Canadian radio.
So we're always, we ended up in arenas there.
Seattle, not as much, but then it was just random.
You know, we'd get play in some American cities and no play whatsoever in others.
So it takes so much longer by word of mouth than it does if you've got a song on the radio.
Track 4:
[4:29] Sure, you know, so so so Paul, this is something that I are you guys recording, by the way?
Track 1:
[4:35] Sorry, recording? Yeah, it's right.
Track 6:
[4:37] Yeah, I just wanted to make sure you're not losing all the all the goal.
Track 5:
[4:42] Okay, so we pretty much hit go and do no, no.
Track 4:
[4:45] Um, because we're talking about this too. And this has come up a number of times on the podcast, right?
And obviously, you just were talking about some radio stations, you got random and play in certain cities, this and that. And Tim and I grew up at a time prior to streaming.
We saw that switch. So essentially, whatever we were listening to, unless you were in some like super niche underground group with the cool kids and shit, you were listening to what wasbeing played on the three main stations, right?
And we saw all the takeover with Clear Channel. We saw all that shit happen. Yeah, us too.
The thing that I noticed, and I'm not trying to blow smoke up your ass here, Paul, but I'm going to maybe do a little bit, so clench if you got to.
[5:39] I thought about a lot over the nine months we've been recording this podcast, is that good music is good music, and there's probably so much shit that falls through the cracks.
Here you got Tim and I, who never heard of the hit before.
We both have a lot of similar bands in common that we like, but J.D.
Put us on this mainline IV drip of the Tragically Hip since we started this, and at first it was a slow burn, but But now it's like, I cannot imagine my life without your guys' band.
And again, I'm sorry to blow smoke at you. No, that's not. I'm not trying to do that. No, I love it. I love it. But it's just like, good music is good music.
And I had a deep dive into Guess What too, and we'll talk about that, I'm sure.
Yeah, just it's if you're not exposed to it, man, then you're not exposed to it.
Track 6:
[6:43] You know, I really appreciate that like it's it's like and And the slow burn part as well.
Like I think It was a slow burn for many people just because I Don't think it was that obvious like, you know, the early days were kind of like Oh, it's kind of like more a barroom bumpkind of you know know, um, really kind of not boring, but, you know, simple.
[7:15] And so, but I know that when we were writing and recording, When we were writing and recording, we meant to do that.
For these songs, the songs that we chose for each record, we believe that they would stand the test of time, that you'd probably have to listen to it four, five, six times before you start to,before it starts to grow on you, as you said, slow burn.
And I think that's better. I mean, there are certainly songs I love that immediately it's kind of like, wow, okay, that's a hit.
But a lot of times there's, even back then, you know, in the 80s and 90s, sometimes it's kind of spoon-fed stuff. I mean, it smells like Team Spirit right away. I loved it. That's not spoon-fed.
We're just doing this thing. They're doing their thing.
But there's many more examples of where it's more spoon-fed, where it lasts about nine or 10 listens, and then it's like, okay, I've had enough of this.
Track 4:
[8:18] Moving on, when I do when I when I press play on in violet light, I remember and I told JD and Tim this I was like, dude, I'm not I this is not gonna work. This is gonna be a shittytwo weeks. We're listening.
And then like it ends up like, I just it just starts. It's like a cicada man.
It just burrowed its way into my head.
And then, like, at some point a week and a half into it, I'm rolling down the highway here in Spain, just like fucking windows down just like what?
Where have you been all my life?
Track 6:
[8:50] That starts with Use It Up, right? Oh yeah, Use It Up.
Track 1:
[8:54] Oh yeah, yeah.
Track 4:
[8:56] Oh dude, Use It Up. Oh fuck.
Track 1:
[8:57] That was the song he picked. Yeah. Because every album I make them pick a song and Use It Up was for that record.
Track 6:
[9:05] It's so funny because I didn't like that song at first. I was like...
You didn't? Yeah. Now what?
We're reaching here, it's no good. And then it grew on me as we were sort of all learning our parts and playing it together. It was like, oh, I get it now. Use it up. Yeah, this is the best thingfor later.
But at first, I was just like, this is going to be a horrible record.
Track 4:
[9:31] Oh, dear.
Track 5:
[9:32] Well, I even said to my kid, I have a 21-year-old, I have 21 and 18-year-old sons, and my 21-year-old plays drums and an amazing drummer and he's getting into other stuff too.
But I played him some of the, you know, I don't remember which album, but he looked at me and he's like, are you sure you can do this?
What is this band? And the guy, does he sing weird? What are you doing?
And I'm like, I hope so, bro.
Let's see what happens. But no, since then, I've played in bits here and there.
And my whole family, of course, has been subject to the hip.
Yeah, same here. And they're now recognizing the hip when they come on.
