Dear Sir

Those facts don't change the truth of my story. But they do, can you just cofirm again what year this happened please? I am aware of the apparent date discrepancy. He said he bought his first bike in 1996. I saw him in March 1986. No chance it was another decade because I moved from the area the same year. He was driving a BMW motorcycle. Maybe he rented it or was borrowing one for the trip. It was during a short break on the Power Windows tour. I think it was the first tour they ever intentionally incorporated short breaks. I think Lifeson said it was the first tour that was fun. So you obviously didn't read my earlier post, or ignored it, Neil got his very first motorcycle in December 1993, a present from his wife, he didn't have a motorcycle licence at that time and took a riding course and passed his test in 1994! So you are very mistaken, it wasn't Neil, sorry! Your conclusion rests on several assumptions. And I'm not trying to convince you of anything. Edit: I did read your earlier post. It's from an article I read a couple months ago, possibly from the Cygnus site. I don't understand how you can still believe you actually met Neil on a motorcycle 12 years before he was riding one, maybe he stole it, yeah right! Either I'm lying, deluded, or telling the truth. Whatever you decide makes no difference to me. “Deluded” seems a bit strong. I’d go with, as I said earlier, “honestly mistaken”. Not sure how much more proof you want when Peart himself is quoted as saying he didn’t get his license and start riding until the 90s. Was Neil mistaken about his own license? Was he secretly riding bikes in the 80s and didn’t want anyone to know? He definitely rode one in March 1986, apparently without a license.

Those facts don't change the truth of my story. But they do, can you just cofirm again what year this happened please? I am aware of the apparent date discrepancy. He said he bought his first bike in 1996. I saw him in March 1986. No chance it was another decade because I moved from the area the same year. He was driving a BMW motorcycle. Maybe he rented it or was borrowing one for the trip. It was during a short break on the Power Windows tour. I think it was the first tour they ever intentionally incorporated short breaks. I think Lifeson said it was the first tour that was fun. So you obviously didn't read my earlier post, or ignored it, Neil got his very first motorcycle in December 1993, a present from his wife, he didn't have a motorcycle licence at that time and took a riding course and passed his test in 1994! So you are very mistaken, it wasn't Neil, sorry! Your conclusion rests on several assumptions. And I'm not trying to convince you of anything. Edit: I did read your earlier post. It's from an article I read a couple months ago, possibly from the Cygnus site. I don't understand how you can still believe you actually met Neil on a motorcycle 12 years before he was riding one, maybe he stole it, yeah right! Either I'm lying, deluded, or telling the truth. Whatever you decide makes no difference to me.

Did you immediately recognize him? To apply some of what I've learned on this thread: You merely convinced yourself it happened. "It took decades to realize it was Neil." Welcome back. I thought you concluded I was a liar or had delusion disorder. Why would you think that? From your comments and questions. I don't think you're lying about your experience. I do have my doubts that the person you met is the person you think you met. I struggle with the notion of a guy who was very uncomfortable meeting fans would try so hard to out himself to a fan. I also struggle with the timeline with respect to him being on a motorcycle. Again, I'm not saying your account is impossible, but improbable. I get that you believe it as told, but me not believing it doesn't mean I think you're a liar. So yes, maybe deluded on your part, but maybe not. I can't say for sure since I don't (and can't) know the truth of your story. JARG, very well said. And thank you for saying you don't mean I'm a liar. Regarding the entire, "I thought you concluded..." post, the sarcasm failed to come across, which is a risk when posting online; I was hoping to make you laugh with it, but I now see it sounds defensive, and I hope you will forgive it. Anyway, back to the story. I agree about Neil's preference for privacy and heard him discuss it several times in interviews. He felt awkwardly uncomfortable when people gushed over him. I have a couple details that resolve that to a point. In short, he asked how I would respond if I actually met him. I said I'd freak out, get my brother, call some friends, etc. He then said something like "Oh, he would hate that!" and added, if he could introduce me to Neil Peart and I promised to remain calm (or quiet, or something), what would I do. I answered, "Well, I'd want to shake his hand." At that instant, he extended his hand to me. I shook his hand but didn't catch what he was driving at. The interaction probably took longer than it sounds, but I think, looking back, he set the tone before even attempting to reveal his identity. Also, this was in a small town, in a pretty slow gas station, so I imagine he saw little risk of a crowd showing up. While he clearly prefers his privacy, this was a pretty low risk for him. You need to quit while you're ahead. Everything you typed there seems to be tailor-made to address my observations about Neil's fan phobia. Suspiciously so. How am I ahead? In all respect, I don't care who believes me. My goal is to find the documentation from Neil's perspective. It might take a while, but I know it exists.

