Producer Bob Rock: Working with Gord Downie one of life’s ‘highlights’

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Bob Rock is one of Canada’s leading rock producers, having worked with the likes of Motley Crue, Metallica, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Bryan Adams, The Cult, David Lee Roth and The Tragically Hip.

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But the studio wizard, who has lived in Hawaii for over the last two decades, says working with the late Gord Downie of The Hip on the duo’s new album, Lustre Parfait, released on Friday, May 5, ranks right up there in his storied career.

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“It’s definitely a different animal,” said Rock, 69, down the line from Maui’s North Shore.

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“We talked about working again and it all just kind of went away (after Downie died from a brain tumor in 2017). The album — you can see his love of life and happiness and it comes out — and we thought about the future (including performing these songs live together) but unfortunately that’s not going to happen. That’s why there’s 14 songs. That’s all there is. There is no more. I’ve been in studios a long time, it’s definitely one of the highlights of my life.”

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Downie, who Rock later discovered wrote a companion film to go with Lustre Parfait, provided the lyrics and sang to Rock’s music between 2010 until 2016 before the beloved singer went public with his terminal diagnosis.

“Eyes of a Stranger is a great example — I recorded everything as a demo and then Paul wrote the lyrics,” said Rock referencing the hit he had with Payolas vocalist Paul Hyde in the ‘80s Vancouver band.

“So I sent (Gord) all this music starting with maybe four (tracks) and I got it back in a month and I was almost in tears because he’s so good.”

As for the recording, given their respective busy schedules, they met in hotel rooms and studios in Toronto, Los Angeles and Vancouver.

“We just did it whenever we had time to be together,” said Rock.

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Rock first met Downie in Hawaii to talk about producing the Hip album, World Container (2006), which was followed by another band album, We Are The Same (2009).

“We talked about our childhoods and our kids and being a father,” said Rock. “We kind of became instant friends and he loved it here. That’s a lot to do with the (Lustre Parfait) song The North Shore. It’s actually about the North Shore here. The North Shore in Vancouver and the North Shore in Cape Breton. It’s basically about the North Shores throughout the world.”

Rock said he and Downie bonded over their love of hockey, growing up in Canada, and acknowledging “our life is a weird life.”

“We really became close friends during the recording of both albums I did with (the Hip) and I guess in a funny way we just didn’t want the relationship to end,” said the producer, who had the Hip’s drummer, Johnny Fay, play on three Lustre Parfait tracks.

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“It was just tough finishing it. Obviously it was a long journey but we just loved being together and creating. (There was) a lot of respect between the two of us but really we were just two kids in a recording studio having as much fun as we could.”

The most emotional of the new songs is The Moment is a Wild Place, in which Downie sings, “You gotta live in the moment, what they don’t say, is the moment is a wild place.”

“I think between Gord and I that was probably our favourite song,” said Rock, who’s more recently worked on three Motley Crue tracks, is halfway through an Offspring album and is working with Lukas Nelson (son of Willie) next year

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“Like we really connected there and his performance is astonishing.”

After Downie’s death, Rock had a hard time listening to Lustre Parfait until he was finally ready to honor the singer-lyricist’s wishes.

“Gord just asked me, ‘Make sure everybody hears this.’ So, to me, I’m fulfilling a promise to a friend,’’ said Rock.

“When he passed, I really couldn’t listen to what we had done. I tried to do that while he was sick. And then I couldn’t really listen to it for a long time. And then, I guess, within five years or whatever, I had a new perspective. And I’m just so glad that I actually finished it. I’m really proud of it.”

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Article content

Bob Rock is one of Canada’s leading rock producers, having worked with the likes of Motley Crue, Metallica, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Bryan Adams, The Cult, David Lee Roth and The Tragically Hip.

Article content

But the studio wizard, who has lived in Hawaii for over the last two decades, says working with the late Gord Downie of The Hip on the duo’s new album, Lustre Parfait, released on Friday, May 5, ranks right up there in his storied career.

Article content

“It’s definitely a different animal,” said Rock, 69, down the line from Maui’s North Shore.

Article content

“We talked about working again and it all just kind of went away (after Downie died from a brain tumor in 2017). The album — you can see his love of life and happiness and it comes out — and we thought about the future (including performing these songs live together) but unfortunately that’s not going to happen. That’s why there’s 14 songs. That’s all there is. There is no more. I’ve been in studios a long time, it’s definitely one of the highlights of my life.”

Article content

Article content

Downie, who Rock later discovered wrote a companion film to go with Lustre Parfait, provided the lyrics and sang to Rock’s music between 2010 until 2016 before the beloved singer went public with his terminal diagnosis.

“Eyes of a Stranger is a great example — I recorded everything as a demo and then Paul wrote the lyrics,” said Rock referencing the hit he had with Payolas vocalist Paul Hyde in the ‘80s Vancouver band.

“So I sent (Gord) all this music starting with maybe four (tracks) and I got it back in a month and I was almost in tears because he’s so good.”

As for the recording, given their respective busy schedules, they met in hotel rooms and studios in Toronto, Los Angeles and Vancouver.

“We just did it whenever we had time to be together,” said Rock.

Article content

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

Rock first met Downie in Hawaii to talk about producing the Hip album, World Container (2006), which was followed by another band album, We Are The Same (2009).

“We talked about our childhoods and our kids and being a father,” said Rock. “We kind of became instant friends and he loved it here. That’s a lot to do with the (Lustre Parfait) song The North Shore. It’s actually about the North Shore here. The North Shore in Vancouver and the North Shore in Cape Breton. It’s basically about the North Shores throughout the world.”

Rock said he and Downie bonded over their love of hockey, growing up in Canada, and acknowledging “our life is a weird life.”

“We really became close friends during the recording of both albums I did with (the Hip) and I guess in a funny way we just didn’t want the relationship to end,” said the producer, who had the Hip’s drummer, Johnny Fay, play on three Lustre Parfait tracks.

Article content

“It was just tough finishing it. Obviously it was a long journey but we just loved being together and creating. (There was) a lot of respect between the two of us but really we were just two kids in a recording studio having as much fun as we could.”

The most emotional of the new songs is The Moment is a Wild Place, in which Downie sings, “You gotta live in the moment, what they don’t say, is the moment is a wild place.”

“I think between Gord and I that was probably our favourite song,” said Rock, who’s more recently worked on three Motley Crue tracks, is halfway through an Offspring album and is working with Lukas Nelson (son of Willie) next year

Article content

“Like we really connected there and his performance is astonishing.”

After Downie’s death, Rock had a hard time listening to Lustre Parfait until he was finally ready to honor the singer-lyricist’s wishes.

“Gord just asked me, ‘Make sure everybody hears this.’ So, to me, I’m fulfilling a promise to a friend,’’ said Rock.

“When he passed, I really couldn’t listen to what we had done. I tried to do that while he was sick. And then I couldn’t really listen to it for a long time. And then, I guess, within five years or whatever, I had a new perspective. And I’m just so glad that I actually finished it. I’m really proud of it.”

RECOMMENDED VIDEO