Rex Goudie knows the ropes

By TARA MERRIN -- Calgary Sun

Rex Goudie and Melissa O'Neil
Rex Goudie is trading in his famous white trucker hat for a cowboy hat.

OK, maybe not. But the Canadian Idol runner-up, who plays the Coke stage tonight, is gearing up to do some serious Stampeding.

"Everyone says the one thing I've got to do is get my show done and then go out and ride all the rides, so that's the plan and I can't wait."

While Goudie, a Burlington, Nfld. native, is no stranger to Calgary (he was here with girlfriend/Idol -winner Melissa O'Neil at Christmas, on tour in February, and for her graduation this spring), he has never experienced the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth -- let alone been a part of it.

These are the shows that make every sacrifice he and his family have made worthwhile.

"Before the last tour I was thinking, is this the right thing for me to do? But the feeling I had, playing songs I love to play, I felt, for the first time, comfortable on stage. I realized this is something I want to do for as long as I possibly can ...


"And I love Calgary. I'm really looking forward to getting back there again, especially when Calgary is at its most festive."

Goudie says, despite what people might think, the Idol hype has not died down.

"I have been lucky enough that's there still a half decent buzz about ... So hopefully when I come out with a new album, at the end of the year or early next year, it can build on that a lot better than what this album did."

Goudie wants his new disc, a follow-up to his debut Under the Lights, to be more rock-orientated and plans to write or co-write every track to ensure that happens.

"With these shows, what I'm trying to do is show people the direction I'm going ... while still playing the songs I really like to play from the current one. It's just a lot of rock."