From 2002, Featuring Canadian poet Al Purdy's poem "At The Quinte Hotel," this piece tells the story of a man's experience at the bar. Starring Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip.
This was set in the Quinte Hotel (originally, and more recently, the Hotel Quinte) in Belleville. Sadly, it was gutted in a fire Dec 20, 2012. But it has seen worse fires in the past, so there may yet be hope that it might be rebuilt.
I knew him, Canada's great poet & friend of Bukowski. His poem about holding her hand in the dark room still makes me weep. Batoche -- that's too long, pause...and then that bullet through the buffalo grass --Canada's second greatest war poem after the poppies (flanders and Afghanistan). The arctic poems, wow. Cuba: the bloody severed fingers of Che he thought of as he shook hands with Fidel. And purple butt wine etc. I loved to hear him read. Real, Rare, Ameliasburg-- Al.
I love this short. I like the fact it's the older Al Purdy talking, almost adds a new dimention like he's thinking back to his youth. But this is one of my favorite poems and it's great to see Gord from the Hip likes it too.
i thought it might have been in belleville, too bad it burnt, these old holes as you call them had character, like the newbyrne in arnprior or the madawaska or the renfrew hotel all gone
I was turned onto Purdy by an amazing young woman back in 2007 who liked my work and loaned me her copy of "Rooms for Rent in the Outer Planets: Selected Poems 1962-1966 (1996)." I fell in love with this piece and began to perform it. And once staged it in a bar around 2010 or so with a cast of five other poets, so staging a bar fight in a bar (where bar fights were not entirely unknown). Loved the feel of that without any idea this video existed. Got into a conversation in Times Square with a street person maybe in his sixties one night after leaving a poetry reading in MIdtown in the summer of 2009, and recited it for him on the street where he sat. He not only loved it, he astounded me by diving into his own recital of work by Keats and Longfellow. You never know. Anyway, a work which for me has kindled/does kindle the brotherhood (or peoplehood if you prefer) of all wherever I've read it. And love finally seeing this visualization and hearing Purdy's own voice for the first time today (Dec., 2019). Look him up he was an amazing guy, and Canada's most beloved poet of the 20th Century (he lived from 1918-2000). Meanwhile, performing it for a new audience in a few days and was just looking for more background and context when I found this amazing rendition. Love it!
I stumbled across Al reading Bukowski at a bar and was recommended. I was one of the best recommendations I ever got; The connection of all the places Al's work describes is vastly patriotic, and nostalgic. Having interconnected with his dynamo - either living and adventuring myself in Saanach, Vancouver, Belleville etcetera (as he so fervently uses for his work) brought a humanly closeness to the people and places of Canada spanning the breadth of half a century and more. He really is Canada's poet just as the Hip is Canada's band.
I first read this poem in a magazine in a doctor's waiting room when I was 14 back in 1986 and quickly fell in love with Al's writing. His poems spoke of hockey players, home made beer and fist fights in canadian dive bars. What else could a Canadian prairie boy growing up in the inner city want. It led me to Splinter in the Heart, then to Charles Bukowski, Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, Leonard Cohen and many other wonderful poet/writers.
There was another Quinte Hotel in Belleville. Unlike the Trenton Quinte, it was not really a rough place, to my knowledge never had strippers. It had 3 beverage rooms downstairs in its hey day: the Tropicana Room, the Green Door both offered music. The "Mens" bar was Ernie's Corral. I guess 2012 was a bad year for Quinte Hotels, it burned down last night too.
With all the publicity about Mr Downie's illness, it's easy to forget how he was a patriot. You CAN'T get any more Canadian than this. Al Purdy + Gord = pure wonder.
The Quinte Hotel was quite a place back in the day. It has since burned down. My dear Grandpa used to drink with Purdy back then. I've been to Gravesite: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TlgRjX4yXw0.html
Thank YOUs ;-) . Al Purdy .. You made me The Poet that didn't Know it. .. Gord taught me. Anyone can sing. The Secret path made me strong. ! Belleville History . :) TY Cyndi
Just stumbled on "al purdy' from CBC radio - wikipedia brought me to this video, and to think Gord Downie recognized Al long before I even heard his name. Guess he too was a sensitive man.
Gord still amazes me with his appreciation for poetry (see 'Cooking in Wartime' and 'What Does Umm Mean' off Hipeponymous). Transecends himself to another level above your common frontman.
this was actually about THE quinte aka The sherwood forest in, in trenton. . i have the actual typed out story via a student of al purdy. great history, great times, bad times....but many memories were made there and it will be missed.
+Jazzy Babe It was on the corner of Bridge and Pinnacle streets in Belleville. Oh, and next time you callously dismiss the memories of my youth, remember these immortal words: "Tread softly for you tread on my dreams" "
+pretty peggy sorry Peggy - I live in Trenton, forgot this was the home of the "Green Door" which was one of the other places we used to go....we just lost The Sherwood Forest Inn - AKA The Quinte Hotel - awhile back which was actually the last of the rattraps in Trenton...LOL Cheers!
This video gets all artsy and poignant and thus detracts from the humour of the actual poem. It would be better to just have Purdy's voice reading the poem, the rest is fair horseshit.
