A Hip show is to be experienced. Like WWF wrestling, like a Kiss concert, one can't sit on the sidelines. The quintet is an overgrown bar band, whose energy could not be contained. As a whole, Downie, guitarists Paul Langlois and Bobby Baker, drummer Johnny Fay and bassist Gord Sinclair come off as one of us, but Downie is often viewed with curiosity, as some kind of quirky intellectual. He gives every fibre of himself onstage, emotionally and physically, but rarely do we get a glimpse of what makes him tick.
Interviews are no different.
He's cautious, uncomfortable, unpredictable but thoughtful. Hip fans are devout. Some trek miles to see the band perform in various venues. No two shows are alike. The difference could be as subtle as a new jam or as obvious as a newly spun tale fresh from Downie's mind.