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Neil Peart Has Passed Away


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I'm new here. And I just put this together. I saw the band 27 times between VT-R40 (from age 20 to 33).

 

In March of 2016 I was in Death Valley for one of my twice yearly hiking trips. Everything was going well, I was logging lots and lots of miles. Rush will always be a big part of my music to listen to while driving the long, desolate, desert roads. I awoke one morning inside of my tent at Texas Spring campground to a voicemail from my mother informing me that, unfortunately, my feather had committed suicide that morning. I quickly made plans to go back home a day early (the next day).

 

I didn't have anything else to do except leave for my hotel in Lost Wages for my new flight back the next morning. So I did what I planned on. I hiked. And I cranked up Vapor Trails (the remix of course, my ears are precious!). I hiked for my life that day. 18 miles in 92 degree heat with Neil's lyrics keeping me going. I must have played that album 8 times. Neil's tragedies gave me just what I needed to begin processing my own.

 

And for that I will be forever grateful.

 

I put one entry in my journal that night. It was this.

 

"Have you lived a lifetime today

Or do you feel like you just got carried away?"

Edited by panamint
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I hate those idiots on Youtube who are trying to make money off Neil's death. They post clips called Neil Peart's funeral, but it's obviously not Neil's funeral. It's just click bait. You can tell from the stupid song in the background that it's a joke. That's so disrespectful to Neil. We need to start flagging those videos and maybe Youtube will take them down.

 

I have been reporting them but nothing is happening.

 

If Youtube hasn't already banned Onision for all the gross f***ed up shit he's done, then chances are they're probably going to let the fake Neil funeral vids go by the wayside too....Honestly f**k youtube sometimes.

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I'm new here. And I just put this together. I saw the band 27 times between VT-R40 (from age 20 to 33).

 

In March of 2016 I was in Death Valley for one of my twice yearly hiking trips. Everything was going well, I was logging lots and lots of miles. Rush will always be a big part of my music to listen to while driving the long, desolate, desert roads. I awoke one morning inside of my tent at Texas Spring campground to a voicemail from my mother informing me that, unfortunately, my feather had committed suicide that morning. I quickly made plans to go back home a day early (the next day).

 

I didn't have anything else to do except leave for my hotel in Lost Wages for my new flight back the next morning. So I did what I planned on. I hiked. And I cranked up Vapor Trails (the remix of course, my ears are precious!). I hiked for my life that day. 18 miles in 92 degree heat with Neil's lyrics keeping me going. I must have played that album 8 times. Neil's tragedies gave me just what I needed to begin processing my own.

 

And for that I will be forever grateful.

 

I put one entry in my journal that night. It was this.

 

"Have you lived a lifetime today

Or do you feel like you just got carried away?"

 

Shoot. Welcome to the forum, friend. That's a moving story if I've ever heard one. Dang.

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It was a cold March Saturday morning in Kodiak, Alaska back in 1984. I was going to spend the day with my friend Bob Fowler who was a pretty good guitarist. I had recently purchased a nice gently used Stratocaster of my own and was anxious to get some time learning from Bob who was in a local band. I had aspirations of joining them as they had no rhythm guitarist and once my budding skills had reached the level where both of us agreed I'd be at least adequate. So we get to the practice room and plug in and begin...well, not exactly "jamming", it was a bit more like noodling as my skill level wasn't exactly there for such a task yet. So Bob showed me a few new chords and we volleyed them back and forth like tennis players for a while. At about 11 or so we decided to take a break. Bob sat on the floor and I sat on the throne behind the drums. There was to be a new Rush album released in the Spring (GUP) so we chatted excitedly about it for a while. After all, we had originally bonded over our mutual love for Rush. I first fell in love with them when I traded a friend a copy of Ozzy Osbourne's Diary Of A Madman for a copy of Permanent Waves, which I listened to so much I literally wore out the tape and I also went out and bought their other albums as quickly as I could afford them. A few minutes later Bob stood up and started play the arpeggio from The Spirit of Radio. I impulsively picked up the drum sticks and just started tapping out the opening fills and rolls of the same song. It wasn't great, but it was close to adequate. Bob just stopped and said he had no idea I could play the drums and my reply was "neither did I but I have a lonbg history of drumming on things and even mentally air-drumming to songs I like". We laughed a bit and struck up TSOR once again and darned if it didn't sound fairly good! We played bits and pieces of other tunes and decided to break for lunch. It was at that time that Bob looked me right in the eyes and simply said: "sell your guitar, buy some drums". A part of me knew he was right because I never really had wholly connected with my guitar. Sure, I loved it, but not with the passionate burning intensity that marks a great guitar player. The drums, though, they were a different story! The more I sat behind them the freer I felt. My hands literally felt like two birds in flight as I pounded and tapped and flammed and paradiddled through songs. I studied Neil's method and watched him in videos as closely as I could. When he started publishing I read his books, when they went on tour, I was there, and when he released his instructional videos I was a happy man! I'm not at all a Neil Peart clone on the drums, and there are still some Rush songs that are beyond me, but I did what everyone does: steal from him what I wanted and incorporate it into my own style. One friend put it best when he saw me play. He told me I had a little Neil Peart in me but no so much that I was a copycat and that's the highest praise I've ever received music-wise. So Neil will always have a special place in my heart, my undying appreciation, and my fierce devotion.

