Hey, it's Jeff Zito, and thanks for checking out another episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast. Streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, wherever you listen to podcasts. Please subscribe. Hit that subscribe button. Would love a five-star rating. And if you could, please leave a review. If you like the podcast and you do all those things, it helps the podcast grow. So I thank you in advance. New episodes drop every Friday by 8 p.m. And don't forget, you can check out all past guests and episodes by going to celebrityjobber.com. We talk to celebrities and find out who they were before they got famous. Sometimes their fame was a complete accident. Sometimes it was something they worked towards their whole life. We talk about a big break or a moment that changed everything. Some people say, you know, it's just kind of gradual, but a lot of people note that there was a particular moment in time, whether it was a performance or a phone call, that really put them on a fast track to stardom. And of course, we talk about what their first jobs were before fame. You know, and we're talking about everything from, like, say, a paper route, like when you were from 11, 12 years old, to maybe the job you had right before everything started to click for you. So we get into that with all of our guests. And today's guest, part of the Canadian power trio Triumph, formed back in 1975, was pretty huge in the late 70s and early 80s. 16 albums and DVDs, the band has received 18 gold and 9 platinum awards in Canada and in the U.S. Nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including the Group of the Year 1979, 85, 86, and 87. Inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2007, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2008, and into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2019. Known for its hits Lay It on the Line, Magic Power, Fight the Good Fight, and World of Fantasy, the band's been on a little hiatus until now. Triumph has reunited. Their first public performance in 17 years happened in Edmonton at the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, and now the band embarks on their first major tour in more than three decades. drummer and founding member of Triumph, Gil Moore, is my guest this week on Celebrity Jobber. The Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito. If you like what you hear, please subscribe, give a five-star rating, and leave a review. Check out all our past episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you pod. What if these celebrities weren't famous? What would they have become? What was their first job? We're about to find out. look man this is this is pretty cool looks like uh you know it's been a little bit since triumph has been on the road correct yeah it's been uh it's been decades actually and uh jeff it just kind of came together in a in a very serendipitous fashion really and we've said many times that we're never going to tour again. And we were sincere when we said that. And we said no a million times right up until our kids changed our mind, really, is what happened. I know that when we went and played the show in Edmonton at the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, that was a turning point. And we just did it as a lark. I always wanted to play in the NHL. I didn't want to be a drummer for hell. But, you know, I was probably destined to drive a Zamboni, so it just became obvious to me I was better at drums. And that's how your life works out. But, you know, when you get a chance and the NHL calls and you go, hey, this is fun. And, of course, again, you know, you go to your kids and they're like, yeah, Dad, let's go do it. And I called Rick and he kind of felt the same way. And we're like, how are we going to do this? Let's call Phil. Mike is tied up and he's doing Eddie Trunk that day and Phil goes, yeah, yeah, I'm all in. So he brought Brent and Todd with him and we went out there. One rehearsal and all of a sudden you kind of rediscover the joy of musicians jamming and playing together and reliving the songs. So that was influential, but we still thought, no, no, that's just the end. Live Nation was like, well, you got a tour. No, no, no, we're not going to tour. We just did this for fun about hockey and our families and stuff. And then, of course, you know, like my kids, they just kick in and they go, are you kidding, dad? We're going to do a tour. We're all coming. Let's go. Right. And, you know, it's a great excuse for my wife to kick me out of the house. So, you know, it's a win all the way around. It's kind of an incredible story, Gil. You know, like, let's back up and take it all the way back. I mean, because Triumph has been, you know, a band close to, you know, close to my heart for a lot of years. And so take me back. I thought you said something very interesting was you always dreamed about playing in the NHL. So when you were when you were a young shaver, what what was growing up like for you in Ontario? Hockey, a big part of your life growing up? hockey was just everything i mean you know i played other sports as well i played baseball and football and stuff but you know i would say you know when i was in elementary school for example i would say there was not you know 98 of the kids in my neighborhood all wanted to play in the nhl and and of course you know with you if you think about where we were here in the western part of the greater toronto area there's maybe like two three hockey players that ever were good enough to make it to the NHL. So it's a dream for all kids, and it was for me. And I was pretty good at hockey for a long time, but then all of a sudden when I was 13, I started to grow. And by the time I was 14, I'd grown almost a foot. I'm six foot three, so all of a sudden to put on all that height, it didn't work well with the hockey skills. And I started on drums, and one door closes, another one opens or something like that. And I just decided, you know, to go all in on drums. But I've never lost my love for hockey, that's for sure. Celebrity Jobber. The Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito. So you're 14 years old. You start playing the drums. Tell me a little bit about how you met the guys and how Triumph started I know there was maybe another band or two before you met up with Triumph Oh yeah I mean you know I think I can say the same thing for Mike and Rick too Like, we all had bands that were, you know, I don't want to call them failures, but they weren't successes. Let's put it that way. I mean, you know, you're maybe good enough to play at the high school dance or, you know, at the community center or something like that, but you're not headed for the big time anytime soon. and that's what you can say about 99% of bands I mean, or 99.9% I guess you know, it's very, very difficult to get the right combination and to have a situation where you're actually going to develop a fan base and so when we got together in Triumph it was kind of a I don't know, like it was a Hail Mary pass because we'd all played in bands and we were thinking, well, you know we'll give it one last shot kind of thing but you're a little more experienced you're a better musician you're a little tiny bit older when we started to play, it was instantaneous. Like when we played our very first show and Mike and Rick and I looked at, looked at each other after we were like halfway through the first song. And I see Mike glancing at me and Rick glancing at me. I was like, Hey, can you believe what's going on here? The reaction was so strong. Right. You know, you know, in some of my earlier bands, I was used to people kind of looking at the stage with a bored look. And then it's like, Oh, I guess, I guess they're going to the washroom. I guess that's what's happening. They're going to die for a smoke. and so it's completely different when people are pressing up against the stage and they're you know and their eyes are you know completely fixed on you so that's when you know you kind of got some kind of lightning in a bottle with the band when when people react like that so i'm very very i think we're very very lucky like you need luck to get the right combination uh in a band and i i think anybody that i know that's been lucky enough to play in a big group they would say the same thing. It was, it was, you had to get lucky to get the right combination. It's kind of like chefs in the kitchen. Right. Right. So disagree, but if you happen to get the right combination, you know, that's what you want. So, so Gil, so let's just, if you're, if you're at that stage, right, you're, you're, you know, that you need to get lucky. This has got to be a dream, right? Just kind of like hockey. You're kind of thinking the NHL is a dream being in a rock band. That's got to be a dream making a living uh you know touring musician so like what did you think when you were you know when you were in bands you were just starting off maybe with triumph were you thinking maybe like hey look i'm gonna do this for a little bit i'm gonna get a real job that that thought ever cross your mind and and what did you think you would end up be doing full time well we we told it like at least i can say for myself i told everybody that i was super confident and that I knew we were going to make it, which, of course, is not true. But that's what you tell yourself at that stage because you're trying to give yourself confidence. Right. And I always look like, well, this plane could crash land at any time. And I guess there's a turning point, though. And for us, it was it was very, very early on when we got a call, you know, from Texas, of all places. And they said, come on down to San Antonio. We want you to headline. And we're like, what? You know, headline, you know, in another country. You've got to be kidding me. Right. But what had happened was, you know, like our music was being played and there was a fan base there that we didn't even know we had. Well, the difference is once we go down there and actually play and the reaction, the first show we played was in San Antonio Municipal Auditorium. Right. There's 5,500 theater. It's a big theater. It's not there anymore, but it was sold out like right to the rafters. And the audience went crazy. And then the promoter's like, OK, we're going to go play Corpus Christi. We're going to go play Austin. And all of this starts to happen. That's when I actually thought, you know what? I don't think the plane's going to crash. Right. So that was, that was a turning point, I would say. Wow. So what do you, what do you think? So do you consider that like a big break and it seems like a pivotal moment in your career, but what about the thing that changed your life forever? Was there, was it a gradual thing that happened to you guys? or was there a moment, if you will, an interview, a performance, a song, a phone call, anything that you can think of, that big break, if you will, that changed your life forever? Well, I guess that first concert in San Antonio was one such moment. But other things that I think changed, speaking personally, being able to bring my parents and let them come to Maple Leaf Gardens at the time in Toronto and, you know, come back, come in and see the whole arena full of people cheering for triumph. Right. That changed my life because I know that my, you know, as a young man, you can imagine, you know, like parents are concerned of your welfare and, you know, this rock and roll thing, how's it going to work out and is it going to last, you know, that sort of thing. So that was one such moment. And I think from the band's point of view, I always felt that playing at the Oz Festival was kind of a magic moment. Because, I mean, at that point, I mean, the band is really on a roll in 1983. And we're, you know, we're playing arenas all over America and Canada. But there was something special about that show because it was so crazy big. And it was kind of monumental in the history of, you know, kind of, I'll say, hard rock, heavy metal Sunday at the Oz Festival. was it just had this place in history. And the fact that we were able to do it, participate in it, and make friends with Steve Wozniak, who I'm still friends with today, and see the power of music, which is what's come with us all these years later. What our fans are telling us about our... They're telling us what the legacy of Prime's music is. We're not telling them. They're saying it's the positiveness that came through, the positivity. I should say, of a lot of the lyrics, you know, the never surrender, hold on to your dreams, themes, you know, follow your heart, that kind of stuff. We weren't so much Dungeons and Dragons. The Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito. The Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito. What about a first job, Gil? I mean, I wanted to get into a little bit of what has been keeping you busy over the last few years because I find that interesting. but I wanted to know what your very first paying job was. Oh, it's a paper boy. You were a paper boy. Okay. Yeah. I delivered the Toronto star, but you know, I also mowed lawns and shovel driveways. And I caddied caddy was a huge influence on me because it got me to, you know, up close with, with, you know, adults and seeing how they would treat you. I started caddying when I was about 11 and then I ended up working in the pro shop at Credit Valley Golf Course here in Mississauga I now a member of the show I come full circle So when I'm on the driving range, sometimes I tease the kids and I go, hey, you took my job. And they're like, Mr. Moore, what do you mean? Oh, that's great. I used to work there. I used to work here. I used to do what you do. 11 years old, Gil. You know, tell me about your parents. Did they instill that hard work ethic? Tell me about, did your mom and dad work? What did they do? My dad, he really had a tough life, and he was the greatest father you could ever have. He was just incredible. I have his photo, sorry, a pencil sketch my mom did, not a photo, right behind my desk where I sit every day. And, you know, he grew up in the Great Depression, so there were no jobs. He grew up in Walkerton in a small town, worked in a gas station. And he had that, by the way, he got because of a family connection. Otherwise, there was no jobs to be had. And then he got thrust right into the war. So he's in World War II and the back of a Lancaster bomber as a navigator. And you can imagine, like the entire crew, you've got their lives in the palm of your hand, flying in the dark, you know, without the benefit of any of the navigational tools we have. He's doing it all mathematically using a slide rule and protractor and all that kind of stuff that navigators used in the Second World War. And then by the time he comes back here and meets my mom and gets married, like he's 40 years old, you know. And he built a great life for my mom and I here. He worked for B.F. Goodrich in the rubber business. Right. So he ran the Toronto sort of headquarters of B.F. Goodrich for many years. And, you know, he taught me, his son, a lot about business from his experience. So I was very lucky. Yeah, especially being such a young man, get a job. You mentioned several jobs and, you know, you're 11 years old. So that, you know, any musical background with mom and dad? Yeah, my mom was a very, very good pianist. and two of her sisters, my aunts, were also professional pianists. So growing up in my house, you know, there was always music whenever my aunts would come over. Even when they weren't there, you know, my mom would play piano every single day and sometimes my dad would sing Irish Eyes Are Smiling or he'd sing a couple Elvis songs or he