Coke Machine Glow

by Gordon Downie

Gordon Downie, lead singer and lyricist for the popular Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, released his first solo record, Coke Machine Glow in Spring 2001. Alongside the album, his first book of poetry and prose under the same title was published, including the lyrics to the sixteen songs on the record. Now, on the 20th anniversary year of Coke Machine Glow , fans have more to delight an audiobook of Coke Machine Glow and a brand new album by Downie, released posthumously. 

Coke Machine Glow is a rich, haunting collection that reveals both the public and private selves of one of Canada's most enigmatic musicians. In poetry that is urban, gritty and political, as well as romantic, nostalgic and whimsical, Downie allows us a glimpse inside his world. With his acute and observing eye, he gives us snapshots of his life, both on the road and at home; he writes of loneliness and isolation; of longing and desire; of the present and the past; of dreams and nightmares; love lost and love of family. Ultimately, this book is about the distances that bridge and separate us.

Layered and deceptively simple, imbued with Downie's wit, insight, anger, compassion and rock'n'roll edge, Coke Machine Glow is a remarkable debut from a remarkable creator.

Genres: Poetry, Canada, Music, Audiobook

112 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2001

About the author

Canadian rock musician, writer and occasional actor. He was the lead singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. He released six solo albums the final two of which were release posthumously; Coke Machine Glow (2001), Battle of the Nudes (2003); The Grand Bounce (2010), Secret Path (2016), Introduce Yerself (2017) and Away Is Mine (2020). Coke Machine Glow was sold along with a book of poetry of the same name, included with the CD. Canadian indie band The Dinner Is Ruined plus Julie Doiron and Josh Finlayson, called The Country of Miracles, served as his backing band for the first three solo albums. The godson of former Boston Bruins general manager and coach Harry Sinden, Downie attended Ernestown Secondary School (Odessa, Ontario) in grade nine and part of grade ten. He graduated from Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute in 1982, a school also attended by his band-mates. Downie then studied film at Queen's University in Kingston. Downie was a minor league hockey goalie and played for an Ontario championship winning Bantam level team in 1979.

Reviews

[Blair Stretch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book means more to me each time I open it. It's a gift to read these poems. I love them so much.

[Andrew Penner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always felt that the Tragically Hip are a band that needs to be taken as a whole package; once a song is dissected down to its singular parts, they don't really make any sense. Try playing any guitar parts by yourself in your bedroom and you will see how strange they are; the different parts sound like they were created by five different lead men vying for the audience's attention while, when they are put together, they create some of the most poignant and impassioned music in Canada. The same is with this book.

Without the music to direct the mood of the poems and lyrics in this books Downie's language sounds sparse and kind of shallow. It is very obvious that he worships Al Purdy and he even mentions him by name in one of the poems. The poems are seldom longer than half a page which makes them very easy to read, which is probably the reason I don't want to mark it down any further. The poems are not bad, they're just spartan.

Highly recommended for Hip fans, and maybe the rest of you would also enjoy his obscure and terse verse.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

lyrics or poetry. is there is a difference. and does it matter. for me. personally it doesn't. i need something that is universal and that shines a perfect light on the everyday things. this: "We're not hobbyists or dabblers anymore
there's a kid on the street one up in bed one on the hip and one on the floor
we might be one again but not like before."

[Jess B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the Gord above. Beautiful like a smile. So much love for these narrators. Sudden craving for Sarah Harmer and hockey.

[b · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been pre-mourning Gordie, like a lot of other mild Anglo-Canadians who somehow got barbed by the hip's tunes (I'd say for me it was their constant background presence, music at work being the earliest hip tune I can remember, though one of my least favourite to listen to now).

I feel selfish doing this, this pre-mourning business.

I like the straightforwardness of the collection. There's some duds. And rhymes fall flat when they aren't bundled up in songs sometimes, but this is something I got over right-quick.

I was given this book by a new friend that I bonded with over pre-mourning Gordie. It's very lived in. It wasn't even her's to give (though I hear she's replaced this copy for her friend with a pristine new one).

I feel partly steeped in affectation, thinking thoughts like "geeze I bet Gordie would love that I'm reading a well-weathered version of this book that I got from a brand new friend (who, the kind sucker that they are, helped me move mere days after we'd met for the first time); much like a boat, this books stains suggest the product is waterworthy.

But I bet Gordie wouldn't come down on me for affectation. So sharp and precise with his details but never to the end of merely clobbering a reader (with polemics or allusion).

But I'm dreaming again, about what Gordie might think. I'm dreaming.

This poetry is potent in the way all good poetry is. It seeps.

"No literary pretensions allowed / two minutes for / 'I saw his blood, / a billowing Crimson cloud / against the milk white ice.' / that's an infraction here."

Be good and be Gordie and be cordial to one another. Bask in his 'Coke machine glow.'

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this book before, but it was not a part of my collection. With the passing of Gord, and my increasing love of poetry, it was the perfect time to reread it.