 

Thank you for inspiring me all those years ago, Neil. I owe you.

"It was a dark & stormy night........" Just joking, Jack. Cool story, bro.

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I'm new here. And I just put this together. I saw the band 27 times between VT-R40 (from age 20 to 33).

 

In March of 2016 I was in Death Valley for one of my twice yearly hiking trips. Everything was going well, I was logging lots and lots of miles. Rush will always be a big part of my music to listen to while driving the long, desolate, desert roads. I awoke one morning inside of my tent at Texas Spring campground to a voicemail from my mother informing me that, unfortunately, my feather had committed suicide that morning. I quickly made plans to go back home a day early (the next day).

 

I didn't have anything else to do except leave for my hotel in Lost Wages for my new flight back the next morning. So I did what I planned on. I hiked. And I cranked up Vapor Trails (the remix of course, my ears are precious!). I hiked for my life that day. 18 miles in 92 degree heat with Neil's lyrics keeping me going. I must have played that album 8 times. Neil's tragedies gave me just what I needed to begin processing my own.

 

And for that I will be forever grateful.

 

I put one entry in my journal that night. It was this.

 

"Have you lived a lifetime today

Or do you feel like you just got carried away?"

 

Shoot. Welcome to the forum, friend. That's a moving story if I've ever heard one. Dang.

 

Yes, absolutely, welcome panamint. So glad you found your way here...if you choose to stick around more, I think you’ll find this is a great place, and you will find a lot of like minds.

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AA Milnes’ birthday today.

 

http://s4.favim.com/610/141010/goodbye-love-quote-winnie-the-pooh-Favim.com-2141784.jpg

Edited by Laurabw
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Listening to Roll The Bones. It’s always been my least favorite Rush album. The production is lightweight, and the songwriting often strays too close to Huey Lewis And The News...and Heresy and Neurotica kind of annoy me. That said, I must be enjoying it more now than I ever have, because even The Big Wheel (one of a number of songs here that I just never really warmed to) is sounding good to me and moving. But there’s one song on here almost everyone seems to love that has never almost remotely impressed me. Bravado. I never found it to be very moving, very Rush like, really very notable at all. It’s catchy?

 

That’s changed. When I listened to it today, I think I got it.

 

“If love remains, though everything is lost, we will pay the price, but we will not count the cost.”

 

I never understood that line. It isn’t very complicated, but I never pieces it together. I looked at it as some sort of colloquialism, “we will not count the cost,” like what’s that supposed to mean. I get it now. If we must lose everything but love, we won’t hesitate to pay for love with everything, we won’t even think about that price.

 

And the line “and if the music stops, and there’s only the sound of the rain...” that’s a great moment. Bravado is a victory. The music grew on me too. I started to really hear how the melody and the guitar intertwine, and how Neil really personified the emotion of the song towards its finale.

 

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Listening to Roll The Bones. It’s always been my least favorite Rush album. The production is lightweight, and the songwriting often strays too close to Huey Lewis And The News...and Heresy and Neurotica kind of annoy me. That said, I must be enjoying it more now than I ever have, because even The Big Wheel (one of a number of songs here that I just never really warmed to) is sounding good to me and moving. But there’s one song on here almost everyone seems to love that has never almost remotely impressed me. Bravado. I never found it to be very moving, very Rush like, really very notable at all. It’s catchy?

 

That’s changed. When I listened to it today, I think I got it.

 

“If love remains, though everything is lost, we will pay the price, but we will not count the cost.”

 

I never understood that line. It isn’t very complicated, but I never pieces it together. I looked at it as some sort of colloquialism, “we will not count the cost,” like what’s that supposed to mean. I get it now. If we must lose everything but love, we won’t hesitate to pay for love with everything, we won’t even think about that price.

 

And the line “and if the music stops, and there’s only the sound of the rain...” that’s a great moment. Bravado is a victory. The music grew on me too. I started to really hear how the melody and the guitar intertwine, and how Neil really personified the emotion of the song towards its finale.

