I grew up listening to Tom Cochrane; whether his albums with Red Rider or his later solo work, the albums were in the house and the songs were on the radio and Much Music often. He has many fantastic songs, but “Lunatic Fringe” seems to be the most enduringly meaningful. This week I was listening to every version of the song I could find.
The song comes out of a concern about a rise of antisemitism, and it is as powerful with a full band as it is in the acoustic versions Tom has been playing most recently. It is featured on the new EP Bare.