School of Hip: A Different Kind’a Tragically Hip Podcast follows two hosts from opposite sides of the border as they dive deep into the music, history, and mythology of one of Canada’s most beloved bands.
Chaz Charles — an American who first stumbled onto The Tragically Hip in the ’90s when they opened for Page & Plant — is finally taking the full journey through the band’s catalogue.
Guiding him is Heath McCoy, a Canadian rock journalist who grew up with The Hip woven into the fabric of his country’s culture.
Together, they explore every era, every album, and every track: the stories behind the songs, the legacy of Gord Downie, the cultural moments, the live performances, the deep cuts, and the impact The Hip left on fans across the world. It’s part discovery, part nostalgia, part education — and all heart.
Whether you're a lifelong Hip fan or coming in fresh, this podcast is your bi-weekly class in all things Tragically Hip.
Class is in session. Join us.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
School of Hip: A Different Kind’a Tragically Hip Podcast follows two hosts from opposite sides of the border as they dive deep into the music, history, and mythology of one of Canada’s most beloved bands.
Chaz Charles — an American who first stumbled onto The Tragically Hip in the ’90s when they opened for Page & Plant — is finally taking the full journey through the band’s catalogue.
Guiding him is Heath McCoy, a Canadian rock journalist who grew up with The Hip woven into the fabric of his country’s culture.
Together, they explore every era, every album, and every track: the stories behind the songs, the legacy of Gord Downie, the cultural moments, the live performances, the deep cuts, and the impact The Hip left on fans across the world. It’s part discovery, part nostalgia, part education — and all heart.
Whether you're a lifelong Hip fan or coming in fresh, this podcast is your bi-weekly class in all things Tragically Hip.
Class is in session. Join us.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of School of Hip: Chaz and Heath are joined by special guest Stephen Dame, whose website A Museum After Dark at hipmuseum.com has been an amazing source of information for the illustrious co-hosts as they have set out to explore the Tragically Hip’s entire musical catalogue, one album side at a time.
They discuss Dame’s personal connection to the Hip and the origins of the website, which he began compiling 20 years ago, experiencing a huge surge in traffic and media attention with the cancer diagnosis and death of Hip frontman Gord Downie circa 2016-17.
After a free-flowing chat touching on the trenches of Canadian journalism and Calgary’s Stampede Wrestling promotion, the trio begin their track-by-track review of side two of the Tragically Hip’s Canadian breakthrough album, Up to Here.
Conversation highlights include the politics of lyric writing in the band, with Up to Here featuring excellent contributions by both guitarist Paul Langois and bassist Gord Sinclair, which were to be their last as, after this point, Downie insisted that he be the Hip’s lone lyricist. While he was, unquestionably, the band’s great poet, was something lost in the suppression of the other voices?
As well as the considerable artistic merits of Up To Here, the guys also talk about the album’s massive commercial impact in Canada, eventually achieving diamond sales, meaning that on the Homefront the Hip were on par with such music industry chart toppers of the day as Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses. This set the underdog band from Kingston, Ontario, on a new trajectory which would define the rest of its career.
Whether you’re a lifelong Hip fan or just curious about what makes this band so iconic in Canada, School of Hip is your guide to the sounds and the story of the Tragically Hip, one album side at per episode. Episodes drop every two weeks.
For further exploration:
The Never-Ending Present: The Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip by Michael Barclay.
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Boneless makes a better podcast. Find 20 more like-minded podcast nuggets at The Boneless Podcasting Network. https://goboneless.loveable.app
Chaz Charles is also the co-host of podcasts: RushRash, Regarding… Series, Those Who Are About To Dive: Chronicling Colosseum Track By Bloody Track With Dr. Glund, and he’s a rocktorney on season two of Rock Court.
Heath McCoy is the author of Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling, available on Amazon.ca and at ECW Press. He appears in the award winning documentary Singhs in the Ring on Crave TV. He is a rocktorney on season one of Rock Court.
School of Hip is hosted on Acast and can be found on iTunes, Spotify and other podcasting platforms.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This is where it really starts.
In this episode of School of Hip, the show hits a turning point as Chaz and Heath—joined by Sean McGinity—step into Up To Here, The Tragically Hip’s 1989 major-label debut and the record that changed everything.
This isn’t just a new album. It’s the moment the band locked in their sound, their voice, and their place in Canadian culture—on their own terms. The conversation moves beyond origin stories and into identity, momentum, and the choices that shaped what The Hip would become.
