dhdallas
03-05-2021, 05:19 PM
Made you look, didn’t I? The COVID thing was just clickbait. Note the use of “possible link”. The media loves phrases like “could be” and “possibly linked to” because anything could be a possible link to anything else unless you can absolutely prove otherwise. They can invent some great headlines that the fearful & gullible public will gobble up like a starving man at a feast!
So what about Rush? I just finished watching (for the 3rd time) the 2010 documentary, ‘Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage’ on Netflix. I give the documentary (and Rush) 5-Stars and 2-Thumbs up!
It is refreshing to watch a behind-the-scenes story of a band who deeply care for one another as family, put each other’s well being ahead of business, whose past is not littered with drug & sex scandals, defied the record companies, and made their music their way.
My favorite parts (if I had to choose) included the high school video footage, Gene Simmons (he is too funny) & Jack Black’s humorous but insightful comments, how Rush came together putting the business aside when Neil Peart’s daughter & then his wife both died within a short period of time, standing up to the record label executives... actually the whole thing was my favorite part!
I took a special interest in Neil Peart as in 1971, I played drums in a band in high school (we were named Heinous so you can imagine the type of rock we played) and in a more classic rock club band in my early 20s. It is amazing that at the pinnacle of his career he never wanted to stop improving and took lessons to learn & try different techniques.
In my opinion Rush stood the test of time better than any other band. Yes, the Rolling Stones, Arrowsmith and a number of others are still going strong but unlike the Stones (as an example), Rush did not need to communicate with each other through attorneys, endure sex scandals, the Altamont tragedy, drug arrests, heroin addictions, numerous replacements of band members and become daily gossip fodder for the tabloids.
By not joining the list of “bad boys” in the rock industry such as the Stones, Van Halen, Ozzy, and more, Rush was marginalized by the music industry & press. Their music did not conform or relate to any other style of rock, they didn’t write music just to get airplay, and they were just too darn nice and boring. Nice guys with uneventful lifestyles don’t sell newspapers & magazines!
On the website ‘Outsiders And Misfits’ in an article entitled ‘Rush: A Rock Band for Introverts’, author A.E. Westerling relates that “Rush never tried to make a hit song and they simply didn’t care about being radio-friendly. Nevertheless, they have sold 40 million records worldwide including 24 gold records and 14 platinum records, placing them fifth behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Kiss, and Aerosmith on the list of rock bands with the most consecutive gold or platinum studio albums.”
In addition Rush was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, won several Juno Awards, and won an International Achievement Award at the 2009 SOCAN Awards. The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and FINALLY (for what it’s worth) the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Just goes to show you, nice guys don’t always finish last!
Rush ceased large-scale touring at the end of 2015, and Lifeson announced in January 2018 that the band would not continue. Sadly on January 7, 2020, Peart died of glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer at the age of 67.
Many other hugely popular bands such as Boston, Styx, Queen, etc. have continued cashing in on their name & to relive their glory days but missing some or almost all the original members and without any new releases for decades.
There could and would be no replacing Neil Peart. Each member was integral to the whole. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson would remain true to the memory of Rush.
Dave Dallas
Village of Bradford
NOTE: I should have used 'Canadian' instead of 'Canadien' in the title. A Canadien is a citizen of Canada of French origin. My wife has family in Quebec who are Canadiens. Rush is a Canadian band.
Be sure to check out ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band From Texas also on Netflix. This is another group of nice guys whose music was marginalized by the critics.
Neil Peart inside his workplace
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/members/dhdallas-118996/albums/rush/9228-neil-peart-inside-his-cage-percussion.jpg
Alex Lifeson
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/members/dhdallas-118996/albums/rush/9232-alex-lifeson.jpg
Geddy Lee
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/members/dhdallas-118996/albums/rush/9233-geddy-lee.jpg
So what about Rush? I just finished watching (for the 3rd time) the 2010 documentary, ‘Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage’ on Netflix. I give the documentary (and Rush) 5-Stars and 2-Thumbs up!
It is refreshing to watch a behind-the-scenes story of a band who deeply care for one another as family, put each other’s well being ahead of business, whose past is not littered with drug & sex scandals, defied the record companies, and made their music their way.
My favorite parts (if I had to choose) included the high school video footage, Gene Simmons (he is too funny) & Jack Black’s humorous but insightful comments, how Rush came together putting the business aside when Neil Peart’s daughter & then his wife both died within a short period of time, standing up to the record label executives... actually the whole thing was my favorite part!
I took a special interest in Neil Peart as in 1971, I played drums in a band in high school (we were named Heinous so you can imagine the type of rock we played) and in a more classic rock club band in my early 20s. It is amazing that at the pinnacle of his career he never wanted to stop improving and took lessons to learn & try different techniques.
In my opinion Rush stood the test of time better than any other band. Yes, the Rolling Stones, Arrowsmith and a number of others are still going strong but unlike the Stones (as an example), Rush did not need to communicate with each other through attorneys, endure sex scandals, the Altamont tragedy, drug arrests, heroin addictions, numerous replacements of band members and become daily gossip fodder for the tabloids.
By not joining the list of “bad boys” in the rock industry such as the Stones, Van Halen, Ozzy, and more, Rush was marginalized by the music industry & press. Their music did not conform or relate to any other style of rock, they didn’t write music just to get airplay, and they were just too darn nice and boring. Nice guys with uneventful lifestyles don’t sell newspapers & magazines!
On the website ‘Outsiders And Misfits’ in an article entitled ‘Rush: A Rock Band for Introverts’, author A.E. Westerling relates that “Rush never tried to make a hit song and they simply didn’t care about being radio-friendly. Nevertheless, they have sold 40 million records worldwide including 24 gold records and 14 platinum records, placing them fifth behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Kiss, and Aerosmith on the list of rock bands with the most consecutive gold or platinum studio albums.”
In addition Rush was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, won several Juno Awards, and won an International Achievement Award at the 2009 SOCAN Awards. The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and FINALLY (for what it’s worth) the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Just goes to show you, nice guys don’t always finish last!
Rush ceased large-scale touring at the end of 2015, and Lifeson announced in January 2018 that the band would not continue. Sadly on January 7, 2020, Peart died of glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer at the age of 67.
Many other hugely popular bands such as Boston, Styx, Queen, etc. have continued cashing in on their name & to relive their glory days but missing some or almost all the original members and without any new releases for decades.
There could and would be no replacing Neil Peart. Each member was integral to the whole. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson would remain true to the memory of Rush.
Dave Dallas
Village of Bradford
NOTE: I should have used 'Canadian' instead of 'Canadien' in the title. A Canadien is a citizen of Canada of French origin. My wife has family in Quebec who are Canadiens. Rush is a Canadian band.
Be sure to check out ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band From Texas also on Netflix. This is another group of nice guys whose music was marginalized by the critics.
Neil Peart inside his workplace
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/members/dhdallas-118996/albums/rush/9228-neil-peart-inside-his-cage-percussion.jpg
Alex Lifeson
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/members/dhdallas-118996/albums/rush/9232-alex-lifeson.jpg
Geddy Lee
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/members/dhdallas-118996/albums/rush/9233-geddy-lee.jpg