The Tragically Hip Podcast Series

The Tragically Hip On Shuffle - Live Stream: Looking For A Place To Happen

A Halifax 2015 live cut, a 40-person Off Ramp show in 1991, and a panel that pulls the deep American Hipstory out of "Fully Completely."
Episode Overview
This week on The Tragically Hip On Shuffle, host jD spins 'Looking For A Place To Happen' - track two from the 1992 Chris Tsangarides-produced "Fully Completely." It is the sequencer's burden to live between 'Courage' and 'At The Hundredth Meridian,' and the panel is here to figure out what it's hauling.
The roundtable is a North American one this time. Dave from Montreal joins jD alongside two lifelong friends and bandmates, Greg from Tacoma and Chris from Seattle, who have been playing music together since 1981 and watching The Tragically Hip every chance they got. Greg's first Hip show was a 40-person night at The Off Ramp in 1991, opening for The Sundays, where Gord opened 'Looking For A Place To Happen' with a frogman-for-the-cops story instead of a killer-whale-tank one. Chris saw The Hip up close at the Under The Rail and watched Gord catch a flying beer mid-line without missing a beat.
The conversation runs deep. The panel reads the song as a great Canadian travelogue working on multiple levels at once - the Jacques Cartier exterior, the interior landscape of a songwriter and a touring band looking for places to happen, and the foreshadowing of what would later become Gord's most public work around indigenous rights. There is talk of bootleg pre-shows, the legendary monologues that never made the record, the 'plaintive plaintive whale' outro that lives only in old recordings, and the beautiful curse of being the eleventh-best song on a record this good.
The opener question this week was favourite last song on a Hip album. Dave goes with 'Emperor Penguin' from "Phantom Power" - heard on Saint Laurent at midnight after grabbing a tape from Sam The Record Man, and only ever heard live once, in Quebec City on the We Are The Same tour. Chris picks 'The Wherewithal' from "Live Between Us," recorded at Cobo Arena in Detroit, where he could throw a rock and hit Windsor as a kid. Greg represents the Northwest with 'Goodnight Josephine' from "In Between Evolution," recorded in his rainy hometown.
Songs come up for a reason.
Quick Facts: Looking For A Place To Happen
Album: "Fully Completely" (1992)
Track: 2 of 12
Producer: Chris Tsangarides
First live performance: February 4, 1991
Last live performance: October 15, 2015
TTHTop40 Countdown ranking: #35 (of 169 tracks)
Live version featured on the stream: Halifax, 2015 (Fully And Completely tour)

Panelists
Dave from Montreal A Tragically Hip fan since the band came calling on much music. Quebec City regular, lifelong Stones fan, and the writer of a viral 2016 National Post piece on The Hip's final tour. Find him on Instagram and Bluesky as dave.kaufman (spelled like Andy), and read his work at therover.ca, including a feature on Buffalo's Strictly Hip and Quebec City's francophone tribute band, Gracefully Hip.
Greg from Tacoma Lifelong Pacific Northwest musician and one half of Hades Market alongside his wife Liz. The band is named after his grandparents' grocery store in Mud Bay, Olympia. Find Hades Market on all the streaming services.
Chris from Seattle Singer, songwriter, and guitarist with Seattle band Loud Flowers, who released two new EPs in April plus a 2024 full-length. Previously fronted Shadow Band The Civilians, which featured Steve Nieve from Elvis Costello's band. Visit loudflowers.band.
Resources & References
Hipbase: hipbase.com
The Hip Museum: thehipmuseum.com
This Is Our Life: thisisourlife.ca
Setlist.fm: setlist.fm
The Tragically Hip Archive: archive.thehip.com
The Hip Compendium: compendium.tthpods.com
Timestamps
00:00 - Welcome to The Tragically Hip On Shuffle live stream
02:24 - Meet the panel: Dave from Montreal, Greg from Tacoma, Chris from Seattle
06:18 - Tale of the tape: 'Looking For A Place To Happen,' "Fully Completely," Chris Tsangarides
07:47 - Listening session: Halifax 2015 live version
13:39 - The plaintive whale outro and the dual lead vocal with Gord Sinclair
14:41 - Greg's compliment for jD and the eight-show podcast network
16:14 - Favourite last song on an album: Dave picks 'Emperor Penguin'
18:50 - Chris picks 'The Wherewithal' from "Live Between Us" at Cobo Arena
24:35 - Greg picks 'Goodnight Josephine' from "World Container"
25:39 - First impressions of 'Looking For A Place To Happen'
29:46 - Dave on the burden of living between 'Courage' and 'Hundredth Meridian'
33:43 - Greg's 1991 Off Ramp show and the frogman-for-the-cops monologue
36:32 - Bootleg memories and the porter-on-a-steamship monologue
37:50 - The double suicide cassette and Gord as improviser
40:40 - The eye contact, the ebb and flow, and being in the show
45:43 - The exploration reading: a band becoming a great touring band
47:38 - Putting Down, indigenous Canada, and reading Gord in retrospect
49:38 - The notebook, the four coloured pens, and the Rosetta Stone
51:08 - Dave's Quebec City night with Gord at the bar
55:00 - Songs that grow with you, eight years of podcasts, and the headroom in The Hip's catalogue
1:02:38 - Next week's shuffle: 'Game Day' from "Trouble At The Henhouse"
1:03:33 - Plugs: Dave Kaufman, Hades Market, Loud Flowers