I haven't forced them to sit down and hear an album, but that'll happen eventually, I'm sure.
But yeah, the slow burn has been awesome. And for you guys to accomplish that, I mean, you were in high school, right? When you...
Shortly after high school?
Track 6:
[10:34] Just after, yep. So there's a university here, Queen's, so three of the guys were at Queen's. Johnny was still in high school, drummer.
Okay, that's right. He was in grade 13, which they don't have grade 13 anymore, but...
Yeah, so it was kind of Yeah, a long long time Yeah, I mean for that to happen.
Track 5:
[10:55] It's like you know I have a My brother-in-law told me at one point like what are you gonna?
Do bro? You know you're 19 You're not doing anything is like I'm gonna be a pro skateboarder And I'm like dude you got a one and what 40 million shot to be a pro skater Yeah, come on.
I mean, but you guys you guys were young and you kept at it, and you didn't go after careers I don't think I mean, I'm sure some of you held like part-time jobs or something But you guysjust kept going at it.
Track 6:
[11:24] We all had parents that were kind of like very supportive but at the same time everyone was in University and You know, what's the backup plan my dad said all the time and I'mlike no backup plan dad These guys because I joined a bit later like a year and a half in they were covered in And I love them and Gord Downer is my best friend and he asked me to joinbasically because I was Leaving.
I mean I didn't think of it as a threat, but he thought it was a threat that I was just gonna go down Try my luck as a songwriter and He was like he didn't like that at all.
And so that's the other And when I joined, my dad was like, yeah, but, um, you're going to go back to school and you'll have a backup plan.
I'm like, I don't need one.
Track 1:
[12:20] And so I'm just going to ask you what's the moment, what the moment was where you knew you didn't need a backup plan. You knew that early on, like that it was like you guyshad lightning in a bottle.
Track 6:
[12:31] I knew when I joined, I went to all their gigs and, um, but whenever I could, like I I was driving cab, but Gord would always have me on the list.
And they were just like small in-town gigs, either at the university or at a biker bar or whatever, a few bars that they were playing. And...
I knew, like, and it wasn't just Gork. I knew that Robbie and Johnny and Sinclair, like, that they were just doing something different.
Now, mostly they were playing covers, but they had songs that never made it even to our first baby record.
Great songs, Heart Attack Love and Baby Blue Blood and, you know, all these songs were Reformed Baptist Blues, which was on Thaskadelphia, but surprising.
[13:21] But it was just like, God, they know how to write songs. Gord is unbelievable.
Nothing like the friend I had. Like as soon as he got up on stage, it was just kind of like, wow.
And so I just felt like, you know, they have it. And word of mouth already just in Kingston.
You know, they say you can't, if you're in a band and you can't draw a crowd in your hometown, then chances aren't great.
[13:53] But if you can, you can take that. And so we just would just gradually take it to the next town over, Belleville or, you know, Brockville, then Cornwall and, you know, Oshawa, justsort of like just took it up and down the 401, which is a highway around here.
And just, we relied on word of mouth. And then we started booking things that way.
Let's do three nights. So we'll play Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and by Saturday we'll have it full because everyone's gonna be going home saying, okay, the singer's crazy and the band isheavy and tight.
And so we built it up that way. I'm not sure if you could do it these days.
I mean, there's still venues. So I think you actually could still do it our way. It was the only way we knew how to do it, but we always felt like, we were always like.
We all had a couple of hundred bucks in general, you know, so it wasn't like, um, we were, we weren't, uh, not making money, you know, we were able to, and our parents weresupportive, you know, Gord's parents got us a van and et cetera.
It just kind of, um, we knew very early on that we could just keep doing it.
Let's just keep doing it until it goes south. And it never did.
Track 1:
[15:10] I guess not.
Track 4:
[15:11] Holy shit.
Track 1:
[15:11] Amazing.
Track 4:
[15:13] It's an understatement.
Track 1:
[15:14] Yeah.
Track 4:
[15:17] So I want to, I don't know if it's cool fellas, but I want to dig into the to guess what a little bit.
Track 1:
[15:23] Yeah, let's do it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Track 4:
[15:27] So first off, you guys recorded the bathhouse. Yeah, we talked to we talked to Gord. What was it like three months ago? We talked to Gord.
Track 1:
[15:35] Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Track 5:
[15:37] Let's go. Yeah.
Track 1:
[15:39] When his record dropped, he came on.
Track 6:
[15:41] Pardon me?
Track 1:
[15:41] When his record dropped, he came on.
Track 6:
[15:44] I really love that record. I've told him many times. He's so funny.
You know, he's just like...
He's such a sweet dude. Yeah, he is.
And he's, you know, we complain mutually about having to be the singer and, you know, and just all the complications.
But I love his record. I've told him all the time. It's just like, it's classic him. just such variety.
