When you have five children, its hard to remember all the details, said Edgar. Some Canadians, being a cautious bunch, flew from Ontario to B.C. In the space of a month, he transformed the half-century-old tale of Chanie Wenjacka 12-year-old boy who froze to death running away from residential school in 1966into a current concern. I don't pretend to understand it; it feels confusing and frightening and wonderful.". (THE CANADIAN PRESS) Gord Downie, the Tragically Hip frontman who united a diverse array of music lovers with his commanding stage. Gord was the fourth of five children . Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in attendance and the Toronto Police Department summed up the events magnitude with a simple tweet: Dear world, Please be advised that Canada will be closed tonight at 8:30 p.m. Have a #TragicallyHip day.. The 23-song double album is due out Oct. 27, 2017, and is expected to be released posthumously by the Canadian label Arts & Crafts. Now, one year later, Gord's brothers take us through his final year full of passion and emotion, and share what it was like to be right by his side the entire way. The Downie residence was the only one where the Hips gold record was nowhere to be seen; the elder Downies couldnt remember the name of his high-school punk band. But things were much quieter now. Downie died of glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, on October 17, 2017, at the age of 53 in Toronto. He is known for Jumper (2008), One Week (2008) and Ararat (2002). The Tragically Hip, photographed in New York in February 1992. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord. Gordon R Downie (1899-1943) - Find a Grave Memorial Born in 1899 and died in 13 Oct 1943 Winnipeg, Manitoba Gordon R Downie Skip to main content Home Memorials Cemeteries Famous Contribute Register Sign In Register Sign In Memorial updated successfully. Their most recent album, Man Machine Poem, hit No. He was the son of Lorna (Neal) and Edgar Charles Downie, a travelling salesman, later a real estate broker and developer. Downie was reluctant at first; he told the Toronto Star he felt like a dilettante. Its focus is on youth learning and combining Cree education with the contemporary world. Tragically Hip's Gord Downie dead at 53 | CBC News Loaded. He was the poet who once asked, When are you thinking of disappearing? In the wake of his diagnosis, Gord only fought harder for what he believed in: social justice, environmentalism and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, he added. No one. The interview with Patrick and MikeDowniefromThe National, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy, ran away from a residential school in northern Ontario 52 years ago. The Tragically Hip's Gord Downie talks about the need to practice writing, in this interview from October 1989. [38], In September 2016, Downie announced he would release a new solo album, Secret Path in October. [69] Several stations, including CHEZ-FM in Ottawa, CFRQ-FM in Halifax,[67] CJRQ-FM in Sudbury,[69] CJQQ-FM in Timmins, CKEZ-FM in New Glasgow and CIKR-FM in the Tragically Hip's hometown of Kingston[70] dropped their regular names to temporarily rebrand themselves as "Gord FM". No matter how opaque or directly critical of Canadian history he may have been, Downie faced a sea of literal flag-waving at almost every single showespecially at shows not on Canadian soil. There were a few others there, though, most of whom knew enough to respect the privacy of the cancer-stricken man who had travelled hundreds of kilometres to disappear. I think thats all part of what appeals to Canadian fans. He called concert touring "grunt work," and talked about building the fan base one person at a time. All the while, he was writing and recording: with the Hip, keyboardist Kevin Hearn, avant-garde noisemakers Dinner is Ruined, and separate projects with producers Kevin Drew and Bob Rock. Downie was also featured in the sitcom Corner Gas in the episode "Rock On!" I think that everyman quality matters.. No one., Downie was diagnosed with brain cancer in December 2015, but didnt reveal his disease publicly until May 2016. In a rare interview with the CBC upon Secret Pathsrelease, Downie spoke about how he hoped Secret Path would bring more attention to the challenges indigenous communities face and potentially help shape Canadas future. He met his future Tragically Hip bandmates while attending. Garrett and his bandmates became invested in the fight against clearcutting in B.C.s Clayoquot Sound, and convinced the Hip to join them. I think if I put myself out there like that, on the line, and make people emotionally connect with me, I feel like I couldnt ever do it again, because Id get bored or I just couldnt summon the same amount of emotion. As could anyone who watched him command 40,000 people at any given outdoor appearance during the 1990s, singing songs that were summer soundtracks for an entire generation. If anything, the Hip's lack of success in the U.S. has only made Canadians more protective of them. Thats whats missing as we celebrate doughnuts and hockey. