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Bill Banasiewicz


Earthshine
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I have been wondering whatever happened to Bill Banasiewicz

nicknamed "B- Man" by Rush. I greatly enjoyed his book, Rush Visions: The Official Biography.

 

Years ago around the time of Presto, on the show Rockline, someone called in and asked if they keep in touch with him or anything. Geddy was quiet and Alex kind of paused and said, "No...not really." End of story. Next call.

 

I found this very strange considering how close he seems to have been with the band at the time of the book. I wonder what happened, if anything.

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Wow, nobody has jumped in yet to tell the story? I guess I will...

 

Bill Banasiewicz betrayed the band's trust, and they broke off all relations with him. Apparently, Bill took a pre-release copy of Hold Your Fire that had been given to him, and played it on the radio. The band was upset, but they forgave him. Then he went and did it again with A Show of Hands. Two strikes, and the band ended the friendship. He had been warned after the first infraction.

 

With the advent of the Internet, Bill joined the National Midnight Star mailing list, and proceeded to make a nuisance of himself with the other fans. I've heard he acted like his shit didn't stink, that he was all high and mighty, because he had written the official Rush biography and was once their friend. Nobody at TNMS could tolerate him.

 

Today, Bill is still a big Rush fan. On each tour, he goes to see the band several times throughout the northeast, particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I see him as sort of a tragic figure; he's probably contrite now that he's older, and probably regrets losing his privileged relationship with his heroes because of his behavior when he was young.

 

As for his book, I still consider it the definitive work on Rush for the years 1969-1987. It's written on an eighth-grade reading level, and the author's insistence on including himself within the narrative of the book gets annoying, but it contains facts about the band that we now take for granted. (For example, it was in Visions that we first learned of Geddy's real name, and how he had become known as "Geddy.")

Edited by GeddyRulz
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Interesting story: my housemate, who also came to North America from Oz in '02 to see Rush, met him at a New York show, hung out with him, and didn't know who he was until he got home and told me about it!!!

(I've read Visons at least 37 times)

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He was at the My Favorite Headache CD interview/broadcast at WMMR (93.3 in Philly, where i believe he worked, may be wrong about that) and when the audience got to ask questions (he obviously used his connection to even get into the small studio event) he addressed Geddy as "Ged" like he was his best pal. Geddy wasn't rude, but politely answered his question like he would anyone else. Geddy stuck to talking to the DJ.
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I know nothing about the man, but I love that book.
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After reading it, I decided that the guys must be really patient to have put up with him as long as the did - what an annoying little egomaniac.

 

Good info in the book, though. And a lot of great pix.

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QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Aug 14 2006, 05:56 AM)
As for his book, I still consider it the definitive work on Rush for the years 1969-1987.  It's written on an eighth-grade reading level, and the author's insistence on including himself within the narrative of the book gets annoying, but it contains facts about the band that we now take for granted.  (For example, it was in Visions that we first learned of Geddy's real name, and how he had become known as "Geddy.")

I totally agree. What makes "Visions" definitive is that Banasiewicz was able to get close enough to Rush to get access to all their personal scrapbooks and get never-before seen early pictures (a fact he proudly touts in the intro) but his constant interjections about where he was and what he was doing during the narrative are a bit annoying. It should be about Rush, not his relation with them. I doubt Rush will ever let a biographer close enough to them after that experience, and that is too bad. Still, it's more detailed than just regurgitating well-known facts like other books did.

 

The CBC has this weekly hour-long TV biography series called "Life and Times", profiling various Canadian figures (politicians, actors, business people, musicians, etc.... They seem to have covered all the obvious ones and are now kind of digging into the more obscure icons, but they never did one on Rush, but I am not sure if it's because it didn't cross their minds or because Rush wasn't interested...

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QUOTE
...his constant interjections about where he was and what he was doing during the narrative are a bit annoying. It should be about Rush, not his relation with them.

 

Totally where I'm coming from. Why the story of Bill earning the nickname "B-Man" while on a bowling excursion with the crew? Why the story of him flying with Alex? Him hanging out at Neil's house? Bill's prom, and going to a Rush concert instead? Is this the biography of Rush or the autobiography of Bill Banasiewicz?

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While I think the book is very informative, I have to agree that he puts himself into the story too much.

 

He reminds of Icarus. His "I know the band and you don't" attitude caught up with him when he betrayed the band and he came crashing down.

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QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Aug 14 2006, 05:56 AM)
Wow, nobody has jumped in yet to tell the story?  I guess I will...

Bill Banasiewicz betrayed the band's trust, and they broke off all relations with him.  Apparently, Bill took a pre-release copy of Hold Your Fire that had been given to him, and played it on the radio.  The band was upset, but they forgave him.  Then he went and did it again with A Show of Hands.  Two strikes, and the band ended the friendship.  He had been warned after the first infraction.

With the advent of the Internet, Bill joined the National Midnight Star mailing list, and proceeded to make a nuisance of himself with the other fans.  I've heard he acted like his shit didn't stink, that he was all high and mighty, because he had written the official Rush biography and was once their friend.  Nobody at TNMS could tolerate him.

Today, Bill is still a big Rush fan.  On each tour, he goes to see the band several times throughout the northeast, particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  I see him as sort of a tragic figure; he's probably contrite now that he's older, and probably regrets losing his privileged relationship with his heroes because of his behavior when he was young.

ohmy.gif

 

Did not mean to "open a can of worms".

