>>PREVIEW
JIM CUDDY
Monday, November 6
Jack Singer Concert Hall
Holiday meals can be a little intense at Blue Rodeo singer-songwriter Jim Cuddy’s house – especially around election time. And while it’s common for the parents of many a would-be rock star to suggest to their offspring that they’ll never make a living with their lowly musical talents, Cuddy’s mom once actually suggested that he needed a muzzle. Strangely enough, she suggested this a mere couple of years ago, when Canada’s most beloved band was nearly 20 years and a dozen albums into a very successful music career.
"I was driving to a video shoot at 6:30 in the morning and she called me up and said ‘We should put a muzzle on you,’" Cuddy recalls.
Unlike most parents beleaguered by their children’s musical dreams, she was actually talking about a half page of free publicity Cuddy had earned for his sibling. Brother Loftus Cuddy was running as the Conservative candidate in Toronto-Danforth during the 2004 federal election, and Jim would not endorse his bro’s party.
"My brother would not consider himself a right-winger – he would consider himself a red Tory," explains Cuddy. "When he ran for the Conservatives it was very difficult because he’s the eldest and my mother wanted me to just support him. She got really angry at me and I said ‘I can’t do that – I can’t support him, I do not believe that this Conservative Party is good.’ I really don’t, so I can’t endorse my brother’s candidacy. I can endorse him as a good man."
It all started with a half page in the Globe and Mail that said "Cuddy Can’t Sing His Brother’s Praises."
"I said, ‘look Mom, you knew this was coming and you all wanted what publicity you could get from me. I was happy not to talk about it, if that’s what you wanted, and you just got a half page in the Globe that no other candidate of my brother’s stature (would) get.’ And then my brother phoned me and told me ‘I’m gonna quit’ – so that was a good day," he says with a weary smile.
Because most of the Cuddy family holiday meals take place at the home he shares with his wife, holidays are interesting.
"I think if we were all to sit around the table and actually talk in a way that was honest, we’d ruin many a meal. But there’s not much you can do about that – I think you have to accept your family for who they are," he says.
Luckily, Cuddy has some healthy ways to work off those family stressors. In most cities he tours, he earns a runner’s eye view of the streets, which makes for a great chance to get out of the bus or hotel and enjoy the local ambience. Making his second solo album, this year’s The Light That Guides You Home, was also a fairly relaxing experience, as Cuddy was not prone to second guessing the process.
"I’ve always had a pretty good idea of how I wanted my songs to sound. And then in Blue Rodeo we throw in all kinds of things that I hadn’t expected, so great. And I’ve always had good collaborators – I’m never sitting there by myself. I sort of replaced the partnership with Greg with the partnership with (co-producer) Collin Cripps.
"I also had time. I’m not boxed in by time. It’s not six weeks - get a record out. I could write, do five or six songs, then go out with Blue Rodeo and have a couple of weeks to think this works, this doesn’t. So, I can write, reflect and then act on the ideas."
With the luxury of time and reflection, Cuddy will enjoy his tour in support of his new album, getting relaxed and refreshed before the light guides him home – just in time for the next round of family holiday meals. |
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