Production #636 | Song #5 | Guest: Chris Jericho

This week’s countdown takes us into the sacred territory of the Top 5, and who better to usher us in than Winnipeg’s own Chris Jericho? Yes — that Chris Jericho: wrestler, rock frontman, podcaster, and lifelong music obsessive.

Jericho drops by to share a Hipstory that winds through Winnipeg clubs, Red River Community College, college-gig security shifts, and even a chance backstage beer offer from a young Gord Downie. He recalls the moment someone predicted, “These guys are going to be Canada’s Rolling Stones,” and how right that turned out to be. From there, the stories spill — touring abroad, rediscovering the band after Gord’s illness, and parsing just what makes The Hip feel so distinctly Canadian no matter where you’re standing in the world .

Together, we dig into how a song can hit like a cannonball — and how riff, lyric, and swagger combined to propel the band from campus bars to multi-night arena stands. Jericho marvels at the way Gord slipped surreal imagery into a rocker, at the joy of lyrics that morph each chorus, and at the Hip’s rare ability to stay intact as a five-piece gang from the first EP to the final tour .

There’s wrestling talk, there’s band-life talk, there’s even pool-hall humidity trivia. And threaded through it all is the sense that The Hip weren’t just a band — they were, and are, a measure of what Canadian rock could mean when it refused to be anything but itself.

We’re down to #4. Think myths. Think shadows. Think of a song that reshaped the way we listen to The Hip forever.

Chris Jericho is a Winnipeg native, wrestling legend, and frontman of Fozzy. He’s also a music lifer whose fandom runs from Iron Maiden to The Hip, with stories that stretch from Prairie bars to sold-out New York clubs. He’s been called many things in his career — champion, showman, podcaster — but here, he’s simply a Canadian kid telling the truth about a band that mattered.

This countdown is by the fans, for the fans:

• 🎟 Tickets for A Celebration of The Hip for ALS (Oct 4 in Toronto): bit.ly/TTHALSOct4th
• 🏒 Hockey Night in Canada raffle: bit.ly/TTHHNIC
• 👑 Vote for your SuperFan: bit.ly/TTHUS_VOTE
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Abacus tally this week:

a prairie beer rider, a pool-hall cue finger, and the ghost of Shockley himself.

So there’s that.

Join jD and Sara J every week as they gab, giggle, and gossip about all things The Tragically Hip.

Join jD and Greg every week as they recap the song of the week by exploring the back catalogue of the Fully & Completely episodes

jD breaks down the October 4th event. Tickets are on sale now.

As we close in on the Top 5, the conversations get heavier, funnier, and more personal. This week, jD welcomes Keith from Calgary—drummer, GEDfest founder, and long-haul Hip fan—for a ride through the moments that shaped his fandom. From the spark of discovery, to sweaty live-show floors that move as one, to building something new for the community with GetFest, Keith’s stories capture the essence of what it means to belong to The Hip’s orbit.

Keith first stumbled into The Hip through a mix of MuchMusic, Columbia House roulette, and the kind of tapes that never left your Discman. Decades later, he’s still hooked—and now he’s part of the engine keeping the flame alive. As the founder of GEDfest, Keith has helped create a multi-city tribute festival raising funds for cancer charities, proving that fandom can ripple outward into real impact.

What starts with one song, one show, one memory—becomes a community. Keith’s Hipstory is proof of how the band’s catalogue doesn’t just soundtrack our lives, but stitches them together with others. Whether it’s a packed bar, a festival stage, or a room full of fans swapping stories, it’s that shared electricity that keeps The Hip alive long after the amps are turned off.

• First sparks: the early singles and tapes that hooked a generation
• The magic of the live show: when the floor moves as one
• The community connection: parallels between Hip fans and Deadheads
• How GEDfest grew into a cross-Canada event with charitable impact
• The records and Gord solo cuts Keith is spinning right now

Big thanks to Keith from Calgary for the laughs, the memories, and the work he’s doing to keep the spirit of The Hip alive through GEDfest. We’re getting dangerously close to the Top 5—Song #5 drops next Monday. Got a Hipstory of your own? Send us a note or a voice memo—we’d love to share it on the show.

• Sunday Evening Jam (Sundays 8pm ET): News, banter, and Hip chatter with Sara J & jD
• A Celebration of The Hip for ALS (Oct 4): Live finale + online silent auction supporting ALS Society of Canada
• Discovering Downie: A curated tour through Gord’s solo catalog

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jD and Keith from Calgary unpack discovery, live-show magic, and building community through fandom—plus how GEDfest channels Hip love into real impact.

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Each and every Sunday, jD and Sara J hang out and talk about all things The Tragically Hip!

On its 36th anniversary, we revisit the raw riffs, the swagger, and the small-town grit that turned heads in 1989 and still hits hard today. It’s one of our earliest episodes, so you’ll actually hear us figuring out the format on the fly. Revisit Up to Here with us and rediscover the album that started it all.

Join jD and Greg every week as they recap the song of the week by exploring the back catalogue of the Fully & Completely episodes.