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Hilarious note about 'The Pass'


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Interview With Neil Peart - Modern Maturity Magazine

 

Now the most controversial one of all. What were you referring to in "The Pass" with "Christ, what have you done?"

 

To tell you the truth, that line wasn't even in the original lyrics. What happened relates to food again. The day we recorded that song, we split some Hunan chicken for lunch. All through the take, Al is letting rip with some nasty broccoli farts. The stench made it over to Geddy and me just as the verse was ending. We were barely able to keep playing, hence the stop-time there, and Ged turns to Al and screams: "Christ, what have you done?!" The tape was rolling and we kept it.

Edited by RushFanForever
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"By the way, if you play "Need Some Love" backward, it says "Help, we need a new lyricist." That's how I got the job!"

 

rofl3.gif

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icon_really_happy_guy.gif

 

Wait...this isn't real. doh.gif

 

QUOTE
Modern Maturity, late 1995/early 1996, transcribed by Steven Horwitz

[Webmaster's Note: Originally transcribed in March 1996, unfortunately, the date of this bi-monthly publication issue was not included in the transcript. Assuming it was a semi-recent issue, the date would be late 1995 to early 1996 (reinforced by the mention of Neil's lessons with Freddie Gruber). If you can provide any information on the date of this interview, please email the webmaster. NOTE: this interview shows a rare humorous side to Neil Peart, note his comments regarding Rolling Stone, aging, early Rush lyrics, etc. In addition, it is key in that it includes Neil's comment regarding Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron and it's inspiration on "The Trees".]

We're here in the studio with Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush. Thank you for talking to us Neil. Can I ask why you wanted to do an interview with Modern Maturity?

    Well, our fans are getting older, so we're always looking for new media outlets. After all, we're way overexposed in Rolling Stone. In addition, we'll all be 50 in a few years and we're thinking of moving to the States when we do, so that we can take advantage of our AARP dis-counts at restaurants and hotels.

Rumor has it that you recently took some drum lessons. Can you tell us about that?

    I needed to sharpen my skills, so I went to a workshop run by Hootie and the Blowfish. You know that Soni is such a drum whiz, I figured I could pick up a few pointers.

Can I ask you about some of your lyrics? As you know, there has been a lot of debate about several lines you've written. For example, which is right for "Free Will," what Geddy sings or the lyric sheet?

    Actually, Geddy got it right. The lyric sheet was wrong because the typesetter screwed up. I think the devil made him do it.

What about "The Trees"?

    Well, I'm not going to comment on all of the interpretations that I've seen, I'd rather give you a clue. The song is about someone named "Harrison Bergeron."

Some fans have pointed out that the noise just before the jam in "A Passage to Bangkok" sounds suspiciously like someone toking on a joint. Any comments?

    Well, all I can say about that is don't believe everything Clinton says about his past marijuana use. That noise is a definite inhale. We were going to give him a liner credit, but we just said "Special thanks to...[fill in your name here]" and let him enjoy the joke.

What about the spoken words in the middle of "The Camera Eye?"

    What are you talking about? There's spoken words in the middle of "The Camera Eye"? Where? I've never noticed them.

Okay, what about the mumblings at the beginning and in the middle of "Alien Shore?"

    As you might know, we like to eat during our recording sessions. We were just getting ready to do the take for "Alien Shore" when Mr. Big asks me what I want for lunch. Since we had Mexican the day before I wanted Middle-Eastern. So I yelled back "Baba Ghannouj!" How was I to know the tape was rolling? The voices in the middle are Ged and Al arguing about where to get good baba ghannouj in Morin Heights.

Can you translate the mumbled voices in "Witch Hunt?"

    I don't remember exactly what we said, but if you slow it down, filter out the low end and run it through a flux capacitor at 28 mega cycles it says, "If you are even thinking of voting for Pat Buchanan, you're not listening to the lyrics."

What about "Between the Sun and Moon" on your last album?

    I'll explain it, but only if you can get Geddy to explain "Need Some Love." By the way, if you play "Need Some Love" backward, it says "Help, we need a new lyricist." That's how I got the job!

Now the most controversial one of all. What were you referring to in "The Pass" with "Christ, what have you done?"

    To tell you the truth, that line wasn't even in the original lyrics. What happened relates to food again. The day we recorded that song, we split some Hunan chicken for lunch. All through the take, Al is letting rip with some nasty broccoli farts. The stench made it over to Geddy and me just as the verse was ending. We were barely able to keep playing, hence the stop-time there, and Ged turns to Al and screams: "Christ, what have you done?!" The tape was rolling and we kept it.

Thanks for your time and good luck on the new album.
Edited by Gompers
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Wow it's hard to picture Neil that witty and sharp with a live mic in front of him...

 

Funny stuff! laugh.gif

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NOTE: this interview shows a rare humorous side to Neil Peart, note his comments regarding Rolling Stone, aging, early Rush lyrics, etc. In addition, it is key in that it includes Neil's comment regarding Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron and it's inspiration on "The Trees".]
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Er. RFF, I'm thinking this isn't for real? I mean, even if Neil didn't think too highly of Hootie and The Blowfish, I doubt he'd make fun of them publicly - he's too professional. Edited by Mara
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QUOTE (Mara @ Oct 14 2011, 10:26 AM)
Er. RFF, I'm thinking this isn't for real? I mean, even if Neil didn't think too highly of Hootie and The Blowfish, I doubt he'd make fun of them publicly - he's too professional.

or say "nasty broccoli farts"

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Well, I could picture him saying it in an informal setting but certainly not in a "professional" interview. Come on gang, this is fiction. Funny fiction, but fiction nonetheless. tongue.gif
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QUOTE (RushFanForever @ Oct 14 2011, 10:30 AM)
NOTE: this interview shows a rare humorous side to Neil Peart, note his comments regarding Rolling Stone, aging, early Rush lyrics, etc. In addition, it is key in that it includes Neil's comment regarding Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron and it's inspiration on "The Trees".]

Harrison Bergeron is one of the funniest things you'll ever read.

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