From Rush's Afterimage: Suddenly, you were gone From all the lives you left your mark upon I remember How we talked and drank into the misty dawn I hear the voices We ran by the water on the wet summer lawn I see the footprints I remember I feel the way you would I feel the way you would Tried to believe but you know it's no good This is something that just can't be understood I remember The shouts of joy, skiing fast through the woods I hear the echoes I learned your love for life I feel the way that you would I feel your presence I remember I feel the way you would This just can't be understood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aalJT3GS_m8
Fucking hell... I had no idea he had brain cancer. What a sad day... they were the first band I ever latched onto as a kid, and I've been a huge fan my entire life. I'm crushed.
If you haven't had a chance, I highly recommend reading his book, Ghost Rider. It's a hell of a read, and a great peek into who he was. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/129356.Ghost_Rider
If you've ever lost someone unexpectedly, especially. Traveling Music is also enjoyable, as is Roadshow.
This must be why they simply retired without a farewell tour. You can like Rush or hate them, like all progressive bands they are polarizing to the ears. But to deny any or all three members are nothing short of brilliant musicians — especially Peart, is a crime against humanity. I know that “Distant Early Warning” is the first music video I ever watched. I remember that well. Peart is one of the first names in drumming. His name synonymous with blinding speed, skill and rhythm. As a songwriter he’s top notch. it’s hard to think of a bigger loss to the music world in terms of true peerless skill. He is to drums what Eddie Van Halen is to a guitar. Fly high, Tom Sawyer.
Some of my favourite stories were from his bike touring. For those of you who didn't know, Neil would bail out of a show when they were on tour and immediately hop on his BMW and start touring to the next stop, usually via back roads. They intentionally scheduled the shows so he'd have at least 2 days between each. He also started inviting some local BMW riders to be part of the small, private, exclusive group that would tour. A lot of his writing is around those bike tours that he would do, around the world. https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/bmwon-03.2014.php
CNN still doesn't show anything about Peart's passing on their website, but they do acknowledge that rapper 5th Ward Weebie died, whoever the fuck that is. But, here is the Rolling Stone one https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/neil-peart-rush-obituary-936221/ and Fox News one https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/neil-peart-rush-drummer-dead
I was never exactly a fan of Rush, but I always knew all three members were incredible musicians. This is a huge loss to the music world. I read something in one of the stories about Peart today that really touched me...he continued to take occasional drumming lessons up until like 2016 or so. The guy was like one of the top 5 drummers on the planet and he was humble enough to know that someone, somewhere might know something he didn't....and he wanted to learn it. That is true devotion and passion for your craft.
Yep. He had always played match grip, but took lessons from Freddie Gruber for awhile. So he recorded the whole.Test For Echo album in traditional grip. He'd switch in concert depending on the song. He was humble, and a gem of a man. Class act.
Last one I'm posting, but it was well-done, so I thought a good one to end on. https://www.npr.org/2020/01/11/7955...mpaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews