Hawksley Workman has been a mainstay on the Canadian music scene for much of my adult life. Born in 1975 as Ryan Corrigan in the beautiful town of Huntsville, Ontario, Workman adopted his now well known stage name after finishing high school and moving to the big city of Toronto. He quickly developed a reputation as a highly respected songwriter, a storyteller, a multi-instrumentalist and as a producer and musical collaborator. Over the years, Hawksley Workman has released eleven albums of his own while producing many other albums for such Canadian stars as Serena Ryder, The Skydiggers, Great Big Sea, Hey Rosetta!, as well as Tegan and Sara. Workman’s own music often possesses imagery that comes across as glam or theatrical but that always hints at larger universal truths. He is, at once, a flamboyant showman while possessing the demeanor of an introvert. He is as literate a conversationalist as I have come across in some time. He is also someone who grew up surrounded by a loving, musical family. The experience of coming from such a solid family life infuses much of Hawksley Workman’s songs with a fierce respect for love and family and community and of personal connections. I have never met Hawksley Workman in person but through his music and based upon many interviews I have seen, he strikes me as someone who would be a good person to have riding shotgun on a long road trip. He is also the perfect person to profile during these times in which we all find ourselves these days.
It has been three months since I have created a new music post. In the time since I last hit the “Publish” button, the world around us all has drastically changed…and, if my opinion counts for anything, not for the better. Writing stories about songs seemed to be almost inconsequential to me. So I stopped creating new material and let the shock and revulsion of what I was seeing south of the border wash over me. The forces of authoritarianism around the world appear to be winning the war for planetary domination by striking a mighty blow against democracy. The decline of the United States from being the bedrock of western democracy to being stripped to the studs and sold for parts by those in control is now in full effect. It may seem sudden and shocking to some. However, the strategy for toppling America without having to fire a single shot has been in the works for decades.
While it is generally regarded by most anyone with a conscience as being the darkest period in modern history, there have always been those who have secretly admired the ruthless efficiency with which German nationalism came to be in the 1930s. While the Nazis ultimately failed in their quest for racial purity and continental superiority, they left behind a blueprint for others to follow. That blueprint has been followed in many parts of the world since the end of WWII with varying degrees of success. But never has the thirst for absolute power on such an epic scale been so close to fruition as it is now in America. That the pillars of democracy have been used against itself to bring about the downfall of America is an irony almost too delicious to bear for those sitting in the halls of power. The America that once stood as the leader of the free world is no longer. It is being destroyed from within in real time. That so many people still rabidly support the current administration serves to prove how effective the subterfuge has been. It is not something that happened overnight. This has been years in the planning and execution.
At the core of this authoritarian blueprint is a belief in racial/religious and/or gender-based superiority combined with a worldview that states that empathy and love are ideals for the weak and the vanquished. Needless to say, greed plays a role, as does the naked bloodlust for absolute power. Those unfortunate people who existence causes them to fall outside of the chosen parameters of acceptability and desirability will suffer. Their suffering will merit no compassion from those in charge because their mere existence is grotesque. There is a plan and that plan does not concern itself with love and family and community and personal connection.
In the face of such an onslaught of outrageous actions against the very people the government was sworn to protect, the reaction of the electorate is critical. Some have chosen to capitulate immediately, thinking the government and their stormtroopers are all too powerful to oppose. Some live on in ignorance that they would ever be affected by the actions of their leaders. As long as it is someone else being hauled away in the middle of the night and not them then, life goes on unchanged. (Except for the price of eggs which everyone knows is Biden’s fault.) However, a majority of Americans did not vote for their current president. Many of those people could see what was possibly in the future. Now that their fears are being realized, many are organizing and protesting and taking to the streets. For those of us in the rest of the world, especially those of us in Canada who rightfully fear annexation, it is heartening to see Americans begin to stand up and make their opposition known. So, for those of you in America who are taking steps to fight for democracy under dangerous and dire conditions, I write this post for you. Thank you for speaking out at local town hall meetings. Thank you for flying Canadian flags outside of your homes. Thank you for not giving in to the rhetoric that is aimed at turning you against your friends in Canada. Thanks to all of the lawyers and judges trying their best to uphold the rule of law and to maintain the integrity of the courts. Thank you to those people lining the banks of the Detroit River in Detroit and in Windsor, Ontario in a visual display of solidarity and international friendship. Thanks to librarians and teachers and doctors and church ministers who are continuing to practice the concept of welcoming all into their worlds regardless of the colour of the hat they may or may not be wearing. The times they may be grim but hope flickers on.
