THE TRUTH
Steven PAGE NAVIGATING THE DIVERGENT PATH by
Dave Gordon | photos Nikki Ormerod
H
as it already been over twenty five years since we first heard “If I Had a Million Dollars,” and “Be My Yoko Ono”?
It was early 1992, and Toronto-based
Barenaked Ladies’ first label recording, Gordon, was released. From it, also spawned classics “Enid,” “Grade 9” and “Brian Wilson.” It didn’t take much time for rock band superstardom to follow, particularly after the next series of hits “One Week,” and “Pinch Me,” and a string of infectious melodies emanating from a dozen albums to come over the next seventeen years.
It’s been said that frontman Steven Page,
who began the group with childhood chum Ed Robertson, wrote — or contributed to — 97 out of the 113 original Barenaked Ladies tunes. Since 2008, however, Page has pursued a divergent path. Beginning with a split from the band — hastened by his much-publicized 2008 cocaine bust — he has carved out a solo musical career, while, in the past few years, candidly speaking to a variety of audiences about his battle with mental health issues.
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