I've loved that song (and that album) since I first heard it at age 11. It's a brilliant, powerfully moving moment in their catalogue.

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Being only a hobbyist drummer, I've always been too intimidated to try to play along with any of Neil's drum parts, and I didn't want to dishonor Neil and Rush by making a mess of it (even if the only listener was me).

 

But a drummer in this forum recently said that he found it therapeutic to play along with Neil, so over the past few days I decided to give it a try. He's right. I still have to do much serious study and practice to play Neil's parts at a level which does any justice to them (and may never really get there), but I just played along with Power Windows and felt that I was able to do a non-terrible job and channel some of Neil's spirit. After playing along with this album, I feel like I'm already a better drummer (it helps that I've heard the album and imagined playing the drum parts a million times over the years). The experience makes clearer Neil's brilliance as a composer, his precision, and his power. To this day, I don't know of any other drummer who has ever played like him.

 

My respect for Neil's playing is heightened by what I recently heard in the audiobook of Ghost Rider. When Neil was young, he had weak ankles and wasn't good at sports, and when he got older, learning to ride a motorcycle was a real challenge. So he wasn't gifted with physical 'natural ability', and instead the prowess he developed on the drums was a result of motivation coming from artistic vision and a lot of hard work to achieve excellence.

 

He wanted to inspire people, and he managed to inspire millions around the globe.

Edited by 9/4
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Being only a hobbyist drummer, I've always been too intimidated to try to play along with any of Neil's drum parts, and I didn't want to dishonor Neil and Rush by making a mess of it (even if the only listener was me).

 

But a drummer in this forum recently said that he found it therapeutic to play along with Neil, so over the past few days I decided to give it a try. He's right. I still have to do much serious study and practice to play Neil's parts at a level which does any justice to them (and may never really get there), but I just played along with Power Windows and felt that I was able to do a non-terrible job and channel some of Neil's spirit. After playing along with this album, I feel like I'm already a better drummer (it helps that I've heard the album and imagined playing the drum parts a million times over the years). The experience make's clearer Neil's brilliance as a composer, his precision, and his power. To this day, I don't know of any other drummer who has ever played like him.

 

My respect for Neil's playing is heightened by what I recently heard in the audiobook of Ghost Rider. When Neil was young, he had weak ankles and wasn't good at sports, and when he got older, learning to ride a motorcycle was a real challenge. So he wasn't gifted with physical 'natural ability', and instead the prowess he developed on the drums was a result of motivation coming from artistic vision and a lot of hard work to achieve excellence.

 

He wanted to inspire people, and he managed to inspire millions around the globe.

 

Absolutely- don’t think of it all as dishonoring the music or the band just because your execution isn’t what you’d like it to be. I’ve been playing the drums for 35 years, but I can’t do a lot of things that Neil did (that’s why he was Neil Peart, and I’m not!)...but I enjoy being able to play the Rush songs that I CAN play.

 

I still sit in awe when I listen to them and think about everything they were able to do. And I always will.

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Neil would be embarrassed and, I think, touched deeply if he knew the true "measure of respect" he has earned. A measure beyond measure.

 

This is still nearly as raw and staggering as it was eight days ago.

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Neil would be embarrassed and, I think, touched deeply if he knew the true "measure of respect" he has earned. A measure beyond measure.

 

Neil Peart and Neil Armstrong had more things in common than their first name.

 

Armstrong also eschewed the limelight. He didn't want any part of the massive adulation from people all around the world. If he had wanted, he could have made a zillion dollars off his Achievement, but he didn't. He was a private man, a humble man, who literally saw himself as undeserving of all the hero worship. The Greatest Achievement in all of human history, and he said that he was undeserving of the all the praise. Remarkable....

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Neil would be embarrassed and, I think, touched deeply if he knew the true "measure of respect" he has earned. A measure beyond measure.

 

Neil Peart and Neil Armstrong had more things in common than their first name.

 

Armstrong also eschewed the limelight. He didn't want any part of the massive adulation from people all around the world. If he had wanted, he could have made a zillion dollars off his Achievement, but he didn't. He was a private man, a humble man, who literally saw himself as undeserving of all the hero worship. The Greatest Achievement in all of human history, and he said that he was undeserving of the all the praise. Remarkable....

 

Not to diss Neil Armstrong who was an exceptional pilot and engineer, but he was part of a huge team that made that achievement happen.

 

Neil Peart on the other hand was in a team of one when it came to delivering what he did.