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. See where those sparks land. [32], In December 2017, Percy Hatfield, the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) representing WindsorTecumseh introduced the bill Poet Laureate of Ontario Act In Memory of Gord Downie to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. "It certainly took ahold of Gord, I think, because it's just so simple a boy trying to get home. The Tragically Hip was formed in 1984 and went on to become a decidedly Canadian success story. Paused. Interiors remain as they were left and in some cases stocked with goods. Then sit back and see what happens, because its not like you can control it. Brad Wheeler tells his. His most famous Canadian collaborations are with Richard Terfry (better known as Buck 65), Dallas Green of City and Colour and Alexisonfire, the Sadies and Fucked Up. [40], At the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018, Downie posthumously won two Canadian Screen Awards for the television version of Secret Path. All Rights reserved. Comments are welcome while open. Imagine if they were part of us and we them, how incredibly cool it would make us? [66] Most rock radio stations dropped regular programming to shift to an all-Tragically Hip format for the day,[67][68] and some further announced that they would continue the all-Hip format through the weekend until the morning of 23 October. Downie never sought to be iconic. "In many ways, Mike is in the trenches, and I think that's really helped him cope with the pain. But music was his first love. Finding the Secret Path premieres . READ MORE: Gord Downie calls out to Justin Trudeau during Tragically Hip's final show of tour. [64], Residents of the Ontario village of Bobcaygeon, which Downie had written about in the song of the same name, held a candlelight vigil for him the night after his death;[65] a large public gathering also took place at Springer Market Square in the band's hometown of Kingston. Because of the feeling you get when you go up there. Gord Downie is definitely in the tradition of great Canadian poets, Dickinson told the National Post in 2016. He eventually joined a band that did punk covers, and was in a group called the Filters. A documentary film, Long Time Running, about the Tragically Hip's summer 2016 cross-Canada farewell concert tour, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017. The poet whose metaphors had inspired generations of rocknroll fans had nothing more to saywith words, anyway. He was 53. He said he told Canadian stories because they were there to be told, and said he performed music because it was the ultimate medium for expressions of love. As with the blanket ceremony, the emotion and pride on his face was palpable. 'Just seeing all those unguarded, real moments with Gord, that always just, that always gets me.'. At Queen's University, Downie's alma mater, flags were lowered to half-mast following news of his death. [6] The Tragically Hip quickly became famous once MCA Records president Bruce Dickinson saw them performing at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto and offered them a record deal. At the Assembly of First Nations in Gatineau, Quebec, on December 6, 2016, National Chief Perry Bellegarde honoured Downie with an eagle feather, a symbol of the creator above, for his support of the indigenous peoples of Canada. It's the . Related he asked an interviewer from the Toronto Sun. "You know, I feel enough pain without having to go back and see some of the images, or hear the music and things like that. "This is not to take away from anything he did on that farewell tour with the [Tragically] Hip, but this is what he really wanted to see to the end. [19], Downie was heavily involved in environmental movements, especially issues concerning water rights. Canadian radio stations responded heavily to Downie's death, with early figures indicating the band's radio airplay on October 18 increased 1,500 percent compared to a normal day. [77], In August, Downie's Twitter account was reactivated, and began posting a series of teaser photographs of handwritten song lyrics, accompanied by numbers that appeared to be a calendar countdown to the date of October 15. At the Assembly of First Nations in Gatineau, Quebec, on December6, 2016, National Chief Perry Bellegarde honoured Downie with an eagle feather, a symbol of the creator above, for his support of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. Gord said he had lived many lives. It's the main take-away of almost everybody who worked with him,. "It takes ahold of you. when she met a 23-year-old Downie, who was just getting started with the Hip, playing mostly university gigs.. His death was announced on the Tragically Hip website, stating