But we're not talking about his record, I guess. Sorry.
Track 4:
[16:15] No, no. No, he kind of said some of the same stuff, but your vocals on, I love the vocals on it.
And then I was kind of reading about what you did with the, in terms of choosing the band and what's his name? His name is, oh, Billy Anglin.
That dude is a, he's a freak on the drums, man.
Track 6:
[16:45] Desperation calling oh yeah yeah when he does that yeah like what the hell is that he's a giant in real life I don't know if you knew that's crazy he's like I don't know I think he's sixfive Oh he's easily 250 must be I don't know how much away but well hey he's a giant and he was a kid that we heard about Johnny mentioned him to me.
I remember back when we first started, Johnny was like, there's a kid over at Elsie, which was another high school.
We were at Casey and they were at Elsie and there's a kid, Billy Anglin, and he's like five years younger than us.
He's like, they had the same drum teacher and he's like, that kid's really good.
And he played into his 20s and then he started a construction company and hadn't played for 20 some years.
And another The other guy in the band, Joe Carscallon, is kind of like a family friend of his.
And he was like, you know, Bill Anglin would do it if he asked and I'm like, seriously? And anyway, he is great. We just played a show just out of town.
There's a little quaint little town, Guananacue.
I'm not sure if you've been there, JD, but it's a beautiful little summer town, Thousand Islands.
Track 1:
[18:00] Okay.
Track 6:
[18:01] And we played a gig on Saturday night. And I was just like, for some reason, I was just kind of really focused on Bill and the stuff he was doing.
I'm very lucky. And the same with everyone else in the band, of course. Oh yeah.
He just hits them so hard and he's so big. And he has a huge drum kit too, like huge.
Where it's like, oh my God.
We pull into a little club a couple of weeks ago just to have a warmup show.
Track 4:
[18:32] And the club owner's like, You know, the drums basically took up the whole, it's like, is this a Russian, is this a Russian cover band? Is Neil Curtin? Yeah.
Track 6:
[18:43] Anyway, I'm going to tell Bill you mentioned him because he's amazing.
Track 1:
[18:49] The big toms at the beginning of Will to Fight as well.
Track 6:
[18:52] Right. That's what I thought. That's what I thought Pete was going to say.
Track 1:
[18:55] Those big toms right off the start, it's like, oh fuck, this song has a bone to pick with me.
It's like, it's challenging me right now, this song, it's.
Track 6:
[19:09] We've been opening with that one. Oh yeah. And Bill loves it, you know, he's had a setlist.
Track 5:
[19:14] Cool.
Track 6:
[19:16] Oriented and I always put Will to fight first and he's quite happy with it, he loves starting.
Like he is not short on confident. For a guy who hasn't played, he's played on his own but who hasn't played with anybody for 20 years, It's pretty amazing.
Track 4:
[19:31] That's crazy, man. You know, you, well, it's because we're talking about drums.
This is something that's that came that came up a couple times in the podcast.
I don't know what record it was that we're talking about.
But I had mentioned and I said it and I said it exactly like this.
I was like, Paul Langlois is a fucking drummer.
Track 1:
[19:52] Yes. Yeah. I remember you remember that?
Track 4:
[19:55] Yeah. And and I said that because I don't remember what song and what record it really hit me like a Like a freight train, man.
Track 1:
[20:02] It was in between evolution is what you said it. Was it?
Track 4:
[20:06] Was it in between evolution?
Track 1:
[20:07] Yeah.
Track 4:
[20:07] Yeah. Just your, the tone of that, bless Paul, and just the chunk, chunk, chunk that was, I can't remember the song that it was on where it hit me and I was like, dude, I don't knowwho's drumming here.
Is it Paul or is it Johnny? Because I'm getting, because I've done that.
I've done that thing where you listen to each member of a band individually.
Like, I don't know if you've ever done that, like next time you, next time you want to have a good time listening to your, if you like Rush, I mean, I like Rush. Who doesn't?
Track 6:
[20:40] I love Rush. I love Rush.
Track 4:
[20:42] Take it, take a Rush tune or watch maybe a live, live recording and focus on one.
Watch it three times and focus on one musician each time. And you'll just see something new every time.
Track 6:
[20:54] I love that idea. Yeah. I love that idea. And thanks for that.
On my first solo record, because I always thought...
I got a drum kit when I was 30 as a birthday present, and it was Johnny's kit.
Well, he set it up. And so my wife got it for me, Joanne.
And then, so I was just drumming secretly in the basement, just because I always wanted to try it.
And so my very first record, Fix His Head, which was like, I don't know, 15 years ago or something.
Track 1:
[21:27] 2010, yeah.
Track 6:
[21:30] Yeah, so 13 years ago and...
