Besides being the frontman of Rush, Geddy Lee is an avid baseball fan, and has an impressive baseball memorabilia collection which includes a baseball signed by every single player to have reached the coveted 3000 hit mark. Back on May 4th, Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels got his 3000th hit, becoming the 32nd member of the prestigious 3000 Hit Club. Geddy also spends much of his summers rooting for his hometown Blue Jays from his seats behind home plate at the Rogers Centre. The Angels were in Toronto this past week to play the Blue Jays, and before Tuesday night's game Pujols added his signature to Geddy's ball as described in this Larry Browns Sports article, and seen in this video tweet.
Last month Edge Factor released the trailer for their long-awaited documentary Masters of Resonance which features Neil Peart and the R40 drum kit. The documentary will soon be hitting the film festival circuit and will also be released to video-on-demand streaming channels, beginning with iTunes, later this year. Specific screenings and pre-sale information will be posted to mastersofresonance.com in the near future. The film will also be screened as part of the Rush Family Reunion event at the Fox Theatre in Toronto on Friday, June 22nd. Here's a synopsis of the film as provided by the filmmakers:
When was the last time an object spoke to you, and you listened?
Storyteller and Founder of Edge Factor, Jeremy Bout once believed that a drum was a glorified pail with a lid on it. All drum kits sound the same if you hit them with a keen sense of rhythm, right? Then he met John Good, Co-Founder of DW Drums and realized, "Boy, was I wrong." The innovation, craftsmanship, and sheer brilliance behind the science of drum making inspired Jeremy and the filmmakers at Edge Factor to share the legacy of John and the DW team, in the music documentary film Masters of Resonance.
This film takes you on a journey from the forest to the stage and pulls back the curtain on drum making. It begins with sustainably harvesting the wood in the forests of Michigan, then shows the design, manufacturing, and painting operations in the DW Drums factory. The finished product is revealed, as completed drum kits are played by many of the biggest names in the music industry. These processes are perfectly demonstrated as the DW Drums team creates the iconic Rush R40 tour drum kit, using 1500 year old Romanian bog oak. Along the way, you will witness the unique relationship that these drum makers share with musicians, as Jeremy interviews world class drummers from the DW Drums roster.
Rush drummer Neil Peart, beautifully captures the message of the film when he asks, "What could be more transcendent than a musical instrument?" It's the team's unending pursuit of excellence, willingness to embrace failure to find solutions, and the dedication of each team member that empowers DW Drums to create objects that live forever in the music they create.
For more details about the film and to keep up on the latest news, visit the website at mastersofresonance.com, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter. You can watch the trailer on YouTube at this location.
The graphic novel representation of Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart's 2015 novel Clockwork Lives - the follow-up to Clockwork Angels - will be getting released as a graphic novel via Insight Comics next month. Insight Comics has provided a sneak peek of several panels from the graphic novel, including a pdf download of several panels from the book here, a preview of the first 12 pages here, and several other panels available via the Amazon listing. The 176-page, full-color, hardcover book is beautifully-illustrated with a cover design from Hugh Syme, and is currently slated for release on June 26th. It can be pre-ordered at this location.
Rush friend and unofficial "big sister" Donna Halper was recently interviewed for the Jeremy Mills podcast and spoke at length about her longtime relationship with Rush and her role in launching the band's career. You can check it out online here.
The philosophy behind Rush's lyrics is the subject of the popular Polyphonic YouTube channel's latest video essay. You can listen to the 11-minute video on YouTube here (thanks RushFanForever).
YouTuber Garren Lazar is known for creating videos of the Peanuts gang synced up with various rock songs, including some Rush tracks. In the past he's done Tom Sawyer, Xanadu, The Spirit of Radio and many others. For his latest creation, he synced up the entire 2112 suite with some Peanuts gang footage, creating this masterpiece (thanks Charlie A), which even caught the attention of Rush themselves.
There was a Rush reference on the latest episode of the Showtime drama Billions (Season 3, Episode 9 - Icebreaker). Axe, Taylor and Wags and are having a meeting with Spartan-Ives to secure some capital, and Axe explains that they need $20 billion. The Spartan-Ives rep then asks when they need it and Axe and Taylor respond as follows:
Axe: Oh, the year 2112. We'll do the raise as a celebration of Rush's 2nd best album. That's why we got you in here today.
Taylor: You mean Moving Pictures is number 1. But I think it goes Hemispheres, then A Farewell to Kings, then 2112 then Pictures.
Axe: Well, you would. But the point is: I want the f**king money now.
The reference occurs at around the 9:45 mark of the episode, and you can also check it out below or on YouTube.
That's all for this week. Happy belated Victoria Day to all my Canadian readers, and here's hoping that all my fellow US readers have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!