quote: Last night Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by. Gord Downie is the late lead singer and songwriter of rock giants The Tragically Hip. That's really compelling to me." That same summer, the Tragically Hip released a new album, Man Machine Poem, and embarked on a lengthy Canadian tour that culminated in an emotional final show:a hometown gig at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario. Today Bodie is an authentic, intact ghost town. "Then for him to say, 'Look at this, this is our country too. To get in there in the way Gord would, just to kind of work your way through it and stay active," Patrick explains when asked how difficult it's been to see all those moments with Gord again in the documentary. [29], In May 2016, Downie and his bandmates received honorary degrees from Queen's University. The group gigged around Canada throughout the Eighties and eventually earned a record contract after then-MCA president Bruce Dickinson caught them live in Toronto. Earlier this fall, Downie announced he had been working on another solo album, Introduce Yerself. We want to hear it. Gord Downie, the lead singer of the Tragically Hip, died Tuesday night surrounded by his loved ones. Downie was not able to attend the ceremony due to his illness which had not yet been made public. Tragically Hip: Canada Waves Goodbye to a National Treasure. Gord Downie, Soundtrack: Jumper. [79], In October 2022, the song "Lustre Parfait" was released to streaming services as a preview of an album collecting various previously unreleased songs that Downie had recorded with Bob Rock. Over three decades, the Tragically Hip released 14 studio albums, the majority of which topped the Canadian album charts and were eventually certified Platinum (their first three LPs all went Diamond). His godfather was future Boston Bruins coach and general manager Harry Sinden, and Downie enjoyed the national pastime as both a die-hard Bruins fan and a goalie who took his B-level team to a provincial championship. [43], In September 2017, Downie announced what would be his final solo double-album titled Introduce Yerself; it was released on October27, 2017, ten days after Downie's death.[44][45][46]. [4][5] In Kingston, Downie attended the downtown high school Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, where other members of the Tragically Hip also attended. As a musician, he lived "the life" for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. The bands management broke the news just after the May long weekend in 2016, while simultaneously announcing a tour to promote the new album. [14] But neither video nor radio was responsible for the bands rapid ascent: it was their live performances, where Downies unusual charisma electrified everyone who piled into either biker bars or student pubs to see them. Downie kept storytelling at the center of both records. When he first said they were going on tour, I said, Are you okay? The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund is a registered charity. [7], On December22, 2016, Downie was selected as The Canadian Press's Canadian Newsmaker of the Year and was the first entertainer selected for the title. Your father is now buried. This was a man inviting us to his own wake. With seven solo albums to his name, Downie's own music refutes definition, renowned for its adventurous poetry . In addition to the Tragically Hip's performance, Downie sang a song with a local band, Northern Revolution. Most artists will hear crowds singing the first verse and choruses of their most popular songs; Downie routinely had audiences singing every single line in his discography back to him, no matter how arcane or untethered the lyric was to rhyme or meter, songs full of what songwriter John K. Samson calls beautifully meaningful non-sequiturs., The Tragically Hip, photographed in New York in February 1992. Downie said growing up on the shores of Lake Ontario had an impact on the way he viewed the environment, which led him to support the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper as a board member and to pay for renewable energy at his Toronto home. Though he clearly relished his role on stage, Downies approach to celebrity was always tenuous. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from its formation in 1984 until his death in 2017. Cate Blanchett Suits Up and Gets Down in Sparks New Music Video, Taylor Swift Plots a Seventies Powder Party (Not That Kind) in Lavender Haze Behind-the-Scenes Video, Miley Cyrus Reviving the Backyard Sessions for Endless Summer Vacation Special, SST Records Producer Glen Spot Lockett Dead at 72, Glastonbury Co-Organizer Promises Female Headliners in 2024 After All-Male Top Billing This Year, There Were Sidemen. Written entirely in the first person, Downie tried to feel what Chanie Wenjack was feeling on his journey from moment he was taken away from his family, to his lonely death. He released his second solo album, Battle of the Nudes, in 2003 before returning to the studio with the Tragically Hip. Musician manager Jake Gold, who along with Allan Gregg gave the Hip members their first shot, told the authors of the book Have Not Been The Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-95, about the Toronto show that won them and an ambivalent crowd over. Gord Downie: In my mind, there's always a TV flickering away in the corner of every song. His family announced the news in a statement published on the Canadian band's . The rest of the Tragically Hip were scions of the Kingston elitesons of doctors, deans, judges and popular teachers. Updated at 11:10 a.m. in which the Tragically Hip are shown as a local band practising in the main character's garage. Over more than thirty years and across fourteen studio albums, Downie and his band of brothers built a legacy as the essential Canadian rock band. This was all a red (and white) herring: There are likely as many American references as Canadian ones in Tragically Hip songs, and Downie never threw darts at a map of Canada for song ideas, nor did he seek to set Heritage Minutes to music. Video clips dont do justice to the energy in the room generated by a performer who communicated more with a flick of the finger than anyone elses high kicks. Gord Downie was born on February 6, 1964 in Amherstview, Ontario, Canada. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. And their support hasn't gone. By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Anyone who managed to catch him fronting the Tragically Hip in 1985, playing covers at a roadhouse in Renfrew, Ont., could tell you that. Its kinda what I do. He was the man who once wrote a song for his late grandmothera song he sang several nights on stage in the summer of 2016that said, You were far more unifying than you know.. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time [7], In 1984, at age 20, Downie formed the Tragically Hip with Rodents's members Rob Baker and Gord Sinclair, another younger Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute alumnus, Johnny Fay, and saxophonist Davis Manning. Each night, Downie took to the stage dressed in metallic leather suits and feather-adorned hats, performing hits from the Tragically Hip's entire discography. [6] In 1986, Manning left the band as guitarist-vocalist Paul Langlois joined. [61] The CBC news broadcast, The National, spent 40 of its sixty-minute broadcast discussing Gord and The Hip. Downie died Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. Create the spark. [1] [54] [55] The surviving members of the Tragically Hip made the news of his death public the next morning, by sharing an official statement from his family on their website: [54] Bobcaygeon, meanwhile, is a summer sing-along named for a sleepy town in East-Central Ontario, though the lyrics also grapple with the 1933 Christie Pits riot, during which Torontos Jewish community clashed with so-called Swastika clubs. Downie died on October 17, 2017 at the age of 53. Making the documentary has been a welcome distraction for Mike, and a painful reminder for Patrick. I wouldnt say its given me a stigma, but its something thats always stayed with me, not actually being from Kingston. His outsider status became part of his public identity: the poet in the bar band; the rock star slumming it with indie kids whilecozying up to intelligentsia; the artist with a commercially successful cushion who thrived on continuing to challenge himself with new collaborators and varied disciplines like dance, painting, and acting. He also performed a few live shows to support the album, with supporting musicians Kevin Drew, Charles Spearin, Dave Hamelin, Kevin Hearn and Josh Finlayson. Lets celebrate our next 150 years.. Tragically Hip front-man Gord Downie's brother Patrick on why he and his brother Mike are working so hard to preserve the singer's legacy. Canadian rock legend Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip died at the age of 53 from brain cancer. "For Gord, his way of experiencing the world is to write about it. It was passed in December 2019, establishing the Poet Laureate of Ontario. [11][12] Gordon Edgar Downie was one of the most riveting and mystifying performers in rocknroll history. He also called Downie "the greatest frontman this country has ever produced.". The 15-show Man Machine Poem tour, especially its final concert, became a cultural event, as Downie's dire prognosis prompted an outpouring of support from people across the country who had the rare opportunity to celebrate a much-loved Canadian before he was gone. Downie was born Feb. 6, 1964, to parents Edgar Charles and Lorna Downie and grew up in Amherstview, Ont., just outside Kingston. Downie recorded the latter album, produced by Drew, across two four-day sessions in January 2016 and February 2017, with much of the final product assembled from first takes. Published