I was just on my own. It was just me. And really, I was in there, in our studio, just with the engineer. Like, it's quite awkward, really.
Because it's just the two of us, you know? I'm like, Aaron, you go outside or go do what you're going to do.
Just give me the song on a loop. And I'm just going to play the song.
And if I get a good one, I'll run into into the control room and push the space bar and stop it.
And so that's how I drummed, really, because I just didn't like him kind of just being bored in there, probably on his phone. Yeah.
Track 5:
[22:10] Hovering.
Track 6:
[22:11] So anyway, I did all the drumming on Fix His Head. And it's not stellar drumming, but I was happy enough with it that it passed.
I mean, it would have been way, if Johnny or Billy Anglin was playing, obviously, it would have been way, way better.
But I wanted it to be a private record. I didn't really want to put it out.
Track 1:
[22:33] That's crazy. That's so crazy. But it's interesting you say that.
I have a question for you that's been bothering me since your new record came out. Your new record is called Guess What, and it's the Paul Langlois band.
But I go back into my old records that I have. I have them in Apple, so they're digital.
And they say, like, fix this head, says Paul Langelois band now on it.
But wasn't it just Paul Langelois before?
Track 6:
[23:02] Yes.
Track 1:
[23:03] Oh, so I'm not going crazy.
Track 6:
[23:06] Yeah, no, you're not crazy. You're not going crazy.
I mean, it drives me a bit crazy, really, the thought. And Joanne hates, hates Paul Langlois Band, hates that there's no the. Oh, really?
Track 1:
[23:19] She's like, Jake.
Track 6:
[23:22] Yeah, the hips are my manager. My manager is also the hips manager, Jake Gould. He does a great job, but he was kind of, he was very in favor of just Paul Langlois Band. And I'mlike, okay, that's awkward, though.
Wouldn't you say the Paul Langlois band?
Track 1:
[23:39] Yeah.
Track 6:
[23:40] Two guys in the band, Greg Ball especially, was like, no, Paul Langlois.
Don't say Paul Langlois band, your first two records were Paul Langlois, so just Paul Langlois.
And through the agents and all the people booking and stuff, it's like, well, the Paul Langlois band would probably be more appealing as an act to book, because I was trying to playfestivals this summer.
And so I was like, okay. And then it's like, oh, by the way, we gotta go back.
And it's all because of Spotify. Everything's because of Spotify these days.
Track 1:
[24:15] Oh, God.
Track 6:
[24:17] You gotta go back and call your first two records Paul Langlois banned because if someone searches, I don't understand it, but the algorithm, whatever it is, if someone searches,guess what, Paul Langlois banned, my first two records aren't gonna come up.
And so that convinced me. I'm like, I want my first workers to come up.
Track 5:
[24:36] It happens.
Track 4:
[24:37] But that's the same thing with Malcolmus and the Jicks. Do you guys, I don't know if you guys know that. He has the same, that's a weird thing on Spotify.
They want it to come up.
They wanted to come up the other records so everybody can access all the music.
And I get it because you also want people to listen to your, you know, your other records. But it's also like that.
Track 6:
[24:59] Yeah, I would like that. But I get it. But I hate it. You know, it's, it's, it's silly. It's silly.
Track 4:
[25:04] Me too.
Track 6:
[25:05] Paul Langlois would come up. Just if I call this the Paul Langlois band, which is- Change the algorithm, man.
Track 4:
[25:13] Change the search bar. Like make them both come up.
Track 1:
[25:16] Jesus Christ.
Track 5:
[25:18] That's funny you mention that Paul, at one point during our discography review of you guys I said, yeah, I love this whole process but the hip has totally fucked up my algorithm inSpotify.
Like every time I play something now it's like something associated with the hip. It's like all these other bands but I have discovered some other bands.
Track 1:
[25:39] We were talking one day, Tim and I were talking, I was out for a walk and he's like, you're going to get a kick out of this, Paul, cause he's like, who is April wine?
Oh, really? And I was like, April wine is like a seminal Canadian.
Track 5:
[25:52] Absolutely. Many, many hits.
Track 6:
[25:53] Big band. Good hits. Good. Yeah.
Track 5:
[25:59] Yeah, they're, they're fucking cool. Like I would, that was a fun surprise for me. That was, you know, thanks to the algorithm.
So, but that, but that was, that was one of those things, you know, So 10 years, 10 years between Not Guilty and Guess What?
Track 1:
[26:18] Yeah. Not Guilty was 2013.
Obviously that was a fucking giant 10 years in your life.
What changed singer-songwriter wise? What did you take from that 10 years of experience and put onto this record?
Is there anything you can lay down for us?
Track 6:
[26:47] You know, I think I got the… Lyrics are my toughest.
That's the toughest. It's like finishing the bathrooms, you run out of money.
And so, oh yeah, let's go for the vinyl shower.
