Stompin' Tom and a few beers

First of all, RIP Stompin' Tom Connors. One of the greatest songwriters period and in Canada, never to be replaced.

I was an early fan of Stompin' Tom. I remember seeing him at the Ontario Place Forum in the early 70's. I was too young to see him at the Horseshoe Tavern. What attracted me? Possibly his boot stompin' on that two by four piece of wood. I probably knew a song or two. It wasn't the Maritimey essence of his personality and musical style since there was no Maritimey presence in popular music in Toronto in that day, Anne Murray and Hank Snow notwithstanding. I remember telling a Newfie staffer at my dad's drug store to check him out and she did at the Horseshoe. Her complaint was she wanted to give him a big bar of soap because he looked so dirty.

I even visited the town he grew up in and where sits his museum, Skinners Pond PEI. We arrived the day after Labour Day and the entire village and museum was deserted. PEI in those days was shut down the day after Labour Day. Didn't matter. I knew more about him than the average Canadian tourist.

Today I realize I liked him because of his great songwriting and passion about this country. Songwriting is both a gift and an acquired skill but passion comes from the heart and soul, you can't buy it at Rexall. He was also Indie music artist when Indie music didn't exist and I am sure he did quite well financially if not artistically.

This blog though is going to deal briefly with his two massive--I mean massive--autobiographies. I own and read both of them. Well, maybe not the second one. It got to a point in this humongous paperback when Tom would write: "We had another great show at the Horseshoe, we went home, had a few beers and went to sleep." Or, I had a song idea about hockey, making the verses like the three periods of a real hockey game, wrote it one night, had a few beers and went to sleep." Or, Lena and I had a fight, we kissed and made up, had a few beers and went to sleep." I read once that one of the major requirements of playing in his back-up band was the ability to drink. Mr. Connors REALLY enjoyed his beer. And to live to be 77, loved by millions, remembered so fondly by the media and Canadian people and having consumed enough beer to fill Lake Superior, well, that's one good life, well lived and a touch pickled.