Oct 20, 2017 Following Gord Downie 's passing on Tuesday (October 17), Canadians are still grieving the loss of their beloved Tragically Hip frontman. A childrens choir sang The Stranger, the opening track from Secret Path. Downie contained similar complexities: He was an everyman poet, seeming both aloof and down to earth, writing lyrics that rhymed "catharsis" with "my arse is." He delivered frenetic dance moves or stream-of-consciousness rants in ways that suggested he was channelling the music. The Bodie Group is composed of five patented claims and 224.45 acres under mineral prospecting lease from the State of Washington. Tragically Hip front-man Gord Downie's brother Mike talks about the CBC documentary 'Finding The Secret Path.' He took it in stride: if part of his poetrys appeal was that he rarely telegraphed direct meaning, he had to accept the fact that fans were going to read whatever they wanted into what he said. [34][35] Doctors at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre confirmed the same day that it was a glioblastoma, which had responded favourably to radiation and chemotherapy treatment but was not curable. A young drummer in Grade 9, Johnny Fay, watched with interest. He usually started with a "Hello," and often ended with a variation on "Good night, music lovers," but what would happen in between was anyone's guess. ", After his final appearances with the Tragically Hip, Downie released Secret Path, a multimedia project that tells the tragic tale of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack, who died of exposure and hunger in 1966 after running away from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Kenora, Ont. "Rock 'n' roll is not unlike love," he told music writer Michael Barclay in 2000. Downie was born on Feb. 6, 1964, in Amherstview, Ont., just slightly west of Kingston, to Lorna and Edgar, a travelling salesman turned real estate developer. [36], Downie toured with the band in summer 2016 to support Man Machine Poem, the band's 13th studio album. The gig notably came together thanks to the efforts of fellow Kingston, Ontario native Dan Aykroyd, who introduced the group despite John Goodman hosting that nights show. TV is the main source of information. [8] Originally, the band covered popular British rock songs from the 1960s. His words and lyrics spoke to everyone, coast to coast and across the miles. It was brave . Kingston Transit buses displayed "GORD, WE'LL MISS YOU" on their electronic destination signs, alternately with the regular route number and name display. Gord Downie's not-so-Secret Path to truth and reconciliation Everything about itthe music, the film, the band, his performancemakes you want to pay attention By Michael Barclay October 22,. [6] In an interview with Canadian music journalist Steve Newton, Downie noted that the Tragically Hip's early setlist was originally drawn to bands such as The Yardbirds and The Stones, a decision that was made because the Hip wished other Kingston bar bands would also play the genre. His later solo records, including a rollicking, punkish 2014 album recorded with the Sadies, were remarkably conventional compared to Coke Machine Glow. When he spoke, he gave us goosebumps and made us proud to be Canadian. However, the band never quite took. Poetry and pop music are not strangers, of course: just ask the committee who granted Bob Dylan the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. He saved a special energy for Kingston, playing a near three-hour set that was at once jubilant, raucous and heart-wrenching. He clearly was so taken with it and couldn't let it go.". It's so important to the country that we get this right. Editors picks To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). Gord said he had lived many lives, they added. He rarely granted interviews, and generally eschewed red-carpet jaunts for events like the Juno Awards. A guerrilla act of love to show the rest of the country what strength and artistry, grace and humour the Cree possess." [57] Later in the day, he held a press conference at Parliament Hill at which he tearfully remembered Downie as "Our buddy Gord, who loved this country with everything he hadand not just loved it in a nebulous, 'Oh, I love Canada' way. Over the course of his career, Downie released three other musically adventurous solo albums, a collaboration with Toronto roots-rock band the Sadies, and a book of poetry. He commented on working with the Sadies, saying, "I enjoy getting together with those guys; it's a whole other universe. It's there all the time, tuned in to Fox News. Years later, when he decided to be more vocal, he made sure he did his homework, studying casework, speaking at hearings, relying on research and science rather than his celebritymuch like his old friend Sarah Harmer, another Waterkeeper supporter. They're writing all the music and I'm writing all the lyrics and we're coming up with some neat stuff. There can be a certain darkness in the lyrics, in some ways that reminded me of reading and listening to Leonard Cohen or Robertson Davies. Gord was the fourth of five children: older siblings Mike, Charlyn and Paula, and younger brother Patrick. In a trailer for Introduce Yerself, he noted that every song was about a single person. The album consists of ten songs. [16], Also in 2014 Downie appeared as a guest vocalist on "The Art of Patrons", a song from Fucked Up's album Glass Boys.