And so that's what I would do with lyrics. I'd kind of almost get, I get somewhere, but then I just stop and I didn't know where to go.
So I think time passing more than anything.
Gord, Gord passing.
Track 1:
[27:18] Yeah, yeah, of course.
Track 6:
[27:19] Time passing, the way the tour was so special, such an achievement on all our parts, but especially for Gord.
Of course. The achievement on his part was unbelievable.
It was unbelievable to watch, like from the inside, just how hard he worked and how driven he was.
Was, like he didn't stop. And so I think that kind of affected, that helped me just with lyrics. Time passing, the girls moving out, my daughters, you know.
And you know, now it's like in my 50s. And it's kind of like, I think that sort of just came through in the songs, Will to Fight, you know, just anything, just kind of like.
So there was that. I didn't think I would ever, like I just was not interested in songwriting until I got offered a gig.
And it was a few months away.
And Joanne said, well, you've got to do it. And I'm like, well, I've got to put a band together. I'm not fucking into that. Who would I get?
[28:34] Anyway, so then I thought of they're all buddies, Kingston buddies, and musicians, but they all have other jobs. And, um...
Yeah, and then we started rehearsing and playing and and It was fun and so I decided I had a couple of songs Okay, maybe I'll finish those and we'll have a couple of You know new recordsongs.
I was just playing my first two records kind of thing and then that was the end of August last year and and I booked the studio for November 7th, I think or 8th and And so then I had adeadline, so in September and October, I just kept throwing songs at them and I kept writing.
And so it was the first time I'd written anything in 10 years.
Like I just, I hadn't written anything. And then it was like, oh, wow, this is fun.
These guys are good. And so the whole record is live. I mean, I play guitar and at the same time, I didn't do anything except one scratchy vocal.
I redid one vocal, but we're playing live and there were very little fixes and very little overdub. Joe overdubbed a couple of solos.
[29:54] So it was just kind of exactly how I wanted it to be and it was very reminiscent of how the hit recorded.
You know, we like to not make mistakes, go into the control room and be like, yeah, this is a one.
Of course, we'd leave it mostly up to Johnny, because the drums have to be right.
He would always pick the ones that we wanted, without even talking about it.
Okay, we like take number three.
That was a very similar process to recording in the hip or in the bathhouse, so it was all very inspiring.
So I'm a new person, honestly.
I really thought I was done. Gord died, I just thought, well, we had a good run.
It's sad. Yeah. But it was like 32 naturally years actively together.
It's been longer now, but you know, all of us together playing and it wasn't like a five-year run, you know? And so I just thought, okay, that's good. But you know, yeah, we did it.
And I'm just going to move on and come up with other things.
Track 4:
[31:07] I just didn't come up with anything else. No, but 638 Main says, like, I got a window into the song where you were at with this record and what kind of the question that JD asked.
Like that I was like, okay, I see kind of where Paul's Brain was at with this record and like that's fucking cool, man. I'm so happy for you, dude I don't know.
I had the same shit too before we recorded like before I Jumped in with this band that I'm in man.
I was just kind of like, all right, I'm done playing music and then you fall in and then you get a band together and then you're like Like, oh, this is fucking, this is fun, man. This is rightwhere it should be.
Track 6:
[31:52] Yeah, you forget how fun it is. I did. And it's funny you mentioned 638 Maine.
Not many people, but I have a couple of quirky friends that are like 638 Maine, man. I love that one. Whereas most of my friends, I'm sure they've never mentioned that song.
I don't think it's necessarily a skipper, but it's an odd one.
Track 4:
[32:14] And basically- That's what's cool about it.
Track 6:
[32:17] Yeah, it's, you know, to me, it's cool, because I made it up on the spot.
I didn't have anything written down.
And I just pictured myself.
Track 1:
[32:26] What?
Track 6:
[32:26] Like I'm talking about what it's like to be in a studio. And we were in there eight days. And Greg and I, those guys were going, like there's a firefighter, construction, a factory shiftworker.
Greg's a waiter, so he took the eight days off. And I don't have another job, so I did too. So Greg and I were out there the whole time. And a couple of nights, it was late. They were all latenights.
And I was just sitting there, just like, oh, it'd be good if I could set myself in a bar to describe what it's like being in a studio.
I didn't know if it was Monday or Tuesday. It was kind of like, you're lost in the music. You're lost in the recording.
So I thought, and we only had nine songs, or nine that I liked.
And so I was like, I want to try this one.
And I just made it up. I just like set myself on fire. And then I'm kind of chasing the song.
You know, it's all turning out like it should or whatever the words are.
Track 4:
[33:29] But it paints the picture, man. There was a hip song like that too.
Do you remember, Tim, the apartment where Gord was describing the apartment?
You know what I'm talking about?
