Neil's explaination of Embarrassment

[Chrysalii]

I understand it, in fact I would be the same way if I was in that position.

I'm not even comfortable with it from the other end.

 

I know my own anxiety about being around other people can often come off as being a jerk. Avoiding the situation that could lead to the discomfort.

Don't know if that's what's going on with Neil, but I don't think he means to be a jerk.

[nobodys hero]

[WCFIELDS]

QUOTE (Cowtothesky @ Jun 27 2010, 08:23 AM)

Although I think I understand Neil and he came off very grateful of his fans in the documentary, he really should have been there for the Hollywood star ceremony. Even if he just stood there and didn't say anything. Just my 2 cents.

He absolutley should've been there.........this was a HUGE honour and was for the BAND. He didn't have to mingle and chat with the people all around, but a brief appearance wouldn't have be unreasonable...

[Mara]

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 02:15 PM)

QUOTE (Cowtothesky @ Jun 27 2010, 08:23 AM) Although I think I understand Neil and he came off very grateful of his fans in the documentary, he really should have been there for the Hollywood star ceremony. Even if he just stood there and didn't say anything. Just my 2 cents. He absolutley should've been there.........this was a HUGE honour and was for the BAND. He didn't have to mingle and chat with the people all around, but a brief appearance wouldn't have be unreasonable... Aaaannnd then we'd have everyone bitching about Neil not signing autographs and posing for pictures.   The man can't win. It only makes sense he's given up.

[Cowtothesky]

QUOTE (iluvgeddy05 @ Jun 27 2010, 10:29 AM)

QUOTE (Cowtothesky @ Jun 27 2010, 09:23 AM) Although I think I understand Neil and he came off very grateful of his fans in the documentary, he really should have been there for the Hollywood star ceremony. Even if he just stood there and didn't say anything. Just my 2 cents. I hate to admit but I felt this way too. But then again, Ged and Alex signed autographs and Neil would not have done that -- so what is he supposed to do, just leave the area and let the other two handle it? That would look awkward too. Idk.. I think that would have been fine. The point was that they were being honored in a way that commemorates them forever. There are only roughly 3,000 others in the history of the world who have a hollywood star. Even if he just stood there and immediately after, departed the location, he should have been there. It is a respect thing. It shows great disrespect to blow it off IMO.   It is done. I think he should issue an apology and explanation. If he doesn't, no biggie, but it does reflect on him. I have a lot of respect for Neil and would defend him forever on the meet & greets and other press appearances, but I can't defend him on this one.

[hazlnut]

QUOTE (keakag @ Jun 27 2010, 07:13 AM)

So many fans give Neil such a hard time about not being more accessible.  Geddy and Alex have always talked on his behalf concerning it. IMO, it was good that Neil talked about it in the film. He showed that he is appreciative of the fans. It's the adoration that makes him uncomfortable.

Exactly, Nuff Said.

 

And I don't consider the "NP doesn't give me enough attention" babies as RUSH fans.

 

He's written several very introspective books -- he's ten times more open than the other two.

 

People who obsess over this need to take a closer look at their own motives. What is it they feel they are entitled to?

 

Wait... Nevermind. I don't care. Let's just let this issue die.

 

 

[LeaveMyThingAlone]

After watching the documentary, and knowing "how Neil is" since I've been a Rush fan, I believe that Neil probably has some sort of Social Anxiety Disorder. It was interesting to see how he was teased in school, was very sensitive, had a lot of social issues, etc...and how this has translated to him becoming a huge Rock star is that he has completely shut out his fans in social situations.

 

Who knows if it's officially been "diagnosed" or if he's on medication or whatever, but he seems to be the classic case of someone with SAD.

 

And, again the "fans" who sit here and bash the guy and call him a Dick that think they know what's right and what isn't for Neil think they know....but they dont know. None of us really know for sure what the exact deal is with Neil.

 

There have been pro athletes that have been forced to retire or take leaves of absence because of this issue.

[WCFIELDS]

QUOTE (Mara @ Jun 27 2010, 12:33 PM)

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 02:15 PM) QUOTE (Cowtothesky @ Jun 27 2010, 08:23 AM) Although I think I understand Neil and he came off very grateful of his fans in the documentary, he really should have been there for the Hollywood star ceremony. Even if he just stood there and didn't say anything. Just my 2 cents. He absolutley should've been there.........this was a HUGE honour and was for the BAND. He didn't have to mingle and chat with the people all around, but a brief appearance wouldn't have be unreasonable... Aaaannnd then we'd have everyone bitching about Neil not signing autographs and posing for pictures.   The man can't win. It only makes sense he's given up. I'm not a Neil hater, but I disagree with his stance on many things. This being one of them. IMO, he should've went. I don't get the "man can't win".....that doesn't really apply here. But then again, I'm not really a "poor Neil" person.

