[Alex Lifeson interview: Rush guitarist on steampunk, solos and Moving Pictures]

A new interview with Alex Lifeson conducted by Joe Bosso was just posted over at MusicRadar.com. The interview was conducted last week on Alex's 57th birthday just before the Minnesota State Fair show. The interview focuses on several of the same topics that Alex recently covered in his interview with Allentown's The Morning Call, such as the tour and the new album. He also discusses Rush's recent surge in popularity - especially with women:

... I think the documentary, above anything else, made us accessible to women. Believe me, it hasn't gone unnoticed that we're seeing a lot more women at our shows than ever before, and that's probably not by accident. Something is definitely bringing women in. I think the documentary affected them somehow. ... Perhaps a lot of women - maybe their husbands or boyfriends were lifelong fans - might never have thought of coming to see us live, but they saw the documentary and see us in a new light. ...

On the idea of playing Moving Pictures in its entirety:

... Actually, the idea came from Neil. He had seen Steely Dan play last year, and they were doing a different album every night. So that got him thinking that maybe we should do something like that. We always needed to address the song Camera Eye because it's the most-requested track in our catalogue. So the decision to do Moving Pictures from beginning to end meant that we could do Camera Eye but also do something interesting that we knew our fans would enjoy. It's been absolutely terrific, I must say. We start playing Moving Pictures, and by the time we're done, it feels like time just flew by. The fans love it, we love it - I'm really glad at how it's being received. ...

He adds this interesting tidbit regarding the Limelight solo:

... I've always enjoyed the elasticity of that solo, particularly the way it sounds on the record. It has a certain tonality I just love. I do like playing the solo live, but I think I prefer listening to it on the album. On record, it has a magical quality to it - it really conveys the pathos of the song and the lyrics. I've never been able to re-create that live. I get pretty close, but it's never exactly the way it is on record. I'll keep trying, though. ...

And he expands on their plans for recording the new album Clockwork Angels:

... When we finish the tour, we'll review the songs we wrote. There's bound to be some changes and modifications. In fact, I think both Caravan and BU2B will be re-recorded. ... Because they've grown. And, you know, why not? We'll see what happens and see if we can better them - although we are happy with them as they are now. The title track, Clockwork Angels, is becoming quite an epic, so we'll have to see where that goes. It's going to be a lot of fun getting back in the studio, especially at this point in the game, when we're playing at our peak. ... we haven't made any decisions as to where we'll record when we pick things up again. You know, I have my own studio at home, so I'd love to do the guitars there. The thing about Nashville is, that's where Nick lives. He'd been away from home a lot, and I think he was really hoping that we'd agree to work there. We didn't have a problem with that. It's good for us to go away sometimes and be a little more focused - certainly, there are distractions when you're home. So going to Nashville and working for a week was no big deal. Blackbird is a terrific studio. Great gear, great rooms, a wonderful staff - it was a no-brainer to be there. Moving forward, however, we'll see. You know, Neil lives in Los Angeles, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we did the drums there. I want to do the guitars in my home studio. I don't know how Geddy feels about going to separate studios to do vocals and bass tracks. It's all a ways off, though. We still have a bunch of touring to do. ...

It's a well-done, extensive interview that I think every Rush fan will enjoy. You can check it out at this link. Thanks to Dalton for the heads up.

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