Nice things people have said about The Never-Ending Present
"This is a remarkable, moving and excellent book." — John K. Samson, the Weakerthans
"Music is so often the true story of our times and no one tells that story better than Michael Barclay. The Never-Ending Present is an original, riveting history of our culture and country as seen through the wild eyes of the Tragically Hip. Like a great song, the propulsive book has a melody to its intelligence. The best music book I’ve read in years. Full stop." — Evan Solomon, host, CTV's Question Period and Power Play
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"I think it's important for storytellers to tell stories about storytellers. This book is so personal, so meaningful, so beautiful, written with passion and commitment. Narrating the audiobook was particularly emotional; I had to stop myself from crying many times. The Hip have done a masterful job telling us their story, and it's deeply important for their friends and fans to do the same. It's one of the ways we celebrate."
— George Stroumboulopoulos,
The Strombo Show
"Barclay is the perfect inside outsider, pulling back the cloak on an iconic, insular rock band to reveal its hold on a country's conscience and the poetic genius of its heroic front man. A fascinating story, masterfully told." — Nicholas Jennings, author of Lightfoot and Before the Gold Rush
"An essential addition to every music fan's bookshelf. It's a thorough and beautiful love letter." — Andrea Warner, author of Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography
"Reading this was so painful, and yet there are great, funny stories in here. The more you knew Downie, the greater impact this story has. It's not a normal read. It's an amazing read." — Terry David Mulligan, Mulligan Stew
“A clever, touching, and very informative book that may well be the definitive work on an important piece of Canadian pop culture.”
— Publishers Weekly starred review
"The Never-Ending Present is much more than a love letter to a fallen Canadian hero. It's an ambitious chronicle of a moment in our cultural history, a richly detailed and clear-eyed invesetigation into why this music and these people mattered, and still do."
— Paul Wells, Maclean's
“Barclay’s remarkable chronicle of the Tragically Hip is as wide as it is deep. He sets down their story with a historian’s care and an artist’s rambling curiosity, revisiting each note with wit, expertise and so much heart. It's eminently readable, clever and funny — what an achievement.” — Sean Michaels, Giller Prize-winning author of Us Conductors
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“This is an immensely pleasurable read, full of anecdotes, info and lyrical insight I had never seen before. Curious, casual fans and serious Hip heads will find so much to love about this book. This is a monumental, definitive chronicle of the band.”
— Stephen Dame, HipMuseum.com
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