CanCon

[morgainex]

"The billboard had this written on it: "... a magnificent moment of Canadian TV was happening at the same time on MuchMusic. The Tragically Hip were doing an Intimate & Interactive that went on gloriously for hours. In the pouring rain, hundreds stood outside on Queen Street. Gord Downie, a man with more charisma in his little finger than any political leader and a greater understanding of Canada than all the Alliance candidates, was asked about misconceptions of Canada that he's encountered on the road. 'That Canadians aren't patriotic,' he said dryly. Then, in one of those spontaneous moments that only happen on TV, and happen cogently in the electronic Much arena, the crowd started singing O Canada. In salute to a rock 'n' roll band! It was a ragged rendition, but it cut to the heart of this country's culture, a culture alive and well at the corner of Queen and John in downtown Toronto - ahead by a century - and absent at that Alliance convention in Calgary. It was political and profound and made me thankful for television and the multi-channel universe, and the ironies it reveals." I was taken aback, because I wrote that for this newspaper. And it was true."

From John Doyle's column "When MuchMusicMattered" in today's Globe and Mail