The Secret Path is an entry point for discussing and learning about residential schools and the unimaginable abuse of Indigenous people in Canada. “Gord Downie began Secret Path as ten poems incited by the story of Chanie Wenjack, a twelve year-old boy who died fifty years ago on October 22, 1966, in flight from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School near Kenora, Ontario, walking home to the family he was taken from over 400 miles away.” Proceeds from “Secret Path” will be donated to The Gord Downie Secret Path Fund for Truth and Reconciliation through The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba.Review by Mary Lawson Secret Path by Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire “There’s a lyric: ‘I’ll be on your shoulder watching you when I’m gone.’” But if you listen to it now, it is even more poignant,” he said in a recent interview. “This was before Gord’s diagnosis, the album was done. “It’s almost like another brother - that sort of connection.”ĭownie’s friend, acclaimed author Joseph Boyden, has published the novella “Wenjack” in Chanie’s honour, to coincide with the release of “Secret Path.” Now, she said, there is an unbreakable bond between her family and the Downies. “He captured everything that was there - the isolation in the forest, the fear he must have had being alone,” Achneepineskum said earlier this week. Pearl Achneepineskum, Chanie Wenjack’s older sister, recalled how Downie and his brothers travelled to their remote northern Ontario community of Ogoki Post last month to present the completed “Secret Path.” And I guess they’ll be together forever.” I think in many ways, Chanie’s story is going to live forever as well. “This is his most important work, his most powerful work, and I think it’s going to live forever. “Gord’s making his life count,” said Mike Downie. In an interview prior to the Ottawa show, Mike Downie said the post-tour work has been a form of physical, emotional and mental therapy. Yet there has been little downtime since for the singer-songwriter, who embarked on a cross-country tour with the Tragically Hip this past summer.
It was announced in May that Downie was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a relatively rare but aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer. Many in attendance were visibly moved by the conclusion of “Secret Path,” wiping away tears and openly sobbing as the animated footage of the young boy walking to his death was echoed in Downie’s haunting lyrics to “Here, Here and Here.” The 10-track album is part of a multimedia project, which includes a graphic novel illustrated by Jeff Lemire and an hour-long animated special airing Sunday on CBC.Ī denim-clad Downie and his five-piece band powered through the songs without a break.Ī large screen projected images of an animated film, which depicted the journey of a young boy trodding along the railroad tracks, visibly frightened and soaked by rain, walking in search of home -and never reaching his destination.Ībout a third of the way through the setlist, Downie said to the audience: “Applause will get harder, and that’s OK. The album, recorded in 2013, was produced by Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew and Dave Hamelin, known for his work with indie rock group the Stills. “Secret Path” originated from a collection of poems written by Downie, which evolved into songs. It had been a longer than expected wait for Toronto concert-goers, after an unexplained glitch at the box office led to the start of the show being pushed back by an hour.ĭownie’s Toronto concert followed his “Secret Path” show at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on Tuesday, and a performance of the lead track “The Stranger” at the We Day youth empowerment event at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Wednesday.
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