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LETTER: Orillia should be home to Lightfoot Centre, says fan

'He ran with endurance the race marked out for him, and finished well,' says letter writer from British Columbia
lightfoot-talks-to-george-screenshot
Gordon Lightfoot shares his thoughts on his life and his career during a 2015 interview with George Stroumboulopoulos.

InnisfilToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to ''Huge event': Orillia prepares to say goodbye to Gordon Lightfoot,' published May 4.

What follows are three recent comments from Canadian musicians who were interviewed about their memories of Gordon Lightfoot (The National, CBC-TV, May 3):
 
"He had a way with words in that he wasn’t just writing songs, he was painting Canada."  
 Damhnait Doyle, singer/ host on the CBC Music radio network
 
"His voice... always gave a shade of melancholy to everything he sang. As much as he would try to do songs that were super happy, they always had, you always were wondering like, 'What’s behind all this?'..."  Jim Cuddy, singer-songwriter 
 
"Every time you drop a needle on one of his songs, one of his records, his voice is going to unleash a joy in your heart that you maybe forgot was there."
 Tom Wilson, singer-songwriter 
 
Bob Dylan once said of Lightfoot: "I can’t think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don't like. Every time I hear a song of his, it’s like I wish it would last forever ... Lightfoot became a mentor for a long time. I think he probably still is to this day."
 
Dylan inducted Lightfoot into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 1986 JUNO Awards, and described Lightfoot as "somebody of rare talent."
 
One year ago (May 10, 2022), the Bob Dylan Center officially opened in Tulsa, Okla. It is also the home of the Bob Dylan Archive — a treasure trove of items Dylan and others have collected during his life, which includes notebooks, song drafts, rare recordings, and photos.
 
Is it possible that one day the Gordon Lightfoot Centre and Gordon Lightfoot Archive will open in Orillia, the University of Toronto, or at another Ontario location? 
 
With Lightfoot's passing, what is needed now is a series of one-hour made-for-television episodes about his life and music, similar to the long-form style of filmmaker Ken Burns, whose in-depth documentaries appear on PBS. Episodes could comprise: Early Years/Career Beginnings; '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s. The CBC radio and television archives alone probably contain hundreds of hours of Lightfoot material.
 
Nicholas Jennings is one of Canada's most respected music journalists. In 2017, his definitive biography of Lightfoot was published. On May 2 he was interviewed by Jim Richards (Newstalk 1010, Toronto). 
 
Jennings commented: "... it was kind of a fast and reckless life he (Lightfoot) lived for a number of years when he was really at the top of the charts internationally, and... it took its toll on him... He spent the rest of his years, once he, through sheer force of will, was able to quit drinking, quit smoking, and clean up his act. He spent the rest of his days trying to make amends. I mean he put it in a very unusual phrase he used which was, he was in a state of redemption or state of repentance, because he really did see it that way, that he... was guilty of these misdeeds and he wanted to make it up to the people in his life...."
 
Jennings also wrote the liner notes for Gordon Lightfoot: Songbook (2016): 88 songs covering Lightfoot's entire career, including 18 that are rare or previously unreleased.
 
One of them is Forgive Me Lord
 
The lyrics include:
 
"Make my world a better place to be 
Remove these chains and set me free 
Give my face a different point of view 
Forgive us Lord if we run to you"
 
Three interviews Lightfoot did with host George Stroumboulopoulos (2008, 2011, 2015) can be viewed on YouTube. Here's a short excerpt from the full extended 2015 interview:
 
Stroumboulopoulos: "Are you a reflective man? Do you think about the life you've led?"  
Lightfoot: "Do I ever! Yeah, I do. I regret some things. I've been in a state of repentance for a long time now." 
Stroumboulopoulos: "How's that feel?"  
Lightfoot: "It feels good. It's felt better, sometimes it hasn't. At other times... but right now it feels pretty good. It's been better, but right now it's pretty good."
 
"Race Among the Ruins" is the opening track on Lightfoot's 1976 album, Summertime Dream
 
He ran with endurance the race marked out for him, and finished well.
 
Rest in peace, Gordon Lightfoot. 
 
David Buckna
Kelowna, B.C.