ctbadger

I'm glad the video ended before the transition. Xanaconductor...one of the few dark moments in Rush concert history...

Shockingly bad? I'd love to see your work. Heaven forbid he has interests outside music. Ever notice that really bright people are interested in a lot of things? Being famous helps getting one's work noticed, but being famous for something else doesn't make your work less worthy. And no, I'm not a fanboi. I couldn't give a flying f**k what he is interested in...I think his writing stinks and am perfectly at liberty to say so. I find it tediously boring and stilted and this has nothing to do with him being a member of Rush. Also, I'm not trying to sell my work in the public arena, so my writing skills are a moot point. I'm not interested either whether you are a fanboi or not...knock yourself out. You're missing the point. Many people ARE interested in his adventures and hobbies, and because he's famous and has some money it's easier to make one's work available. Good for him. That's the way it is. The point I was making is he wouldn't be selling any books at all if he wasn't the drummer from RUSH. The publishers know a lot of his fans will buy his stuff therefore he gets a contract. this is exactly right. he's a f***ing terrible writer and absolutely no one would pay for his writing if he wasn't the drummer of rush. Even if he was a talented writer the odds of him getting published would be slim if he was unknown, but being in a successful rock band with a loyal fan base guarantees that he gets published. He could probably send them his used toilet paper and get it in print. Agree regarding his work being published. But it's anything but prattle. PRATTle. That's funny right there.

I'm having the same issue when I use Chrome. I tried using IE and was able to get in.

Wasn't he in the Distant Early Warning video?

Rush has been my #1 since 1983. I don't see that ever changing. Especially as I get older I find myself not liking/understanding the current music scene. And unfortunately rock seems to be fading in popularity. But my interests are relatively diverse, top 10 musicians/groups (not necessarily rock) 1. Rush (definitely #1) #2 through #10 are in no particular order. 2. Pink Floyd (+Waters & Gilmour solo efforts) 3. U2 4. REM 5. Buddy Guy 6. Jimmy Buffett 7. Iron Maiden 8. Billy Joel 9. Porcupine Tree 10. Foo Fighters

_ _ _ _ _ IZED ROCK ?

I'd flip-flip Neil and Ginger. No Gavin Harrison on the list, or Portnoy, which I find really odd. They didn't snub prog, however, there are several on the list.

Maybe riffing off of The Who's "Maximum R&B" tagline.

Here, let me fix that for you: Rush Geddy and Alex, at the time, still enjoyed playing live.

Can't tell the difference between Dallas and Houston. Stupid Geddy.

I think about baseball.

Neil Neil bo-beil Banana fana fo fiel Fe Fi Mo Miel Neil!

I think you're really opening a can of worms with this question. In my opinion I think he really enjoyed it up until the tragedy with his wife and daughter. After that it seems like he lost a lot of his drive. Plus that's around the time we started hearing about the tendinitis. Excellent points and good question. I think it goes back to early 80s personally. I think he wants to live well but also be under the radar. But it does seem like his only joy since Selena has been traveling on his own terms, not touring. I think Olivia and Carrie are a couple more joys of his. But we know through his writing that he really suffers on the anniversaries of Jackie and Selena's passing. I don't think you can ever get anywhere close to where you were after tragedies like that. Like I said before, I have no issue with him retiring, he just could have handled it better for the folks that have been with the band for decades.

No, I think they still would have been successful due to their talent, but I think they would have been a totally different band with Not Neil. The lyrics wouldn't have been so cerebral, their progginess would have been different, they may not have broken mainstream...who knows? What if Rutsey wanted the touring life? Certainly a different outcome...