[ReRushed]

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 02:15 PM)

He absolutley should've been there.........this was a HUGE honour and was for the BAND. He didn't have to mingle and chat with the people all around, but a brief appearance wouldn't have be unreasonable...

A huge honor? Really? They give those stars away to anyone! They're a dime a dozen. Pure tourist attraction stuff.

 

Again, Neil Peart has opened himself up more than any other member of Rush.

 

I'm baffled by this argument. I really am.

 

Sign my copy of Signals or I'll cry!!! WAAAAAH! You're a millionaire because of ME!! Take a picture with me! WAAAAAAH! You owe all the honors you get to me!!! Show up and kiss my ass! WAAAAHH!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[WCFIELDS]

QUOTE (ReRushed @ Jun 27 2010, 04:51 PM)

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 02:15 PM) He absolutley should've been there.........this was a HUGE honour and was for the BAND. He didn't have to mingle and chat with the people all around, but a brief appearance wouldn't have be unreasonable...   Sign my copy of Signals or I'll cry!!! WAAAAAH! You're a millionaire because of ME!! Take a picture with me! WAAAAAAH! You owe all the honors you get to me!!! Show up and kiss my ass! WAAAAHH!             Huh? What does that have to do with my post??

[WCFIELDS]

QUOTE (ReRushed @ Jun 27 2010, 04:51 PM)

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 02:15 PM) He absolutley should've been there.........this was a HUGE honour and was for the BAND. He didn't have to mingle and chat with the people all around, but a brief appearance wouldn't have be unreasonable... A huge honor? Really? They give those stars away to anyone! They're a dime a dozen. Pure tourist attraction stuff. It's called exposure......big exposure.

[ReRushed]

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 06:54 PM)

QUOTE (ReRushed @ Jun 27 2010, 04:51 PM) QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 02:15 PM) He absolutley should've been there.........this was a HUGE honour and was for the BAND. He didn't have to mingle and chat with the people all around, but a brief appearance wouldn't have be unreasonable...   Sign my copy of Signals or I'll cry!!! WAAAAAH! You're a millionaire because of ME!! Take a picture with me! WAAAAAAH! You owe all the honors you get to me!!! Show up and kiss my ass! WAAAAHH!             Huh? What does that have to do with my post?? I rambled!   I don't think getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is that big a deal. Then I digressed. I guess my panties are in a bunch!

[ReRushed]

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 06:55 PM)

QUOTE (ReRushed @ Jun 27 2010, 04:51 PM) QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 02:15 PM) He absolutley should've been there.........this was a HUGE honour and was for the BAND. He didn't have to mingle and chat with the people all around, but a brief appearance wouldn't have be unreasonable... A huge honor? Really? They give those stars away to anyone! They're a dime a dozen. Pure tourist attraction stuff. It's called exposure......big exposure. Really? It didn't even make the evening news where I live.

[Mara]

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 06:24 PM)

QUOTE (Mara @ Jun 27 2010, 12:33 PM) QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 02:15 PM) QUOTE (Cowtothesky @ Jun 27 2010, 08:23 AM) Although I think I understand Neil and he came off very grateful of his fans in the documentary, he really should have been there for the Hollywood star ceremony. Even if he just stood there and didn't say anything. Just my 2 cents. He absolutley should've been there.........this was a HUGE honour and was for the BAND. He didn't have to mingle and chat with the people all around, but a brief appearance wouldn't have be unreasonable... Aaaannnd then we'd have everyone bitching about Neil not signing autographs and posing for pictures.   The man can't win. It only makes sense he's given up. I'm not a Neil hater, but I disagree with his stance on many things. This being one of them. IMO, he should've went. I don't get the "man can't win".....that doesn't really apply here. But then again, I'm not really a "poor Neil" person. In that he "can't win" with the fans, because there will always be that element of the fanbase (who tend to whinge about everything anyway - no, I don't mean you specifically) who are going to say, "too little too late, he's a dick. . ."   In another respect, he "can't win" because if he goes anyway it will be a source of tremendous anxiety for him personally.   So he might as well do what causes him the least stress.

[WCFIELDS]

QUOTE (ReRushed @ Jun 27 2010, 04:58 PM)

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 06:55 PM) QUOTE (ReRushed @ Jun 27 2010, 04:51 PM) QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 02:15 PM) He absolutley should've been there.........this was a HUGE honour and was for the BAND. He didn't have to mingle and chat with the people all around, but a brief appearance wouldn't have be unreasonable... A huge honor? Really? They give those stars away to anyone! They're a dime a dozen. Pure tourist attraction stuff. It's called exposure......big exposure. Really? It didn't even make the evening news where I live. I wansn't meaning coverage of the ceremony, but the actual star itself.....and maybe HUGE wasn't the right word.....but it's still pretty important and cool to see (at least to me)......