Coming Up
Next week, the shuffle machine spins 'Let's Stay Engaged' from "Trouble At The Henhouse." Cast a vote in the community group, and come hang in the chat live next Wednesday.
Stay Connected
Facebook Community: community.tthpods.com
Instagram: instagram.com/tthpods
YouTube: youtube.com/@tthpods
Tickets & Events: tickets.tthpods.com
The Hip Compendium: compendium.tthpods.com
Get Yer Letter
Hip news, album anniversaries, episode recaps, and early previews delivered every month. Subscribe and get a free copy of The Complete Hip Discography v6.0.
Subscribe: subscribe.tthpods.com
#TheTragicallyHip #TTHOnShuffle #FullyCompletely #GordDownie #CanadianRock #TragicallyHipPodcast
The Tragically Hip On Shuffle is part of The Tragically Hip Podcast Series - Est. 2018. New episodes every Wednesday at 8 PM ET, live on YouTube.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Get ready for a blast from the fucking past! We’re revisiting the first five years of podList episodes and bringing them back to the feed—your chance to re-live the magic of TTH fan covers, back-to-back. We’re talking incredible fucking renditions of classic tracks by The Tragically Hip tracks brought to life by listeners just like you. So there’s that.
Each year, devoted Hip fans from all walks of life have picked up their guitars, banjos, pianos, and yes, even synthasysers to reimagine The Hip’s legendary catalog. It’s a celebration of artistry, community, and the music that unites us. So there’s that.
And don’t forget, podList SIX is just around the corner on May 26th. But first, let’s take a trip down memory lane. Listen, enjoy, and maybe even start practicing—your song could be featured next!
Track Listing:
The Stranger - Maria King
Lofty Pines - Tragically Al
Trick Rider - Darrin Cappe
Vancouver Divorce - Craig/ jD
Yer Ashore - Kirk Lane
Crater - Craig/Justin
Canada Geese - Lifte
Gone - Gerald McGrath
SF Song - Aye Karou
The Stranger - The Strictly Hip

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The panel digs into a quiet, jammy deep cut from "In Violet Light" - and finds a father-daughter scene, a Bahamas-recorded slow burn, and one of the most conversational lyrics in the catalogue.
Episode Overview
This week on The Tragically Hip On Shuffle, host jD pulls 'Throwing Off Glass' - track six from the 2002 Hugh Padgham-produced "In Violet Light." Joining the virtual campfire are returning panelists Adam from Tampa, Andrew from Winnipeg, and Tyler from Etobicoke, who bring opening picks for favourite last song on a Hip album: 'Opiated,' 'The New Maybe,' and a tie between 'Impossibility' and 'Machine.'
The conversation lands on a song that rewards a closer listen. The panel reads it as Gord in the car with his daughter, watching stoop-shouldered teens on a corner, trading new vocabulary back and forth - exquisite, iridescent, barbarous threats. Andrew points out the song feels jammed into existence rather than written, with the title phrase landing like a riff Gord caught on the fly. Adam zeroes in on the heartbreak underneath the scene: a dad clocking that his kid is on her way to a world he can't shield her from.
Key Discussion Points
Sequencing on vinyl versus streaming, and why the song lands differently as the closer of side A
The "Coke Machine Glow" connection: 'Trick Rider' as a possible companion piece, and the broader fatherhood thread running through Gord's writing in this era
Hugh Padgham's production approach and the band's decision to record the album in The Bahamas after the workshopped sessions of "Music @ Work"
The song's life on the "Men with Brooms" soundtrack alongside Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards, Our Lady Peace, and Big Sugar
Live history: first played at the "In Violet Light" release party at the Hard Rock Cafe on Yonge Street, retired August 12, 2016 in Toronto on the Man Machine Poem tour
Paul's understated electric work on the final tour performance, and Gord's whispered "true story" tag at the end

Song of the Week Results
Of 500 votes cast on 'Throwing Off Glass':
56% loved it
28% liked it
9% tolerated it
5% skipped it
2% had never heard it

Coming Up Next Week
The shuffle landed on 'Looking For a Place to Happen' for the next episode.
A new podcast in The Tragically Hip Podcast Series, A Forest Of Whispering Speakers, premieres April 30th. The 6-episode series goes inside the Theatre Aquarius world premiere of The Tragically Hip musical "It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken." Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
podList 7: The Classics
Submissions are open for podList 7 - "The Classics," a fan cover compilation of TTH songs from 1987-1995 spanning the EP through "Day for Night." The submission deadline is April 30, with the compilation dropping May 15. Send tracks to [email protected] or submit via podlist.tthpods.com.
Connect
Website: tthpods.com
Newsletter: Yer Letter at tthpods.com
Forum: forum.tthpods.com
Hip Compendium: compendium.tthpods.com
Email: [email protected]