THIS. When I saw this on his blog entry (before reading the article) I assumed it was referring to the crash site of Flight 93 in Shanksville. Come to find out it's where 'ol Neil laid his bike down. I know he's Canadian but he's been in the U.S. long enough to know better. Frankly, I was offended. Now. Without Neil, Rush would not have been anywhere close to what they became. Neil (and the "guys at work") have contributed greatly to my life in many ways. Neil's lyrics are close® to my heart and to some extent shaped the worldview of that teenager seeing his first rock concert in 1983. I will forever be thankful for Rush's enriching my life. BUT, I believe FOH Lights, and I agree that Neil has been a bit of a dick in how he ended things. He could have, and should have, ended it better. He owes the people he's worked with (and I definitely include beyond Ged and Al) for over 40 years at least that much. I still hold him in high regard, I will still buy his books and read his blogs, but that doesn't mean I (or anyone else) shouldn't be critical when I feel he hasn't done right by his people. I do think he sometimes has difficulty putting himself in other's shoes. But that's OK. Nobody's perfect and life will go on as it was.

1. What led you to become a Rush fan? In 1983 I was 14; two of my friends were going to see Rush and asked if I wanted to go. Music wasn't important to me at the time, but I went to hang out with my friends. The concert was on April 1, 1983 in Hartford, CT. I enjoyed the show but when they played Countdown I became a fan for life. You see, I was a bit of a space nut back then, and I thought how cool is it that Rush wrote a song about the Space Shuttle! 2. If the album and/or song 2112 played a major role in your induction into the Rush fanbase, how did it do sot It did not. I don't remember when I picked up 2112 on cassette (sometime between 1984 and 1987) but I do recall it was the second CD I ever purchased (Hold Your Fire was the first). So obviously it was an important album early in my Rush experience but did not play a part at all in my introduction to the band. 3. What meaning do the lyrics and symbols of 2112 hold for you, or what lack of meaning if there isn't any? Certainly the Starman symbol is the de facto identifier of Rush and something which I identify with. For me it was an extension of my experience of who I felt I was as a teenager. Subdivisions played a huge part in that as well. I never really identified with any group in high school; not athletic enough to be a jock, not outgoing enough to be in the popular set, not rebellious enough to be with the smokers/stoners, even not nerdy enough to be a geek! So I kind of floated aimlessly and had just a couple of close friends, and Rush as a whole became an identifier for me. As for the lyrics I think I appreciated the man vs. the collective aspect of 2112 but I wouldn't say it was defining for me. I was never a Ayn Rand fan, didn't like her works at all. I was more of a Lord of the Rings kid.

Pole...

Was thinking about Alex's playing and thought it would be fun to compile my 10 favorite Lifeson solos. I pulled these from the top of my head and didn't listen to or look up anything as I wanted it to be organic. Here they are: Working Man La Villa Strangiato Freewill The Analog Kid The Weapon Kid Gloves Between the Wheels Emotion Detector The Garden Anesthetize What are yours?

Love the Ricky reference "Diane Sawyer"

Sightseeing in China.

Hawaii Five-O Magnum, PI Sanford and Son Emergency! Rockford Files Mission: Impossible All in the Family Peter Gunn I bet everyone can guess about how old I am :)

Need Some Love Here Again Rivendell Tears Madrigal Tai Shan Heresy The Speed of Love Freeze Halo Effect

Subjective. I would take Superconductor over Halo Effect. Never liked this song. What about Xanaconductor?

KISS (and Aerosmith) are not my cup of tea. While I was a kid in the 70's I really didn't get into music until I saw Rush in '83. That changed everything. KISS fans are probably the most rabid in the music world. You can get buried in a KISS casket for Pete's sake!

I had to drag out my vinyl of Fly By Night and the chimes fade out before the run out groove.!Mine must be a later pressing,i've been ripped off!Yes I am still hearing things between the two Vapor Trails,particularly more of Alex's guitar parts.I have always tried to decipher the communication dialogue on Countdown.I have the Sector 3 release and it all sounds so clearer to my standard issue from years ago. Mostly accurate transcript of the Countdown dialogue follows. As a 12 year old I recorded the audio of that launch by holding my tape recorder up to the TV speaker. http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=207518 And video/audio of the launch. I get goose bumps remembering how I felt that morning.