Gordon Lightfoot: not dead, at dentist

The reports of singer Gordon LIghtfoot’s death are greatly exaggerated. News outlets picked up a rumor today that Lightfoot had died. He had not. The rumor may have started on Twitter (it certainly spread there). Several Canadian papers ran with the apparent Tweet, and sites like PhillyBurbs.com picked it up. At least Cleveland Scene Weekly, which also ran the story, has a gallows sense of humor about it: it kept up the story with a strikethrough running through the entire piece. But there’s a serious message here: Twitter is like a scanner. There is a lot of information and a lot of static. It’s not a primary source, but it’s a good place for leads. Nothing beats checking on a story.

Where was Gordon during his “death?” At the dentist. Now, everyone who reported or retweeted that Gord was dead, do a penance: get a paid download of “Sundown.”