Track 1:
[33:40] Apartment song.
Track 4:
[33:40] But that 638, man, it paints the picture, man.
Track 6:
[33:44] Oh, well, thanks. Thanks. Yeah. I was, I was very, uh, very happy with that.
And Greg and Joe were asleep on the couch in the control room.
So it was just, I just laid it down on acoustic and then, um, and saying it. And...
And Bill and Matt, drums and bass, they played. And Joe and Greg were kind of pissed off because I missed it.
So I allowed them to add a guitar and backup vocal.
Track 4:
[34:23] So anyway, I'm glad you mentioned that.
It's cool, man. It's a deep cut. Deep cut. Yeah, we're going to Kingston.
And for the finale we're doing is September 1st, but I think the day before or the day after we're going to Kingston. Yeah, August 31st.
Track 1:
[34:41] We're doing it. They're flying in August 30th. And uh, we're doing a road trip to Kingston.
Track 6:
[34:48] You're kidding.
Track 1:
[34:50] No. Oh, yeah, we're gonna do it. Yeah. I've got it right.
Track 4:
[34:54] Like I mean, yeah, I'm gonna be so dragon ass, man.
Track 5:
[34:59] It's all part of this process.
Track 6:
[35:00] That's what are you? Are you kind of Just doing it for fun.
I'll meet up with you either way whether you're recording something or not That would be amazing to buy you a beer yeah, yeah, that would be absolutely amazing Yeah, we check the redhouse. Just get in touch with me.
Track 4:
[35:19] All right Let's do it, man. Let's do it.
Track 5:
[35:22] Let's do it Yeah, we're flying into town and we have an event at the rec room in Toronto on September 1st.
So that's that's like our Our grand finale of the pod is we're meeting up and there's a tribute band, 50 Mission, playing at the Rec Room and we're doing this fundraiser for the DanielWinsor Fund.
Track 6:
[35:45] Oh cool. And so are you going to be, is it an event where you're not sort of talking together or are you guys going to get up and sing?
Track 1:
[35:54] We're going to record the final episode of the podcast at this event.
Track 6:
[35:58] Oh cool.
Track 1:
[35:59] So they'll finally reveal whether or not they're hip bands, which they've done a poor job concealing it.
It's so funny at the beginning, they would be like, Pete would be like, oh, yeah, there's this lick that the rhythm guitarist plays.
And you know, then later on, it's like, Paul Langlois, am I saying his name right? And then later on, it's just Paul. You know what I mean?
Track 4:
[36:21] I had no concept of your existence, man. I mean, I was like, what's this guy's, who's this guy's name?
Now it's like, everything's off the tongue, man, but I, by the way, I gotta ask you, and I know they're for different things, but what do you prefer about it?
Do you like your telly or do you like the Les Paul? What's the, what's the one that you're, that you, if you die with the guitar in your hands, the one you want in the hands?
Track 6:
[36:45] I mean, it would kind of, it would have to be to tell you, I'm playing the telly on the solo band shows. Okay. So, I've gone back to the telly.
I don't regret playing a Les Paul. I started Les Paul day for night on.
And that was a black one, Black Beauty.
But then I switched to a Sunburst, which I love that guitar.
That's my second favorite.
That's my second favorite. But the Tele for sure. That was the first electric I bought, like officially bought to play in the band.
And I'm using it now. And yeah, it would be the Tele for sure.
Track 4:
[37:28] I never played a telly ever until about six months ago when I visit my family in California. I walked into a guitar center and I went into the expensive room that you're not supposedto go in.
I sat and there was nobody there. It was just a ghost town. I sat with a telly for like an hour and I was like, jeez, man.
I got it because I always played a Strat. I got a Jazzmaster, and an SG, but I never, and I've never played, I mean, I played a Les Paul once, twice, but I never owned a Les Paul. That's thenext on the list.
But a Tele was, I liked it.
Track 6:
[38:05] Yeah, well, see, it's funny, because I find a Strat the most different guitar, and because Robbie played it already, and he was like, he had 15 years of experience on me, because Ididn't start playing until I was 19, and he started playing, he was small.
And he was playing a Strat.
And so I was like, I mean, I started out playing acoustic and after a while I was like, fuck this, I can't fucking hear.
And I had a big train ramp and it was just like, it was impossible to, I'd turn it up to, and I got electrocuted all the time because it was a old shit.
Well, I finally said, I'm playing electrocute It's a lot of telly and because I figured that telly is kind of the opposite of a strat almost and I've never really ever tried to play a strat, like Ireally honestly never have.
Les Paul's and Telly's I find are way more similar. The Strat to me is a different one. It's super cool, but it's just not my thing.
Track 4:
[39:13] I just like the pickups, man, like that Steve Miller tone, that Buddy Holly, those 57s and those 59s, those pickups are just so tinny and, you know.
