9/4

All true, and I would add that Neil touched our souls not just through his music, but also through his poetic lyrics, his books, his interviews, his teaching DVDs, etc. Contrary to the notion that he was a 'private' person, he allowed us to really get to know him, and millions of us evidently did just that.

Very nicely stated: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/opinion/neil-peart-rush.html

Yes- really good tribute, I thought. And here's a response from one of his fellow staff writers, NOT a really good tribute. Neil's body is barely cold and this jerk is slagging on him. https://www.national...een-this-wrong/ Cripes...to each his or her own, I suppose. But here is a case where someone at National Review writes something completely outside of its wheelhouse, and totally loses the point. Do we want political writers to tell us what makes the best kind of drummer? My ears already tell me all I need to know (and as a drummer myself, I and any other drummer already knows first-hand what kind of technical skill and prowess Neil had- from his pinkies to the ends of his toes). And I think Neil would be the first to agree that lyrics he wrote 40+ years ago are not a patch on what he was able to express later on. But it fit the ideals of a 25 year-old truth seeker at the time. ^ This. Ask drummers what they thought of Neil, not clueless journalists. Neil won so many awards from his peers as a drummer that we all just lost count. I attended a drum clinic more than 20 years ago, and the person doing the clinic (Dom Famularo) had to remind us that, while Neil was THE drummer, there were actually other drummers around also, who we might want to listen to. That's how towering a figure Neil was in the world of drumming. Read this and then listen to Subdivisions again: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/neil-peart-rush-drumming-tribute-936430/

Yes- really good tribute, I thought. And here's a response from one of his fellow staff writers, NOT a really good tribute. Neil's body is barely cold and this jerk is slagging on him. https://www.national...een-this-wrong/ In this country crazed with shallow social media, there are a lot of people like this who'll say something controversial, even callously mean, just to get attention.

I've been a little surprised how much Neil's passing has affected me, given that I haven't listened to Rush nearly as much during the past two decades as I did during the prior two decades, and I've never participated in any Rush forum or fan club before these past few days. I've come to realize that this music is something uniquely special, it's own genre really. It synergistically comes together through the sounds and words and concepts and themes in a way that taps deeply into the human condition, resonating very strongly with many of us. Other music of course has such power also, but, for me and so many of us, the music of Rush is uniquely powerful in this regard. I'm realizing that the music was formative in my discovering and becoming who I am. As a teenager and into my 20s and even 30s, the music spoke to me like nothing else did. And when I think of Neil's role in creating this music, I realize that I really did know him, in some ways even more than I know many people who're frequently in my physical proximity, because Neil was largely an open book, both figuratively and literally. He extensively shared his art, experiences, thoughts, emotions, hopes, and dreams with us, and he did so with honesty and humility, without pretense. And what he shared came from an especially sensitive, thoughtful, wise, and noble person who was especially worthy of listening to and learning from - a teacher and a friend. Did Neil know us? Was the relationship reciprocal? There was only one Neil and millions of us, so that would have been impossible, and Neil was well aware of that. But in a sense Neil did know us, and consciously made the time to know us through his frequent travels through the backroads of the world, talking with ordinary people, human to human, not as a celebrity. I struggle to think of other examples of superstars who went out of their way to stay grounded and maintain this kind of connection with humanity. So even though Neil and I didn't "know" each other, I believe we did know each other, and I feel like I've lost a good friend and gentle teacher.

I find this to be a fitting tribute, and a reflection of how Neil and Rush inspired others:

That's a long time in hospice care. I can only speak to my experience with both my mom and grandfather dying from cancer. But in both cases, death was imminent. They knew within a few days they would be gone so hospice was the only option left. If Neil was in hospice care for that long, he is a fighter beyond what any words can describe. I don't know how long Neil was in hospice, but I know that a person can be in hospice for many weeks with this type of cancer. Due to being in the brain, it's an especially cruel form of cancer. My mom passed from the same type of cancer as Neil, and at the same age. I find the coincidence to be rather poignant.

