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Neil Peart Has Passed Away


southpaw2k5
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God. I knew this day would come, but I knew it in a theoretical way. I also knew it would hit me hard. I'm in shock right now, I just keep staring at the screen and wishing this wasn't real.

 

I wrote this to explain to my friends on Facebook what Neil meant to me, and I might as well post it here too, even though I know all of you understand already...

 

I'm not one to get upset about the deaths of people I don't know personally. All the same, I've known for years there would be one powerful exception to that rule: Neil Peart.

 

Neil's philosophy of life - his commitment to reason, his love of science and art, his relentless pursuit of excellence in everything he did, from drumming to writing - was a profound influence on me as a teenager. I would spend hours sitting and listening to Rush records in the basement - loudly, through headphones - while I read along with the lyrics and memorized them until they were etched in stone in my brain.

 

I can chart the changes in my own life through his words, and as I've aged, songs have taken on deeper meanings, and sometimes different ones altogether. Some that went over my head at 25 have become powerfully resonant on the precipice of 35. (Freeze this moment a little bit longer...)

 

More than the others, though, the words he wrote for the song Available Light, which I first heard at the age of 13, became a guiding star for me for the following 20 years. In high school, they gave me with the motivation to apply for a student exchange to Denmark. I printed them out and hung them on the wall of my dorm room in university, and after graduation they took me to Korea. Finally, I followed them north to Alert. They were an inspiration to travel, to see the world in all its wonderful complexity, and in a more literal sense, they were an inspiration to find my own creative expression through photography. I can say without exaggeration that I would not be where I am today, or who I am today, without them.

 

Thank you, Neil. I hope you knew how much your art meant to the many millions of kids like me, the dreamers who wanted to believe the world has meaning and depth and beauty in it. I'd always wished that I could have the chance to tell you...

 

That is absolutely superb.

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This all gives some context to Neil being radio silent for the last few years. I feel for Geddy, having to answer questions about Neil's status, having to leave it at, "he's not playing drums anymore" a year ago, when he most certainly knew the situation was a lot more dire.
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God. I knew this day would come, but I knew it in a theoretical way. I also knew it would hit me hard. I'm in shock right now, I just keep staring at the screen and wishing this wasn't real.

 

I wrote this to explain to my friends on Facebook what Neil meant to me, and I might as well post it here too, even though I know all of you understand already...

 

I'm not one to get upset about the deaths of people I don't know personally. All the same, I've known for years there would be one powerful exception to that rule: Neil Peart.

 

Neil's philosophy of life - his commitment to reason, his love of science and art, his relentless pursuit of excellence in everything he did, from drumming to writing - was a profound influence on me as a teenager. I would spend hours sitting and listening to Rush records in the basement - loudly, through headphones - while I read along with the lyrics and memorized them until they were etched in stone in my brain.

 

I can chart the changes in my own life through his words, and as I've aged, songs have taken on deeper meanings, and sometimes different ones altogether. Some that went over my head at 25 have become powerfully resonant on the precipice of 35. (Freeze this moment a little bit longer...)

 

More than the others, though, the words he wrote for the song Available Light, which I first heard at the age of 13, became a guiding star for me for the following 20 years. In high school, they gave me with the motivation to apply for a student exchange to Denmark. I printed them out and hung them on the wall of my dorm room in university, and after graduation they took me to Korea. Finally, I followed them north to Alert. They were an inspiration to travel, to see the world in all its wonderful complexity, and in a more literal sense, they were an inspiration to find my own creative expression through photography. I can say without exaggeration that I would not be where I am today, or who I am today, without them.

 

Thank you, Neil. I hope you knew how much your art meant to the many millions of kids like me, the dreamers who wanted to believe the world has meaning and depth and beauty in it. I'd always wished that I could have the chance to tell you...

 

Indeed. Nicely written.

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The man was true to himself - even to the very end. A private man, who eschewed the limelight, kept the prying eyes of the outside world in the dark.

 

I'm guessing that he had a bit of satisfaction in not having his pending demise made public.  

Edited by Principled Man
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Grateful to see that I'm not the only prodigal returning here today.

 

Those who remember me know that I was by turns amused by, challenged by, and enthralled by Neil's words. I will forever be thankful I went searching online for clips of Neil's appearance on Politically Incorrect, all those many years ago. That search is what led me to this place and some of the best people I've ever been honored to call friends.

 

I love you guys. You all know who you are. Thank you for making my life immeasurably better.

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I just saw this on facebook. Just horrible, horrible news. I really can't believe it. I was hoping it was a hoax or something and for a second thought maybe it was April first already. Oh well. Neil you will be missed. Your words have influenced me as a human which is more than I can say for 99 percent of the artists out there. RIP Neil.
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I haven't been on here in a while, and I didn't even know he was sick. I don't see any thread titles on here referring to it.

 

Also, I've been getting a lot of bogus "Rush" click bait on my Google homepage, and I thought this might have been some of that, too.

 

I can't believe it, but it makes all the vague answers from Geddy, over the past several years, make sense.

 

This sucks. I just lost my favorite Uncle and now my favorite musician is gone. Rest In Peace.

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It's such a cloudy day

Seems we'll never see the sun

I feel the day is all uncertainty

Burning in the moment, trapped by the desperation

Between how it is and how it ought to be.

 

 

http://andrewolson.com/Neil_Peart/drums/images/moving_pictures_files/np_mp_portrait.jpg

 

:rose: :rose: :rose:

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Did anyone else notice that the Rolling Stone statement got some information wrong (ie his wife died just five months after his daughter)? It was 10 months not five. At least get your facts straight before writing a piece on someone who just passed away. Edited by New_World_Man
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Ohmygosh, I just found out a few minutes ago. :(

 

Rush is the first band that I could ever say I was a massive fan of. The music and Neil's lyrics have provided the sound track to a massive turning point of my life.

 

My hugs to all of you and to his family and, of course to Alex and Geddy.

 

Rest in peace, Neil.

 

:rose:

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Grateful to see that I'm not the only prodigal returning here today.

 

Those who remember me know that I was by turns amused by, challenged by, and enthralled by Neil's words. I will forever be thankful I went searching online for clips of Neil's appearance on Politically Incorrect, all those many years ago. That search is what led me to this place and some of the best people I've ever been honored to call friends.

 

I love you guys. You all know who you are. Thank you for making my life immeasurably better.

 

i thought of you when my son texted me the news, and so I came back after all this time away, to find some comfort with my Rush family. I’m sure I’m one of many.

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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 :rose:

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