[17]. Gord Downie Memorial site? Canadian rock legend diagnosed with brain cancer in 2015. Gord Downie was given sufficient time to pen his own obituary, and that is exactly how it should be. Gord played goalie for Amherstviews hockey team, which won a provincial B-level championship. He saw it as something that I think made sense to him as his life was coming to an end.". Though they were lumped together because of their work on Indigenous issuesMaracles work on which, of course, far outstretched Downies more recent foraymany wondered if the timing had more to do with health concerns. Before his passing, Gord Downie took this country on a profound journey. I see stuff and I ," Patrick says, taking a moment to collect himself before continuing his thought. Gords command of language was profound. Another 11.7 million watched a CBC broadcast of the concert, with hundreds of viewing parties held in public parks, squares, movie theatres, bars and restaurants across Canada. Then came Downie's diagnosis, which created a wave of nostalgia and celebration even as people prepared for his passing. In December, the Assembly of First Nations honoured his work on reconciliation by endowing him with a Lakota spirit name: Wicapi Omani, or man who walks among the stars. In June, he and the band were named to the Order of Canada; Downie received his early, alongside activist Sylvia Maracle. [51] They were not divorced at the time of Downie's death and had remained close friends. Gord knew this day was coming his response was to spend this precious time as he always had making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss on the lips. Tragically Hip frontman wants the story of Chanie Wenjack, an Indigenous boy who died running away from a residential school in northern Ontario, to be his legacy project, Gord Downie talks about cancer, his recent cross-country tour and why he's focusing on Indigenous issues, Tragically Hip singer addresses the crowd at Saturday's show in Kingston. Canadians learned of Downie's illness on May 24 last year the same day the rest of the rock group,Paul Langlois, Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay,announced that the Kingston, Ont.-based band would head out on a final summer tour "for Gord, and for all of us.". Those tender offerings touched his heart and he takes them with him now as he walks among the stars.. Gord, I always wanted to ask you: how do you get the energy to make it so real every day? Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie performs with band members Paul Langlois, Gord Sinclair, Johnny Fay and Rob Baker at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre to kick off the bands latest Man Machine Poem tour in light of Downies brain cancer diagnosis, in Victoria, B.C., Canada July 22, 2016. It shouldnt have surprised us. No other act of the day was embraced with the fervour and frenzy that Hip fans displayed toward Downie as a performer, but it was his lyrics that inflamed his fans. Thank you for all the help and support over the past two years. [22], In February 2012 in Fort Albany, Ontario, Downie and the Tragically Hip played at the Great Moon Gathering, a yearly educational conference that takes place in various communities along Northern Ontario's James Bay coast. This, it seemed, meant much more to him than the Hips final show or the Order of Canada or the millions of records he sold. [71], CBC Radio preempted some of its regular programming in favour of a Downie tribute special hosted by Rich Terfry;[72] although news of Downie's death broke just 20 minutes before airtime, CBC Radio One's entertainment magazine show Q dropped its planned lineup in favour of a live Downie tribute special. Gord said he had lived many lives. Last year, he releaseda solo project, Secret Path, and announced the 23-track double-LP, Introduce Yerself last month. St. Joseph Communications uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. [60], Downie was widely mourned in Canada. Paul Langlois, the son of the school's gym teacher and football coach who Downie befriended in Grade 11, wouldnt join until a year later; by that time, Downie was studying film at Queens (mostly, I learned how to drink, he said of his time there). To testify one more time. In the latter part of the decade, he pushed the band to record two albums with Bob Rockwho produced albums by the likes of Metallica and Michael Bubleand he helped broaden the bands sonic palette.