Those facts don't change the truth of my story. But they do, can you just cofirm again what year this happened please? I am aware of the apparent date discrepancy. He said he bought his first bike in 1996. I saw him in March 1986. No chance it was another decade because I moved from the area the same year. He was driving a BMW motorcycle. Maybe he rented it or was borrowing one for the trip. It was during a short break on the Power Windows tour. I think it was the first tour they ever intentionally incorporated short breaks. I think Lifeson said it was the first tour that was fun. So you obviously didn't read my earlier post, or ignored it, Neil got his very first motorcycle in December 1993, a present from his wife, he didn't have a motorcycle licence at that time and took a riding course and passed his test in 1994! So you are very mistaken, it wasn't Neil, sorry! Your conclusion rests on several assumptions. And I'm not trying to convince you of anything. Edit: I did read your earlier post. It's from an article I read a couple months ago, possibly from the Cygnus site.

Those facts don't change the truth of my story. But they do, can you just cofirm again what year this happened please? I am aware of the apparent date discrepancy. He said he bought his first bike in 1996. I saw him in March 1986. No chance it was another decade because I moved from the area the same year. He was driving a BMW motorcycle. Maybe he rented it or was borrowing one for the trip. It was during a short break on the Power Windows tour. I think it was the first tour they ever intentionally incorporated short breaks. I think Lifeson said it was the first tour that was fun.

Did you immediately recognize him? To apply some of what I've learned on this thread: You merely convinced yourself it happened. "It took decades to realize it was Neil." Welcome back. I thought you concluded I was a liar or had delusion disorder. Why would you think that? From your comments and questions. I don't think you're lying about your experience. I do have my doubts that the person you met is the person you think you met. I struggle with the notion of a guy who was very uncomfortable meeting fans would try so hard to out himself to a fan. I also struggle with the timeline with respect to him being on a motorcycle. Again, I'm not saying your account is impossible, but improbable. I get that you believe it as told, but me not believing it doesn't mean I think you're a liar. So yes, maybe deluded on your part, but maybe not. I can't say for sure since I don't (and can't) know the truth of your story. JARG, very well said. And thank you for saying you don't mean I'm a liar. Regarding the entire, "I thought you concluded..." post, the sarcasm failed to come across, which is a risk when posting online; I was hoping to make you laugh with it, but I now see it sounds defensive, and I hope you will forgive it. Anyway, back to the story. I agree about Neil's preference for privacy and heard him discuss it several times in interviews. He felt awkwardly uncomfortable when people gushed over him. I have a couple details that resolve that to a point. In short, he asked how I would respond if I actually met him. I said I'd freak out, get my brother, call some friends, etc. He then said something like "Oh, he would hate that!" and added, if he could introduce me to Neil Peart and I promised to remain calm (or quiet, or something), what would I do. I answered, "Well, I'd want to shake his hand." At that instant, he extended his hand to me. I shook his hand but didn't catch what he was driving at. The interaction probably took longer than it sounds, but I think, looking back, he set the tone before even attempting to reveal his identity. Also, this was in a small town, in a pretty slow gas station, so I imagine he saw little risk of a crowd showing up. While he clearly prefers his privacy, this was a pretty low risk for him.

Amazing it has been 18 years already. Indeed. They didn't play any UK dates on this tour so I only have the bootlegs to allow me to experience the Vapor Trail tour ..... next tour was R30 in 2004 which i did attend ..... where have the years gone?! I agree. When I first listened to Rush in the 80s, I remember thinking they were a somewhat old band from the 70s. And when the 2-3 year gaps between albums started, it felt like a decade to me. Last tour I saw was Snakes and Arrows. Then life got incredibly busy.

Did you immediately recognize him? To apply some of what I've learned on this thread: You merely convinced yourself it happened. "It took decades to realize it was Neil." Welcome back. I thought you concluded I was a liar or had delusion disorder. Why would you think that? From your comments and questions. Plus, I know you've been colluding with my psychiatrist. Just kidding about the pychiatrist.

Amazing it has been 18 years already.

Garden Road "We're gonna do a number called 'Garden Road' for ya."

"newbie"...snort... Okay, I snorted like Peppa Pig's dad. Now what?

Those facts don't change the truth of my story. This HAS to be Geminirising79 Assuming you are referring to another person on this forum, in all honesty, no. I joined this forum maybe a week ago and posted for the first time the same day I joined. My original purpose was to find out if anyone had read the story somewhere, from Neil's perspective. Someone running a completely different site responded to me a few months ago and said it sounded vaguely familiar.

Tony, he's no troll. I would probably be skeptical if someone told me the same story. Actually, if someone told me the same story, it would freak me out, because I would be in both stories. Oh, wait . . . are you suggesting I'm a troll? I'm not.

Did you immediately recognize him? To apply some of what I've learned on this thread: You merely convinced yourself it happened. "It took decades to realize it was Neil." Welcome back. I thought you concluded I was a liar or had delusion disorder. :drool: :cheers: BTW, I don't drink, so that's sparking water in my mug.

Those facts don't change the truth of my story.

Did you immediately recognize him? To apply some of what I've learned on this thread: You merely convinced yourself it happened. Does Your home have power windows? No? I figured. Your running deeper into your house reveals you're either a rabbit or a rodent that lives underground. That means you're cute until you eat the flowers.

Ok, renting isn't a real option from what I saw online. Maybe it was someone else's bike.

The original poster seems like a good dude who’s played right along with all the jokes and pokes. I’m sure he knows he can tell the full story anytime he likes. I haven’t seen any posts that have told him to shut up or anything like that. The only thing stopping him is a constantly weak phone battery! :P Doubt he can get a word in! Some people do like the sound of their own voice a bit too much! It came up when he was trying to bring me to the realization he was Neil. This is what strikes me as very odd. Neil was notorious for shunning the trappings of fame. Hell, he even wrote a song about it, and yet here he is trying so very hard to be recognized. That just doesn't pass the sniff test with me. Any chance the dude wasn't Neil but was trying to fool you into thinking he was? You yourself said you didn't recognize him. You raise interesting points. Yes, he clearly avoided attention from fans. I can say confidently, he wasn't eager for me to recognize him. I think he found it entertaining. You're right, I did not recognize him until many years later when I saw an old interview from around Permanent Waves. The way he looked in that interview is close to his appearance when I saw him. I honestly do not believe it was someone else. But is there a chance it wasn't actually Neil (regardless of what you believe)? Where did you see the show? Yes, there's a chance, despite my certainty. The show was in St. Paul, MN. It was my first Rush concert. And where did the encounter take place? St. Paul? A small town in Wisconsin. I hesitate to say the exact location because I prefer not to give details that could identify me. The town is a fairly short drive to I-94. Rush had a few days off between shows, and Neil had been riding on backroads to get to MIchigan. I clearly remember wearing my Rush t-shirt without a jacket to walk to the gas station that day. According to their tour history that i found online, they played St. Paul in late March 1986, and then Michigan a few days later. IIRC, it was the first tour that included some rest breaks, and the first tour they "enjoyed" according to (I think) Alex. The typical route to Michigan would take him through Wisconsin. You may be a bit nonplussed by this quote from Peart. Thanks to Google, I now know what nonplussed means. Yes, I am nonplussed by that article, but it doesn't discourage me. I know the meeting happened and I know he was driving a BMW motorcycle and listening to Deep Purple. I will check online to see if it's possible to rent motorcycles. I've never heard of it, though.

I realize it seems improbable. We're strangers, so you have no basis to trust me. Even if I had a picture of Neil hugging me, it could be fake. Actually, it would be fake, because he didn't hug me. But he probably wanted to hug me because I'm that hot.

The original poster seems like a good dude who’s played right along with all the jokes and pokes. I’m sure he knows he can tell the full story anytime he likes. I haven’t seen any posts that have told him to shut up or anything like that. The only thing stopping him is a constantly weak phone battery! :P Doubt he can get a word in! Some people do like the sound of their own voice a bit too much! It came up when he was trying to bring me to the realization he was Neil. This is what strikes me as very odd. Neil was notorious for shunning the trappings of fame. Hell, he even wrote a song about it, and yet here he is trying so very hard to be recognized. That just doesn't pass the sniff test with me. Any chance the dude wasn't Neil but was trying to fool you into thinking he was? You yourself said you didn't recognize him. You raise interesting points. Yes, he clearly avoided attention from fans. I can say confidently, he wasn't eager for me to recognize him. I think he found it entertaining. You're right, I did not recognize him until many years later when I saw an old interview from around Permanent Waves. The way he looked in that interview is close to his appearance when I saw him. I honestly do not believe it was someone else. But is there a chance it wasn't actually Neil (regardless of what you believe)? Where did you see the show? Yes, there's a chance, despite my certainty. The show was in St. Paul, MN. It was my first Rush concert. And where did the encounter take place? St. Paul? A small town in Wisconsin. I hesitate to say the exact location because I prefer not to give details that could identify me. The town is a fairly short drive to I-94. Rush had a few days off between shows, and Neil had been riding on backroads to get to MIchigan. I clearly remember wearing my Rush t-shirt without a jacket to walk to the gas station that day. According to their tour history that i found online, they played St. Paul in late March 1986, and then Michigan a few days later. IIRC, it was the first tour that included some rest breaks, and the first tour they "enjoyed" according to (I think) Alex. The typical route to Michigan would take him through Wisconsin. You may be a bit nonplussed by this quote from Peart. Yes, I will dig into this because i am 100% certain it was a BMW he was driving. And it had a stereo. Edit: Also, he was alone. That contradicts what he says in the article. He says it was usually 2, sometimes up to 4 riding partners. Also, my work server now blocked me from the forum, so it's back to my old phone.

