I just read that Stompin’ Tom Connors passed away today of
natural causes. I hope that he didn’t suffer and was surrounded at the end by
those he loved and that loved him. Tom deserved a good send off and I am sure
there will be a hell of a wake in the days to come.
I first heard of Stompin’ Tom Connors when I was in high
school, I think in grade 12. I was going out with a very intelligent girl who
was somewhat quirky. Even though Lois was intelligent, she still allowed me to
date her and I am still baffled by that. She was very well read and would burn
through a couple of books every day. She smoked cigarettes that she rolled
herself with Export tobacco and Export papers. She didn’t believe that a lady
should walk down the street smoking a cigarette, so she would sit on the curb,
take out the tobacco can, roll and smoke a cigarette. I assume that when I wasn’t
with her, she would read one of the books.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTLlREVZvQQ
I was into the Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Dylan, Long John
Baldry, Joni Mitchell, Carol King, James Taylor any folk music really and
softer rock music. I also liked some of the heavier rock, but for the most part
country rock was what I would listen to when I was by myself. Most of my
friends liked heavier rock, so I did listen to my share of that particular kind
of music. Lois was the one person I knew that liked Country music. Not only did
she like country music, but she really liked country music and was a regular at
the Horseshoe Tavern.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6EiYbRTv4M
She dragged me (kicking and screaming) to see Stompin’ Tom
one Friday night and I was mesmerized. He didn’t have a very good voice, he
looked kind of odd with his cowboy hat, and I don’t think he was a very good
musician, but the truth of the matter is that I wasn’t a very good judge of
that kind of thing. The lyrics were very odd ones, “goodbye rubberhead, so long
boob” and the percussion was listed as “Tom’s foot” on the album notes. It is
said that he would stomp through a ¾ inch piece of plywood during a show, and I
actually watched as splinters flew from the board during the show. He had
nothing going for him that I had considered important for a musician, but
somehow Tom managed to put everything into a package that entertained and
thrilled. The girl is long gone and mostly forgotten, but Tom and his music has
stayed with me throughout the years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtySGSuKZe8
Tom somehow captured what it meant to be Canadian in his songs
possibly better than anyone else before or since. His music is rough, simple,
unpretentious, happy (for the most part) and from the heart. Kind of like the Canada
I believe in and sometimes wish would come back. Well, it does come back
whenever I listen to Tom and his boot.
Canada lost a folk hero today, but Tom Connors will be with
us whenever we listen to “Bud the Spud”, “Tillsonberg”, “The Hockey Song”, “Across
This Land”, “Rubberhead” and “The Snowmobile Song”. I guess he reminds me of a
Canadian version of Woody Guthrie and if Canadians made heroes, Stompin’ Tom
would be one of the greatest.
Goodbye Rubberhead…So Long Boob
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD4I0hQ2cKo
No comments:
Post a Comment