Neil Peart - Dead at 67

[KevShmev]

[The Curious Orange]

Here's what I wrote about losing Neil: https://www.sonicperspectives.com/features/a-reflection-on-the-loss-of-neil-peart/

I quite liked that line “you were lucky to know who he was. A lot of people never will or will never care. You do.”

Thanks for that - I'll now consider myself luck to be a Rush fan in a world full of people who only like whatever rubbish is on the radio this week.

It's quite interesting how many people are suffering from grief for someone who they didn't really know. My Mom was a big Elvis fan, but she didn't grieve like this when Elvis died, in fact, she'd probably find it funny that I'm as upset as I am. It speaks volumes about our changing relationships with popular culture.

[WilliamMunny]

Very, very sad, and far too young.

Snakes & Arrows and Clockwork Angels are a tremendous final act for what is an impeccable artistic run.

[Dublagent66]

That's awesome Kev! 

[KevShmev]

It really is. 20 years ago, that never would have happened.  While Rush was "mainstream" in the 90's, they were usually either ignored by the mainstream or bashed.  For decades, the only time Rolling Stone would mention them was in a negative way.  Neil never would have made their best drummers list back then, yet there we were in the 2010's with Neil being (I think) 4th on that list, and then the entire band making the cover of RS! Maybe it is the younger critics nowadays who have embraced them and the grumpy old dipshit ones are either retired or gone, but there was a huge resurgence of Rush in the last 15 years or so where it became cool to be a fan of the band (when it was allegedly uncool to be a fan of theirs in the 80's and 90's).  Madison Square Garden putting his picture up like that is a testament to how huge the Neil Peart legacy now is.

[pg1067]

I just thought of a little story.

Back in April and June 1990 (Presto tour), my friend and I went to a couple shows at outdoor arenas in Orange County, CA.  For one of the shows (don't remember which one), we decided to show up at the venue in the early afternoon to see if we could hear any of the soundcheck or maybe score an autograph.  We basically stood at a gate that was a few hundred yards from the backstage area, heard and saw nothing (I think there were a couple of "hey, that might be Geddy!" incidents), and left after a few hours.  While we were there, we were chatting with a woman/girl who was there for the same reason.  I can't remember if she was visiting from out of town or just stalking the band at their hotel, but she told us that she was hanging out by the pool at the hotel where the band was staying and saw Neil sitting with his wife and daughter (if my math is right, Selena would have been about 12 at the time).  She said she didn't walk up to him until he got up by himself and was leaving the pool area.  She approached him and asked for an autograph, explaining that she didn't want to disturb him while he was sitting with his family.  She said he was very gracious, gave her the autograph, and expressed appreciation for her having waited to approach him.

That story always stuck with me in terms of how to comport myself as a fan if I should ever have the privilege of meeting someone like Neil outside of the normal context.

[TAC]

It really is. 20 years ago, that never would have happened.  While Rush was "mainstream" in the 90's, they were usually either ignored by the mainstream or bashed.  For decades, the only time Rolling Stone would mention them was in a negative way.  Neil never would have made their best drummers list back then, yet there we were in the 2010's with Neil being (I think) 4th on that list, and then the entire band making the cover of RS! Maybe it is the younger critics nowadays who have embraced them and the grumpy old dipshit ones are either retired or gone, but there was a huge resurgence of Rush in the last 15 years or so where it became cool to be a fan of the band (when it was allegedly uncool to be a fan of theirs in the 80's and 90's).  Madison Square Garden putting his picture up like that is a testament to how huge the Neil Peart legacy now is.

One of the reasons is that in the 80's Rush and Iron Maiden were some of high schoolers most beloved bands. Now, those high schoolers are in positions of influence, and the guy in charge of the screen there at MSG was probably listening to Rush in high school in 1984.

[KevShmev]

One of the reasons is that in the 80's Rush and Iron Maiden were some of high schoolers most beloved bands. Now, those high schoolers are in positions of influence, and the guy in charge of the screen there at MSG was probably listening to Rush in high school in 1984.

You might very well be right.

Meanwhile, the critic who rubbed himself raw at night thinking about U2 and R.E.M. is still mumbling to himself that Rush sucks.

Note: I love U2 and really like R.E.M.

[KevShmev]

I never realized the video for Neil's drum solo from the Test for Echo tour was on YouTube.  This is my favorite drum solo of his. I listened to this more times than I can remember from the Different Stages double live CD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPSQf6x8D-I

[Stadler]

It really is. 20 years ago, that never would have happened.  While Rush was "mainstream" in the 90's, they were usually either ignored by the mainstream or bashed.  For decades, the only time Rolling Stone would mention them was in a negative way.  Neil never would have made their best drummers list back then, yet there we were in the 2010's with Neil being (I think) 4th on that list, and then the entire band making the cover of RS! Maybe it is the younger critics nowadays who have embraced them and the grumpy old dipshit ones are either retired or gone, but there was a huge resurgence of Rush in the last 15 years or so where it became cool to be a fan of the band (when it was allegedly uncool to be a fan of theirs in the 80's and 90's).  Madison Square Garden putting his picture up like that is a testament to how huge the Neil Peart legacy now is.

One of the reasons is that in the 80's Rush and Iron Maiden were some of high schoolers most beloved bands. Now, those high schoolers are in positions of influence, and the guy in charge of the screen there at MSG was probably listening to Rush in high school in 1984.

There were three bands that were HUGE in my high school while I was there:  AC/DC, Van Halen, and Rush.  Everyone else was a close or distant second, but still second.  Remember covering your books in paper bags?  There are more textbooks in Monroe's archives with the "AC/DC", Flying VH, and Pentagram logos etched into the real cover of the book to shake a tamborine at.  I used to make mirrors and sell them (wood frame, painted glass, with the logo of a band etched into the paint, with tin foil behind it) and I made more AC/DC than all others combined.   VH and Rush were the second most popular (then Ozzy). 

[TAC]

Stadler, I mentioned the same thing in another thread. For my junior high years, it was about three bands. AC/DC, Van Halen, and Rush. And hell yes, I had paper bag covered books covered in rock band logos!

[ProfessorPeart]

I never realized the video for Neil's drum solo from the Test for Echo tour was on YouTube.  This is my favorite drum solo of his. I listened to this more times than I can remember from the Different Stages double live CD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPSQf6x8D-I

I was there! (the Different Stages version that is)

Although, if I remember, I thought the one from the first leg at the United Center was a little better than the Tinley Park one.

[SoundscapeMN]

I'll admit to have imagined some of my classmates thinking of me after seeing this news.

I was clearly, the only Rush fan I knew of, among my class and maybe even my entire High School in the early 90's.

[The Curious Orange]

I've just remembered the story Neil told about riding across America on his bike, feeling sorry for himself. He pulls in to some diner, and sits there asking himself why bad things always happen to him.
Then a song comes on the radio, and answers it for him.
The song?
"Why does it happen? Because it happens - Roll the Bones..."

[Stadler]

I've just remembered the story Neil told about riding across America on his bike, feeling sorry for himself. He pulls in to some diner, and sits there asking himself why bad things always happen to him.
Then a song comes on the radio, and answers it for him.
The song?
"Why does it happen? Because it happens - Roll the Bones..."

Was it really that song, or meeting Puppies_On_Acid while there? 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I've just remembered the story Neil told about riding across America on his bike, feeling sorry for himself. He pulls in to some diner, and sits there asking himself why bad things always happen to him.
Then a song comes on the radio, and answers it for him.
The song?
"Why does it happen? Because it happens - Roll the Bones..."

Was it really that song, or meeting Puppies_On_Acid while there? 

Except I met him at a gas station.

[Dublagent66]

I never realized the video for Neil's drum solo from the Test for Echo tour was on YouTube.  This is my favorite drum solo of his. I listened to this more times than I can remember from the Different Stages double live CD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPSQf6x8D-I

Yep, that's the quintessential NP drum solo for sure.  Seen it many times. 

[millahh]

It looks like Ghost Rider has sold out at Amazon.  Wow...

I don;t suppose my relationship to Rush and NP's lyrics is that terribly different than many of the other here, but it was still impactful on me.  I grew up in what I will charitably call "Real America", where there was a heavy emphasis on being blue collar/farmer, listening to country music, using chewing tobacco, and where anti-intellectualism was seen as a point of pride. As a bookish introvert, this was...not a great environment for me.  I had been aware of Rush in a general sense, but I was 15 when RtB came out and I first heard Dreamline.  I was hooked, and I felt like there was finally something out there that was on my wavelength, that in a way I wasn't alone in being this way.  I immediately switched from guitar to bass, and got good at it very quickly, mostly by learning Geddy's basslines.  I became a Rush completist pretty quickly, and I was really the only person in my entire school that listened to them.  It had a resonance with me that nothing else did.

College was pretty rough for me in parts...I was neither socially nor academically prepared for the jump from backwoods hick to top-25 college.  I leaned on Rush a lot during the darkest parts...especially stuff like Marathon, The Pass and Bravado.  And throughout college, it was my constant companion for studying.