 

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Listening to Roll The Bones. It’s always been my least favorite Rush album. The production is lightweight, and the songwriting often strays too close to Huey Lewis And The News...and Heresy and Neurotica kind of annoy me. That said, I must be enjoying it more now than I ever have, because even The Big Wheel (one of a number of songs here that I just never really warmed to) is sounding good to me and moving. But there’s one song on here almost everyone seems to love that has never almost remotely impressed me. Bravado. I never found it to be very moving, very Rush like, really very notable at all. It’s catchy?

 

That’s changed. When I listened to it today, I think I got it.

 

“If love remains, though everything is lost, we will pay the price, but we will not count the cost.”

 

I never understood that line. It isn’t very complicated, but I never pieces it together. I looked at it as some sort of colloquialism, “we will not count the cost,” like what’s that supposed to mean. I get it now. If we must lose everything but love, we won’t hesitate to pay for love with everything, we won’t even think about that price.

 

And the line “and if the music stops, and there’s only the sound of the rain...” that’s a great moment. Bravado is a victory. The music grew on me too. I started to really hear how the melody and the guitar intertwine, and how Neil really personified the emotion of the song towards its finale.

 

Have you heard the live version of Bravado from Different Stages? I like it better than the studio version. Dreamline off that album is also better in a lot of ways because it has more punch to it. There's some really good stuff on both Presto and Roll The Bones. I could never understand why they went with the production they did for both?

 

Also, as someone who was a massive Huey Lewis and The News fan when I was a kid, I hear nothing similar in the songwriting lol.

Edited by J2112YYZ
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Bravado from DS is sublime, IMHO. Always preferred it to the studio version. It sounds good with some bottom end to it.
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Neil would be embarrassed and, I think, touched deeply if he knew the true "measure of respect" he has earned. A measure beyond measure.

 

This is still nearly as raw and staggering as it was eight days ago.

Completely agree.

 

I'm still in the state of "I can't believe it."

 

Damn.....

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Listening to Roll The Bones. It’s always been my least favorite Rush album. The production is lightweight, and the songwriting often strays too close to Huey Lewis And The News...and Heresy and Neurotica kind of annoy me. That said, I must be enjoying it more now than I ever have, because even The Big Wheel (one of a number of songs here that I just never really warmed to) is sounding good to me and moving. But there’s one song on here almost everyone seems to love that has never almost remotely impressed me. Bravado. I never found it to be very moving, very Rush like, really very notable at all. It’s catchy?

 

That’s changed. When I listened to it today, I think I got it.

 

“If love remains, though everything is lost, we will pay the price, but we will not count the cost.”

 

I never understood that line. It isn’t very complicated, but I never pieces it together. I looked at it as some sort of colloquialism, “we will not count the cost,” like what’s that supposed to mean. I get it now. If we must lose everything but love, we won’t hesitate to pay for love with everything, we won’t even think about that price.

 

And the line “and if the music stops, and there’s only the sound of the rain...” that’s a great moment. Bravado is a victory. The music grew on me too. I started to really hear how the melody and the guitar intertwine, and how Neil really personified the emotion of the song towards its finale.

 

Have you heard the live version of Bravado from Different Stages? I like it better than the studio version. Dreamliner off that album is also better in a lot of ways because it has more punch to it. There's some really good stuff on both Presto and Roll The Bones. I could never understand why they went with the production they did for both?

 

Also, as someone who was a massive Huey Lewis and The News fan when I was a kid, I hear nothing similar in the songwriting lol.

 

About the Huey comment, for me its more the general impression that Huey's music gives me bears a resemblance to the impression that RTB gives me, not so much that their are a lot of direct similarities. Frankly I think it's more the production than the songwriting, but the songwriting is pretty poppy in that 80s rock and roll for the masses kind of way that Huey does so well (and so much better I've often felt).

 

No I haven't listened to either of them off of Different Stages! I will have to check them out. I've always found it strange how much more appealing I find Presto than RTB despite the similar gutless production on both of them. I guess the music on Presto just feels more introverted and oddball to me, which I relate to. RTB feels more anthemic, but without enough gravitas to really capture my heart.

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Listening to Roll The Bones. It’s always been my least favorite Rush album. The production is lightweight, and the songwriting often strays too close to Huey Lewis And The News...and Heresy and Neurotica kind of annoy me. That said, I must be enjoying it more now than I ever have, because even The Big Wheel (one of a number of songs here that I just never really warmed to) is sounding good to me and moving. But there’s one song on here almost everyone seems to love that has never almost remotely impressed me. Bravado. I never found it to be very moving, very Rush like, really very notable at all. It’s catchy?

 

That’s changed. When I listened to it today, I think I got it.

 

“If love remains, though everything is lost, we will pay the price, but we will not count the cost.”

