The Tragically Hip have launched a new series of guitar tutorials, teaching fans how to play some of their biggest hits. Each video focuses on a different song, featuring a band member sharing the story behind it, demonstrating how to play, and answering fan questions. Episodes last between 10 and 20 minutes.
The first tutorial, released earlier this week, features guitarist Paul Langlois teaching “Wheat Kings,” a classic from their 1992 album, Fully Completely. The song is inspired by David Milgaard, a man wrongfully convicted in 1969 who spent 23 years in prison before being exonerated. After his release, Milgaard became a public speaker and advocate for the wrongfully imprisoned.
In the video, directed by Summer Figueroa and filmed at Bathhouse Studio in Ontario, Langlois shares that he and vocalist Gord Downie met Milgaard while working on the song. “Wheat Kings” became a staple in their live shows, and they even performed it for Milgaard before his passing in 2022. Langlois describes the song as the “easiest campfire song to play ever.”
“There’s a mystery and a magic to songwriting,” Langlois said. “Some just pop out, and that riff popped out to me. It felt like us and didn’t sound like anything else.”
The Tragically Hip, formed in Kingston, Ontario over 40 years ago, are one of Canada’s most beloved rock bands. They were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2022. A documentary about their career, The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal, premiered at TIFF last year and is now available to stream on Prime Video.
