Rush at their best?

[xilddx]

Neil Peart does not despise his audience, he's never said that to my knowledge. He finds the needy fans who seem to want to invade his personal life very uncomfortable. That's what Limelight is about.

[MacDaddy]

Can't be doing with the earlier 'proggy' stuff, but the Hold Your Fire era does it for me.

As it was one of their least successful albums, despite going gold, I realize I may be in a minority.

[ubit]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1422142195' post='2669277']
Neil Peart does not despise his audience, he's never said that to my knowledge. He finds the needy fans who seem to want to invade his personal life very uncomfortable. That's what Limelight is about.
[/quote]

Yip, this! Neil has never said he hates his audience . On the contrary, he loves them but in the words of his song, he can't pretend a stranger is a long awaited friend.

[tonybassplayer]

If you read any of Neil's travelling books he makes it quite plain that his job is as a professional musician and that involves you touring. He is passionate about himself and the band being gig ready when the tour starts but does admit that once he has got himself back to the very high level he needs to be at then it's his job to sustain that and play the gig to the best of his ability. He doesn't like to get involved in any of the post gig activities and gets off the drums and straight in to his touring RV then sets of in to the night, parks up and then is up to ride his bike to the next gig via the scenic route. It's also fair to say that he doesn't promote the rock star that he is when travelling and keeps as private as possible. He admits it's a job but a job he is good at and is passionate about and like I said earlier the touring is a part he doesn't quite like as much as the other bits. Maybe after forty years in the same job there would be bits we didn't like ??

Edited January 25, 2015 by tonybassplayer

[Bassassin]

[quote name='tonybassplayer' timestamp='1422175195' post='2669383']
If you read any of Neil's travelling books he makes it quite plain that his job is as a professional musician...
[/quote]
OK, maybe "despise" was an overly-strong word, but having read a couple of his books I also know that he tours (& travels in his spare time) in the company of a hired armed bodyguard, whose sole purpose is to protect Peart from the attentions of any member of the public who might happen to recognise him and say hello.

So if you wanted to take a moment to, say, politely thank a musician for his craft and the enjoyment & long-lasting influence that music had had on your life and on your world-view, you might be put off a little by the prospect of being manhandled away by a 6'5" ex-marine shoving a Glock in your face.

Happily I'm far too reserved to consider doing any such thing, anyway...

J.

[xilddx]

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1422194428' post='2669667']
OK, maybe "despise" was an overly-strong word, but having read a couple of his books I also know that he tours (& travels in his spare time) in the company of a hired armed bodyguard, whose sole purpose is to protect Peart from the attentions of any member of the public who might happen to recognise him and say hello.

So if you wanted to take a moment to, say, politely thank a musician for his craft and the enjoyment & long-lasting influence that music had had on your life and on your world-view, you might be put off a little by the prospect of being manhandled away by a 6'5" ex-marine shoving a Glock in your face.

Happily I'm far too reserved to consider doing any such thing, anyway...

J.
[/quote]

That's a bit OTT mate. If he doesn't want or need a fan to say that to his face, that's fine with me. The trouble is that when fans do that they almost demand a response, and that's an awkward position to be in for some people. It seems to make him very uncomfortable. I think a lot of music fans seem to think the band owes them.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1422194863' post='2669679']
That's a bit OTT mate. If he doesn't want or need a fan to say that to his face, that's fine with me.
[/quote]

Me too. But it's the need for an armed bodyguard that I find OTT...

J.

[xilddx]

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1422195686' post='2669702']
Me too. But it's the need for an armed bodyguard that I find OTT...

J.
[/quote]

Yeah, that does seem OTT. Is he more of a travelling companion with a black belt and a shooter?

[tonybassplayer]

I believe he doubles as a friend and riding companion.

In the books he tells a couple of stories of how some fans have got just that little bit close and it has spooked him a little. He quotes John Lennon who was of course shot by a "fan"

[ubit]

I watched a clip on yoo choob of Daryl hall off of " live from Daryls house" fame, ( absolutely superb series if you haven't caught it) and he was walking through an airport and folk were shouting out " hi Daryl" to him and I thought , that would annoy me, because these people don't know him on a first name basis. Maybe that's the price of fame. He was clearly in a hurry and folks kept stopping him for pictures, which he very graciously, posed for. I can see why these rock stars wear sunglasses all the time. It's to hide their dead eyes as they smile for the umpteenth time for some random photograph.
Maybe we should not be so quick to judge famous folks attitudes when confronting " fans" !

[peteb]

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1422263662' post='2670329']
I watched a clip on yoo choob of Daryl hall off of " live from Daryls house" fame, ( absolutely superb series if you haven't caught it) and he was walking through an airport and folk were shouting out " hi Daryl" to him and I thought , that would annoy me, because these people don't know him on a first name basis. Maybe that's the price of fame. He was clearly in a hurry and folks kept stopping him for pictures, which he very graciously, posed for. I can see why these rock stars wear sunglasses all the time. It's to hide their dead eyes as they smile for the umpteenth time for some random photograph.
Maybe we should not be so quick to judge famous folks attitudes when confronting " fans" !
[/quote]
I think that literally is the price of fame. There is obviously a line where it all becomes too obtrusive but I don't think that exchanging pleasantries with well meaning fans is such an odious thing to do compared with the downsides of many jobs!

[peteb]

[quote name='tonybassplayer' timestamp='1422221499' post='2670096']
I believe he doubles as a friend and riding companion.

In the books he tells a couple of stories of how some fans have got just that little bit close and it has spooked him a little. He quotes John Lennon who was of course shot by a "fan"
[/quote]
Strangely enough, Alex Lifeson doesn't feel the need to make similar arrangements!

NP may 'enjoy' a certain amount of fame, but Lennon was on a different planet in that respect...

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1422272156' post='2670446']
Strangely enough, Alex Lifeson doesn't feel the need to make similar arrangements!

NP may 'enjoy' a certain amount of fame, but Lennon was on a different planet in that respect...
[/quote]

Lennon was an outgoing people person, and I suspect Alex and Geddy are too. Neil can probably be filed alongside Kate Bush.

[Bassassin]

I'm pretty certain 99.999% of people have no idea who Rush are, and a good proportion of those who do couldn't name, never mind recognise their drummer! The only people likely to recognise Peart are Rush fans, and he's made it abundantly clear for decades how he feels about fan interaction, so the majority should know to steer clear. Obviously there will be exceptions, but one can't help getting the impression that the armed bodyguard/hired "travelling companion" thing is a faintly scary overreaction.

Although I do wonder if he's made a rod for his own back. The "I'm a private person, you don't know me, you don't have any right to approach me, leave me alone" thing is massively at odds with a man who in the last 15 or so years has published a seemingly interminable series of books, in which he's revealed uncomfortably intimate details of numerous aspects of his personal life. I wonder who he thinks reads these books other than the more obsessive Rush fans, such as those who might imagine that they feel they know him because of who he is to them?

For the record the only reason I've read any of his books is because I've been given them by people who thought, being a fan I'd be interested.

J.

[peteb]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1422272264' post='2670449']


Lennon was an outgoing people person, and I suspect Alex and Geddy are too. Neil can probably be filed alongside Kate Bush.
[/quote]
People person or not, Lennon had a level of fame that must have been very difficult to deal with and ultimately cost him his life.

Alex & Geddy are by all accounts very pleasant affable people. I fear that young be doing Kate Bush an injustice by comparing her with Peart. There is a difference between shunning the limelight and treating people with such bad grace...

Edited January 26, 2015 by peteb

[ubit]

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1422272466' post='2670453']

Although I do wonder if he's made a rod for his own back. The "I'm a private person, you don't know me, you don't have any right to approach me, leave me alone" thing is massively at odds with a man who in the last 15 or so years has published a seemingly interminable series of books, in which he's revealed uncomfortably intimate details of numerous aspects of his personal life.

[/quote]

No offence, but is that not what you do with an autobiography? If you write one, it doesn't give people a right to behave like they know you personally.

I realise fame comes at a price, but some people know how to handle it better than others. I suspect Peart just finds it hard to talk to someone he has nothing in common with apart from the fact they like his music. A bit like the drunken slob who won't leave you alone after the Saturday night gig down at the dog and duck.

[tonybassplayer]

Being a huge Rush fan I can't actually say I agree with Neil Pearts way of dealing with his fame however I respect his decision and fair play to him he is quite prepared to write how he feels in the books.

Like others have said Geddy and Alex have a totally different attitude towards their fame.

[KevB]

Generalising here rather being specific about Peart but there is also the aspect that however passionate they may seem in interviews etc these guys are doing it as a job. Personally I wouldn't want people come up to me and talking about my day to day work if I was out socially. I suspect that a lot of these guys would be more amenable to chat about stuff they are interested in away from work, eg you'd probably get more mileage out of Daltry talking about trout fishing than going into some deep discussion about a Who album.

[ubit]

I did have to laugh right enough. I was watching a clip of the live from Daryls house series when they were having dinner in this beautiful setting, discussing how much they enjoyed their job, but still coming out with, oh but it's such hard work, and I thought, please?