[WCFIELDS]

QUOTE (Mara @ Jun 27 2010, 04:58 PM)

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 06:24 PM) QUOTE (Mara @ Jun 27 2010, 12:33 PM) QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 02:15 PM) QUOTE (Cowtothesky @ Jun 27 2010, 08:23 AM) Although I think I understand Neil and he came off very grateful of his fans in the documentary, he really should have been there for the Hollywood star ceremony. Even if he just stood there and didn't say anything. Just my 2 cents. He absolutley should've been there.........this was a HUGE honour and was for the BAND. He didn't have to mingle and chat with the people all around, but a brief appearance wouldn't have be unreasonable... Aaaannnd then we'd have everyone bitching about Neil not signing autographs and posing for pictures.   The man can't win. It only makes sense he's given up. I'm not a Neil hater, but I disagree with his stance on many things. This being one of them. IMO, he should've went. I don't get the "man can't win".....that doesn't really apply here. But then again, I'm not really a "poor Neil" person. In that he "can't win" with the fans, because there will always be that element of the fanbase (who tend to whinge about everything anyway - no, I don't mean you specifically) who are going to say, "too little too late, he's a dick. . ."   In another respect, he "can't win" because if he goes anyway it will be a source of tremendous anxiety for him personally.   So he might as well do what causes him the least stress. yeah, I can see your point of view....

[ReRushed]

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 07:01 PM)

QUOTE (ReRushed @ Jun 27 2010, 04:58 PM) QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 06:55 PM) QUOTE (ReRushed @ Jun 27 2010, 04:51 PM) QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 27 2010, 02:15 PM) He absolutley should've been there.........this was a HUGE honour and was for the BAND. He didn't have to mingle and chat with the people all around, but a brief appearance wouldn't have be unreasonable... A huge honor? Really? They give those stars away to anyone! They're a dime a dozen. Pure tourist attraction stuff. It's called exposure......big exposure. Really? It didn't even make the evening news where I live. I wansn't meaning coverage of the ceremony, but the actual star itself.....and maybe HUGE wasn't the right word.....but it's still pretty important and cool to see (at least to me)...... It's nice, I'll give you that. If I ever take a stroll down the Walk of Fame it would be cool to see my favorite entertainers. But that's about it.

[SlyJeff]

I totally think the star is cool. And I'm not surprised or disappointed Neil wasn't there.

 

I still don't see why people expect him to do more than play the drums and work with Alex and Geddy to create awesome music. Why isn't that enough? I'm glad people don't have more expectations of me as a software developer than just to write great software. It would really suck if being good at writing software wasn't enough for the people who write my checks, especially if I was one of the best in the world (which I'm not- lol).

 

And I'll take Neil over any other musician who wants to shake my hand but doesn't make music I want to hear. Heck, I'll take him over musicians who make music I DO want to hear but isn't as good as Rush (and btw, that's every musician alive who isn't Alex or Geddy).

[shaun3701]

I get that he's shy, I get that he's antisocial. I can relate. I get it, I really do. But what he needs to realize is he's part of a BAND, and as part of a group you can't always have the luxury of acting as an individual. His absence at such high profile events to honor the BAND is going to draw more and more attention (possibly negative attention) to himself.

 

Damn, if he's that afraid of crowds how the hell did he ever get up on a stage in the first place?

[SlyJeff]

QUOTE (shaun3701 @ Jun 27 2010, 06:35 PM)

I get that he's shy, I get that he's antisocial. I can relate. I get it, I really do. But what he needs to realize is he's part of a BAND, and as part of a group you can't always have the luxury of acting as an individual. His absence at such high profile events to honor the BAND is going to draw more and more attention (possibly negative attention) to himself. Damn, if he's that afraid of crowds how the hell did he ever get up on a stage in the first place?

Because he likes to play the drums and make music?

 

It's hard to make a living playing if you don't perform for people, and it's hard to dedicate the time to being the musician you can be if you aren't doing it for a living.

 

Edit: I can tell you this from experience- I am an introvert (not anywhere as extreme as Neil is), but on stage I feel completely natural. I am doing what I love. In fact, as soon as I stop performing music and have to speak I get totally freaked out. But when I'm playing, it's a different story. I get into the crowd as the crows gets into the music and I just get lost in it.

[trenken]

QUOTE (SlyJeff @ Jun 27 2010, 06:12 PM)

I totally think the star is cool. And I'm not surprised or disappointed Neil wasn't there. I still don't see why people expect him to do more than play the drums and work with Alex and Geddy to create awesome music. Why isn't that enough? I'm glad people don't have more expectations of me as a software developer than just to write great software. It would really suck if being good at writing software wasn't enough for the people who write my checks, especially if I was one of the best in the world (which I'm not- lol). And I'll take Neil over any other musician who wants to shake my hand but doesn't make music I want to hear. Heck, I'll take him over musicians who make music I DO want to hear but isn't as good as Rush (and btw, that's every musician alive who isn't Alex or Geddy).

