Take Me Home Down Western Road

It’s seven o’clock on a Wednesday and the regular crowd shuffles in. Rick McGhie has taken the stage and the opening chords of “American Pie” fill the room. The audience is swept up in a Western University tradition that spans more than half a century.

 McGhie started playing music at Western in 1970 as a part of a band called Every One of Us and began performing on-campus as a solo act in 1975. He drew crowds at on-campus venues such as the Elbow Room and The Spoke and continues to play weekly at the Grad Club. With performances marked by sing-alongs, call-and-response shouts, and cries for favourite songs to be played, his shows bring students together across years and programs. The rituals of audience engagement are passed from generation to generation, solidifying McGhie as a central pillar within the Western experience. While the university and its students have changed immensely over the past 50 years, one thing remains true: hearing McGhie play is a rite of passage for all Mustangs. Western Roads, Take Me Home draws upon stories from both current students and alumni to explore McGhie’s impact on the Western community.

 Allow this exhibition to play you a memory, because Rick’s got us feeling alright. 

No list of things that Western students must do before they graduate would be complete without some reference to Rick McGhie. From the 1990s on, McGhie's name appears alongside activities like being chased by a goose and running up UC hill as rites of passage for Western students. But listening to McGhie play means more than a checkmark on the path to becoming a Mustang.

Western Engineering grad Nicholas Paul reflects on why Rick’s performances make these lists time and time again:

“Rick’s nights were special. From the moment you stepped in, you felt connected to something. Something before you, something around you, and something that would outlast you. It made you feel a part of Western. Like by being there, and etching your name on the table, you sewed your patch in the quilt of the school’s collective spirit.”

McGhie played his final show at The Spoke in September of 2023.

"Rick’s final night is a university memory that will always be special to me. It was so heartwarming to see the fun Rick was having and the smile on his face when we did the silly chants. I know my friends and I will continue them when we hear the classic songs he played. I’ve never felt like the student body was as united as we were on Rick nights, especially that last night. It was just pure, wholesome tradition, and very bittersweet, which is part of what makes the memory so valuable, I think. We’ll all miss Rick." - Gabrielle

"Wednesday nights at the Spoke with Rick McGhie were undoubtedly one of the highlights of my 7 years at Western. It was so much fun to gather with friends every week and sing along to Rick’s classics, sometimes performing the callbacks so loudly Rick had to stop to laugh before continuing on singing. When I heard that the first ever Western Engineering Musical was going to be an entire show about Rick, I knew I absolutely had to be part of it. We didn’t tell anyone that Rick would be making a surprise appearance at the end of our show, and it was so awesome when he came out that first night. There were so many friends and family members in the crowd that got to experience a little bit of Rick magic for the very first time that night. Our musical was such an incredible way to bring people together through music and showcase the artistic talents of many Western engineers. I made so many incredible friends and memories that I will cherish forever." - Julia Terek

After a stint at The Spoke and a short round of shows at the Wave, Rick McGhie moved to what would become a favourite performing spot on campus: The Elbow Room. Open from 1973 to 1991, The Elbow Room was an essential part of his time at Western. McGhie remembers a packed basement bar with students flowing in and out from the moment the establishment opened to the end of his late-night sets. This was a space that brought the university together. McGhie laments that the days of the on-campus bar are fading, noting that many of the places where he played, like The Elbow Room, are no longer in operation. McGhie wonders what this will mean for university traditions and community as students move to clubs downtown.

Rick McGhie played at The Spoke from 1970 until 2023. Mustangs of the 90s and early 2000s remember being called to these shows by cartoon images of McGhie published in The Gazette. This piece references “American Pie”, a fan-favourite song at his shows and one that is rife with opportunities for audience participation.

Student, Rory Osborne remembers how these chants were passed down to him:

"My mom’s a Western alum and I’m a guitar player, so she taught my all of the chants to the classic sing-alongs. Most notably the American pie chants and the “salt salt where’s the f*ckin’ salt”. Everyone I hear or play those songs I can’t help but do the Rick chants. He used to play Saugeen [residence] Monday nights, and my mom would bring blankets and beer and listen to him with all of her friends."

"The photos were taken about September 25-36 2002 at my buddy Mike Dove and mine birthday party at the Grad Club in the basement of Westminster College.  My favourite memories of Rick are that, a couple of times singing "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel with him, and hanging out between sets, when he would drink a coffee and talk with great pride about his family.  I also had the chance to see him at Alumni events in Ottawa long after I graduated.  He was a touchstone for two or three generations of Western students.  And he never seemed to age.  He also never seemed to mind obnoxious, often slightly intoxicated, slightly off-key students singing along with him at the top of their lungs." - Sean Stoyles

From immortal ruler to rap icon Rick McGhie has done it all - or at least that's what The Gazette would have you believe. Being a campus legend has placed McGhie at the centre of several of the school paper's April Fools issues. A 2018 article reports that "throughout history, McGhie has disguised himself using ancient magic. Reports stating the performer ’casts a spell on his audience’ are true. Lulling his audience into a trance, the virtuoso absorbs students’ youthful energy. Each performance gives him another seven days." This could be the reason that in 2021 he “abandoned ‘dead white guy tunes’ to start rapping.”