 

I never understood that line. It isn’t very complicated, but I never pieces it together. I looked at it as some sort of colloquialism, “we will not count the cost,” like what’s that supposed to mean. I get it now. If we must lose everything but love, we won’t hesitate to pay for love with everything, we won’t even think about that price.

 

And the line “and if the music stops, and there’s only the sound of the rain...” that’s a great moment. Bravado is a victory. The music grew on me too. I started to really hear how the melody and the guitar intertwine, and how Neil really personified the emotion of the song towards its finale.

 

Have you heard the live version of Bravado from Different Stages? I like it better than the studio version. Dreamliner off that album is also better in a lot of ways because it has more punch to it. There's some really good stuff on both Presto and Roll The Bones. I could never understand why they went with the production they did for both?

 

Also, as someone who was a massive Huey Lewis and The News fan when I was a kid, I hear nothing similar in the songwriting lol.

 

About the Huey comment, for me its more the general impression that Huey's music gives me bears a resemblance to the impression that RTB gives me, not so much that their are a lot of direct similarities. Frankly I think it's more the production than the songwriting, but the songwriting is pretty poppy in that 80s rock and roll for the masses kind of way that Huey does so well (and so much better I've often felt).

 

No I haven't listened to either of them off of Different Stages! I will have to check them out. I've always found it strange how much more appealing I find Presto than RTB despite the similar gutless production on both of them. I guess the music on Presto just feels more introverted and oddball to me, which I relate to. RTB feels more anthemic, but without enough gravitas to really capture my heart.

 

I just listened to the Different Stages version of Bravado....woah. I wasn't really looking at the time stamp and I thought it was almost over and then I saw it goes one for like 6 minutes! The guitar! Why didn't it sound like that on the record? And the bass was much deeper. Not to mention Neil really went to a different dimension of drumming where no two drums/cymbals are too far away to make a beat out of, and you don't need to stick to just two of them. That's way cooler than the studio cut!

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Listening to Roll The Bones. It’s always been my least favorite Rush album. The production is lightweight, and the songwriting often strays too close to Huey Lewis And The News...and Heresy and Neurotica kind of annoy me. That said, I must be enjoying it more now than I ever have, because even The Big Wheel (one of a number of songs here that I just never really warmed to) is sounding good to me and moving. But there’s one song on here almost everyone seems to love that has never almost remotely impressed me. Bravado. I never found it to be very moving, very Rush like, really very notable at all. It’s catchy?

 

That’s changed. When I listened to it today, I think I got it.

 

“If love remains, though everything is lost, we will pay the price, but we will not count the cost.”

 

I never understood that line. It isn’t very complicated, but I never pieces it together. I looked at it as some sort of colloquialism, “we will not count the cost,” like what’s that supposed to mean. I get it now. If we must lose everything but love, we won’t hesitate to pay for love with everything, we won’t even think about that price.

 

And the line “and if the music stops, and there’s only the sound of the rain...” that’s a great moment. Bravado is a victory. The music grew on me too. I started to really hear how the melody and the guitar intertwine, and how Neil really personified the emotion of the song towards its finale.

 

Have you heard the live version of Bravado from Different Stages? I like it better than the studio version. Dreamliner off that album is also better in a lot of ways because it has more punch to it. There's some really good stuff on both Presto and Roll The Bones. I could never understand why they went with the production they did for both?

 

Also, as someone who was a massive Huey Lewis and The News fan when I was a kid, I hear nothing similar in the songwriting lol.

 

About the Huey comment, for me its more the general impression that Huey's music gives me bears a resemblance to the impression that RTB gives me, not so much that their are a lot of direct similarities. Frankly I think it's more the production than the songwriting, but the songwriting is pretty poppy in that 80s rock and roll for the masses kind of way that Huey does so well (and so much better I've often felt).

 

No I haven't listened to either of them off of Different Stages! I will have to check them out. I've always found it strange how much more appealing I find Presto than RTB despite the similar gutless production on both of them. I guess the music on Presto just feels more introverted and oddball to me, which I relate to. RTB feels more anthemic, but without enough gravitas to really capture my heart.

 

I just listened to the Different Stages version of Bravado....woah. I wasn't really looking at the time stamp and I thought it was almost over and then I saw it goes one for like 6 minutes! The guitar! Why didn't it sound like that on the record? And the bass was much deeper. Not to mention Neil really went to a different dimension of drumming where no two drums/cymbals are too far away to make a beat out of, and you don't need to stick to just two of them. That's way cooler than the studio cut!

 

There was extended ending they did with it live. That's why it's longer. Sometimes they would do an extended ending with CTTH live too.

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