Just like Gord Downie, this book was unapologetically Canadian. The references such as Trudeau and a Hudson’s Bay blanket were just a few that help make this book so wonderful.

[Vicki thevickivolumes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this today because of obvious reasons. Ever the poet, this collection of Downie's work was compelling, engrossing, and a beautiful experience. Gord, you will be forever in our hearts.

[Cathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

This collection was so strange. Wanted to love it very badly but only loved a few of the poems.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

you know what hell yeah

[ayanami · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grabbed this off my library's National Poetry Month display; that bright cover caught my eye. And well, I don't read much poetry so this would be a good opportunity to rectify that. Turns out the author is actually the lead singer and lyricist for The Tragically Hip, which is a Canadian band and despite being Canadian, I have never once listened to them but anyway, it's cool, I get to experience some Canadian poetry from someone who writes them for a living (I mean, lyrics aren't too far off from poems, right? And apparently this volume goes with a solo album of his, the lyrics of which are included in here).

Well, sorry to say but I don't really get Mr. Downie's poetry. There were a couple that were alright, and one that I really liked ("Starpainters"), but for the majority of them, I just really didn't get them at all. I don't know if it's because I'm just not used to reading poetry so I don't really know how to understand them, or what. Some of these felt like he was just stringing random words and metaphors together that don't really make any real sense. Also, there were a few poems that were literally one- or two-liners, which seemed like he was just kinda taking a piss at the whole poetry-writing thing.

Anyway, there are clear themes to his writing-- the book is divided into 3 parts, and one of these is entirely devoted to poetry about life on the road (when he's traveling with his band; they must have toured America extensively). I also picked up on some themes about family, love, loss, etc. Some poems I think he was trying to be funny or irreverent (I recall he mentioned Canadian politics in one?), but I don't know, overall I find his poetry to be very opaque and I just didn't get into it at all.

[Steve Bal4 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up Gord Downie's Coke Machine Glow the day it was released with his solo album of the same name, way back in 2001. Initially I found it disappointing but every few years I give it another try to see if my tastes or perceptions of it have changed. They haven't.

It almost hurts to say I don't enjoy Downie's poetry, especially given that I consider his lyrics and songwriting eclectic and brilliant, but I just feel something is missing here. The poetry seems at the same time both sparse and impenetrable to me. Some of the lyrics also included in the book for the album are better, as are the recordings themselves, but not in a way that moved me the way I'd hoped or expected.

Maybe it's unfair to judge these words the same way I would a musical piece (where delivery, intonation and expression are so vital), and maybe I'd have gained more from hearing them recited by Gord himself, but as a reader I was left wanting. That's not to say there's nothing of value here, there are a few gems and notable lines, but I can't recommend Coke Machine Glow and I know it will be many years before I flip through it again.

⭐⭐

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The brightest orange
encapsulates
the words of a ghost
a fantastic orgasmic phantom
a Canadian icon

You dive deep
allow it to surround you
wonder
“What was he wearing
when those words tumbled from
his immaculate mind?”

Floating on that
Coke Machine Glow
from hotel to hotel
gig to gig
the strange becoming
oh so familiar

The most brilliant orange
like a beacon
to those who loved him
to those who now must go on
without him

[Ian Mathers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit to some bias here; I grew up loving the Tragically Hip, and I still do. There was a period in my teen years where I probably would have said Day for Night was my favourite record by anyone, and with some of my family I managed to be there for one of their last Toronto shows.

But I don't think that would lead me to give this a pass, though. If anything, considering I got it as a (very appreciated) gift years ago, the delay in reading should give you a clue as to just how worried I was that this would let me down (even though the person who got it for me told me it was good). I think Downie wrote excellent lyrics, and although I don't think good song lyrics need to aspire to be like written poetry (and I think often do not work well as same), his come closer in that regards than some.

Still, once I finally picked the damn thing up, of course I found a lot to like here. The use of language is related to but still distinct from that of his "day job," and among other things the material here is a lot funnier in places than the Hip tended to be. Some of it is about touring, although anyone who has experienced absence and dislocation in some form can probably get something out of that. Some of it is about love. And all of it is about expressing his personal experience of the world through the strangeness of language. And while I don't think there's ever just one way to do anything creative, that's a pretty good way to do poetry.

[Cassie Martino · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh my god, when i found out Gordon Downie wrote a poetry book to go along with his solo record of the same name???? i bought that shit SO quick. i have had a relatively short-lived, but intense love affair with gord downie and his work with the tragically hip, so i knew i'd be super interested in poetry from him.

honestly though, i kinda expected this rating to come about, as this is my Thing with gord. he writes beautiful things, but sometimes i just can't figure out what they mean. same thing goes for his songwriting. so there were some times throughout this piece where i was like ???????. but on the other hand, there were some BEAUTIFUL lines, beautiful poems, that really stuck in my head and kept replaying in my brain.

overall, i think maybe i need a couple rereads so i can really soak in the work, but i really enjoyed my experience reading this. i so badly wish gord was still alive to produce more art like this, but he's off walking among the stars now, so i'll have to do with what i have of him here on earth. love u, gordie <3

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely GORGEOUS poetry. Gord Downie has a spectacular way with words, whether it's lyrics or straight-up poetry (arguably the same thing in his case) or just giving a speech at IdeaCity or WE Day. The contents of this book are sweet, sexy, silly, serious, and everything in between.

