Sunday, January 12, 2020
Neil Peart
One of the all-time great drummers, Neil Peart of Rush, died on Friday.
Rush was my favorite band for a big chunk of my life. They spoke to my intellectual side, producing progressive rock with sometimes fantastical and sometimes mature and sober lyrics that were always smart and thoughtful. Neil was the drummer and lyricist for the group. The band itself was composed of three good friends who seem to be very decent and thoughtful people; there were never any embarrassing headlines about Rush. Neil himself had been through some tragic times in his life but lived with wit and grace.
A few years ago, I became aware that many of the greatest musicians on the planet agreed that Neil Peart was one of the best drummers who ever played. It made me happy.
Farewell, Neil Peart.
Here are a couple of tributes. The first video demonstrates his amazing gift. The second is included because Neil's reading of "Hey, is that my sandwich" cracks my son up. I also love the discussion of how to pronounce Peart.
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3 comments:
I saw Rush in concert a few times--Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, and Presto tours. All three of them are world-class musicians. Geddy Lee is a top-25 all-time bassist and Alex Lifeson is top-100 on guitar. It was always amazing to me how much noise just three guys could make.
I agree about the cerebral side of things. One of the things I liked best about Rush was that their songs were about things. They didn't play love songs or sing about sex. There songs were about science fiction stories and black holes and the Manhattan Project and the Toronto airport.
You're right about the lack of headlines. Geddy Lee has been married to the same woman for 44 years; Alex Lifeson for 45. They seem like really normal guys who genuinely liked each other's company.
It's sad there won't be more Rush albums, but 20 studio albums is a hell of a run.
Rush was always an awesome band and a true band of the people. They never catered to trends nor were willing to do things other bands wanted to do. They stuck to their music and would always evolve and just be the band that is about the music. Plus, they never took themselves seriously. Blender called Neil one of rock's worst lyricists which goes to tell who ended up lasting longer. "Subdivisions" was definitely a song that definitely captured my many anxieties I had in high school as it stuck with me during that time. I really loved the documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage as it was a doc that really captured the band in their many evolution as well as their relationship with fans.
I loved that as great as Neil was as a drummer, he was also someone wanting to improve and try new things as going to someone like Freddy Gruber to find new ideas definitely made him a better drummer who was willing to do more. He will be missed and yes, it is sad that there won't be anymore Rush albums. Yet, like David Bowie a few years ago. The catalog of music that they left behind is more than enough to last a lifetime.
Thanks, guys. Really appreciate the comments.
I saw Rush four times, Hold your Fire, Presto, Roll the Bones and R40, and was always just blown away. I am really happy that my son get to see Rush on stage (R40) before they retired. He'll always get to take that with him.
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