Internet Fandom And Rush

[Tick]

Those who are old enough remember a pure and innocent time when being a Rush fan was just you and your enjoyment of the band. Your feelings not swayed by the vast opinions of the masses. Now just as video killed the radio star, the internet has dampened the fandom of your favorite bands.

 

Before the internet their was no overanalizing every lick and lyric like is done today. Rush put out an album, and you enjoyed the listen with no outside thoughts or interference.

 

I miss those days. Its just not the same anymore. Its not all negative, but now threads about Neils religious connotations, or, ripping apart the set list they will be playing on the current tour, or saying the new stuff sucks, or Geddy can't sing like he used to. It gets into your head and has an effect on you, its not always a good thing.

 

It kind of ruins the purity of what used to be. That's how I feel about it anyway. I just know their will be some who will agree with this sentiment. Others will say the opposite, and that's ok too.

 

Lastly...Don't forget to like my Facebook page, "The National Midnight Starman"

Its a real hoot!

 

 

[ioc]

Reflection on this post does fill me with a certain kind of whimsy for the 'good-ol-days'. And I totally get what you mean.

 

But I've never been a "Rush" fan in the conventional sense. I try not to be fanatical in any part of life, so I don't feel an attachment to Rush as a celebrity icon, unlike some of the folks going haywire on forums.

 

I guess what that means is that I can't find myself caring about what people write on the internet any more than the band does. I do have my opinions about song content and my reasons for having them - both of which I don't mind sharing here. But that's all it is, sharing.

 

I think people forget that when they get on the internet. Any difference is treated as an affront and a challenge. Somehow it becomes a mission, or something like it. They forget that nobody comes to a forum for a change in point of view any more than they did. Their verbal sparring seems to equal no more than self-serving validation and ego reinforcement. I feel sad for those people, but I never think of them or what they say when I'm listening to Rush.

 

So to make a short story long: no, those folks don't bother me or get in my head. While my head is pretty big, there's no room for anyone else in there but me because I'm kinda fat.

Edited May 22, 2012 by ioc

[OGr8imL84AD8inF8sBlackSedan]

QUOTE (Tick @ May 22 2012, 10:43 AM)

Those who are old enough remember a pure and innocent time when being a Rush fan was just you and your enjoyment of the band. Your feelings not swayed by the vast opinions of the masses. Now just as video killed the radio star, the internet has dampened the fandom of your favorite bands. Before the internet their was no overanalizing every lick and lyric like is done today. Rush put out an album, and you enjoyed the listen with no outside thoughts or interference. I miss those days. Its just not the same anymore. Its not all negative, but now threads about Neils religious connotations, or, ripping apart the set list they will be playing on the current tour, or saying the new stuff sucks, or Geddy can't sing like he used to. It gets into your head and has an effect on you, its not always a good thing. It kind of ruins the purity of what used to be. That's how I feel about it anyway. I just know their will be some who will agree with this sentiment. Others will say the opposite, and that's ok too.

Right on brother.

[Aikenrooster]

I have to agree with the OP. I am glad I grew up in a time where all we knew was the radio, for sports and music. Your sensory perceptions are different than when you see videos\live feed.

I come to these forums for information, and maybe to meet to some people who share my fandom, but I agree with the OP, completely.

[ioc]

I thought you were kidding about the National Midnight Starman. But there it was. Nice.

[Tick]

QUOTE (ioc @ May 22 2012, 12:40 PM)

I thought you were kidding about the National Midnight Starman. But there it was. Nice.

 

and the last line on your first post gave me a good laugh!

[ioc]

QUOTE (Tick @ May 22 2012, 11:52 AM)

QUOTE (ioc @ May 22 2012, 12:40 PM) I thought you were kidding about the National Midnight Starman. But there it was. Nice.   and the last line on your first post gave me a good laugh!

[jjgittes]

I look at the "negative" internet stuff this way, per someone we know who works in the television business. She was once asked if the writers of a particular show respond to the chat rooms, etc. on the internet, be it ripping or attempting to figure out plotlines. She said there was an assistant who would track the comments.

It turned out the ripping and complaining came down to the same 8 people, whereas the room had about 14,000 registered participants.

So next time you don't like a post, do the math and think about the percentage of people that the ripping represents. Kind of will make you realize it isn't worth reading.

Edited May 22, 2012 by jjgittes

[Xanadoood]

I agree. Everyone has an outlet now to express their opinion. What annoys me the most are the younger kids on forums , who in a real life situation ,would shut the hell up very quickly, but online everybody is safe...

[ioc]

QUOTE (Xanadoood @ May 22 2012, 01:30 PM)

What annoys me the most are the younger kids on forums , who in a real life situation ,would shut the hell up very quickly, but online everybody is safe...

True enough. I've had to make more than one scraggly-chinned smartass piss his pants in my day. You'd be surprised how easy it is here in the 'real' world. 's

Edited May 22, 2012 by ioc

[rushgoober]

IDK, I enjoy hanging out on TRF so much that the generational changes don't bother me. I enjoyed Rush back then a certain way, and now it's a different way, but it's all good IMHO. Back then I rarely came across people who were Rush fans, except a SMALL group of people at school. Now I know TONS of fans!

