I know - I haven't done this in a while. There just hasn't been that much Rush-related blogosphere chatter lately... at least interesting chatter. You'll always find references to Geddy, Alex and Neil on bloggers' top 10 (or bottom 10) lists - and people often like to quote Rush lyrics or relate Rush news that they've heard. But interesting Rush tidbits have been hard to come by in the last month or so. That said, here's what I've found. Oh yeah- Happy Valentine's Day!
I just looked quickly at the MSN news page, and clicked on a headline that said "Rush to rebuild in New Orleans" with the thought "When the hell did Geddy Lee become a building contractor and why didn't I hear about this before?" coursing through my over-tired brain. (Of course the article had nothing to do with any Canadian prog-metal band.) Time disappears when you're fooling around online, and then it catches up with you bigtime. ...
When Sandy listens to a Rush song, all he hears are the drums:
... when I first started listening to Rush, I quickly discovered ... that Neil Peart, the drummer of this strange sounding yet addictive progressive threesome was probably the best drummer I'd ever heard in my short life.
I began to listen more and more to every song on Presto, my first Rush album (Rush fans will laugh that I was introduced to the band with Presto, arguably a strange and softer departure from their hard rock foundation), and discovered the layered compositions of jazz, rock, samba, Brazillian . . . even the Afro-Cuban sounds of Peart's percussion in every song.
Then, after listening to 2112 for the first time, it was sealed: there was no better drummer on the planet than Neil Peart (save, of course, Max Roach).
To this day, every time I hear a Rush song, I'm really only listening to the drums. (I usually only listen to drums in most songs, which is why popular music usually bores me -- 4/4, 4/4, 4/4, blah blah blah . . . ).
Anyway, I've since read nearly every article or book Peart has written or been interviewed for regarding Rush, his motorcycle travels, and most of all drumming. When asked why he drums with such a dynamic precision, he simply says "because otherwise I'd get bored." ...
thebside talks about being a closet Rush nerd and thinks that Neil Peart has a lot in common with his digital version in Bobby Standridge's Digital Man Video:
I'm was a closet Rush Nerd in highschool. (It's recently been explained to me that being a nerd is better than being a geek. As a friend put it, "Nerds are smart. Geeks eat their own bugars.") Being a drummer, Neil Peart's playing really turned my crank for a while. What's astounding about him is his ability/insistence on playing everything live note for note how he recorded it. So in a way, when you go see Rush in concert, you are going to see Neil Peart the machine, and watch him reproduce exactly what he did in the studio. It's kind of like he renders, in real time, the drumming performance for each song. In that way he shares a lot with his virtual self in this video.
I still think Neil's great, and Rush is a Canadian national treasure. Once a Rush Nerd, always a Rush Nerd.
Steve discusses discovering Rush and gives praise to his favorite Rush album:
Thanks to MTV, in 1984, Canadian "power trio" Rush became my favorite band. I still remember the video for "Distant Early Warning" showing a small boy gleefully riding an atomic missle above the Earth at full speed--a chilling analogy to the then-current threat of the Cold War looming large in the 1980's. I was in fifth grade and the only other person I knew who dug Rush was my friend Jamie who was a super-brainiac. Jamie and I would talk about how awesome Rush was and how eventually we would start a band together and make music like them when we were older. ...
... "Grace Under Pressure" was my first and will always be my favorite Rush album, followed closely by "Moving Pictures". This was the cd that further instilled in me a love for good synthesizers and all things futuristic. While Rush never succumbed to the minimalistic and synth-driven New Wave style of music popular at the time, they began to incorporate more technology into their sound to compliment their increasingly forward-thinking lyrical content. Along with Neil Peart's infinitely superb drumming, Geddy Lee's distinctive voice and deep bass riffs, and Alex Lifeson's dynamic guitars, the inclusion of electronics greatly enhanced and updated the Rush sound creating a dense, atmospheric style of thinking-man's rock. Funny thing is, some of the guys coming up in Detroit around the time, who pretty much created the first true techno music, give props to Rush as a huge influence!
In addition to "Grace Under Pressure" being my favorite Rush release, this is hands down their most impressive cover art, painted by artist Hugh Syme. The depiction of a bald, cyborgian head looking into the horizon of a stormy sky and beautifully swirling waters (with strange debris-like objects floating above) truly captures the music, mood and title of this landmark album.
Micko describes what it was like to meet Geddy and Alex on the R30 tour. (picture to right - notice Alex's Trailer Park Boys t-shirt)
... I managed to see RUSH for the first time in Birmingham Sept 11th 2004, after being a lifelong follower of the band. I even managed to get to meet Alex and Geddy at the 'Meet and Greet' session there (Friends in high places etc.). Neil still doesn't do them. It was a strange but brilliant moment to meet Alex and Geddy (I'm in the middle!) My friend Dino (in the Roll the Bones t-shirt) was literally shaking. Stephen Wills (in the 2112 t-shirt) who was half our age was the coolest of us all!
There were no autographs allowed, but the crew supplied us with a disposable camera to take the snapshot with. Geddy and Alex couldn't have been friendlier. One thing I vividly remember was how rough Alex hand were..of course, he's a guitarist! I presented him with a RORY GALLAGHER live boxset from his Irish fans, he seemed to like that and then it was over. That was the day I met my childhood heroes. For anyone under thirty, it would be like meeting Dave Grohl!
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