There is a country music festival (the CMT Music Fest) in my city this evening. Tom Cochrane with longtime band mates Red Rider appear as what could only be described as a Sesame Street bit along the lines of One of These Things is Not Like the Others. Tom Cochrane has always been a rock act. The only hint of something else was the instrumentation on one song, Boy Inside the Man, but that song is clearly rock music, too.
This isn’t the first time that Tom has been out of place. On the video of Wavin’ Flag by Young Artists for Haiti a few years ago, this aging rock star had only Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo as a peer. All the other talent were young Canadian acts and they were helping introduce Justin Beiber. Why these two had to make the artist’s name ironic, I just don’t know.
So where is Tom likely to show up next? I would say he might show up in a soul review but I bet he’s already been there. I bet he’s messed up the national anthem for more than one country. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on an interview with the radio station Q107, because the last few times I listened to this station, Tom Cochrane was all the Canadian content (with more help from Red Rider).
I’m expecting Tom Cochrane and Red Rider will soon put a “y” in their last name in order to claim relevance to young Canadians and pretend Serena Ryder is somehow the band’s daughter. But I guess it is the band’s and Tom’s right to play wherever they might possibly be wanted.
Still, Tom Cochrane, if Life is a Highway I believe you’ve been on the wrong road a few times.