Not everyone will "get" Gord's poetry or quirkiness. Maybe it takes one to appreciate one? I don't know. All I know is that this book has easily become my favorite. I look forward to curling up with it in the oncoming chilly fall and winter nights and appreciating it - and Gordie's brilliance - over and over again.

[Andrew Sare · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hip has great lyrics, it's undeniable. One might say that Gord is a poet. Well he was actually. This collection is vulnerable and lonely, a great nostalgia read to remember the legend.

San Leonardo

I've seen more blurry nights than starry nights.
I've seen more TV shows than sheer delights.
You gotta get to know your cage-
The stress points, corrosion's rage,
the keeper's hours throughout the day,
his habits, weaknesses,
and stay away from the sugar.
It's not the teeth.
It's the calories... - Gordon Downie

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t expecting to devour it in one sitting but I couldn’t stop going to the next poem with a smile. My favourites are My Girl (9); The Band, Upstate (27); Minneapolis Hotel Room (37); I Wonder What I Thought I’d Do (46); This Empty House (57); The Neverending Present (58); Shoe Gazer (65); Ameliasburg (72); Canada Geese (88). Gord writes with wit, beauty, intelligence and purpose. Some of these poems are ahead of their time reflecting his hyper-awareness and ability to channel observations into art.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 Stars

Gordie's lyricism is evident in this little gem. I could visualize him going on one of his unscripted diatribes while reading many of these. Lyrics/ Poetry, the line is blurry, this straddles both art forms in my humble opinion. Grateful for the gifts this man has given me over my life musically and in print.

Took this slow, reading and re-reading only a few everyday. Nice switch to the pace and method I normally read.

Some favorites - Toboggan Hill, Insomniacs of the World Good night, I stand before the songwriter's Cabal, Equitone.

Happy Reading!

[Aimee Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can be said? I love Gord Downie, maybe more than I love anything else in this world. I’m a “word” junkie, whether they be in the form of lyric, poetry, or story. Gord Downie seamlessly combines all 3 of those mediums, speaking in riddles that don’t always make “sense”, but still speak to something deep inside me. I’ve read this poetry book so many times I’ve lost count.

This world lost a big chunk of ethereal magic the day Gord Downie died. But I’m so grateful he left us so many of his strung together words in the form of poems and songs to go back to.

[Tiguidou · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't get a lot of these - arguably my own damn fault as the reader, try again? But there were some undeniable moments of rawness and beauty and some name drops that situated the poetry so wonderfully in Canada. This one lives on my shelf (with a title like Coke Machine Glow, it had to) and will be revisited.

[Lorenza]

Although a lot of the poems are strange, and particularly jumbled the entire collection is beautiful.
The songs are perfect, but Downie was never anything short of spectacular when it came to them.
The poems themselves were much more visual than I expected from him, but they struck a chord with me nonetheless. Totally worth it, unless you don't understand certain Canadian hobbies...

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this collection 3.5 stars. Most of the poetry didn't move me, so to speak, although a handful did just that. Poetry is something that is in the mind of the reader. We take what we can from it and find our own meaning behind the words. Unless you know the author and exactly what the message is they are trying to convey, you can only interpret the message as you see it.

[Eden Honey · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's something about reading the words of someone no long we earth side that takes my breath away. Appreciations caught, written down, and not lost with them is something to cherish. I loved many poems in this collection, and especially the ones that you read that make you feel as though they're written about you. A sea glass collector.

[Sami Al-Khalili · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tone is consistent. Voice is conversational in all poetic expressions. It smelt like a city reading this book. It was gritty. It was surprising. And you'll find one liners where you'll go. I like that. I like that a lot. Being a writer. You'll feel why I didn't come up with that. Oh, because no one writes like this.

[Amika Caruso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful example of good Canadian literature. Each poem is well thought out and reads so dreamily. I have never longed for a 2nd volume so badly than after reading this collection. All be best musicians are poets first.

[Steve Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suitably odd deeper dive into Downie's furtive mind. Some of it is a bit esoteric, but thoroughly enjoyable. The companion album is terrific as well. Influenced an ill-fated period of introspection and poetry writing on my part.

[August Foulds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I firmly believe that poetry is one of the most intimate ways to understand someone’s heart and mind. I feel lucky to have so much as a glimpse into to Gord’s. Somehow, it’s exactly as I expected it to be. His songs read as poetry, after all.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just delving into poetry, and this one happened to have been on my shelf for a while now. It was quite good, and I particularly enjoyed Every Irrelevance.

[Joshua Bertram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rest in peace, Gord.

[Mary-Esther Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't understand Downie's esoteric poetry, but they sound pretty good.