When you're in a famous rock band, just making music isnt enough anymore. He would have been fine if Rush never got big. It was when they started getting popular when he started having a real problem with it. He didnt want to be famous, and has said many times, including in this doc, that he just wants to be a regular guy that noone knows, but that completely conflicts with being in a famous band.

 

Geddy basically said they are well aware of what people think about him, and Neil said he is not anti-social, which may be true, but the fact is when you're band is honored for something very important in the entire entertainment industry, and you dont show up because you're riding your bike, well you are going to get ripped to pieces for that, which is what is happening here.

 

Every Rush fan wonders what his deal is. He explains it, and the fact is for most of them its no excuse. He didnt have to meet people, he didnt have to talk, he didnt have to sign autographs, just show your face and people will shut up. He cant even force himself to do that.

[trenken]

QUOTE (shaun3701 @ Jun 27 2010, 06:35 PM)

I get that he's shy, I get that he's antisocial. I can relate. I get it, I really do. But what he needs to realize is he's part of a BAND, and as part of a group you can't always have the luxury of acting as an individual. His absence at such high profile events to honor the BAND is going to draw more and more attention (possibly negative attention) to himself. Damn, if he's that afraid of crowds how the hell did he ever get up on a stage in the first place?

Well said.

 

 

[Jake2112]

QUOTE (SlyJeff @ Jun 27 2010, 06:41 PM)

QUOTE (shaun3701 @ Jun 27 2010, 06:35 PM) I get that he's shy, I get that he's antisocial. I can relate. I get it, I really do. But what he needs to realize is he's part of a BAND, and as part of a group you can't always have the luxury of acting as an individual. His absence at such high profile events to honor the BAND is going to draw more and more attention (possibly negative attention) to himself. Damn, if he's that afraid of crowds how the hell did he ever get up on a stage in the first place? Because he likes to play the drums and make music?   It's hard to make a living playing if you don't perform for people, and it's hard to dedicate the time to being the musician you can be if you aren't doing it for a living.   Edit: I can tell you this from experience- I am an introvert (not anywhere as extreme as Neil is), but on stage I feel completely natural. I am doing what I love. In fact, as soon as I stop performing music and have to speak I get totally freaked out. But when I'm playing, it's a different story. I get into the crowd as the crows gets into the music and I just get lost in it. I have pretty much the same experiences, though I'm slightly less extreme of an introvert as Neil . Even if he is part of a super famous rock band, I think him being himself makes Rush that much more unique. He doesn't owe anyone anything except to make awesome music, record it then perform it

[trenken]

QUOTE (SlyJeff @ Jun 27 2010, 06:41 PM)

QUOTE (shaun3701 @ Jun 27 2010, 06:35 PM) I get that he's shy, I get that he's antisocial. I can relate. I get it, I really do. But what he needs to realize is he's part of a BAND, and as part of a group you can't always have the luxury of acting as an individual. His absence at such high profile events to honor the BAND is going to draw more and more attention (possibly negative attention) to himself. Damn, if he's that afraid of crowds how the hell did he ever get up on a stage in the first place? Because he likes to play the drums and make music?   It's hard to make a living playing if you don't perform for people, and it's hard to dedicate the time to being the musician you can be if you aren't doing it for a living.   Edit: I can tell you this from experience- I am an introvert (not anywhere as extreme as Neil is), but on stage I feel completely natural. I am doing what I love. In fact, as soon as I stop performing music and have to speak I get totally freaked out. But when I'm playing, it's a different story. I get into the crowd as the crows gets into the music and I just get lost in it. The issue is playing drums and just making music isnt enough when you're in a famous band. Thats just the reality of it. He can hide all he wants, and look what happens, people think he's a dick, a recluse and say all sort of nasty shit about him.   And I doubt he really cares, but many people dont view him as being all that friendly. The dude from Rage Against The Machine, Tim Commerford (guy with all the tatts) said in the movie he was a huge Rush fan, had the chance to meet Neil and was escorted out by security. This wasnt some crazy random fan, he himself is a highly respected bassist in a very famous band, as popular as Rush, and met them after all that, and Neil couldn't even say hi to the guy for a minute. Tim said it in the movie, Neil wasnt a nice guy.   Defend Neil all you want, it is simply impossible to not look like a complete asshole when you do that, especially to someone that is famous on their own. There are things that just come with being in a famous band, and he should have just quit if he wasnt willing to deal with all that, because its seemed to have tortured him so much that he's written songs about it.

[ReflectedLight]

hey i can relate to the guy in that sense. i'm not much of a people's person and i hate being in any one social gathering for a long period of time and sometimes will dodge a social situation just because i can't take being there for more than an hour or so. hey neil, we agree on something.