 

Had no idea of the severity of his infractions.

 

I just can't believe someone would be so weak as to not be able to control themselves when given such trust and priviledge by a band that rarely grants it. No wonder they are so private.

 

I mean, to commit this act of wrecklessness (playing their unreleased music without their permission) once is bad enough, but twice! ohmy.gif

 

 

This reminds me a little of Geoffrey Giuliano who wrote the Pete Townshend biography Behind Blue Eyes (a must for any Who and/or Townshend fan). Pete graciously let him into his life, invited him into his home etc. only for Giuliano to go into Pete's studio and dig through the Tommy master tapes, be confronted by Pete about it, deny it, then be asked again if he did it and have Pete call him "not only a *&%, but a lying *&% as well" and be kicked out of Pete's house and good graces as well. Later, Pete forgave him, but it was never the same.

 

 

HOW STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ohmy.gif

Edited by Earthshine
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QUOTE (Earthshine @ Aug 14 2006, 04:50 PM)
ohmy.gif

Did not mean to "open a can of worms".

Had no idea of the severity of his infraction.

I just can't believe someone would be so weak as to not be able to control themselves when given such trust and priviledge by a band that rarely grants it. No wonder they are so private.

I mean, to commit this act of wrecklessness (playing their unreleased music without their permission) once is bad enough, but twice! ohmy.gif


This reminds me a little of Geoffrey Giuliano who wrote the Pete Townshend autobiography Behind Blue Eyes (a must for any Who and/or Townehsend fan). Pete graciously let him into his life, invited him into his home etc. only for Giuliano to go into Pete's studio and dig through the Tommy master tapes, be confronted by Pete about it, deny it, then be asked again if he did it and have Pete call him "not only a *&%, but a lying *&% as well" and be kicked out of Pete's house and good graces as well. Later, Pete forgave him, but it was never the same.


HOW STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ohmy.gif

Now you know the story. Hope we helped!

 

Interesting story about Townsend, too; I've never heard that one. (But the word is "biography"; if it was an "autobiography," then Pete would've been the author.)

 

 

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QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Aug 14 2006, 05:00 PM)
Interesting story about Townsend, too; I've never heard that one.  (But the word is "biography"; if it was an "autobiography," then Pete would've been the author.)

Ooops! ohmy.gif

 

Should never have made that mistake! Now that was not "wreckless", just an "oversight".

 

 

Mistake corrected!

 

Thanks. wink.gif

Edited by Earthshine
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QUOTE (lerxt1990 @ Aug 14 2006, 08:29 PM)
He was at the My Favorite Headache CD interview/broadcast at WMMR (93.3 in Philly, where i believe he worked, may be wrong about that) and when the audience got to ask questions (he obviously used his connection to even get into the small studio event) he addressed Geddy as "Ged" like he was his best pal.  Geddy wasn't rude, but politely answered his question like he would anyone else.  Geddy stuck to talking to the DJ.

I've got this interview recorded. I didn't know who the B-Man was at the time (a few years later I heard about the story). But he did come across as a know-it-all-"I'm-too-cool"-geek in a very short time.

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What did this guy do for the band?

 

I haven't read Visions in years and years, but I seem to remember him being in the radio business, a la Donna Halper, as well as organizing petitions and other publicity to get Rush in the late-70's and early 80's more playing time and access to better venues?

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RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!!

 

 

 

Yeah I have a copy of Visions I bought back in '92 I think. Absolute gold at the time because biographical info on the band was so scarce then. Horribly written though! Could've used a proper editor to eliminate some of the awkward writing and "Look at me, I'm so cool I'm hanging with the band and you're not" tangents.

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RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!!

 

 

 

Yeah I have a copy of Visions I bought back in '92 I think. Absolute gold at the time because biographical info on the band was so scarce then. Horribly written though! Could've used a proper editor to eliminate some of the awkward writing and "Look at me, I'm so cool I'm hanging with the band and you're not" tangents.

 

Unfortunately, there are a lot of fans with that attitude. There's one person I've met and know about in particular whose life seems to be all about Rush. This person, who I've seen on Facebook posting in some friends' threads and all the posts by that fan are about Rush and nothing else.

 

Some fans seem to compete with one another as to who is closest to the band, etc...

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Quite the necropost, Led!

 

I did a google search on his name and this was thread was the first hit!

Please tell me you had never heard of him either? I am not the only one?..... :codger:
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Quite the necropost, Led!

 

I did a google search on his name and this was thread was the first hit!

Please tell me you had never heard of him either? I am not the only one?..... :codger:

 

Yup, never heard of this guy. I still don't really know why I should know him other than for the book.

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Quite the necropost, Led!

 

I did a google search on his name and this was thread was the first hit!

Please tell me you had never heard of him either? I am not the only one?..... :codger:

 

Yup, never heard of this guy. I still don't really know why I should know him other than for the book.

Good and thanks. I realize I am way out of touch in so many ways but I was betting that lots of folks probably didn't know who KennyLee was talking about....
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Quite the necropost, Led!

 

I did a google search on his name and this was thread was the first hit!

Please tell me you had never heard of him either? I am not the only one?..... :codger:

 

Yup, never heard of this guy. I still don't really know why I should know him other than for the book.

 

The book is probably the reason any of us know his name. I think he may have been mentioned in the liner notes for an album or two.

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