Show Don't Tell

Just secured tickets to Dream Theater in London this October. Can't wait to see them back with Mike Portnoy!

His drumming, of course! But his lyrics and other writings were a huge influence on me.

Folks here probably know of the "Pieces of Eight" piece that Neil wrote and which appeared in a 1987 issue of Modern Drummer magazine. A Canadian musician I follow, Lee Rosevere, has recently put out an EP of covers of Can-Con called MAPL Roots, born out of a cover he did of the previously pointed-out Peart piece. In his own words: The release is a free download for all those interested! (And if you like more ambient and soundtrack-type music, do check out Lee's other records on Bandcamp. I am a big fan of his Five Minute Meditations series.)

I was a bit confused by this one. I don't follow football, but is there any more to this other than he is an NFL celeb?

I think Ken's nervousness led to him reading the clues quicker and the level of contestants was higher than normal. I though he did well and would be a good permanent host, though no one can replace Alex. Yeah, I thought he did well with the banter with the contestants as well. I'm curious to see how the other hosts do, the list of which apparently includes Katie Couric and Bill Whitaker, both of whom I think would perform really well.

Sad. :( Curious how other Jeopardy! fans feel about Ken. Obviously, no one can replace Alex, but I thought he did a decent job. Not sure if it was just me, but last week's games felt like they were quicker-paced. (I can't stand when there are still clues left on the board.)

Dunno about phony, but forced...yes! "Hey there, Blunderbuss! Sorry you're in jail, and I really shouldn't complain, but yet I will. Americans are fat. I saw a bird." The letters also seem like padding. Lots and lots of padding. The book needed serious pruning, which he was apparently uninterested in. Jack Kerouac disease: "I mean what I write, so don't change a word." I'll admit the quantity of the letters was perhaps a bit much, even with the omissions to avoid repetition, though I suppose they did advance the story. As for the actual content, I dunno, I read it as authentically Neil, and I had to believe that the tone of them was appropriate (Brutus being a close friend of his). Still, the entire chapter of "Letters to Brutus" could have been condensed.

As I understand it, Gabriel is an alias for the woman that Neil fell for during his post-tragedy recovery. Tge song Sweet Miracle chronicles his journey from despair through anger and finally to acceptance by way of finding love again (Gabriel). One of my favorite RUSH songs. Yes, this was the spring of 1999, so about half a year before he met Carrie. In Chapter 12 of Ghost Rider, he reveals (mostly in letters to Brutus and others) his feelings for Gabrielle, but how they still seem foreign and induce a sense of guilt (re. Jackie's sister, Deb). Certainly "Out of touch / With life in the land of the loving". And later, when she cools off a bit, "Out of touch / With the things that last / And the things that come apart". Most obviously, though, I remember the title phrase in an excerpt Neil transcribed from Victory by Joseph Conrad: (p. 330 of my edition of GR) Anyway, good note about Sweet Miracle. I didn't make the connection to it at first. I agree it is a great song!

I was curious to get some peoples' opinions on this. I recently finished Ghost Rider and, the next day, put on my VT CD to listen to (the remix/remaster – I'm not a masochist!). Anyway, it was interesting to hear the album in a "reflected in another source of light" as it were, specifically the songs related to Neil's travels. I obviously always knew the big picture of what happened from 1997 to 2002, but reading all the details gave some more context. For example, beyond the obvious "Ghost Rider", there is "Secret Touch" relating to his experience with Gabrielle; the mentioning of tarot cards in "Peaceable Kingdom" (probably inspired by the surprisingly accurate tarot card reading he had done); the line, "You can't tell yourself how to feel" in "How It Is", which is recurrent throughout the latter half of the book. Actually, in terms of "Ghost Rider", I heard the lines, "There's a shadow on the road behind / There's a shadow on the road ahead" differently upon the most recent listen, and connect it to perhaps his reference of a "splintered personality" during his healing journey, of which the Ghost Rider was one facet. It's strange because I always thought I knew what Vapor Trails was, and now it has given me a new perspective.

Currently watching the Colorado Avalanche game, and they were just playing TSoR in between whistles. And then the organist did what sounded like a quick rendition right after. Cool to hear.

My second favourite drummer behind NEP is Mike Portnoy, and he said a few words. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Neil Peart will always be a mentor and a hero to me and his influence on me as a drummer for the past 40 years is absolutely impossible to measure" "But beyond that, over the past 15 years or so, he’s become a friend…always such a gentleman and a gracious host. Always inviting me to come to soundcheck and spend some time before the show whenever Rush was passing through." "I have so many memories through the years, but probably the most special was the last time I saw him. I took my son Max to see Rush on their farewell tour as I wanted him to see the band before they retired...Neil ever the incredible gracious host invited us to soundcheck, let Max play his drums, gave him a pair of sticks and an autographed snare drum head and opened up his dressing room to us for the evening. The point is, if you were his guest you were family. I could go on and on and on but I need to process this. Sadly, I’ve known about Neil’s declining health for a few years now and always feared this news...but I am still shaken to the core in shock." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Haven't posted in some time, but had to come together with TRFers for this grieving. The news shocked me this afternoon when my parents notified me. I am going to need some time with this one. Among everything else, I just feel bad for his family. First, he had to endure the tragic deaths of his wife and daughter in the late 90s, then he himself passes away when his daughter is still so young. RIP Pratt

I missed your post. Great stuff — it sounds plausible that that could be Andrew MacNaughton as the interviewer! I chuckled because on track 10, Geddy mentions that the picture of the band taken in the insert for Grace Under Pressure is, in his mind, one of the worst photos taken of the band. I expected more of a response if it was Andrew in the room with him, but then I don't think he did photography for the band until Presto era.

Yeah, if you are talking about , then my disc sounds like this. I was quite disappointed when I heard it was not professionally done in a radio studio or anything. And the fact that it's a CD-R is just the icing on the cake. That's cool you have some actual silvers, though. Would be interested in hearing them.

Know nothing about this. Time for some research as to how I might get one. Have a few radio shows from that period but not this one. Unless it's a knock off on one of those. That tends to happen these days. Yeah, this is definitely not an in-studio radio interview. The sound quality is "amateur" (tape hiss throughout; sounds like it was recorded on a portable tape recorder). After ripping it, it appears this is a CD-R, too! I feel a bit like I've been ripped off... Then again, the interview is new to my ears, so there's that.