This Is Our Life by The Tragically Hip Anthology Coming

03-27-2024

(Republic Media) Genesis Publications is excited to announce today the upcoming release of the official anthology, This Is Our Life by The Tragically Hip, the definitive account of their incredible journey as told in The Hip's own words.

This Is Our Life by The Tragically Hip will be published in Fall 2024 as a Deluxe hand-crafted book + record boxed set limited to only 1,000 numbered and signed copies, AND on October 1, 2024 as a hardback bookstore version. The cover reveal of the bookstore edition will take place on 30th April 2024. Both versions are available for pre-order now - the deluxe, signed limited edition from TheTragicallyHipBook.com and the bookstore version from all good book retailers.

The Manuscript: Drawn from hundreds of hours of interviews, Rob Baker, Gord Downie, Johnny Fay, Paul Langlois, Gord Sinclair and the fellow musicians, producers, and crew that helped in shaping their story provide the 130,000-word narrative.

This Is Our Life spans decades, from their beginnings in Kingston, Ontario, where all five band members attended the same high school, to the pinnacle of success, culminating in the incredible, bittersweet 2016 concert held in their hometown, broadcast live in Canada for an estimated audience of 11.7 million people.

Allowing readers a first-hand account of their musical odyssey, driven by the poetic genius of lead singer Gord Downie, the band offers an unprecedented insight into their creative process as they reflect on iconic live shows and the dynamics that defined their enduring bond. Told in an original manuscript of over 130,000 words and filled with highs and lows, The Hip's incredible, prismatic story is unlike any other.

The Archive: From the most iconic shots taken of the band to unseen rarities and outtakes, This is Our Life features more than 300 pages of photographs, many drawn from the group's personal collections. Captured on stage, on the road, and in the recording studio, the making of all The Hip's albums is covered extensively.

The band has opened their archives for the first time, revealing a trove of rare and previously unpublished material, totaling over 1,200 pieces. This Is Our Life brims with a wealth of photography, vintage posters, concert tickets, tour passes, handwritten lyrics, setlists, backstage photographs, instruments, album artwork, and much more.

The Authors: The Tragically Hip have been at the heart of the Canadian musical zeitgeist, evoking an emotional connection between their music and their fans that remains unrivalled. Critically acclaimed for almost four decades. A five-piece group of friends who grew up in Kingston, Ontario - Rob Baker (guitar), Gord Downie (vocals, guitar), Johnny Fay (drums), Paul Langlois (guitar), and Gord Sinclair (bass) - the Hip have achieved both mass popularity as well as peer recognition. They have sold more than 10 million albums in Canada and received 17 Juno Awards, including the Humanitarian Award in 2021 for artists or industry leaders whose humanitarian contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada and beyond.

The Deluxe Signed Limited Edition: This is Our Life is hand-signed by band members Rob Baker, Johnny Fay, Paul Langlois, and Gord Sinclair on a gold-foiled signature page featuring the soles of the boots Gord Downie wore on the 2016 tour, embossed with the lyrics of 'Ahead by a Century'.

This is Our Life is craftsman bound in metallic pink art paper (a nod to Gord Downie's metallic pink suit that he wore on the final 2016 Man Machine Poem tour) with black page edging, copper foiling, a blind debossed logo, and an aluminum plate inset on the front cover (inspired by The Hip's Phantom Power album art).

The Deluxe Limited Edition is presented in a handmade clamshell box, copper foiled and screen-printed with a montage of photographs - featuring The Hip's instruments, amps, gear, and stage wear - created during a specially commissioned shoot at the band's studio, the Bathhouse, in Bath, Ontario. Within the box, a recessed compartment holds a specially pressed 7" opaque vinyl single containing two rare tracks: a previously unreleased recording of 'Get Back Again' from 1988 (A-side) and a live version of the same song performed at The Misty Moon on the 26th of April 1990 (B-side).

Each copy includes six 5"x7" postcard prints, featuring candid photographs of the band by Clemens Rikken during their 1991 and 1993 tours; a 1992-93 Fully Completely backstage tour pass (featuring a drawing by Rob Baker (c.1988) of a sculpture by Clodion (c.1800)); and a numbered and stamped 8"x10" print of a previously unseen photograph taken at the Bathhouse especially for this publication under the art direction of Rob Baker.

The Bookstore Version: Created with the same level of care as the limited edition, This is Our Life is also published in a hardcover format suitable for bookstores. The bookstore version cover reveal will take place on 30th April 2024.

Established in 1984, this year marks 40 Years of The Tragically Hip - a milestone for the beloved band. 2024 sees The Tragically Hip break open the archives; reminiscing with fans on four decades of music, friendship and philanthropy. The band's legacy will be honoured with a yearlong celebration, starting with the recently announced designation of the Record Store Day Canada Ambassadors, then a deluxe package of their breakthrough album, Up To Here, the latest installment of a series of special deluxe packages released over the last few years - Road Apples 30th Anniversary Deluxe Boxset (2021), Fully Completely Vinyl Release (2022), Phantom Power 25th Anniversary Deluxe Boxset (2023). Plus, the release of This Is Our Life by The Tragically Hip, a Deluxe hand-crafted book + record boxed set, and hardback bookstore edition, a four-part Amazon documentary, and much more.