had a really nice baritone voice. So I was exposed to that. And yeah, they never pushed me to work or anything like that. It was just back then the rules were different. So, you know, now, for example, that job I had at the golf course, you have to be, you know, college age to get that job because the government's got Ministry of Labor rules and, you know, workers comp and all this stuff. Back then, if you fell down and you broke something, they just sent you home to your mother and she'll put a Band-Aid on it. You'll be okay. Right. You know, there's no rules. So. Oh, my gosh. Different way of growing up. It was totally different. You're absolutely right. Tell me, I had no idea. I guess I should have known about Metalworks Studios. This is one of Canada's, or it is Canada's, largest recording studio. And you own it, and you've been operating it for how long? How did you get, I mean, when did this become part of your life, Gil? Well, this actually started in triumph. We built one studio in 1977, but now we have a full sound and lighting company. There's a half a dozen studios in the studios proper. We have a college that's branded Metalworks that teaches the music industry. We have about 200 students here. So we have a lot of different facets to the Metalworks organization. We launched a charity last year called Sounds Unite Canada, which is to deliver free music education and music wellness to youth across Canada. So we've got a lot of great people here running these different aspects of the company. And I have several, three of my family members are in the business and so on. So they make me look good every day. Right. The Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito. Celebrity Jobber. I want you to go to triumph music.com. These guys, they're back out on the road. I mean, this is the 50 year anniversary. You've got you've got April 10th in Orlando at the hard rock. You've got April 13th at the Seminole hard rock hotel for my listeners in Tampa, May 24th at the mid Florida credit union amphitheater. My listeners in New Jersey, May 28th at the freedom mortgage pavilion in Camden. My listeners in Detroit, May 30th, the Michigan Lottery Amphitheater at Freedom Hill. Full list of U.S. and Canadian tour dates are online at triumphmusic.com. Tell me one thing, Gil. There's been a little controversy, if you will, and I wanted you to clear it up. People talked about this not being a real triumph tour. It is. It's all three guys. you've got a few touring musicians coming with you, but I know that was something that you wanted to clear up on your, on your website. Yeah, Jeff, I mean, there was, I don't know if you call it a conspiracy theory or whatever, but there's a few things that got misinterpreted when we first started. And it's because originally before this tour happened, I've been working with our lighting director on doing a mixed reality tour where none of the guys in the band were going to be there. That's not what this is. Nobody's mailing it in. so you know rick and i will be at every show and uh on stage all the time um mike has got some health challenges so we're just we have our fingers crossed that he's going to be at as many shows as he can be at but we don't really know so that's going to be a game time decision about mike but of course we have you know brent and todd and and phil x you know with us so our band is uh ready to rock and roll the reloaded tour uh and the rock and roll machine are uh ready to rumble. Yeah, I'm pretty excited for the Tampa date. That's the one I'm going to go see. That's May 24th with special guest April Wine. This is the Rock and Roll Machine Reloaded Tour. These guys, I can't wait. This is so cool. It's been a while and it seems like, you know, all great things, Gil, happen by mistake, right? It's like accidents are, you know, usually this has seemed like maybe somewhat of an accident. It is. It's completely an accident. There was no intent, like several of the, you know, interviews that I've done, they've said, well, you must've been hiding this from us when you did previous interviews. I said, no, it was just literally, it was no. Even after we played Edmonton we still said no to live nation And like I said you know for me the turning point was my kids I mean they just like Dad you doing this You doing this Please Dad please You know, and so you kind of realize, geez, if it means that much to you. And then also from the fans, like it's the same thing, the please, please, please. And, you know, and you kind of feel like you're the spoiler if you don't do it. Right. But of course, as soon as we started, as soon as I sat back on the drum throne and started beating on the drums again, you kind of rediscover something that you miss. Right. You know, being with Rick, our very first rehearsals were just Rick and I. And, you know, and Mike was here too for some of them. And, you know, getting that sort of energy, I'll call it, flowing in the room again. And seeing even the staff at Metalworks, like everyone buzzing around here in our sound and lighting company, they're all buzzing. And the studios, all the engineers are buzzing. So it's that kind of enthusiasm. You can't put a price on it. So anyway, it's been fun. And it's also a great thing to get back in shape. Like using my own home gym more than I ever used it. I even joined a private gym which has better equipment. That's awesome. And I get some guidance there too. Yeah, it's a hoot. That's awesome. So the Rock and Roll Machine Reloaded Tour kicks off in Florida, in Orlando. That's April 10th in Hollywood on the 13th. Like I said, Tampa will be a little bit later on in May. And then you've got, they're everywhere. They're everywhere. Triumphmusic.com. Gilmore, real pleasure talking to you. And I wish you all the best. Great story. I'm really excited to see you guys on the road and touring. It sounds like you guys are going to have a lot of fun. So I wish you the best. Well, thanks a lot, Jeff. Thanks for having me on. I hope we can see you on the road. You'll let us know if you're at one of the shows and be good to say hi. Without a doubt, I'll be at the Tampa show in May 24th. I'll see you there. Awesome. Thank you. Take care. Have a great day. Those Canadians sure are nice people, aren't they? First job, just like me, paper boy. But also, he was a caddy at a golf course back when he was 11 or 12 years old. And he mentions full circle. He is now currently a member at that very same golf course. I thought that was pretty cool. He mentioned how that was a pretty important job for him, getting up close and personal with adults. And, you know, I've always told my son, you know, if you can look an adult in the eye and shake their hand, be able to carry on somewhat of a conversation, it's going to really pay off for you in the working world. And like Gil, one of my first jobs after being a paper boy, I worked in a dinner theater, the Golden Apple Dinner Theater in Sarasota, Florida. Then I worked inside of a cart barn at a very exclusive golf course called Laurel Oak. And I washed the clubs of famous people like Andre Agassi and world famous tennis coach Nick Bollateri, just to name drop a few. He mentioned the relationship that he had with his father, who instilled that work ethic in Gil. And he noted that he was the best father that you could have. He worked in a gas station, then was thrust into the war. And then when he came back, he ended up meeting his mom. He got married and worked for BFGoodrich in the rubber industry. And Gil mentioned, you know, when I was asking, you know, the moment that changed his life, If you mentioned a few different moments, one of them was a big show Triumph played in San Antonio, which kind of put him on the map a little bit. Then the other big show that he mentioned was the Us Festival. You know, Apple's Steve Wozniak tried to put together somewhat of a Woodstock kind of festival in California back in the early 80s, which Triumph was a part of. But on a personal note, I think Gil mentioned being at Maple Leaf Gardens, you know, back in his homeland. His parents were there, packed house. And, you know, when you tell your mom and dad, I'm going into the world of rock and roll, they could be, you know, a little apprehensive to give you their full support. But I think that moment where his parents were at the show, packed house, that was a personal moment of satisfaction for Gilmore, where he was able to, you know, make his parents proud. You know, it wasn't music always for Gilmore. When he was a young man, he dreamt of being in the NHL, becoming a professional hockey player, like a lot of kids. And behind the scenes, Gil runs his own studio just outside of Toronto, which he has now for many years. And of course, earlier I mentioned that Triumph is reunited and back out on the road for the first time in over three decades, celebrating their 50th anniversary. Kicking off their Rock and Roll Machine Reloaded Tour next month in Florida, April 10th, the Hard Rock Live Universal Orlando, April 13th, the Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood. Plus dates in Canada, the Midwest, Texas, and up in the Northeast. The Rock and Roll Machine Reloaded Tour with special guests April Wine. Oh man, this is going to be a good one. Full list of tour dates online at triumphmusic.com. Pretty cool story. All three founding members of the Canadian power trio Triumph back together and back out on the road. First time in over three decades. Drummer Gil Moore initially wanted to be a professional hockey player in the NHL. Pretty crazy that he figured he couldn't accomplish that dream. So he chose Rockstar, you know, exchanged one dream for the other and was successful. Great story. Thank you so much for checking out another episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast. We drop new episodes each and every Friday by 8 p.m. Follow on Instagram, celebrity underscore jobber underscore podcast and the YouTube channel, which is youtube.com slash the at sign celebrity jobber past guests and episodes also online at celebrityjobber.com and streaming on apple podcasts spotify iheart wherever you listen to podcasts please subscribe and of course would love a five-star rating and please leave a review doing all those things really helps the podcast grow and i can't thank you enough for already doing so And for those who haven't done it yet, I thank you in advance. Hope you have a great week. And until next week, we'll see you then. I'm Jeff Zito.