 

The only things I truly miss were the days when they came out with an album every year, and then every year and a half, and it was a guarantee that each album would be consistently awesome. Also ticket prices were very affordable. None of those things apply now.

[metaldad]

I miss hearing the music the day it comes out, now the songs are everywhere and it is hard not to listen before hand . I miss not knowing the setlist because it is everywhere once the tour starts and i can't not look at it . I miss standing in line overnight for tickets not looking into a screen and hoping for good seats . I miss my dog spot

[metaldad]

QUOTE (Xanadoood @ May 22 2012, 01:30 PM)

What annoys me the most are the younger kids on forums , who in a real life situation ,would shut the hell up very quickly, but online everybody is safe...

Bingo but this goes for older folk as well

[Tick]

I remember when Moving Pictures was released and sitting in a room waiting for the DJ to play the first cut. He kept saying,"coming up in just a little bit the new song from Rush." I was so excited I fely dizzy. Then that moment when he finally said. "and here is the new track from Rush called Tom Sawyer, on 99 rock, WPLR."

It was pure bliss!

 

I also remember waiting in line at the box office after spending the night, and walking up to the window nervously to get my tickets. Oh that feeling when you held those tickets in your hand! Seeing 5th row center on the floor, while you passed by the masses still waiting in line for there chance at the window.

Pure elation!

 

Yes, I'm an old guy who knows that the kids today are cheated from the absolute magic I experienced as a kid.

[Tick]

QUOTE (metaldad @ May 22 2012, 02:42 PM)

QUOTE (Xanadoood @ May 22 2012, 01:30 PM) What annoys me the most are the younger kids on forums , who in a real life situation ,would shut the hell up very quickly, but online everybody is safe... Bingo but this goes for older folk as well I thought you said your dogs name was Spot?

[Merely Space]

I remember the old days fondly, too. But I also remember feeling starved for information, which is mush easier to come by these days. And I find TRF to be a macrocosm of the discussions I had with friends about Rush back in the good old days. There were still haters then, too. I especially remember that with Signals and GUP.

 

And over analysis? The guy who introduced me to Rush loved Neil's drumming. But he had no kit. So he mocked up a kit out of coffee cans and the like, and learned to play every fill on Xanadu & TSoR!

[Slack jaw gaze]

QUOTE (Tick @ May 22 2012, 09:43 AM)

Before the internet their was no overanalizing every lick and lyric like is done today. Rush put out an album, and you enjoyed the listen with no outside thoughts or interference. I miss those days.

You've made the choice to abandon those days. Rush news isn't exactly mainstream. You seek it out.

[Tick]

QUOTE (Slack jaw gaze @ May 22 2012, 04:01 PM)

QUOTE (Tick @ May 22 2012, 09:43 AM) Before the internet their was no overanalizing every lick and lyric like is done today. Rush put out an album, and you enjoyed the listen with no outside thoughts or interference. I miss those days. You've made the choice to abandon those days. Rush news isn't exactly mainstream. You seek it out. True. but how can you resist knowing the info is out there? I do enjoy the social aspect of it, but it has been cheapened. I'm just starting to feel it now. That isn't to say its all bad. I'm an adict now. Its too late to turn back. Even without messageboards, its still changed in many ways. You have not lived until you sleep on a frozen sidewalk! I say how great it was, but no way in hell would I do it now.   I just feel it was fair as far as tickets go back then. If you put in the effort, you got a great seat. and your opinion of a new album was not tainted by anyones else's view of it.

[CrossedSignals]

QUOTE (Tick @ May 22 2012, 03:04 PM)

I remember when Moving Pictures was released and sitting in a room waiting for the DJ to play the first cut. He kept saying,"coming up in just a little bit the new song from Rush." I was so excited I fely dizzy. Then that moment when he finally said. "and here is the new track from Rush called Tom Sawyer, on 99 rock, WPLR." It was pure bliss! I also remember waiting in line at the box office after spending the night, and walking up to the window nervously to get my tickets. Oh that feeling when you held those tickets in your hand! Seeing 5th row center on the floor, while you passed by the masses still waiting in line for there chance at the window. Pure elation! Yes, I'm an old guy who knows that the kids today are cheated from the absolute magic I experienced as a kid.

It's true, my generation is definitely missing out on something. I was born in 1990, and I have no idea what it's like anticipating hearing a song for the first time on the radio or waiting in line to get tickets to a show. I don't know if I've been cheated because I simply don't know what those things are like. But I can imagine I have been.

 

I don't really get excited about discovering new music anymore. I remember how thrilled I was as a young kid waiting to get to the store to buy a new CD, but now every new release is available for free, legally, instantaneously, on Grooveshark. I can listen to practically anything on-demand, for $3/month. I don't need to buy CDs anymore.

