Episode Details

The Tragically Hip Top Forty Countdown: Song 19 – Jeff from Belleville

Welcome back, Hip faithful. This week on the Countdown, I’m joined by one of our most beloved Sunday Evening Jam regulars — the witty, wise, and wonderfully loquacious Jeff from Belleville. You know him. You love him. And if you’ve ever caught a live stream where he was in the comments, you’ve probably laughed out loud.

But today? Today, we go deeper.

Jeff takes us back to his teenage years, up in a century-old Belleville coach house where Road Apples first took hold and never let go. From bootleg tapes and roadside attractions to mosh pits, surprise shows, and backstage encounters — Jeff’s Hipstory spans 31 shows and countless life moments tied to the soundtrack of this band.

Along the way, we talk memory, meaning, and mortality — including the two cardiac arrests Jeff survived (yes, you read that right), and the unexpected video message he received from Paul Langlois while recovering. This episode reminds us why we do this show in the first place: for the love, for the connection, for the community.

We even get a bonus English Lit breakdown of King Lear — and how defiance, irony, and Shakespearean tragedy might be woven into one of the Hip’s most poetic tracks. (And yeah, we manage to keep the actual title of that track on the DL. You’re welcome.)

👀 NEXT WEEK: We’re off to Ann Arbor for a conversation with Claire — a longtime listener with a gift for lyrical insight and a wild story about hearing the Hip in a cornfield. Trust me, you’re gonna love her.

🎧 BONUS: Early access to upcoming episodes is always waiting for you in the membersHIP folder. And if you haven’t joined the membersHIP yet? Now’s the time. You help keep the lights on, the pods rollin’, and the fundraiser rollin’ toward our $25K goal for ALS Canada.

✍️ GET INVOLVED:

• Submit your hot take or love letter for the Music @ Work podumentary right here.
• Nominate someone for the Let’s Get Fandom Right SuperFan contest! Find the one-pager in the membersHIP folder.

🧠 CLOSING THOUGHT:

If grief really is love with nowhere to go, maybe this show is one of the places it can go. Thanks to Jeff — and to all of you — for helping us build that space.

🎤 Listen wherever you get yer podcasts.

📨 Feedback? Stories? Drop us a line at tthtop40@gmail.com

📱 Follow along: @tthtop40 on Instagram and Facebook

🌐 All roads lead to dewvre.com/tthtop40

Transcript included below.

(And yes, it’s unabridged. Because that’s how we do.)

Track 2:

[0:02] Hey, it's JD here, and you're probably tired of podcasts asking you for money. I get it, so I'm

not going to ask. I am, however, going to strongly suggest, with love, that you give me money. This

isn't about exclusive perks or gated content, though those exist. It's about supporting something

you believe in. If you've been enjoying the Tragically Hip Top 40 Countdown, If it's made you laugh,

think, feel something, or reconnect with a band that means the world to you, this is your chance to

give back. I make this show because I love the hip, I love this community, and I believe in telling

stories that matter. But it all takes time, energy, and of course, your support. By joining the

membership, you're not just helping to keep the show running, you're also helping to raise money

for the ALS Society of Canada. No minimum, no catch, no problem. BuyMeACoffee.com forward

slash TTH T