 Whether you subscribe to this version of events is entirely up to you, but the curator of this exhibition advises caution lest your energy be used to continue McGhie's unending reign.

“One night of Rick's that I'll always remember is the summer of 2019. We were outside at the grad club and a budgie came and started flying around the patio. It ended up landing on Rick's head, and he played a couple of songs with the budgie on his head. We ended up catching the bird, and someone took it home for the night. We found out the next week that the budgie safely made it back to its owner.” - Alex Kat

“This is a list of all the songs I've ever heard Rick play from the times I've seen him play at the Spoke and Grad Club from about 2012 until now. I enjoyed the songs and wanted to get to know them better for the subsequent weeks I would show up. Eventually it became a thing of people wondering if he plays a certain song or wanting to know what other songs he played so they could request a song for him to play. So then I could look up on my list or give it to other people to help with that. I've sent it to friends before and they've made Spotify playlists out of it.” - Corey Smith

“For me, this shirt is a reminder of community. I first encountered Rick during my Orientation week in 2020. Due to the pandemic, my first-year had been flipped online and, sitting alone in my childhood bedroom, I felt incredibly isolated from the rest of my class. Part of the way through the week, my Orientation Leaders were abuzz with chatter about a performance by Rick McGhie that was to be streamed later that day--I was told that if I only attended one thing for the next few days, it must be this concert. Confused, I asked my dad, a Western alum, who Rick was. I was immediately told to text my uncle who had been a huge fan during his time at Western. It was from this interaction that I learned that Rick had long been a staple of the community. Attending his shows online during my first year, made me feel like a Western student despite being far from campus.” - Lauren Stoyles

The following stories were submitted by community members. If you would like to share a story to be added to the exhibition, please email takemehomewesternroads@gmail.com.

"My parents met at chiropractic College in London, Ontario. They both continued on to UWO to continue their studies and would often go on dates or hangout with friends while listening to Rick McGhee play at the western grad club where the students know all the fun additions to his regular list of favorites. Fast forward almost 30 years later. My parents are married, have 8 kids together and share a successful, self run chiropractic business. The year is approximately 2011. My parents have begun inviting me and my older siblings to the grad club with them on every second or third date night they had (were occurring weekly at that time) to the grad club at UWO where Rick still plays regularly, and I start seeing his shows elsewhere in London when making plans with friends. I've learned the fun additions from hearing him play at western where my parents and the current students have done a good job of teaching the rookies.

So my father has cancer, it's progressed to the point that he is put into palliative care. My father is near the youngest of his 9 siblings, and some of his brothers studies UWO around the same time as him and were familiar with how him and my mother enjoyed spending his date nights. My Aforementioned uncle was able to track down Rick over social media and organize an amazing event for my father, mother, myself, my siblings and some of my Dad's siblings.

I had been visiting the hospital every day, and I remember being by his bedside with my siblings and my mom as well as a couple of uncles and an aunt, I think. My dad's cobdition was bad when he was put into palliative care the previous week and had continued on a steady decline. At this point he had lost most of his muscle mass and had almost entirely lost the enegy to speak. He was mostly communicating through squeezing our hand to indicate yes or no. The door to the room opened and my uncle walked in and gently said "Pete, we have a surprise visitor for you". And behind him was Rick McGhee with his acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder. My father, who had barely moved let alone spoken or fully opened his eyes in days, was so surprised! His eyes opened wide, and he said "holy smokes, Rick McGhee!" Loud enough for everyone in the room to hear! It's also worth noting that I've probably only heard my father use the phrase "holy smokes" maybe a handful of times, if that, in the 22 years I'd known him.

Rick stayed for a while, playing several favorites while me, my siblings, Mom, Dad, aunts and uncles all sang along like we were right back at the grad club sharing a platter of nachos together. It was truly amazing. " - Scott Keown

~~~

"I have many great memories of watching Rick play in the Norfolk tavern in Port Dover. During the 1980's Rick played there one weekend a month and I was there for many, many of them. He was also my guitar instructor. Still to this day I play many of the songs he played back then pretty much note for note Rick is a great singer and a skilled guitarist. I was always impressed by his guitar arrangements for a solo acoustic guitar. I still strive to play songs like he would. I live and play regularly in Thailand now. I was even thinking of doing a Rick McGhie set.......songs I learned from Rick 40 years ago. He is great at it." - Jeffrey Butler

This exhibition was created by Lauren Stoyles with the support of the Centre for Sustainable Curating and Western University’s Visual Arts Department. Thanks are extended to Alex Kat, Gabrielle, Julia Terek, Nicholas Paul, Rory Osborne, Sean Stoyles, and Tom Weihmayr for sharing their memories, to Dr. Kirsty Robertson for her guidance and support, and to Rick McGhie for his time, stories, and music.