Credits
Hosted by jD. Panelists: Adam from Tampa, Andrew from Winnipeg, Tyler from Etobicoke. Part of The Tragically Hip Podcast Series.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Get ready for a blast from the fucking past! We’re revisiting the first five years of podList episodes and bringing them back to the feed—your chance to re-live the magic of TTH fan covers, back-to-back. We’re talking incredible fucking renditions of classic tracks by The Tragically Hip tracks brought to life by listeners just like you. So there’s that.
Each year, devoted Hip fans from all walks of life have picked up their guitars, banjos, pianos, and yes, even synthasysers to reimagine The Hip’s legendary catalog. It’s a celebration of artistry, community, and the music that unites us. So there’s that.
And don’t forget, podList SIX is just around the corner on May 26th. But first, let’s take a trip down memory lane. Listen, enjoy, and maybe even start practicing—your song could be featured next!
Track Listing:
In View - Shemus Gunn
Morning Moon - Uzbekistani Denzel
Lake Fever - Fandom Power
It Can't Be Nashville Every Night - Tristan Armstrong
Silver Jet - Smug Rooster
The Last Recluse - Beej
It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken - Mik Perlus
Gus: The Polar Bear from Central Park - Field of Porters
The Darkest One - Gift Shop
If New Orleans is Beat - Rico Borrego
Now For Plan A - Craig Rogers & Yvette Drews
Pretend - Marc Harwood, Tim Clarke & Ben Wallace

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A Forest Of Whispering Speakers - The Idea
A new musical featuring the music of The Tragically Hip is about to open in Hamilton. Episode one is the story of how it got there - from one phone call to a world premiere.
Episode summary
A Forest Of Whispering Speakers is the brand new podcast from The Tragically Hip Podcast Series, charting the world premiere of "It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken" at Theatre Aquarius. The musical is built on the music of The Tragically Hip and tells the story of an exiled Iraqi journalist building a new life in Kingston, Ontario. Act I: The Idea is the origin episode - the cold-call, the pitch, the band Zoom, the moment a single CBC story unlocked the whole concept.
Host jD sits down with manager Jake Gold and producer Michael Rubinoff ("Come From Away") to trace how a Tragically Hip musical went from a polite email to a full production. Along the way, three lifelong theatre fans - Jen Towndrow, Armand Baksh-Zarate, and Autumn Tuffin-McDonald - help frame what makes a jukebox musical actually work, and what happens when the source material is a band that means this much to this many people.
This is a spoiler-free, behind-the-scenes podcast. The production is the hero. The musical is the subject. jD is the listener in the room.
Featured voices
Jake Gold - Manager, The Tragically Hip
Michael Rubinoff - Producer, "It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken" ("Come From Away")
Jen Townrow - Lifelong musical theatre fan
Armand - Musical theatre devotee
Autumn Teffen-McDonald - Theatre fan, seven shows deep into 2026 already

What's covered in Act I
The original pitch (and the original story - which wasn't Iraq)
The Zoom call with the band that started it all
Lindsay Perigoe's viral 2020 CBC piece on Gord Downie, 'Wheat Kings,' and discovering Canada through The Hip
How the title "It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken" landed
Why The Tragically Hip do not exist inside the world of the show (and where the Easter eggs live)
The difference between previews and an official opening night

About the show
A Forest Of Whispering Speakers is a six-episode oral history of the Theatre Aquarius world premiere of "It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken." New episodes drop weekly on Thursdays.
Resources & references
Theatre Aquarius - theatreaquarius.org
Lindsay Perigoe's 2020 CBC piece on The Tragically Hip and discovering Canada
Hipbase, HipMuseum, This Is Our Life - the standing TTH Podcast Series sources

Listen & follow
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever fine podcasts are found
Network home: home.tthpods.com
Community: community.tthpods.com
Email jD: [email protected]

Also happening - podList 7: the classics
Submissions for podList 7 - a fan cover compilation of Tragically Hip songs from the 1987-1995 catalogue, EP through "Day for Night" - close April 30. Drop date is May 15. Submit at podlist.tthpods.com or email [email protected].
Tip jar
If the work hits, throw a couple bucks at the battery: buymeacoffee.com/tthtop40. Editing is hard. Coffee helps.
Socials
Facebook: community.tthpods.com | Instagram: @tthpods | YouTube: youtube.com/@tthpods
#TheTragicallyHip #TheHip #GordDownie #AForestOfWhisperingSpeakers #ItsAGoodLifeIfYouDontWeaken #TragicallyHip

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy