Who, if anyone, got you started on Rush?

[NeilPeartFan2112]

My dad and my uncle.

[petsounds75]

Saw Distant Early Warning when I was nine - that video was in HEAVY rotation on MTV for the summer of 1984 - and remember thinking, "What a good drummer!". Gave Rush a rest for a few years...you know kids change music interests like crazy...saw Marathon one morning in 1989 on MTV from Show Of Hands...loved the ending outro, go Show Of Hands on vinyl that weekend...been a fan ever since.

 

Got all their CD's now except Caress Of Steel. A few vinyls too.

[redstar86]

My guitar teacher, Bob Engleman. He was a Berklee grad who played Rush songs in his band during high school.

[RushRevisited]

My best friends brother had just gotten the next Power Windows album. I listened, copied it, and was in love with it. It all went from there

[circumstantial tree]

Would you believe that MTV is what got me into Rush? "Vital Signs" video was my first known exposure. Later, "Subdivisions" then I got "Signals" and became hooked.

[Schro]

For me it was my brother. He was a drummer in our grade school band and a friend of his got him into Moving Pictures and Exit.. Stage Left.

 

Well if you're going to get into the boys from Canada this certainly isn't a bad place to start, and soon I was hooked - all at the tender age of 12.

 

I've always been fond of the fact that even though Rush was the first band I got into as a kid, to this day are my favorite group. I feel lucky that they've stayed together all these years and I can still see them on tour.

 

In contrast, I think of my friend who was heavy into The Who. While they've had a couple reunion tours, they haven't been as easy to follow this long.

 

Quick story - right around that time, I joined the RCA tape club (anyone remember this?), and decided to take a big risk and get Signals, even though I'd never heard one song off of it.

 

I loved it, but the funny thing was that, since it was listed before Moving Pictures in the catalog, I thought it came before Moving Pictures. So here I was thinking they were experimenting with keyboards in Signals and went back to an organic sound with Moving Pictures.

 

Imagine my surprise two years later, when I finally read the tiny copyright print on my tape covers and saw that Signals came out in 1982!! Doh!! Sounds stupid, but it was a jaw dropper for me at the time haha.

 

Ahh, to go back to those days again.. thanks for reminiscing with me (all 2 of you who are still reading lol - thank god for admins)

 

Schro

 

[Presto45]

My Best Freind

[madra sneachta]

I've told this story before, but around 1980/1981, my mate Brian and I were big metal fans, but wanted something more. At the time, TSOR was being played a bit on Irish radio, we both loved it, I bought Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures had just come out so he bought it and we taped each other's albums.

 

Within a year, we'd built up the back catalogue between us, and within two, we both owned everything ourselves.

 

The next 16 years, it would become a race between us to see who'd get the "new" album first - At this stage I'd moved away from Waterford my home town, so new albums involved lenghty telephone conversations dissecting every note, every beat and every word.

 

Sadly, Brian developed a brian tumour in 1991 - He successfully came through the first operation, but a recurrance in '98 proved inoperable and he died that year on his 34th birthday.

[primus]

It was my freshmen year at UofR (1984). I had a blank cassette tape so I was looking for albums to copy, I mean borrow , so I could add to my collection. I borrowed Houses of the Holy (Zep of course) and Moving Pictures from a buddy across the hall from me. I wasn't even really familiar with the album at the time and I hardly even knew who Rush was. I remember listening to the album over and over thinking it was such an incredibly well produced album.

 

When I went home that summer, my friend told me he had discovered Rush at school. I was like 'Wow' me too. He introduced me to 2112 . I then went out and bought Permanent Waves. It's all history from there.

 

All my friends think of me whenever they here Rush. They know I'm a fan-atic

[Spike]

Believe it or not, my 11th grade English teacher, Mr. Rock (Rockefeller). [Oddly enough, Mr. Rock bore an uncanny resemblence to Geddy Lee. Weird!]

 

In 11th English, we were supposed to study "poetry". To engage us in the subject, Mr. Rock brought in rock music and lyrics for us to listen to and analyze. He brought in a bunch, but now (many years later!), I only remember The Beatles (I Am the Walrus and Strawberry Fields), and Rush (Tom Sawyer and Limelight).

 

When he played TS, I thought "I've heard this - my brothers have played it. It's pretty good." When he played Limelight, I was amazed and hooked for life!

 

 

[sadly, Mr. Rock died at an early age 2 years ago. He was a truly amazing person and phenomenal teacher who really new how to get through to teenagers!!!]

 

Thanks, Mr Rock!!

[bytorcygnus]

LOL! That ...all my friends know me to be a RUSH fanatic! I relate....How many times have you heard...dude, got anything besides Rush to play? A few times, eh? SCREW 'EM, I SAY...Let 'em develop some taste..Anyway, I was turned on to RUSH by an old friend in 1978...He had an extra ticket to a Rush concert..I was free - entertainment was provided (if you know what I mean)..So, I went to my first Rush concert only having heard 2112 a few times in the back seat of my buddy's 1960 something T-bird. Well, the boys opened with 2112, of course...and about 2 1/2 hours later, I was hooked. Been a freak ever since. You know, I haven't seen my old friend William in years. I have looked for him ocassionally at shows, thinking I would someday see him and be able to thank him for turning me on to them, but who knows if he even kept listening to them? In my fantasy, I never really allowed for that possibility (that he doesn't). Sound weird?

 

Sign me..........Another fanatic! And proud of it!

 

Go TOUR 2006? !!

[primus]

Hey bytorcygnus, it's so cool to see other people the CAN relate to being obsessed with Rush. I remember an old friend saying 'Why do RUSH freaks always air-drum?'. LOL! He just couldn't understand.

 

I remember many drives in my (Rush loving) friend's old car (entertainment provided ) with Rush cranked. It was the balls.

 

My son is 6 now, and he already says Rush is his favorite band. Smart boy

[yyz]

My dad and my uncle.

[ikoul]

A friend of mine is a huge fan, and he got me into it.

[JoDay]

I discovered Rush on my own. Yes I did.

 

I discovered both rock music in general and then prog rock on my own. I just kept looking around, reading magazines and trying out new bands.

 

But I know what got me hooked on Rush. 'Roll the Bones' - the song. I heard it some time around 2001 (well I'm not yet 20, so bear with me) on a local FM station here in Moscow; it was called 'Otkrytoe Radio' (Open Radio) and transmitted some good music (very unusual playlists 4 any other country, but here every once in a while a rock FM station in Moscow appears. Currently the latest one is dead, but I don't think it will be long b4 a new one is up).

I was a fan on bands like Pink Floyd and Deep Purple at the time, but this was like a breath of fresh air. Something that had it all.

 

Perhaps, tho, I have to shift my subconscious introduction back in time, to when I was a kid of 10 or 11 years. Then on some Russian Tv station they ran that kid series about the Degrassi school. And as I read recently, in one of the episodes there was some Rush music used (what do you want, it's Canadian). I didn't know it then, but it must have entered my subconscious then and stayed there until 2001

 

I only recently became assured that Rush & Trapeze are bands that I can call my all time faves - it took me listening to Counterparts and paying attention to the lyrics for the first time. Those subjects Neil touched upon on CP were what I was thinking about at the time, so it just coincided. I went back and was soon aware that Neil's vision is the one I can share. Given that, Rush really has all I've ever wanted from a band.

[rushfan4life]

Wow it was mym uncle when i was about 12. he played for me 2112 and i fell in love . after hearoiing the temples of syrinx i was hooked. it was only fitting that i took my uncle to his and my first rush concert this past summer. ill never forget.

[Rolinda Bonz]

Eight tracks from heaven

Though I was just seven

Twenty one twelve

And Fly By Night

Thank God for big brothers

And all of the others

That introduced me to his insight

 

 

[war2112]

It was my best friend in high school. I was a freshman and only 14. I just turned 14 too, having begun my freshman year as a 13-year old. I was completely blown away by Permanent Waves when he introduced it to me. It totally spoke to me and then Signals did even more because I was such an outsider being so young and in high school.

[Slaine mac Roth]

QUOTE (Rolinda Bonz @ Jan 23 2005, 07:44 AM)

Eight tracks from heaven Though I was just seven Twenty one twelve And Fly By Night Thank God for big brothers And all of the others That introduced me to his insight

very poetic

[Snowdog]

I owe a special debt to a high school friend named Jonathan Olsen. Who introduced me to ESL. Haven't been the same since and can't find him to thank him.

[Cygnus]

My Brother

[bytorcygnus]

QUOTE (primus @ Jan 19 2005, 07:53 AM)

Hey bytorcygnus, it's so cool to see other people the CAN relate to being obsessed with Rush. I remember an old friend saying 'Why do RUSH freaks always air-drum?'. LOL! He just couldn't understand. I remember many drives in my (Rush loving) friend's old car (entertainment provided ) with Rush cranked. It was the balls. My son is 6 now, and he already says Rush is his favorite band. Smart boy

Yes indeed, smart boy! My son was 14 before he got into the boys..Then, on his 15th birthday 6/23/04 I took him to see Rush in Dallas. Done deal, he's hooked for life..Not to mention, he now has quite a high standard for live performances to hold future bands to. I told him he may end up regretting that part of Rush being his first concert. LOL! Oh well..

 

 

[yyz]

QUOTE (bytorcygnus @ Jan 23 2005, 06:17 PM)

QUOTE (primus @ Jan 19 2005, 07:53 AM) Hey bytorcygnus, it's so cool to see other people the CAN relate to being obsessed with Rush.  I remember an old friend saying 'Why do RUSH freaks always air-drum?'.  LOL!  He just couldn't understand.  I remember many drives in my (Rush loving) friend's old car (entertainment provided ) with Rush cranked.  It was the balls. My son is 6 now, and he already says Rush is his favorite band.  Smart boy Yes indeed, smart boy! My son was 14 before he got into the boys..Then, on his 15th birthday 6/23/04 I took him to see Rush in Dallas. Done deal, he's hooked for life..Not to mention, he now has quite a high standard for live performances to hold future bands to. I told him he may end up regretting that part of Rush being his first concert. LOL! Oh well..     Sweet b-day present!