[Interview with Rush's Alex Lifeson]
Alex Lifeson was recently interviewed by Max Mobley of the webzine Crawdaddy!. It's a well-done interviews except for the fact that nothing new was discussed at all. Most of the focus is on the last tour and the band's history. They mention how Allaire Studios where Snakes & Arrows was recorded is being shut down. Alex also mentions how they came very close to performing Faithless on the second leg of the tour:
... We all really wanted to do “Faithless”, and we talked about actually doing it on the last half of the tour. We prepped it and we ran through it a couple of times, but in the end we just decided to kind of stick with what we had and just change up some of the older stuff. ...
They talk a lot about the band's history and influence on younger bands and Alex mentions the fact that September 18th was the 40th anniversary of the first incarnation of Rush (he must read rushisaband.com!):
... I think that’s a big part of the influence that Rush plays with younger bands. It may not be so direct as to be musical. I think our influence is in terms of our philosophy and the way that we’ve done it. You know it’s 35 years later and we’re still playing; in fact, September 18th was our 40th anniversary since we started the band. That’s the first date we did as Rush, you know, Geddy and I and (original drummer) John Rutsey. ...
Alex also discusses his involvement with iVideosongs.
... I have to say, I think I was a little uncomfortable with the whole concept from the beginning just because I’d never done anything like that before. But once we started rolling and getting into it, I had a lot of fun with it, and I realized that it’s kind of an important thing for anybody that wants to learn a Rush song or how I play. It’s a wonderful way to convey the essence of what playing is to me. I love playing guitar; I understand that I may have a unique style that’s made up of all the influences that I’ve absorbed over the years. So what I show is not pure instruction, but how I approach the instrument. ... I think it comes across as being very casual and fun and I think, again, it conveys that idea that it’s a wonderful thing to be able to play the guitar. It’s a fantastic instrument and it gives you so much pleasure....
The interview is a nice read, but I was really hoping for some information about the band's future; the Snakes & Arrows DVD, another tour, new album, etc. Thanks to Evie S for the heads up.
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