It’s part music, part culture, part fan perspective—sharp, opinionated, and intentionally unfinished. If you’ve been waiting for the episode where the stakes rise and the story accelerates, this is it.
School of Hip has entered the Up To Here era.
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Heath and Chaz settle into a natural groove as they continue their deep dive into The Tragically Hip’s 1987 debut EP. The show opens with their now-familiar intro before jumping into a fast-moving music chat—Sloan, 54-40, The Northern Pikes, Halifax vs. Seattle, and how regional college-rock scenes shaped the late ’80s across North America. They dig into why The Hip ultimately pulled ahead of their peers: Gord Downie’s unpredictable spark, the band’s tight chemistry, and especially the interplay between Rob Baker’s fluid, textural guitar work and Paul Langlois’s grounded rhythmic punch.
Discussion slides into a major moment in Hip News: superstar producer Boi-1da being granted full access to The Hip’s catalog for a FIFA World Cup–themed project. The guys explore why it matters—legacy building, cross-genre discovery, and the surprising ways new listeners stumble onto classic bands through global events and cultural remixing.
They highlight hipmuseum.com, a massive fan-built archive they’ll be relying on heavily, and extend an open invitation to curator Stephen Dame. The sense of community around the show keeps growing.
Then comes the heart of the episode: a track-by-track breakdown of the EP’s final songs, Cemetery Sideroad on through All Canadian Surf Club.
Chaz and Heath close with their first scoring tally and talk through production notes, listener interaction, and the road ahead. It’s a freakin lively, witty, music-nerd-friendly episode that deepens their journey into the earliest days of The Tragically Hip. And the evolving format, it's best described as smoove...
ON THE WEB
You can reach us on our School of Hip Facebook page. We feed on your feedback!
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579698875642
Heath McCoy is author of the book Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling
https://www.amazon.ca/Pain-Passion-History-Stampede-Wrestling/dp/1550227874
https://ecwpress.com/products/pain-and-passion
Heath is featured in the documentary Singhs in the Ring:
https://www.crave.ca/en/special/singhs-in-the-ring-58926
Thanks to historian Terry Hoknes for his fantastic research on behalf our Facebook page.
You can follow his Facebook page at Saskatoon History Music Scene
https://www.facebook.com/groups/saskatoonmusichistory
Whether you’re a longtime Hip fan or just curious about what makes this band so iconic in Canada, School of Hip is your guide to the sounds, stories, and surprises of The Tragically Hip—from their early EPs to their legendary albums. Episodes drop every two weeks, with show notes and links available for further exploration.
Boneless makes a better podcast. Find 20 more like-minded podcast nuggets at The Boneless Podcasting Network.
By Heath McCoy at Amazon.com - Buy a copy here!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode Highlights: In the debut episode of School of Hip, hosts Chaz Charles and Heath McCoy kick off their deep dive into the world of The Tragically Hip. Chaz, an American who first encountered the band in the 90s, and Heath, a Canadian rock journalist with firsthand experience interviewing Gord Downie, set the stage for a unique, cross-border exploration of the band’s music and legacy.
The episode opens with personal stories about discovering the Hip and the cultural differences in how the band is perceived in Canada versus the US. Chaz and Heath outline the show’s format: each episode will focus on an album, breaking it down track by track, sharing insights, anecdotes, and ratings, while keeping the tone conversational and fun.
The Album: The Tragically Hip (EP) 1987 Side A (Smalltown Bringdown thru Evelyn)
They begin with the band’s self-titled debut EP, discussing its roots-rock sound, the influence of band members like Gord Sinclair and Gord Downie, and the evolution of their style. The hosts compare tracks to other bands (R.E.M., Tom Petty, B-52s), analyze lyrics, and share behind-the-scenes stories—like the inspiration for “Evelyn” and the band’s early days in Kingston, Ontario.
Listeners are invited to join the journey, connect with the growing podcast network, and look forward to future episodes that promise more music, stories, and special guests. The episode wraps up with plans for a biweekly release schedule and a call to check out show notes and related links.
Whether you’re a longtime Hip fan or just curious about what makes this band so iconic in Canada, School of Hip is your guide to the sounds, stories, and surprises of The Tragically Hip—from their early EPs to their legendary albums. Episodes drop every two weeks, with show notes and links available for further exploration.
Boneless makes a better podcast. Find 20 more like-minded podcast nuggets at The Boneless Podcasting Network.
By Heath McCoy at Amazon.com - Buy a copy here!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.