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The Tragically Hip Top Forty Countdown: Song Thirty-Eight - Lynn from Maine
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The Tragically Hip Top Forty Countdown: Song Thirty-Eight – Lynn from Maine
Hey, it’s jD, and this week I’m joined by Lynn from Maine — a self-described “black-and-white music listener” who found her way to The Hip in full Technicolor thanks to a box of CDs, a pandemic, and a husband with very good taste.
Lynn’s Hipstory is one of slow-burn devotion: twenty years of casual exposure through her partner’s fandom before a pivotal night during the Tiger King era unlocked something deeper. That something? Long Time Running — the doc, the music, the feeling of a country coming together. It all hit just right. From there, it was a deep dive through Hex and Kettle, live DVDs, YouTube rabbit holes, and eventually a Courage mask worn into cancer surgery — because if Gord could go on tour, Lynn could go get chemo and go to work the next day. Gord Fucking Downie, indeed.
She’s got stories. About concerts she barely remembers (hello, elevator packed with 19 Canadians and one mouthy dietician). About using The Hip to reconnect after a hard stretch. About rediscovering beauty and grief, sometimes in the same verse. And about naming her pandemic cat after the man himself — full government name and all: Gord Effing Downie.
🎙️ Next week: We’re heading north of Toronto for a chat with Devon from Stouffville — a teacher, poet, and fan who once swore off The Hip… and then came back like the rest of us do: hard and fast and all in.
💬 Pull Quote
“I wore my Courage mask into surgery. If Gord could do it, so could I.”
👤 About Our Guest
Lynn from Maine came late to The Hip — but not too late. A John Prine fan at heart and a lyrics-over-melody type, she credits the band with helping her and her husband reconnect, survive the pandemic, and find something beautiful to share after 20 years of marriage.
She listens to Trouble at the Henhouse in her car, has strong opinions about We Are the Same, and named her cat after Gord (with the full “effing” included). She’s a reminder that fandom doesn’t need to be loud to be life-changing.
📬 Get Involved
🎙️ Drop your hot take: castfeedback.com/tthtop40
📧 Send your Hipstory: tthtop40@gmail.com
💸 Support the show + join the membersHIP: buymeacoffee.com/tthtop40
📡 Follow + Stream
Listen on: Spotify | Apple | YouTube | dewvre.com/tthtop40
Follow us: Instagram: @tthtop40
Join the group: facebook.com/groups/tthtop40
💸 Support ALS Canada
We’re raising $25K for the ALS Society of Canada in honour of our friend Matt Rona. This countdown is more than a list — it’s a love letter. If you’ve ever been moved by The Hip, help us hit our goal:
📜 Transcript follows below.
The Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown
2025-05-23, 6:11 PM
The Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown
Artist: jD
Year: 2025
Transcript
[0:00] A member of the DATC Media family. Previously on the Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown.
Darren from Toronto, what did yo