Episode Details

The Tragically Hip Top Forty Countdown: Song Forty — Yanik from Toronto

Hey, it’s jD — and welcome to the very first official episode of The Tragically Hip Top Forty Countdown. Buckle up, friends. We’re kickin’ this thing off in true Hip fashion: with deep reverence, a little mischief, and a brand-new fan-turned-superfan.

This week I’m joined by Yanik from Toronto — an opera singer, a self-confessed late bloomer when it comes to The Hip, and the creator of the Instagram gem Dance Like Gord. (If you’re not following that, fix your life.) His journey into the band’s music didn’t start in the ‘80s or ‘90s — it started in the wake of Secret Path and grew in tandem with personal loss, national mourning, and the unmistakable call of Gord’s later solo work.

Together, we unpack what it means to fall in love with The Hip after the final tour. How the layers of Gord’s lyricism reveal themselves like old film negatives — better with time, stronger in grief, and loudest when things go quiet. We talk bro culture vs. art school snobbery, radio station trauma, and how one pandemic-fueled discography binge turned into a full-on spiritual awakening. Spoiler: He’s one of us now.

Yanik brings humility, honesty, and some beautiful insights into the band’s evolution — plus a fresh lens on Now For Plan A that might just make you re-listen this week. Trust me.

🎙️ Next week: We stay in the 6ix with Darrin from Toronto, whose Hip archive might actually be deeper than the Rideau Canal. He’s got receipts. He’s got tapes. He’s got stories you won’t believe. Don’t miss it.

💬 Pull Quote

“I was the snob who changed the station when Gord came on. Now I run an Instagram page dedicated to how he danced. That’s growth, baby.”

👤 About Our Guest

Yanik from Toronto is a classically trained opera singer who’s making his way into the hearts of Hip fans one stage dive at a time. He’s the voice behind Dance Like Gord, a celebration of Downie’s magnetic stage presence, and a living reminder that fandom is about discovery — not seniority. When he’s not belting out arias or unpacking Man Machine Poem, Yanik’s building bridges between musical genres and keeping Gord’s spirit alive in new, creative spaces.

📬 Get Involved

🎙️ Drop your hot take: castfeedback.com/tthtop40

📧 Send your Hipstory: tthtop40@gmail.com

💸 Join the membersHIP by donating at buymeacoffee.com/tthtop40 — one time gets you in forever.

📡 Follow + Stream

Spotify | Apple | YouTube | dewvre.com/tthtop40

Instagram: @tthtop40

Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/tthtop40

💖 Support the ALS Society of Canada

We’re raising $25K in honour of Matt Rona and the broader Hip community. Pitch in at buymeacoffee.com/tthtop40 and help us get there.

📜 Transcript follows below.

TTHTop40 - 601

2025-05-23, 6:33 PM

TTHTop40 - 601

Artist: jD

Year: 2025

Transcript

[0:00] Music.

[0:16] It's J.D. here and welcome to the Tragically Hip T