Episode Details

The Tragically Hip Top Forty Countdown: Song Thirty-Six – Dave from St. Louis

Hey, it’s jD, and this week I’m joined by Dave from St. Louis — a Hiphead from the Midwest whose fandom was forged in a hockey guide, confirmed at a Page & Plant gig, and solidified somewhere between a Chicago bar and a Detroit meet-and-greet with Gord himself. Not bad for a guy living in a country where The Hip didn’t always hit the airwaves.

Dave’s Hipstory starts in ’95, when he stumbled into a live set that left him stunned. From there, it was all about chasing down records, trading bootlegs, and road-tripping to every show within 500 miles. This is a guy who’s seen the band in Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, London (England, not Ontario — though probably that too), and got married at Lakeside Park while quoting The Hip in his vows. Real talk.

We dig into how fandom works across borders — especially when your favorite band doesn’t tour your town after ’98. Dave breaks down how music became his map, how No Dress Rehearsal became a mantra, and why some lyrics mean even more when you’ve had to fight to find them.

Also: The time he got to thank Gord in person. The Hip album he thinks gets unfair hate. And how the community around this band keeps surprising him — even now, nearly three decades in.

🎙️ Next week: We head back to Kingston with Bill — broadcaster, writer, longtime Hip supporter, and the guy with the most Gord interviews on the planet. Expect stories, insight, and pure reverence.

💬 Pull Quote

“I got to meet Gord and say thank you. I told him how much it all meant. He smiled and said ‘You’re very kind.’ That moment — it’s frozen in my brain.”

👤 About Our Guest

Dave from St. Louis is a longtime Hip fan, hockey guy, and human mixtape with a passport full of concert stubs and a heart full of lyrics. He fell for the band in the mid-’90s and has been criss-crossing North America to see them ever since. He’s also got the rare distinction of incorporating a Downie lyric into his wedding vows and sharing his honeymoon with Discovering Downie Live. Respect.

He lives in Missouri with his wife, his dogs, and what we can only assume is a stack of Maxell tapes labelled “LIVE – MUST KEEP.”

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💸 Support ALS Canada

We’re raising $25K for the ALS Society of Canada in memory of our friend Matt Rona. If you’ve enjoyed the countdown, consider tossing a coin in the hat: buymeacoffee.com/tthtop40

📜 Transcript follows below.

The Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown

2025-05-23, 6:12 PM

The Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown

Artist: jD

Year: 2025

Transcript

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