Back before my body decided that it hated running, I cannot begin to calculate the number of hours of Rush I listened to while running on country roads and rails through the woods. I would be so inside the music that I would forget that I was even running.

I don't know if I would call Rush my favorite band, but they have mattered more than any other.

[pg1067]

It really is. 20 years ago, that never would have happened.  While Rush was "mainstream" in the 90's, they were usually either ignored by the mainstream or bashed.  For decades, the only time Rolling Stone would mention them was in a negative way.  Neil never would have made their best drummers list back then, yet there we were in the 2010's with Neil being (I think) 4th on that list, and then the entire band making the cover of RS! Maybe it is the younger critics nowadays who have embraced them and the grumpy old dipshit ones are either retired or gone, but there was a huge resurgence of Rush in the last 15 years or so where it became cool to be a fan of the band (when it was allegedly uncool to be a fan of theirs in the 80's and 90's).  Madison Square Garden putting his picture up like that is a testament to how huge the Neil Peart legacy now is.

One of the reasons is that in the 80's Rush and Iron Maiden were some of high schoolers most beloved bands. Now, those high schoolers are in positions of influence, and the guy in charge of the screen there at MSG was probably listening to Rush in high school in 1984.

There were three bands that were HUGE in my high school while I was there:  AC/DC, Van Halen, and Rush.  Everyone else was a close or distant second, but still second.  Remember covering your books in paper bags?  There are more textbooks in Monroe's archives with the "AC/DC", Flying VH, and Pentagram logos etched into the real cover of the book to shake a tamborine at.  I used to make mirrors and sell them (wood frame, painted glass, with the logo of a band etched into the paint, with tin foil behind it) and I made more AC/DC than all others combined.   VH and Rush were the second most popular (then Ozzy).

I really wish I had gone to your or TAC's school....

[Architeuthis]

I never realized the video for Neil's drum solo from the Test for Echo tour was on YouTube.  This is my favorite drum solo of his. I listened to this more times than I can remember from the Different Stages double live CD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPSQf6x8D-I

Yep, that's the quintessential NP drum solo for sure.  Seen it many times. 

I have a rare concert on video from the vapor trails tour at the Staples center in L.A.  called Attack of the Meat Bees.  It has my favorite NP drum solo,  he was in rare form that night.  Great audio and video for a audience recording. Sounds much better than R.I.R.

[ProfessorPeart]

An radio interview with Sully Erna from Godsmack is circulating. I'm glad to hear he had become friends with Neil as Sully had asked Neil to play drums on their track Serenity which written about Ghost Rider. Neil declined, but it looks like he made a friend regardless.

This is the sad revelation:

According to Erna, he knew about Peart's battle with brain cancer "for a while," but was "asked, out of respect for Neil and the privacy he liked to live in, to just not say anything. But I knew, when they were ending the RUSH tour, that he was sick," Sully claimed. "And then I knew it, even up to a year ago or so, he was in a wheelchair and he couldn't speak. And it was just becoming more and more sad to me. And then I got the call a few days ago [letting me know about his death]. And they weren't supposed to release [an official statement about it] till [Friday], they told me, so I just chose to honor that request and keep my mouth shut.

That's just a gut punch to read.

[DTA]

An radio interview with Sully Erna from Godsmack is circulating. I'm glad to hear he had become friends with Neil as Sully had asked Neil to play drums on their track Serenity which written about Ghost Rider. Neil declined, but it looks like he made a friend regardless.

This is the sad revelation:

According to Erna, he knew about Peart's battle with brain cancer "for a while," but was "asked, out of respect for Neil and the privacy he liked to live in, to just not say anything. But I knew, when they were ending the RUSH tour, that he was sick," Sully claimed. "And then I knew it, even up to a year ago or so, he was in a wheelchair and he couldn't speak. And it was just becoming more and more sad to me. And then I got the call a few days ago [letting me know about his death]. And they weren't supposed to release [an official statement about it] till [Friday], they told me, so I just chose to honor that request and keep my mouth shut.

That's just a gut punch to read.

Sully should've kept his mouth shut after his death too. I think it's really disrespectful to his family and his memory to bring up that aspect of his illness. MP is starting to approach that line with his constant media appearances, but I hope people don't start using Neil's death to further their own agendas.

[millahh]

An radio interview with Sully Erna from Godsmack is circulating. I'm glad to hear he had become friends with Neil as Sully had asked Neil to play drums on their track Serenity which written about Ghost Rider. Neil declined, but it looks like he made a friend regardless.

This is the sad revelation:

According to Erna, he knew about Peart's battle with brain cancer "for a while," but was "asked, out of respect for Neil and the privacy he liked to live in, to just not say anything. But I knew, when they were ending the RUSH tour, that he was sick," Sully claimed. "And then I knew it, even up to a year ago or so, he was in a wheelchair and he couldn't speak. And it was just becoming more and more sad to me. And then I got the call a few days ago [letting me know about his death]. And they weren't supposed to release [an official statement about it] till [Friday], they told me, so I just chose to honor that request and keep my mouth shut.

That's just a gut punch to read.

Sully should've kept his mouth shut after his death too. I think it's really disrespectful to his family and his memory to bring up that aspect of his illness. MP is starting to approach that line with his constant media appearances, but I hope people don't start using Neil's death to further their own agendas.

Yeah, that was incredibly classless. And if I have my meeting right, he's full of shit. NP was diagnosed 3.5 years ago, but the last show was 4.5 years ago.

[pg1067]

Someone at some point in Geddy's various book signings over the past 12-plus months (however long it's been) must have asked him, "so, how's Neil enjoying retirement?" or something like that.  If my assumption is correct, I wonder how Geddy responded?

[jingle.boy]

And if I have my meeting right, he's full of shit. NP was diagnosed 3.5 years ago, but the last show was 4.5 years ago.

That was the first thing that stood out at me from that comment.  Sure, Neil had a variety of ailments (mentioned quite freely after the tour) during R40, but all the official releases say 3.5 years with brain cancer.

I've been wondering if/how I could watch any of the interviews he's done in the past 1-2 years, now knowing that *he* knew what Neil's health was.  Yeah... that must've been hard not to just breakdown.

[DragonAttack]

The band members of Queen had to go through the same during Freddie's illness.  That definitely affected them for years afterwards, but with AIDS, the feelings and attitudes are/were 'different'.  No need to explain.

I don't know if what Sully said was 'classless' or not.  During the final year, the inability to speak and walk are common knowledge to those who have been around it.  He wasn't exactly releasing an unknown that many of us already surmised.  So, I'll give him a pass for that comment.

Trivial:  I received my email receipt for my $21.12 donation to the American Cancer Society in Neil's name.  There was a $1.16 'fee' involved.  I knew that when I donated.  My email receipt shows my donation as '$22.28'.  Wonder if someone will come out with a song or album with that title in the upcoming year.  If so, we'll know what it stands for.

[Fritzinger]

An radio interview with Sully Erna from Godsmack is circulating. I'm glad to hear he had become friends with Neil as Sully had asked Neil to play drums on their track Serenity which written about Ghost Rider. Neil declined, but it looks like he made a friend regardless.

This is the sad revelation:

According to Erna, he knew about Peart's battle with brain cancer "for a while," but was "asked, out of respect for Neil and the privacy he liked to live in, to just not say anything. But I knew, when they were ending the RUSH tour, that he was sick," Sully claimed. "And then I knew it, even up to a year ago or so, he was in a wheelchair and he couldn't speak. And it was just becoming more and more sad to me. And then I got the call a few days ago [letting me know about his death]. And they weren't supposed to release [an official statement about it] till [Friday], they told me, so I just chose to honor that request and keep my mouth shut.

That's just a gut punch to read.

Sully should've kept his mouth shut after his death too. I think it's really disrespectful to his family and his memory to bring up that aspect of his illness. MP is starting to approach that line with his constant media appearances, but I hope people don't start using Neil's death to further their own agendas.

Yeah, that was incredibly classless. And if I have my meeting right, he's full of shit. NP was diagnosed 3.5 years ago, but the last show was 4.5 years ago.

Why would anyone reveal something like this? Everyone who knew Neil (or knew anything about Neil!) should know how private he was. He had his reasons why he kept his illness a secret. I don't know anything about Sully Erna, but it looks like he is an idiot.

[King Postwhore]

Mike Portnoy also acknowledged he knew he was sick as well.  Listen, even musicians are fanboys and can't help but talk about Neil after his passing. 

[millahh]

Mike Portnoy also acknowledged he knew he was sick as well.  Listen, even musicians are fanboys and can't help but talk about Neil after his passing.

Right...but there's a different between acknowledging having known that he was sick, and compromising the person's dignity before the body is even cold (I don't think that dignity should end when the heart stops).. And he tried to paint himself as the hero for not blabbing prior to Friday.  He made it about himself, which was again really fucking douchey.

[King Postwhore]

No, I get it. People tend to blab way too much when it's about an idol and they actually have a connection with them.  Even if they are in the spotlight.  Sully and MP have very similar personalities.

Random side note.  I went to school with Sully in a catholic school for a half year in 4th grade until he was kicked out. In Lawrence Mass.

[Stadler]

And if I have my meeting right, he's full of shit. NP was diagnosed 3.5 years ago, but the last show was 4.5 years ago.

That was the first thing that stood out at me from that comment.  Sure, Neil had a variety of ailments (mentioned quite freely after the tour) during R40, but all the official releases say 3.5 years with brain cancer.

I've been wondering if/how I could watch any of the interviews he's done in the past 1-2 years, now knowing that *he* knew what Neil's health was.  Yeah... that must've been hard not to just breakdown.

Couple things:  my dad is for all intents and purposes handicapped, and has been battling crippling rheaumatoid arthritis for the better part of 45 years. I know that he knew something was very very wrong YEARS (about two, if the memories are correct) before there was an official diagnosis.   So "knowing you're not what you once were" and "knowing you're sick" and "knowing you have brain cancer" are not necessarily the same things.

As for the interviews, I noted this early on.  I just watched a Geddy interview he gave about a year or so ago - it's on the YouTubes - at a radio station (I think it's Q104; it's about the Book Of Bass, ostensibly).  There's no really good way of saying it.  He didn't lie, per se, as there is no "false truth", but it is a lie by omission.  I don't mean that judgmentally, or to be critical of Geddy.  It's to my mind the equivalent of saying "You are BEAUTIFUL, my dear!" to answer the question "Do I look fat in this dress?".   They're talking about artists, and passion, and retirement, and Geddy KNOWS that Neil couldn't even if he wanted to, and while it's couched in terms of the demand of a rock and roll drummer, there is CLEARLY, in the context of hindsight, that there is more to the story.

EDIT:  Here's the interview:  https://youtu.be/nkag0XWMEaE  Watch from about 15:00.   The line where Geddy says "[Neil} doesn't want to give a lesser version of himself", explains a lot, including the general notion of not revealing the illness.   

[Stadler]

No, I get it. People tend to blab way too much when it's about an idol and they actually have a connection with them.  Even if they are in the spotlight.  Sully and MP have very similar personalities.

Random side note.  I went to school with Sully in a catholic school for a half year in 4th grade until he was kicked out. In Lawrence Mass.

Was he a dick?   

(That's a joke; he was likely 9-10 years old.)

By the way, I don't see anything at all wrong with Sully or Portnoy.  People grieve as people grieve.  A close friend of mine lost his brother, and his mom actually climbed into the hole at the burial ceremony.  I shit you not, I witnessed it with my own eyes. 

[jingle.boy]

EDIT:  Here's the interview:  https://youtu.be/nkag0XWMEaE  Watch from about 15:00.   The line where Geddy says "[Neil} doesn't want to give a lesser version of himself", explains a lot, including the general notion of not revealing the illness.

Yeah, but that's not anything new.  That's pretty much explicitly stated in the Time Stand Still documentary.  When Neil says (along the lines of) 'I could easily play Charlie Watts' drum parts into my 70s, but I can't continue to play Neil Peart's drum parts'.

I was thinking of it more along the lines of how to even talk about ANYTHING related Neil without breaking down... knowing that he was terminally ill.

[nobloodyname]

People grieve as people grieve.

Quite.

[Stadler]

EDIT:  Here's the interview:  https://youtu.be/nkag0XWMEaE  Watch from about 15:00.   The line where Geddy says "[Neil} doesn't want to give a lesser version of himself", explains a lot, including the general notion of not revealing the illness.

Yeah, but that's not anything new.  That's pretty much explicitly stated in the Time Stand Still documentary.  When Neil says (along the lines of) 'I could easily play Charlie Watts' drum parts into my 70s, but I can't continue to play Neil Peart's drum parts'.

I was thinking of it more along the lines of how to even talk about ANYTHING related Neil without breaking down... knowing that he was terminally ill.

No, I understand; that's Geddy giving the same "line" but we get to assess it with new information.   Watch the vid; you can clearly see him measuring his words.   There's an interview with Neil where he says the same thing, but I don't think it's completely unfair to reassess those words in light of what we know now.   Was that "arthritis" in fact a precursor to his later illness?  Was that "deterioration" at least in part a sign of early symptoms?  Some of the muscular symptoms of brain cancer are not dissimilar to those of arthritis.   

And remember, we're looking at this from hindsight, he's looking at this in real time.   I was working on my car this weekend and crawling around under the chassis, and getting up slower and slower each time.  My first thought is "I'm not young anymore".   I have it in my family and even I didn't think "Oh, I must be getting arthritis" and I CERTAINLY didn't think "oh I have brain cancer".   I don't write this to be insensitive or inconsiderate, just to say that our information isn't what Neil's or Geddy's was/is, but even theirs wasn't likely reliable in real time.