I don't know, I like that. Yeah, no, it's amazing.
Track 5:
[39:31] So, when we were just getting into Saskadelphia, right, and I'm listening to Crack My Spine the other day with my headphones on, you know, because I want to hear everything, andyour guitar on that was just like, it kind of just sounded like, it reminded me of the Ramones, like you were just kind of playing some power chords through there.
It just reminded me of like 80s kind of punk rock, you know, and I just, I just loved that about it and it's been such an interesting thing hearing you guys playing guitar because, you know,most bands you got bass and drums kind of linked up as the backbone and you might have a lead guitarist but you might not or a rhythm guitarist but you guys were just like playing guitardoing your thing and it works and I think that's just such a cool rare thing about a band that you guys pulled off.
And then it's been so fun to then go on and listen to your solo stuff and hear your evolution too, because we don't get this opportunity with bands very often in general.
Like how many bands are still around or guys still around? Well, that's so cool to hear.
Track 6:
[40:43] You know, what I would credit that the most, or whom I would credit, is Don Smith, who produced Up to Here and Road Apples, because he handled us, he hard panned us, left andright, Robbie and I.
So listen, I listen to ACDC, and sorry, but Malcolm Young isn't loud enough.
Like, it's like the guitars are like this.
Track 5:
[41:12] It's true.
Track 6:
[41:14] So Don panned us. And so then every producer after that, and our guy, Mark Breakin, who actually helped us produce our only record we did without a producer was Trouble at theHen House.
And Mark Breakin still mixes, you know, he mixed Saskatoon, he's been our sound man and our live sound man for the whole time.
Although he did leave to bigger and better things for a good chunk of 15 years or so, but he's back with us and he pans them too.
So he, so you can hear one in one ear, one in the other. I'm deaf in my right ear, So I have to listen to it twice just to.
You know, hear what Robbie's doing, the odd time I'm interested.
[42:03] But I credit Don because Don did that and he was super cool and we were so, he was unbelievable and we couldn't believe we were working with him.
He'd done Traveling Wilburys and he did everything and he was Mr.
Cool and he was just like, you guys just do your thing.
And this is when we were young, impressionable, you know, we wanted to do our thing, but we figured, you know, people are going to tell us, you know, you should be a bit more countryand people did, you know, a bit more country, maybe or something.
Don was just like, just do your thing. And he panned the guitars.
So basically, he, he, I credit him with my job.
Because people can hear me if they want, you know, if they're taking a closer listen, and like you guys do, it's kind of like all my parts are just naked on one side.
At one point though, I made a list, and it's an ongoing list of songs where I'm in the right speaker if you're looking at it.
I'm always on the left, and Robbie's always on the right.
Except more and more, I'll check it, and I have like a list of about 12 songs where I'm on the right and Robbie's on the left.
My producer decided to switch it.
Track 1:
[43:20] Oh, funny.
Track 6:
[43:23] Which is curious to me. Because when I put on headphones, so I can only hear out of this ear, 100% deaf in this one. Wow.
I always put the left ear, because that's me. Oh, shit.
Track 4:
[43:37] And then you go.
Track 6:
[43:39] And then the odd hit song I'll run into, and it's kind of like, that's not me. That's Robbie.
Track 4:
[43:44] Who's this shitty guitar player?
Track 6:
[43:46] We didn't listen to each other at all, by the way, not at all.
Track 4:
[43:53] It's funny, dude.
Paul, when you guys did Trouble, man, and that was a record, I think Tim and I, I don't know, I'm speaking for Tim here, but for me, that was the record where I was like, it finally openedfor me.
And I got everything prior to that too, but that record was like, okay, this band doesn't give a shit about what anybody thinks, man.
Just gonna do their own thing. And that's where I was like, you guys grew into this just animal that nobody knew existed.
I don't know, man, that was a that was a break. That was the record that JD when JD flew to Malaga for primavera sound last year, he brought a vinyl and this is me still not knowinganything about you guys.
And he brought me trouble at the house. And I was like, Yeah, I do you remember?
Track 1:
[44:48] Do you remember I mailed you trouble at the hen house on CD.
And you're like, I don't have a CD player. I was like, who doesn't have a CD player?
Track 4:
[44:56] We moved here and I and then yeah, because we moved from the state. Anyway. Yeah, yeah.
Track 6:
[45:07] It's it's funny. Just to add something, because I thought of it earlier, very early on this chat, you were saying something, Pete, that I thought of, and I'm like, oh, fuck, I thought ofsomething good to say, and I forgot, but now I remember.
So there was this band, there's this, I don't know that they're a band anymore, they're from Philly, and they're called Marah, M-A-R-A-H.
[45:36] And they're a couple of brothers. And anyway, out of the blue, the day after our last show, the singer writes Robbie a letter.
And he's like, and he describes, the letter makes me cry. me cry like it he describes his life and you know they got signed to, Maybe Steve Earle had a label, someone like that.
Oh, nice. Nashville person. So they had some success, but they just ruined everything all the time. That was just their nature. You have brothers, and any time things started to go well,they would kind of blow it up.
And then he described, he goes on to describe, he was out in the country on a TV at a cabin he doesn't use, but he happened to throw on the TV, and the CBC covered that show live, youknow, so it was live on the air, and he describes, you know, watching the show and what's about to happen, and what was my point?
Well, there's this thing in the doc that Robbie quotes him, like, what's going to happen here?
You know, are they gonna all bands either explode on the way up or on the way down everything?
[47:01] Burn out nothing works out and What are you telling me?
These guys are gonna pull the he compared it to a You know an air balloon, whatever they're called parachute No, like a balloon, you know, oh, yeah hot air balloon what they're all gonnapull it down and and land safely, like win rock and roll or something.
It's just kind of like, anyway, it was just an amazing letter years ago.
And I've always had the intention to kind of reach out to him and say, fuck your letter, man. Cause he, it's way more than that.
Another thing he said is he would try, cause this is quite like this podcast that you're doing JD.
He would, he learned not to play the hip to people, to his friends, to anyone, various girlfriends. He was like, I'd never do it.
If he found a real hip fan, he said, like because they're touring, right, in New York or London or wherever, as soon as he realized it's a real hip fan, they'd be at the back of the bar.
He'd take them to the back of the bar, and they'd have pints, and they'd talk about all things hip.
[48:18] And anyway, so he said, if someone came over to my house, and I trusted them enough to play the hip, And they started talking over the music.
That's it. Christmas lights off. Everyone's going home.
[48:34] He's an amazing writer.
Track 4:
[48:38] It's so true. I said that to JD a couple of weeks ago when I was in California this last time in May.
We were driving to Joshua Tree. And I fucking hate when people put on music and they're like, listen to this band.
You're going to love this band. And it's like, you build it up, right?
I didn't do that. I grabbed my buddy's phone, we're driving down, I don't know, 64 or whatever it is, down in Joshua Tree, 29 Palms, and I just grabbed his phone and I put on Trouble atthe Inn House.
Yeah. And he's like, who the fuck is this?
Track 6:
[49:10] That's how to do it. Yeah.
Track 4:
[49:12] That's all I did. I played a couple tunes and he's like, who's this band?
I was like, oh, it's... And then, you know, cause you don't set the expectations. Yeah.
Track 6:
[49:23] Yeah, no, exactly. That's how to do it. That's the downy way, actually. Did Gord and all his brothers.
You surprise somebody. If you give people warning, it's not the same, you know? Yeah. It's just like, no, no.
Track 1:
[49:38] Expectations.
Track 6:
[49:39] Yeah, and when Gord was sick.
Track 5:
[49:41] It's true, it's true.
Track 6:
[49:42] His brother was looking after him mainly, and I was mainly there to help Pat.
Someone would be, I wanna come over and see Gord, you know, because there was no tour in the future. Like, we all just thought this is it.
And I was like, oh, this guy wants to come by. And Pat's like, well, just don't tell Gord about it.
Tell them to come but we won't tell them about it. It'll just get surprised.
That's how the Downies do it. It's like, oh we're here.
Track 5:
[50:10] That's cool.
Track 1:
[50:15] Paul, I know we said 45 minutes and we're over so I'm sorry for taking more of your time than we should have. No problem.
Track 6:
[50:20] I still got seven minutes before the next one.
Track 1:
[50:26] Oh wow, you're on junket mode, eh?
Track 6:
[50:28] Yeah, three today.
Track 1:
[50:32] Oh wow. Well, any chance we'll see you on the road in the fall?
Or is it just take it as it comes?
Track 6:
[50:43] Take it as it comes, yeah. Sort of trying to stick to festivals, but obviously they start disappearing when the fall comes. So, unknown.
So, I've got two more gigs in August and like one in Windsor-ish, Kingsville, and one in Bath, where our studio is, and those are both in August.
Track 1:
[51:08] It's been great talking to you. So great.
Track 6:
[51:10] Yeah, great talking to you guys. It's nice to meet you too, as well.
Track 4:
[51:13] Nice to meet you, Paul. Thanks for your time, man.
Track 6:
[51:17] Hey, we'll talk again.
Track 5:
[51:18] Yeah.
Track 6:
[51:18] Good luck with everything.
Track 5:
[51:19] For sure.
Track 4:
[51:20] Take care.
Track 5:
[51:20] Thanks.
Track 6:
[51:21] OK. See you guys.
Track 5:
[51:22] All right. Cheers!
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