Skip to content

Column: Tribute to an icon

Here's a secret about being a journalist: Sometimes the stories we cover don't excite us.
opinion

Here's a secret about being a journalist: Sometimes the stories we cover don't excite us. Don't get me wrong – we love covering the community, we always strive to inform readers by telling engaging local stories and we aim to put the same thought, care and attention to accuracy into everything we write. But a lot of the time, we cover things that we don't feel a personal attachment to.

Sometimes, though, a story aligns with our particular interests or passions. When that happens, the job is sublime.

This week, I had the pleasure of reporting one of those stories. After becoming aware of a local artwork that had started to gain attention across Canada, I got in touch with Luke Carruthers to learn more about his portrait of Gord Downie, the late lead singer of the Tragically Hip. Carruthers' portrait is composed entirely out of Canadian pennies.

Like many other Canadians, I love the Hip. In my opinion, they are the preeminent Canadian band. It's difficult to describe, but their music feels Canadian in a way other artists – Drake, Justin Bieber, Shania Twain, Nickelback – don't.

Part of me thinks this is because, unlike some other notable Canadian artists, the Hip aren't as beloved in the United States as they are in our country. This makes it feel like they belong to us, and only to us.

Another part of me thinks they feel specifically Canadian because of their lyrics. As I interviewed Carruthers, he said Downie's songwriting draws on references familiar to Canadians, pointing to lines like "late-breaking story on the CBC" in the single "Wheat Kings." I feel the same way when I hear another verse in the same song – "There's a dream he dreams where the high school's dead and stark. It's a museum and we're all locked up in it after dark. The walls are lined all yellow, grey and sinister, hung with pictures of our parents' prime ministers."

“It sort of felt like he was telling some of our stories and reminding us there’s these little towns and these little places out there where other Canadians live,” Carruthers said to me as we indulged our shared fandom.

After our interview, I met Carruthers to photograph his project. The portrait really needs to be seen to be appreciated. At around eight feet tall, its size alone is breathtaking at first sight. Then, you start to admire the care and detail he placed into arranging and gluing the pennies. It was stunning to behold.

As I finished taking pictures, Carruthers told me he hopes the portrait can be hung somewhere public so fellow Hip fans can enjoy it. I echo that sentiment.

Ben Sherick, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @BenSherick

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks