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My Interview with Neil Peart for the LA Times


BodyForWife
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Ummm.....I could have done without this photo of an overweight man in a boat wihtout a shirthttp://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-07/174736140-22173500.jpg
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QUOTE (Mara @ Jul 25 2011, 10:40 AM)
As a former moderate smoker (well, pack-a-day) AND ultra-marathoner, I can tell you that one does not preclude the other.  I finished more than one road race/marathon and hunted around to find the huddled pack of fellow smokers furtively lighting up behind some building near the finish line.  There were always at least a couple dozen of us, depending on how big the event was. 

Doubt you'll find any smokers amongst elite athletes, but Neil isn't claiming to be one. At this point he may well have quit anyway; I don't recall any references to "Red Apple" breaks in his road diaries from the most recent tours.

Good points there, and it is definitely possible to be a smoker and still be an athlete. I present to you the case of Fred Biletnikoff, former Oakland Raiders wide receiver for 14 years and also MVP in Super Bowl XI. This guy kicked ass on the field and he was a smoker! I have seen video of John Madden talking about how Fred was a smoker and sometimes would even light up on the sidelines during a game. LOL

 

As for Neil, I kinda suspect he may have quit the ciggies myself, maybe even before the Time Machine tour started, hence the few extra pounds he has put on, but I don't know for sure. I quit cigs over 25 years ago, but even when I did smoke, I thought I might as well try to counteract the effects of it by staying in shape as much as I could, so I did.

 

 

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QUOTE (druid13 @ Jul 25 2011, 02:20 PM)
Ummm.....I could have done without this photo of an overweight man in a boat wihtout a shirthttp://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-07/174736140-22173500.jpg

Well then why did you post it? doh.gif

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QUOTE (Tommy Sawyer @ Jul 25 2011, 07:13 PM)
QUOTE (druid13 @ Jul 25 2011, 02:20 PM)
Ummm.....I could have done without this photo of an overweight man in a boat wihtout a shirthttp://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-07/174736140-22173500.jpg

Well then why did you post it? doh.gif

I see a man boob.

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While of course this is none of my business, I have to admit I am a little puzzled: Neil seems to pride himself on doing things the best that he can, and takes a very logical and methodical approach to accomplishing things. Something so obviously detrimental like smoking doesn't seem to match his lifestyle tenets - why does he do it (assuming he does still smoke)? Obviously he still plays drums very well, and is probably not too concerned about the effects smoking could have on his playing, but if there's a possibility his playing could improve just a little or be a smidgen easier, he would surely quit. He's perceived as being very intelligent, and smoking just doesn't seem to correlate with this.

 

Again, it's none of my business, of course. After all, he could be doing much worse things, health-wise!

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QUOTE (reani14 @ Jul 24 2011, 08:49 AM)
Are you kidding me??? seriously? this guys fat and smokes. hes not in shape. he looks terrible... I dont know how smoking and overeating is staying fit.. His drumming has slowed down as a result of it too... is this some kind of joke?? ohmy.gif

close.........your mouth!and your brain lol!havent you ever seen or heard of a 'fat' man in shape?20 to 1 youre in worse shape than the master!!!

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QUOTE (BodyForWife @ Jul 24 2011, 08:08 AM)
Rush has been my favorite band for almost 30 years. I had their posters and images cut from magazines plastered all over my walls as a teen, and used Rush lyrics as my high school graduation quote.

A few weeks ago a dream came true for me. I got to interview Neil Peart for 15 minutes before the June 30, 2011 show in Vancouver, BC about his fitness regimen and how he stays in such excellent shape for drumming for my LA Times fitness column. (I live in Calgary, but freelance for LAT.)

My friend and I also got to see the Time Machine show from front row, centre. Never did I think I'd be front row at a Rush concert.

Anyway, as should not be surprising, Neil is a true workout warrior. If you wish to read the column, here it is:

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-fitnes...6300,full.story

LA Times made it a centerpiece feature for the health section, with extra photos. It runs on the cover of the health section on Monday, July 25, 2011.

Also, if you wish to see the photo gallery with some pictures of Neil exercising (that is not drumming, I mean), go here:

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-fitnes...53.photogallery

I hope you enjoy the piece.

Best regards,

James Fell
www.bodyforwife.com

Cheesy Rush references sprinkled throughout; love it!

 

Great job on the article!

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http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd103/laserspray/internet%20stuff/1242032359_haters-gonna-hate.gif

 

 

laugh.gif

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James,

 

Welcome to the board, and thanks for sharing your excellent article with us.

 

And, I see you've met two of our resident curmudgeons (every board has a few), and that you have ignored them in a way befitting a professional. Kudos. trink39.gif

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QUOTE (1-0-0-1-0-0-1 @ Jul 26 2011, 12:28 PM)
James,

Welcome to the board, and thanks for sharing your excellent article with us.

And, I see you've met two of our resident curmudgeons (every board has a few), and that you have ignored them in a way befitting a professional. Kudos. trink39.gif

yes.gif

 

a great read. cool to hear that Neil is into yoga. cool10.gif

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QUOTE (Mika @ Jul 26 2011, 03:06 AM)
While of course this is none of my business, I have to admit I am a little puzzled: Neil seems to pride himself on doing things the best that he can, and takes a very logical and methodical approach to accomplishing things. Something so obviously detrimental like smoking doesn't seem to match his lifestyle tenets - why does he do it (assuming he does still smoke)? Obviously he still plays drums very well, and is probably not too concerned about the effects smoking could have on his playing, but if there's a possibility his playing could improve just a little or be a smidgen easier, he would surely quit. He's perceived as being very intelligent, and smoking just doesn't seem to correlate with this.

Again, it's none of my business, of course. After all, he could be doing much worse things, health-wise!

Because he's addicted to nicotine. All addictions cut through intelligence. I'm sure Neil is well aware of how smoking may have detrimental effects on his health/performance but to quit when you are physically addicted to anything is extremely difficult.

 

Gilby's been trying to give up for as long as I've known him and before. He's very aware of the risks but that doesn't make things any easier for him.

 

 

 

BodyForWife: welcome to TRF!! bekloppt.gif I really enjoyed your article! Love the Rush lyrics you put in!

 

Well done applaudit.gif

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Great article! Thanks so much for sharing. It's well written and a great read. Nice work.
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I love "how" you worked the references throughout the article. The more they came the more I laughed. Awesome job, great sense of humor and I love the play on words with "Body for Wife" as well. It was a far cry from what I was expecting smile.gif

 

As an avid fan who "cares" about the band's health, mostly for my own selfish reasons of hearing them more, I've often wondered if Neil does more than hike and ride a motorcycle or stuff his face at Bubba's Bar and Grill, so it's nice to hear he takes it seriously. As much as we're Rush obsessives, I doubt anyone knew he did Yoga.

 

In the book, Born to Run they talk about the age runners peak, the first is at age 27, the second peak is approximately 62! As the article points out, endurance is different from sprinting. So in runner's terms, Rush could be around a while. I did see an 82 year old just finish an ultra, so well, the peak is never past as long as something lights the fire that gets in your eyes.

 

smile.gif

 

 

 

 

 

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QUOTE (druid13 @ Jul 25 2011, 11:20 AM)
Ummm.....I could have done without this photo of an overweight man in a boat wihtout a shirthttp://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-07/174736140-22173500.jpg

Are those oars or did someone harpoon that dude?

 

tongue.gif

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QUOTE (BodyForWife @ Jul 24 2011, 04:24 PM)
Thank you everyone for the kinds words about the column. I really did write it for the fans first and as a fitness piece second. Hence, the hidden lyrics that non-Rush fans won't even notice.

I actually did not know he was a smoker. I have a keen nose and sat two feet across from him for 15 minutes and didn't even catch a whiff of cigarette smoke. Perhaps he has quit?

James Fell
http://www.bodyforwife.com/

Correct, he quit some time ago.

 

Very well-written piece, I enjoyed reading it! applaudit.gif

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QUOTE (BodyForWife @ Jul 27 2011, 07:35 PM)
Again, thank you for all the kind comments about the column.

I was interviewed on CBC Radio on Monday - the day it was in the paper - about what it was like to interview Neil. Here is the link: http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/episode/2011/0...ness-interview/

Best regards,

James Fell

A well done 6 minute bit there James. yes.gif Thanks.

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