UPDATE - 9/18@7:47AM: Reader RushFanForever watched part 2 of Rise Up and gives the following report:

Geddy Lee commented on how the Canadian music television channel 'MuchMusic' was a huge benefit for Canadian music talent in that it created a network and connected Canada to the rest of the world.

Geddy commented positively about The Tragically Hip with the following:

'You can hear how The Tragically Hip sound like a rock band. However their music is very multilayered which gives it a timeless and enduring quality. Big props for The Tragically Hip.'

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UPDATE - 9/11@9:25AM: Reader RushFanForever watched This Beat Goes On and gives the following report:

Geddy Lee had some positive comments about Rough Trade with Carole Pope.

He considers the band very innovative through their combination of hard-edged new wave rock and raw sexuality, along with the controversial raunchy lesbian-themed subject matter in the songs.

The Rush tribute came on 15 minutes before the show ended.

Guitarist James Black of Finger Eleven mentioned the first song he learned was 'In The Mood'.

Geddy Lee mentioned memories of performing in high schools and bars and being loud with their brand of hard rock. He also mentioned memories of recording and performing in England in the late 70's and 'Closer To The Heart' being a hit. The footage of the song shown was from the Exit..Stage Left video.

Geddy also mentioned that the reason Anthem signed Max Webster was because the band had faith in Max Webster as great musical talent and an opening act.

Singer Mitsou made a comment of how it was great that a Canadian band like Rush has sold 35,000,000 albums and they are ours (meaning they are Canada's greatest rock royalty).

Kim Mitchell commented about discovering great bar bands such as Rush in the early days. He mentioned how grateful he was when Rush took Max Webster on the road as an opening act. Max Webster to him is considered the 'little brother' of Rush.

Singer Gowan discussed the influence of Toronto bands such as Rush, Max Webster and others that helped pave the way for later Canadian talent.

The first part of the second documentary ran last night. Here is RushFanForever's report:

I just finished viewing part one of the CBC documentary - 'Rise Up' which documented Canadian musical acts from the 80's.

The first 10 minutes of the documentary focused on the influence of Rush in the early 80's.

Alan Doyle of 'Great Big Sea' and Rob Preuss and Derrick Ross of 'The Spoons' discussed the influence of Rush in the early 80's with the song 'Tom Sawyer' and the 'Moving Pictures' album and how they both impacted Canadian music.

Gordie Johnson of 'Big Sugar' discussed how 'Tom Sawyer' symbolized the end of 70's rock. He also mentioned 'Tom Sawyer' being a heavy radio hit with a dark growling synthesizer riff and how it has influenced hip-hop acts with sampling the song.

Geddy mentioned that 'Tom Sawyer' was a sleeper at first on radio when 'Limelight' was played constantly. Other songs from 'Moving Pictures' including 'Tom Sawyer' slowly became hits when DJs began playing the deeper album cuts.

Rik Emmett of Triumph discussed how radio embraced the band early in their career because they were not as progressive as Rush. Rock radio did not play Rush as much until 'Moving Pictures'.

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I mentioned in last week's Friday updates post that a couple of new documentaries exploring the Canadian music scene in the '70s and '80s will be running on the CBC over the next several weeks. The documentaries are titled This Beat Goes On and Rise Up respectively. Each are 2 hours long and will air in 2 parts on Thursday nights at 9PM EST over the next 4 weeks beginning this evening. Rush along with several other Canadian artists will be featured including an interview with Geddy Lee. From the National Post:

Don't expect to learn about Gordon Lightfoot's love life or Trooper's backstage antics in This Beat Goes On and Rise Up!, two documentaries about the Canadian music scene in the 1970s and '80s made by the team of writer Nicholas Jennings and director Gary McGroarty. The films, which feature a combined 200 interviews and will be airing on CBC on four consecutive Thursday nights, are designed to honour Canadian songwriters, not drag them through the mud. ...

...The songs that the duo were able to round up include everything from classics by the usual subjects, records by Anne Murray, Rush, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, but also influential, forgotten favourites, singles by bands like The Viletones, Rough Trade, Leroy Sibbles and The Kings. With interviews and live footage, the filmmakers -- whose earlier documentary, 2006's Shakin' All Over, looked at Canadian folk rock in the '60s -- explain how the Canadian music industry was born. ...

...The documentaries, featuring interviews with Nash the Slash, k-os, Burton Cummings and everyone from Corey Hart to Geddy Lee, highlight the music from all across Canada, from D. O. A to Great Big Sea. ...

Thanks to RushFanForever for the info.

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