I just put on my signature Neil Peart drumming shoes and attempted to play along with some Rush songs. The experience was beyond humbling. As a recreational drummer, I can do a passable job with many songs by other bands, but not with Rush - attempting to play Rush songs (not just air-drum them) reveals the intricacy of Neil's composition and the immense skill needed to execute the compositions. It took an artist and musician of unique brilliance to do what Neil did.

Best not to overthink it. No one knows what happens after we pass, we can only speculate. People are using kind words because kindness is what’s called for at this sad and difficult time.

Few or none of us knew Neil personally, yet many of us had a very real and human connection to him through his lyrics, memoirs, music, live performances, interviews, etc. - his art and his humanity - so his passing is indeed a loss of a loved one, and I think our lingering sadness and grief is understandable. When so many people feel this way when someone passes, it's a testament to the greatness of that person.

when I woke up this morning unfortunately the first thing I thought about was this tragedy .. I thought .. oh that's right Neil died and that sucks!! .. but a lesson I'm taking away from this is get your shit together and retire to do things you want to do as soon as you can .. you just never know when this kind of thing can hit you .. hopefully the year or so he had before he started his cancer battle was just awesome for him and his wife and daughter .. and hopefully even during the battle they had some good times together Despite the tragic losses which Neil experienced, we can probably at least be thankful that, looking back from the end, Neil probably felt that he lived a good and fortunate life. And we can be thankful that he lived and created among us. I agree, one thing we can do to honor Neil is to apply the lesson he taught us to live our lives to the fullest today, rather than waiting for a distant tomorrow which may never come.

The 3.5 years would be from the time of diagnosis. But at the time of diagnosis, the tumor is usually sizable, so Neil may have had symptoms for months or longer before the diagnosis was made.

I'm so saddened to hear of Neil's passing. Deepest condolences to all who admired and loved him, from near or afar. I just joined this forum to briefly share my own thoughts and feelings, and offer some reflections. I first became a Rush fan in the late 1970s, and it wasn't long before I became an extreme fan. Growing up as rocker who listened to Kiss, Zeppelin, etc., the sophistication of Rush's music was something new to me; it showed me the possibilities of what music could be, and opened my mind to other forms of music such as jazz, fusion, and classical. I wasn't much of a reader in my teen years, so Rush, through Neil's lyrics, was my first real exposure to "literature" and the themes which the lyrics addressed. Neil was a genuine intellectual - almost to an intimidating degree for a teenager - and he paved the way for me to view it as "cool" to be a thinking person. The band was surely a key inspiration for me to take up guitar, then bass, and then eventually drums also. Through becoming a musician myself, I increasingly came to appreciate the virtuosity of Neil, Geddy, and Alex - how much luck is needed for a band to form where every musician is recognized by their peers as being among the best in the world at their instrument! And Neil in particular redefined what's possible with his instrument. Of course his chops were seemingly limitless, but more importantly he was a composer of the drums, and what he composed always fit the music perfectly. His drumming not only provided a rhythmic foundation for the music, but had a musicality which put the drums simultaneously in both the background and foreground of the music. When I listen to Rush music from decades ago, I'm still in awe of what Neil did, and I believe it remains unsurpassed today. Neil was one of those rare musicians who everyone admires, yet no one is able to emulate. On top of all is this, Neil was such a fine human being, and a role model for us in so many ways. I've watched his drumming videos, and the experience is like being mentored, not just about drumming but also about living life, by a kindly and very wise yet humble father figure. Yet, Neil didn't want us to emulate or adulate him, he always advised us to live our own lives to the fullest, and be our own heroes, as he did, even in the face of tragic losses. It would not be an overstatement to say that Rush has had a seminal and permanent influence in shaping my identity. The era of Rush is now ended and we've lost a towering figure among people. I intend to honor and appreciate Neil, as best I can, by going back through the body of work he and his bandmates created, and drawing as much enjoyment, inspiration, and wisdom from it as I can.

I'm very saddened to hear of Neil's passing. My mother died from a glioblastoma (GBM) at age 67, the same age as Neil. It's a terrible form of cancer because the cure rate is close to zero, the typical survival after diagnosis is only one to a few years, and the tumor has various cognitive, emotional, an physical impacts due to being in the brain. Unfortunately, Neil's final weeks and months may not have been easy.