VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 19:00:22 03/31/00 Fri
Author: Dougald Lamont
Author Host/IP: 209-20-9-9.dialin.interlog.com / 209.20.9.9
Subject: how I got hooked on Burton and the Guess Who

It's funny - I grew up in Winnipeg, (went to a school on Bannatyne, even) was born in '69 and in a way the Guess Who and Burton Cummings were part of the fabric of growing up there, without me being that aware of them. I wasn't always a wild fan.

I always heard and liked American Woman, and a couple of what I think of as Burton's AM gold standards - Timeless Love and Rhapsody. I had a couple of funny "brushes with Burton" - when I was about 10 I went to 7-11 on Academy Road with my Aunt, Evelyn Anderson, and she bought me a slurpee - the guy ahead of me in line was Burton, I didn't know who he was, but she is an actress and had been in one of his specials shot in Winnipeg. He knew who she was, which was funny.

When I was about 21, I was a delivery driver for Dickie Dee Ice Cream (not a bike rider, I drove a truck). The people who owned Dickie Dee knew Burton, and at annual company party I played their Yahama Digitial Player Piano. They told me Burton had played it as well and (though they told me he had asked them not to do it much) they slapped in a disk of Burton playing. I sat there and watched the keys pound out R&B. Weird feeling.

Those events are really important to me now. About five years ago I bought a 73 International Harvester pick-up to run a business. Turns out it had a working 8-track player, so I picked up a bunch of 8-tracks (99 cents for three at Valu Village) Of course I picked up The Greatest of the Guess Who. I would tool around the 'peg with long hair and a beard, smoking like a chimney and belting out "Glamour Boy" as best I could.

That's when Burton and the Guess Who got their hooks into me, and dammit, it's been like an addiction ever since. Oh it started innocent enough. "Why don't I pick up Burton Cummings' Greatest Hits. I've always liked Timeless Love." But then I'd find another song that was great. And another. And another. So I end up buying every CD I can. I lost the Burton Cummings Collection, and bought two copies of it. Gave another to a friend. Started picking up LP's and putting them up on my office wall - as I type, I'm looking at My Own Way to Rock (picked up the re-mastered CD - and does it sound sweet) Burton's debut, Road food, The Greatest Hits and Rockin'. For months Burton was on the desktop of my computer - in the groovy rainbow sweater from Greatest Hits or vacuuming his basment from the Collection).

I listened to these songs, and they came to mean so much. Guns, Guns, Guns has become one of my favourite songs of all time - so poignant, so brutal. A couple of summer ago my dad had cancer - he was dying - and that line, "Never really wanted to say goodbye" - has haunted me, comforted me, been such a solace - I can barely express it. I listened to it over and over, crying, sobbing.

When I went to see Burton at the CNE, it was the same thing. Timeless Love, God, I wept it was so beautiful - so Winnipeg, it was like going home. I couldn't believe it when I picked up the Collection and found out that he wrote songs like Stand Tall in Roade Studios - my mom's house is two streets over. I went back to Winnipeg at Christmas and found the place was for rent, I almost dropped the cash to pick it up. Turns out a couple of friends of mine had lived in there, including one who has done some work with Burton as a promoter (Billy C).

I saw Burton at the CNE with my wife and sister-in-law Missy, and I think I've got a new convert. Missy picked up "up close and alone" It's got her hooks into her. We've all got tickets to the show in June. I'm thinking of flying back to Winnipeg for the show at CanWest Global park.

Anyway, I know I've gone on too long. I doubt anyone cares, but I just wanted to thank Burton and the Guess Who for giving us so much memorable music, for really accomplishing what the best of art can do - move someone, provide comfort, delight, laughter, tears - and sometimes make them think.

Keep the faith, you all.

DFL

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-5
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.