I've always liked the "flow" of 2112. No, the parts don't flow seamlessly into each other or anything, but they feel like chapters in a story. There's a pause as you turn the page, and the next "scene" is in a different setting.
Finally saw the Dan Rather interview. Pretty good, and even a few things I didn't know. For one, it never even occurred to me that "Geddy" is just "Gary" with a thick Yiddish accent. As soon as he started explaining it, and imitating his mother's voice, I could see (and hear) it coming.
I'm glad he's enjoying "retirement". Rock stars used to retire. Bands used to break up at a certain point, and they'd move on to normal jobs, or if they're lucky, live the rest of their lives off of their savings/investments. Now the expectation seems to be to keep going until you drop dead. People have this fantasy that rock stars' lives are 100% excitement and amazement, and no one in their right mind would give that up. But they have families and kids and other people and things they'd like to see, and being on the road most of the time does not really work with that. He got a big smile when he said that he'd actually lived at home, in his house, and hadn't gotten on a plane for six months, for the first time ever. He got to watch his garden grow, he got to spend time with his wife and kids. That's what's important.