School of Hip
By: Heath McCoy & Chaz Charles
Language: en
Categories: Music, Commentary, History
School of Hip: A Different Kind’a Tragically Hip Podcast follows two hosts from opposite sides of the border as they dive deep into the music, history, and mythology of one of Canada’s most beloved bands.Chaz Charles — an American who first stumbled onto The Tragically Hip in the ’90s when they opened for Page & Plant — is finally taking the full journey through the band’s catalogue.Guiding him is Heath McCoy, a Canadian rock journalist who grew up with The Hip woven into the fabric of his country’s culture.Together, they explore every era, every album, and every track: the...
Episodes
Road Apples 1991 - Side A with Paul Beaulieu
Jan 11, 2026In this episode of School of Hip:
Chaz and Heath are joined by special guest Paul Beaulieu of the Canadian Music
Scene website and founder of the annual RushFest event, celebrating the music
and legacy of legendary Canadian rock trio, Rush (a band near and dear to Chaz,
who is also the co-host of the RushRash podcast!)
Paul shares stories of his interactions with the Tragically Hip over the years
through his Canadian Music Scene website which celebrates and promotes
Canadian music. Paul...
Duration: 01:40:04Up To Here 1989 - Side B with Hipmuseum.com's Stephen Dame
Dec 28, 2025In this episode of School of Hip: Chaz and Heath are joined by special guest Stephen Dame, whose website A Museum After Dark at hipmuseum.com has been an amazing source of information for the illustrious co-hosts as they have set out to explore the Tragically Hip’s entire musical catalogue, one album side at a time.
They discuss Dame’s personal connection to the Hip and the origins of the website, which he began compiling 20 years ago, experiencing a huge surge in traffic and media attention with the cancer diagnosis and death of Hip frontman Gord...
Duration: 01:50:54Up To Here 1989 - Side A with Podstar Sean McGinity
Dec 14, 2025This is where it really starts.
In this episode of School of Hip, the show hits a turning point as Chaz and Heath—joined by Sean McGinity—step into Up To Here, The Tragically Hip’s 1989 major-label debut and the record that changed everything.
This isn’t just a new album. It’s the moment the band locked in their sound, their voice, and their place in Canadian culture—on their own terms. The conversation moves beyond origin stories and into identity, momentum, and the choices that shaped what The Hip would become.
It’s part music...
Duration: 01:56:37The Tragically Hip 1987 - Side B
Nov 30, 2025Heath and Chaz settle into a natural groove as they continue their deep dive into The Tragically Hip’s 1987 debut EP. The show opens with their now-familiar intro before jumping into a fast-moving music chat—Sloan, 54-40, The Northern Pikes, Halifax vs. Seattle, and how regional college-rock scenes shaped the late ’80s across North America. They dig into why The Hip ultimately pulled ahead of their peers: Gord Downie’s unpredictable spark, the band’s tight chemistry, and especially the interplay between Rob Baker’s fluid, textural guitar work and Paul Langlois’s grounded rhythmic punch.
Discussion slides into a m...
Duration: 01:11:20The Tragically Hip 1987 - Side A
Nov 16, 2025Episode Highlights: In the debut episode of School of Hip, hosts Chaz Charles and Heath McCoy kick off their deep dive into the world of The Tragically Hip. Chaz, an American who first encountered the band in the 90s, and Heath, a Canadian rock journalist with firsthand experience interviewing Gord Downie, set the stage for a unique, cross-border exploration of the band’s music and legacy.
The episode opens with personal stories about discovering the Hip and the cultural differences in how the band is perceived in Canada versus the US. Chaz and Heath outline the show’s fo...
Duration: 01:04:01