Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst

[Orbert]

I also highly doubt they'd have used that spoken intro if he had messed it up.

Exactly.  All this "controversy" is just confirmation bias.  If you think it's one thing, and you're listening, expecting to hear it, you will hear it.  I've always known that it's "The Spirit of Radio" and I've never heard any but that.  Listening to it again now, I don't hear anything else, and probably I quite literally can't.  My brain already knows what he's saying.  No vaguely ambiguous sensory input can override that.  If you never thought he said "the" between "of" and "radio", but you listen closely enough, you can convince yourself that you hear it.  Confirmation bias again.

But pg's point that they had multiple takes to use, and would not have picked the one time he messed it up, to me is the best argument.

[jammindude]

Scott even heard it one way for 30+ years until I shared a sound bite of me mimicking exactly what Geddy actually says, and now he hears it.

As far as Geddy’s mistake, I honestly don’t think any of them are as anal about it as some us (me included) tend to be. So they most likely didn’t think it mattered that much. And they are probably right. But he absolutely does say “This is the spirit of the radio”

[Lethean]

Yeah I don't think so.  And I'll confess, I'm a huge Rush fan, but I don't listen to Exit Stage Left much.  I didn't remember that he introduced that song much less had an opinion on how he said it.  I went in believing maybe it said it wrong.  But listening to it on youtube at full and slower speed, I'm just not hearing that extra the.  Sounds like The Spirit of Radio to me.

[Cool Chris]

This discussion! I love it! This is becoming more controversial that Neil Armstrong's "That's one small step for [a] man..." line. Did we ever get to the bottom of that, anyway? Because if we didn't, I don't know how we are going to resolve this one!

[Stadler]

Armstrong insisted that he actually said, “That’s one small step for a man.” In fact, in the official transcript of the Moon landing mission, NASA transcribes the quote as “that’s one small step for (a) man.”

[pg1067]

Scott even heard it one way for 30+ years until I shared a sound bite of me mimicking exactly what Geddy actually says, and now he hears it.

Sorry, but anyone who was swayed by that video simply isn't credible.   

[Setlist Scotty]

Scott even heard it one way for 30+ years until I shared a sound bite of me mimicking exactly what Geddy actually says, and now he hears it.

Truth be told, it wasn't your video that proved it to me in any way shape or form. It was me trying to prove you WRONG by simply listening very carefully to that intro again for the first time in decades at a high enough volume so that I heard it very clearly. And we see how that went!   

Sorry Orbert.

[jammindude]

Ok. Fair enough. 

[HOF]

I ran an informal poll on another website (mostly non-music/Rush fans) and got 19 responses, 10 for “Spirit of Radio” and 9 for “Spirit of The Radio.”

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I honestly have no clear where you guys are hearing the 2nd 'the' in there. I just listened to it repeatedly like 15 times. If anything it only convinces me further that he says "This is The Spirit of Radio"....

[ytserush]

Next thing you know, someone's going to say, "I don't hear him say Radio at all."

What? There's no Rush album called Exit...Stage Left.

[ytserush]

Regardless of the playback speed, there's only one "the" in there, and it's at the beginning.  Not even a pretense of a "the" between "of" and "radio."

Aside from the fact that the second "the" just isn't there, the show from which the ESL recording was taken was the 156th show in a row where TSOR was played.  I highly doubt that, by that point, Geddy was going to mess up the name of the song.  I also highly doubt they'd have used that spoken intro if he had messed it up.

Only time Geddy opens a live record though it's more of a live compilation from a couple of tours.

[ytserush]

I ran an informal poll on another website (mostly non-music/Rush fans) and got 19 responses, 10 for “Spirit of Radio” and 9 for “Spirit of The Radio.”

Wow.

[jammindude]

I wish I could post an audio clip...I could at least give you guys a “guide vocal” to exactly where it is.

[Architeuthis]

Exit Stage Left is the first Rush release I ever owned, which got me hooked!  I wore out the tape and couldn't even see the track listing on either side any more.
 I certainly remember the opening moment "This is The Spirit of Radio" ,   Pure awesomeness! 

[Lowdz]

Just listened now. There is no second "the". He rolls the r of radio but that's it. Is this like those what colour is the dress pictures that were popular on social media a few years ago?

[pg1067]

I wish I could post an audio clip...I could at least give you guys a “guide vocal” to exactly where it is.

Well...it's between "of" and "radio," isn't it?  And if you're talking about the video you posted on FB, you can link to that.

Just listened now. There is no second "the". He rolls the r of radio but that's it. Is this like those what colour is the dress pictures that were popular on social media a few years ago?

Perhaps:

Wait wait wait. Is this one of those Black and Blue vs White and Gold dress things??

[King Postwhore]

I've never seen so many pages wasted on 1 word.

[The Letter M]

I've never seen so many pages wasted on 1 word.

Or the imagined presence of one word!

-Marc.

[Orbert]

I haven't seen this mentioned yet, but Jerry Stiller died the other day.  I grew up knowing Jerry Stiller and his hot wife Anne Meara as the comedy duo of Stiller and Meara.

Most people know them today as Ben Stiller's parents.  I would guess that most people in this thread know Jerry Stiller as that old guy in Rush's tour videos.


Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 – May 11, 2020)

[Stadler]

He clearly says "Laurel".   

[jammindude]

He clearly says "Laurel".

 

Anyway.... my guide vocal is in the responses for this FB post.

https://www.facebook.com/1073673827/posts/10218884207430899/?d=n

[Stadler]

Keeping in mind that he's a rock singer, on stage, announcing a song to a crowd, so there may actually be little resemblance between what he SAYS and the native language he says it in (we've all heard James introduce songs; Bruce is another one; Paul Stanley a third), but I clearly hear "This is The Spirit. Of. Radio!" <wild applause>."   

[T-ski]

I haven't seen this mentioned yet, but Jerry Stiller died the other day.  I grew up knowing Jerry Stiller and his hot wife Anne Meara as the comedy duo of Stiller and Meara.

Most people know them today as Ben Stiller's parents.  I would guess that most people in this thread know Jerry Stiller as that old guy in Rush's tour videos.


Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 – May 11, 2020)

Psst....check the general discussion board.

[HOF]

He clearly says "Laurel".

 

Anyway.... my guide vocal is in the responses for this FB post.

https://www.facebook.com/1073673827/posts/10218884207430899/?d=n

There’s just not another syllable there. I clearly hear “of radio.” The only thing I can think of is that maybe it’s a pitch thing and some people can hear it and some can’t?

[Orbert]

Psst....check the general discussion board.

We have a general discussion board? 



Seriously though, it never occurred to me that anybody knew who he was any more.  I haven't seen him in anything in ages.  Last thing I saw him in was the R30 concert vid.

[pg1067]

He clearly says "Laurel".

Jerry Stiller says, "Laurel"?

Seriously, huh?

I vaguely knew Jerry Stiller from his time on Seinfeld (and probably saw him on a handful of other things).  Then Rush started putting "that guy from Seinfeld who also happens to be Ben Stiller's dad" in some of their cheesy videos.

Keeping in mind that he's a rock singer, on stage, announcing a song to a crowd, so there may actually be little resemblance between what he SAYS and the native language he says it in (we've all heard James introduce songs; Bruce is another one; Paul Stanley a third), but I clearly hear "This is The Spirit. Of. Radio!" <wild applause>."   

Perhaps this is a dumb question, but is there a bootleg of the 3/27/81 Montreal Forum show?  Unlike later tours, at that time, TSOR was smack in the middle of the set.  On that particular night (and I assume most or all of the rest of the shows on the MP tour), it was played after Broon's Bane/The Trees/Xanadu, and my guess is that there was some more talking prior to what we hear on ESL.  It wouldn't likely change anything, but it would be interesting to hear it in its full context.

[ProfessorPeart]

So, Charlie from Anthrax has been doing various videos during the quarantine. Some of which are cover songs with other musicians. He dropped a ridiculously good cover of Red Barchetta recently. I was blown away at how good it is. Especially, the vocalist. Man, he just nailed it. Never heard of him, but I could listen to him cover Rush all day.

Charlie Benante (Anthrax) - Drums and Keys
Alex Skolnick (Testament) - Guitar
Ra Diaz (Suicidal Tendencies) - Bass
Brandon Yeagley (Crobot) - Vocals

https://youtu.be/amBejFYEOfE

[Architeuthis]

Hey that was super, thanks for sharing! Great to see another Alex playing guitars too. 

[Cruithne]

There’s just not another syllable there. I clearly hear “of radio.” The only thing I can think of is that maybe it’s a pitch thing and some people can hear it and some can’t?

All I can think of is that he sounds like he's slightly over enunciating the announcement (he hits the "T" of Spirit quite hard) and he just about does a rolled "R" of radio without engaging the tongue. The end result being a less exaggerated version than what I'd describe as: "This is the Spiri-T Of URRRadio".

There's absolutely, 100% no additional "the" between "of" and "Radio" and to get a distinct "uh" syllable out of the lead in to the "R" of radio is a stretch.

[jammindude]

Scotty just sent me 3 audio clips. The first is unaltered, the 2nd actually has the second “the” removed, and the 3rd has the second “the” enhanced. I just need to figure out how to share it.

[TheSilentHam]

Maybe the Time Machine tour was made to correct "the" mistake, and instead caused a rift in time

[emtee]

Do you guys think Alex and Geddy are done making music?  I know Rush is over but I wonder if they will, alone or separately, ever decide to create again.

[DTA]

Do you guys think Alex and Geddy are done making music?  I know Rush is over but I wonder if they will, alone or separately, ever decide to create again.

I don't think we'll hear anything again. I'm guessing that with Neil's passing, the thought of creating music without him around (even if he wasn't going to be involved) will be too much of a reminder of the loss. Maybe some guest spots on albums, but I doubt there's anything left to be said creatively by either.

[HOF]

Never heard of Big Sugar before, but just saw this yesterday:

Alex Lifeson guest appearance on Big Sugar's Eternity Now

https://www.rushisaband.com/blog/2020/05/12/5433/Alex-Lifeson-guest-appearance-on-Big-Sugars-Eternity-Now