On the beach with Gord Downie: a Checkup caller remembers

Chris MacPhee from Canmore, Alta., experienced Gord Downie's music like few have: at an intimate and impromptu concert on a Bahamian beach. He recounted that when he returned to Canada no one believed a word of his story; in fact, even he had a hard time believing it. If it weren't for the video he captured and posted to Youtube, the encounter might have been lost to memory.

MacPhee, a Hip fan since his youth, shared the story of his special encounter with Downie on Checkup with guest host Allison Devereaux:

Listen to the interview:

Cross Country Checkup2:22May 29, 2016 - Chris McPhee

Chris McPhee called Checkup to tell us about one vacation where he ran into Gord Downie in the Bahamas.

Read an abbreviated transcript:

Allison Devereaux: Have you ever seen The Hip outside of Canada?

Chris MacPhee: Well, I can say I saw Gord [Downie] outside of Canada. I had a very special run-in with him. I was on an island in Exuma in the Bahamas, where Gord and his family were staying there. One evening, Gord went out with his guitar on the beach with a couple of Bahamian guys: one with a cowbell and one with a bucket drum. He played about 10 songs around the fire. There were numerous Canadian folks who were there and others from the U.S. It was an extremely special moment that evening, for sure.

AD: Did anyone believe you when you came home with that story?

CM: No, they didn't at first. In fact, I had trouble believing it myself, but I actually have a video of him playing one of the 10songs, Bobcaygeon, where I'm sitting beside him on the lawn chair.

AD: Chris, that's a fantastic story, thanks for sharing it.

Watch the video:

Chris MacPhee's and Allison Devereaux's comments have been edited and condensed. This online segment was prepared by Ilina Ghosh.