I know it's a lot of touring and travelling, but I have to do that in my job and I certainly don't get treated like they do. Hard work is very subjective and spoilt rock stars should remember that there's a lot worse ways to make a living.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1422368992' post='2671719']
I did have to laugh right enough. I was watching a clip of the live from Daryls house series when they were having dinner in this beautiful setting, discussing how much they enjoyed their job, but still coming out with, oh but it's such hard work, and I thought, please?

I know it's a lot of touring and travelling, but I have to do that in my job and I certainly don't get treated like they do. [b]Hard work is very subjective [/b]and spoilt rock stars should remember that there's a lot worse ways to make a living.
[/quote]

Exactly. I've no doubt what they do is in no way comparable to someone doing voluntary aid work in the third world for example but within the confines of a musician, I'm sure their fairly massive tours are pretty hard going physically - especially for men of their age.

I wouldn;t really consider Rush 'spoilt' either. Everything they have achieved has been solely down to their own hard work, and entirely on their own terms - an admirable trait.

[xilddx]

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1422368992' post='2671719']
I did have to laugh right enough. I was watching a clip of the live from Daryls house series when they were having dinner in this beautiful setting, discussing how much they enjoyed their job, but still coming out with, oh but it's such hard work, and I thought, please?

I know it's a lot of touring and travelling, but I have to do that in my job and I certainly don't get treated like they do. Hard work is very subjective and spoilt rock stars should remember that there's a lot worse ways to make a living.
[/quote]

Yeah but they had a very tough time in the early days, most big bands did/do, and the money comes much later. All for an hour on stage. Yes there is fun but that can become boring after a time unless you neck a few substances. You can do absolutely nothing and go mad, it's not just the work.

It is a hard life relentlessly touring and doing what your management and PR tell you to do. You have to have a certain mentality to survive it and so does your family. I wouldn't underestimate it. I've got friends who have been doing it for thirty years, they are not rich by any means, but they work damned hard, it's very stressful at times. No job security AT ALL.

[Bilbo]

I think there is a lot ot be said for the sheer physical pain of playing and how this will impact upon the decisions older musicians make regarding their career paths. Having read most of his books, I am always interested to hear what he says about drumming, technique etc and comparing his approach to the work of other drummers who play into later life such as Buddy Rich or Art Blakey. On of the Peart books references the pain he gets in his hands, arms and legs and I recall mention of blisters etc. He obviously plays hard which will have an impact upon his body, particularly as he gets older and the healing process is slower (imagine STARTING a gig with a blister). I do gigs on double bass about once a week and am still quite sore afterwards, hands and fingers. Thankfully, it calsm down overnight mostly and I don't need to do any playing until the next gig a week or even two weeks later. If I had to do several gigs a week, I would be in trouble. If Peart is playing hard night after night, week after week, it's probably gonna hurt.

I actually think the obvious reponse would be for them to play differently, to find a way of expressing themselves that doesn't require them to be faux-teenagers 'rocking out'. You don't need to play that hard to play that music, you just need to play smarter. And as for his level of playing excellence. He is arguably (one of) the worlds greatest rock drummer(s). That is, however, being damned with faint praise. The one thing that his books do tell us time and time again is that Peart doesn't practice/play at all for months and sometimes years at a time. That is going to impact upon his stamina and muscle tone etc.

Interesting stuff.

[KevB]

Good point Bilbo. Also take into consideration that the Rush gigs in more recent tours have actually got longer than when they were selling more albums, they are virtually doing 2 x 90 min shows back to back with a 15 min break. At the end of the day no matter how good your technique is, rock drumming will be a physically demanding excercise.

Edited January 29, 2015 by KevB

[tonybassplayer]

Good comments and he also makes it plain in the book that Rush and him in particular take the pre tour rehearsal routine very serious and they will never be a band that just does their best. They were asked to do a Toronto charity gig at one point and they were not on tour but the rehearsals they put in were nearly at tour level for what effectively was a forty minute slot.

[Iain]

I don't know Mr Peart other than reading some of his books and anecdotal stuff about him, documentaries etc. but he seems to be extremely introvert. for those of us in the middle of the introvert-extrovert scale or even towards the extrovert end it's quite hard to 'get' how hard social interaction can be for someone at the extreme end of things. My wife is quite introverted - she finds large groups very draining and limits her social interactions to a small group of people. She finds meeting new people slightly stressful. Someone who is at the extreme end of things will generally find uninvited interactions with strangers downright unpleasant. I suspect this is where Neil sits, but I may be wrong!