This Is Our Life is the story of The Tragically Hip – the definitive account of their incredible journey, as told in their own words. Drawn from hundreds of hours of interviews, Rob Baker, Gord Downie, Johnny Fay, Paul Langlois, Gord Sinclair and the fellow musicians, producers and crew that helped in shaping their story provide the 130,000-word narrative. These words accompany a stunning and layered visual chronicle of The Hip’s evolution, on and off the stage.
This Is Our Life spans decades, from their beginnings in Kingston, Ontario, where all five band members attended the same high school, to the pinnacle of success, culminating in the incredible, bittersweet 2016 concert held in their hometown, broadcast live for an estimated audience of 11.7 million people. The Tragically Hip have made an indelible impact on their nation’s cultural landscape and formed a lifelong bond with fans across the world. This Is Our Life documents how it happened.
The band has opened their archives for the first time, revealing a trove of rare and previously unpublished material, totalling in over 1,200 pieces. This Is Our Life brims with a wealth of photography, vintage posters, concert tickets, tour passes, handwritten lyrics, setlists, backstage photographs, instruments, album artwork, and much more, all meticulously curated by Genesis Publications, celebrating 50 years in music publishing.Here, finally, is the ultimate record of The Tragically Hip, a celebration of their career and ongoing legacy – their official anthology.
Critically acclaimed for almost four decades, The Tragically Hip have been at the heart of the Canadian musical zeitgeist, evoking an emotional connection between their music and their fans that remains unrivalled.
A five-piece group of friends who grew up in Kingston, Ontario - Rob Baker (guitar), Gord Downie (vocals, guitar), Johnny Fay (drums), Paul Langlois (guitar), and Gord Sinclair (bass) - The Hip have achieved both mass popularity as well as peer recognition. They have sold more than 10 million albums in Canada and received 17 Juno Awards, including the Humanitarian Award in 2021 for artists or industry leaders whose humanitarian contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada and beyond.
Their studio catalogue includes their self-titled debut album The Tragically Hip (1987), Up To Here (1989), Road Apples (1991), Fully Completely (1992), Day For Night (1994), Trouble At The Henhouse (1996), Phantom Power (1998), Music @ Work (2000), In Violet Light (2002), In Between Evolution (2004), World Container (2006), We Are The Same (2009), Now For Plan A (2012), Man Machine Poem (2016) and Saskadelphia (2021).