“We Are Not Broken Yet” by Hawksley Workman was included on an album called Old Cheetah that came out in 2015. This album was recorded after Workman had taken a break from his own career. When that break came about, Workman had been on the cusp of launching out into the international spotlight. He had been working extensively in Europe and had gained quite a following there. Workman was slated to tour with David Bowie for the summer but health problems for Bowie put an end to that. It was at this moment that Workman looked himself in the mirror and pondered whether he truly wanted to go where he had to go and do what he had to do in order to make it to the top of the music business. Were the artistic compromises and the self-promotion and the loss of privacy really worth it in the end? At that point, Hawksley Workman walked away from his solo career. He joined a new band called Mounties as their drummer. Also in Mounties was Steve Bays of the band Hot Hot Heat and Ryan Dahle of Age of Electric/LImblifter. Mounties recorded as a trio and toured for a few years. In that time, Workman found himself desiring the release that comes with creative expression. Feeling ready to write his own songs and record again, Hawksley Workman created the music for Old Cheetah. Steve Bays helped to produce it. The album was released in 2015 which was, not only the relaunch of a scaled down version of Hawksley Workman’s solo career, it was also the time of Hilary’s emails and the world’s introduction to reality TV star Donald Trump as presidential candidate. “We Are Not Broken Yet” is a song about resilience and self-reflection. It speaks of a changing world and of the ultimate strength of love and dignity and connection with nature and those we care about the most. Taken in the light of current events, Workman’s lyrics are highly prescient. Remember that this song was released a full decade before U.S. legal citizens started finding themselves jailed and deported for merely holding unfavourable opinions of their leader. It was written before hackers were given the keys to the government’s computer rooms. It was written before transgender people were denied access to medical care, before the vocabulary of inclusion became outlawed and before international alliances that had governed the western world since the end of WWII (when the Nazi blueprint was brought to an end) were tossed aside like old shoes. “We Are Not Broken Yet” is a song that speaks of stress and the self-assessment that is often borne of such times. It is a hopeful song because of its belief that in the end, love will always trump hatefulness.
“Oh cuz nature gives a shrug
And laughs at all of those pathetic thugs
Who try to muscle out
What’s tender
And ultimately born of love”
-”We Are Not Broken Yet” by Hawksley Workman.
The video of this song that I am sharing today comes from an internet series hosted by Canadian media personality George Stroumboulopoulos. Stroumbo, as he is known, has hosted many music-related, culture-themed shows over the years on radio, television and the internet. I am going to post two Hawksley Workman/Stroumbo videos for you. The first one will be an interview that was recorded as part of a late night talk show that Stroumbo had on the CBC. I have always been a fan of his interview skills. In this interview, I became a fan of Hawksley Workman as a person and an artist. What a humble, literate and intelligent man Hawksley Workman is. This interview will certainly showcase that for you. Secondly, the musical performance video is from another show that Stroumboulopoulos hosted in which he invited artists to give live musical concerts in his Toronto home. In this video, Workman sings “We Are Not Broken Yet” as well as I have heard anywhere. I strongly urge you to listen to the lyrics of this song. While they allude to artistic independence and vision, they relate to the human spirit as well and correlate very smoothly with what is happening to our world at the moment.
Enjoy. Have faith. Stay strong. Love always.
The link to the video for the CBC interview of Hawksley Workman by George Stroumbouloupolos can be found here.
The link to the video for the song “We Are Not Broken Yet” by Hawksley Workman as seen as part of the internet series The House of Strombo, can be found here. ***The lyrics can be found here.
The link to the official website for Hawksley Workman can be found here.
***As always, all original content contained in this post remains the sole property of the author. No portion of the post shall be reblogged, copied or shared in any manner without the express written consent of the author. ©2025 http://www.tommacinneswriter.com