Bobcaygeon, The Big Dipper, Barenaked Ladies, and The Shalimar Pub

I used to meet with a group of people from all over New Hampshire a few times a year and enjoy evenings of Karaoke and clowning at the Shalimar Pub across from Lake Winnesquam.

Sometimes I would tumble into conversations about music with these friends and it seemed that many who were raised in New Hampshire during the seventies managed to have spent time at, or lived around Lake Ossipee, and have either met, dated, fished, drank, sold drugs to or slept beside, underneath, or within five miles of the founding members of Aerosmith.

I listened to every tale with straight faced cynicism because when I was a teenager I heard many stories from people who lived in Verdun, Quebec and claimed to be neighbors or relatives of the members of April Wine. Stories that were hard to believe once you've done your homework and discovered that the musicians were from Halifax, Nova Scotia. That and the fact that these story tellers were nowhere to be found when the band was coming to play at the Montreal Forum and you were trying to cash in on their relationships to score free tickets for the show.

For years I would have animated trivia filled conversations about popular music with anyone who would care to listen. Lately I just use this knowledge to remind New Englanders that The Guess Who, Neil Young, Rush, Our Lady Peace, and The Band are from Canada. Just ask the missus. Every Monday night she looks over at me when the theme song for the sit-com Big Bang Theory begins to play and she waits for the inevitable "they're from Toronto" reference to The Bare Naked Ladies.

This prideful game of mine has definitive guidelines because I would never bring up any cultural connection with certain internationally successful performers from Canada like Celine Dion and K.D. Lang.

Last spring, I relentlessly teased a work mate for getting away with playing country music all day long in his corner of the shop I worked at in New Boston. After I made our crew laugh over improvised lyrics about beer, a pick-up truck, a dog and a fly fishing girlfriend, the ex-marine took a verbal poke at my national origin saying, "What do Canadian's know about country music anyway?"

My response to the jab was, "I don't know! Ummmm... ...have you ever heard of Shania Twain?"

Last summer, I spent a few days visiting family in Ontario. I slipped away one afternoon to browse the shelves of a music store in Lindsay. My budget allowed for three CD's. I chose the latest releases from
artists I have not been able to keep up with like Jeff Healey, Kim Mitchell and The Tragically Hip.

The missus made the mistake of asking me about my purchases. A barrage of responses from three people headed in her direction before I could collect my thoughts. She was immediately educated by everyone present as to the fame and significance of my selections.

I remember trying to explain The Tragically Hip's following in Canada with particular emphasis on the Springsteen-like energy of their concerts. I remember making another Canadian/American comparison suggesting that the song Bobcaygeon was to the Tragically Hip what Cuyahoga was to REM.

As synchronicity would have it my daughter in law mentioned that the town I was staying in was 20 minutes from the lakeside town of Bobcaygeon. This was an interesting revelation because that tidbit of knowledge would give me bragging rights among family friends and peers north of the border and mean absolutely nothing to anyone I discussed music with in New England.

Everyone who is a fan of the tune thinks of Bobcaygeon as a pleasant, almost mystical place. A few days ago, I found out that Gordon Downie, lead singer and lyricist for The Hip, chose Bobcaygeon as the setting for the song's profound poetic story line because it was the first name of a town that he found on a map that he could rhyme with "constellation."

Maybe one day I will explain how Canada's climate and geography are responsible for the comedic talents of Mike Meyers, Dan Ackroyd, Jim Carrey and lead singers from border town bands.

Maybe not. Like Bobcaygeon, some things in life should remain a happy mystery.