Someone pretending to be Neil Peart????????? Who would ever do that????????????? :o Not sure. Has that happened? I cannot see the picture.

Good point. I’ve read that more than a few times too. TBH, I think I have read the same thing. But if my experience is real and not a delusion, he must have, at least occassionally, driven a BMW motorcycle between shows in 1986; well, at least between St. Paul and Michigan that day.

I understand what you're saying about the motorcycle. I recall thinking Rush flew to their concerts and did not know they, like pretty much all bands on tour, drove long distances sometimes. To your question, I am certain of the year, 1986. It was my first Rush concert. What I can tell you for sure: It was a BMW motorcycle. He had compartments on it to hold stuff. For example, he stuffed several packs of cigarettes into some small compartments as he spoke with me. He must have had larger compartments toward the back, because he took out rain gear to wear. I think it was pretty thick gear, maybe blue (?), at least on his legs, possibly like chaps. He walked sort of funny after putting it on.

The original poster seems like a good dude who’s played right along with all the jokes and pokes. I’m sure he knows he can tell the full story anytime he likes. I haven’t seen any posts that have told him to shut up or anything like that. The only thing stopping him is a constantly weak phone battery! :P Doubt he can get a word in! Some people do like the sound of their own voice a bit too much! It came up when he was trying to bring me to the realization he was Neil. This is what strikes me as very odd. Neil was notorious for shunning the trappings of fame. Hell, he even wrote a song about it, and yet here he is trying so very hard to be recognized. That just doesn't pass the sniff test with me. Any chance the dude wasn't Neil but was trying to fool you into thinking he was? You yourself said you didn't recognize him. You raise interesting points. Yes, he clearly avoided attention from fans. I can say confidently, he wasn't eager for me to recognize him. I think he found it entertaining. You're right, I did not recognize him until many years later when I saw an old interview from around Permanent Waves. The way he looked in that interview is close to his appearance when I saw him. I honestly do not believe it was someone else. But is there a chance it wasn't actually Neil (regardless of what you believe)? Where did you see the show? Yes, there's a chance, despite my certainty. The show was in St. Paul, MN. It was my first Rush concert. And where did the encounter take place? St. Paul? A small town in Wisconsin. I hesitate to say the exact location because I prefer not to give details that could identify me. The town is a fairly short drive to I-94. Rush had a few days off between shows, and Neil had been riding on backroads to get to MIchigan. I clearly remember wearing my Rush t-shirt without a jacket to walk to the gas station that day. According to their tour history that i found online, they played St. Paul in late March 1986, and then Michigan a few days later. IIRC, it was the first tour that included some rest breaks, and the first tour they "enjoyed" according to (I think) Alex. The typical route to Michigan would take him through Wisconsin.

The original poster seems like a good dude who’s played right along with all the jokes and pokes. I’m sure he knows he can tell the full story anytime he likes. I haven’t seen any posts that have told him to shut up or anything like that. The only thing stopping him is a constantly weak phone battery! :P Doubt he can get a word in! Some people do like the sound of their own voice a bit too much! It came up when he was trying to bring me to the realization he was Neil. This is what strikes me as very odd. Neil was notorious for shunning the trappings of fame. Hell, he even wrote a song about it, and yet here he is trying so very hard to be recognized. That just doesn't pass the sniff test with me. Any chance the dude wasn't Neil but was trying to fool you into thinking he was? You yourself said you didn't recognize him. The attention to detail yet not being able to recognize the drummer in your favorite band seems off...”off” in the sense that yeah, it wasn’t Neil in exactly the way that you’re talking about. I hear you. I wish we could speak in person, because you would believe me after a couple minutes. But the more I try to convince you, the more suspicious I sound. Don’t think too deeply. If you read my post again, I’m saying it could be an honest mistake and not a matter of you being dishonest. That’s a big difference. In any case, you don’t need to convince anyone of whether it happened or not. There’s no way you can prove it, and there’s no way we can disprove it. So all there’s left is conversation...which is what we’ve been doing the whole time :cheers: True! And those are great insights. I really can't prove it. Funny, my then-girlfriend said a few days later, "That guy you met probably did work for Rush, because (some guy in town) got Neil Peart's autograph." And still I didn't catch it! I said. "Bullshi*! I met that guy. It was not Neil Peart." I think your initial instincts were right. If I agreed with you, we would both be wrong. :) Just kidding. But to an objective reader, your opinion probably sounds more plausible than my story.