My lifelong goal is to visit and photograph all of the places that The Tragically Hip sing about. Here’s episode 6 of my Hip Journey.
Well there’s a rockin’ little spot
Next to the Regent Theatre
And if you wanna make the scene
You’ll make it sooner or later
You’re really hanging with the crowd
You know the ins and the outs here
All Canadian Surf Club
Denim jackets and long hair
-Taken from “All Canadian Surf Club” by The Tragically Hip
It’s a little difficult to pin point exactly which Regent Theatre Gord is talking about in this song. There’s a well known Regent in London, England, and Toronto has its own Regent too. Considering that this song was released during their early days when they were Kingston-based, I think it’s a pretty safe bet that Gord could be singing about the Regent Theatre in nearby Picton, Ontario. Sandbanks Provincial Park, famous for its beautiful beach (and rowdy summer parties), is also only 15km away from Picton and the Regent. The “all Canadian surf club” party scene has got to be in Prince Edward County!
Although I didn’t catch a movie at the Regent Theatre I spent 20 minutes of an afternoon in April 2013 taking some shots around the theatre. It was actually a really good exercise to try and make this building as interesting as possible. It’s a really nice historic looking building but it doesn’t have the dramatic beauty of Mistaken Point or Cape Spear.
“All Canadian Surf Club” is from The Hip’s early, blues-tinged days. Have a listen here. In case you missed it, you should also check out part 5 of my Hip Journey. Thanks for reading, I hope to hit up a few Hip Journey locations this summer!