 

The closest thing I've felt to the thrill of discovering new music (since I was a young kid) is finding a record I love for sale at a used record store. This is why I collect records. For the nostalgia (insofar as I can experience it at age 21).

 

The demise of physical media as a means to distribute music (records, CDs, etc.) is something I think about often. Since I don't buy CDs anymore, what will I pass on to my children? What objects will trigger fond memories of youth when I grow older? I realize I have a choice to buy or not buy CDs, but the financial incentive is not there. Grooveshark, with its $3 all-you-can-eat musical buffet, has done away with that incentive.

[ioc]

QUOTE (Tick @ May 22 2012, 02:04 PM)

I remember when Moving Pictures was released and sitting in a room waiting for the DJ to play the first cut. He kept saying,"coming up in just a little bit the new song from Rush." I was so excited I fely dizzy. Then that moment when he finally said. "and here is the new track from Rush called Tom Sawyer, on 99 rock, WPLR." It was pure bliss! I also remember waiting in line at the box office after spending the night, and walking up to the window nervously to get my tickets. Oh that feeling when you held those tickets in your hand! Seeing 5th row center on the floor, while you passed by the masses still waiting in line for there chance at the window. Pure elation! Yes, I'm an old guy who knows that the kids today are cheated from the absolute magic I experienced as a kid.

Oh, yeah!!

 

Later, I remember Rock Line. Songs from the new album would be debuted during interviews with Al and Ged. I had that radio wired into my tape recorder so I could listen to the songs over and over.

[Tick]

 

I'm becoming one of those old people who longs for "the good old days"

Their was special magic that I am conviced is gone for the youth of today.

[ThinkingBig]

QUOTE (Tick @ May 22 2012, 09:43 AM)

Those who are old enough remember a pure and innocent time when being a Rush fan was just you and your enjoyment of the band. Your feelings not swayed by the vast opinions of the masses.  Now just as video killed the radio star, the internet has dampened the fandom of your favorite bands. Before the internet their was no overanalizing every lick and lyric like is done today. Rush put out an album, and you enjoyed the listen with no outside thoughts or interference. I miss those days. Its just not the same anymore. Its not all negative, but  now threads about Neils religious connotations, or, ripping apart the set list they will be playing on the current tour, or saying the new stuff sucks, or Geddy can't sing like he used to. It gets into your head and has an effect on you, its not always a good thing. It kind of ruins the purity of what used to be. That's how I feel about it anyway. I just know their will be some who will agree with this sentiment. Others will say the opposite, and that's ok too. Lastly...Don't forget to like my Facebook page, "The National Midnight Starman" Its a real hoot!

I've realized that some peoples' love for RUSH is not unconditional.

 

I've realize that RUSH attracts people with different views than me.

 

I've realized newer fans sometime forget that "yes it was for me not you, that I came to write this song"... Perhaps we old-timers forget that as well.

 

The Anthem lyric sums up the greatness, the purity of RUSH, IMO. It's also the cause of occasional frustration and resentment when a new album comes out or a setlist does meet peoples' expectations.

 

Last, I've realized that some people have a very loose and open definition of the term sell-out. It seems that any deviation from past methods can be seen as a sell-out IF it results in sustained or increase popularity.

 

I never thought the rapping skeleton on RBT was a sell-out. Just a miss fire or experiment that didn't quite work the way they had hoped. But he still made the cut on R30. I went for a hot dog.

[danielmclark]

QUOTE (ioc @ May 22 2012, 03:07 PM)

QUOTE (Tick @ May 22 2012, 02:04 PM) I remember when Moving Pictures was released and sitting in a room waiting for the DJ to play the first cut. He kept saying,"coming up in just a little bit the new song from Rush." I was so excited I fely dizzy. Then that moment when he finally said. "and here is the new track from Rush called Tom Sawyer, on 99 rock, WPLR." It was pure bliss! I also remember waiting in line at the box office after spending the night, and walking up to the window nervously to get my tickets. Oh that feeling when you held those tickets in your hand! Seeing 5th row center on the floor, while you passed by the masses still waiting in line for there chance at the window. Pure elation! Yes, I'm an old guy who knows that the kids today are cheated from the absolute magic I experienced as a kid. Oh, yeah!!   Later, I remember Rock Line. Songs from the new album would be debuted during interviews with Al and Ged. I had that radio wired into my tape recorder so I could listen to the songs over and over. I still have the cassette of the Rock Line episode from 1991 that debuted Roll the Bones. I loved the hell out of that show that day.

[thesweetscience]

QUOTE (Tick @ May 22 2012, 10:43 AM)

Those who are old enough remember a pure and innocent time when being a Rush fan was just you and your enjoyment of the band. Your feelings not swayed by the vast opinions of the masses. Now just as video killed the radio star, the internet has dampened the fandom of your favorite bands. Before the internet their was no overanalizing every lick and lyric like is done today. Rush put out an album, and you enjoyed the listen with no outside thoughts or interference. I miss those days. Its just not the same anymore. Its not all negative, but now threads about Neils religious connotations, or, ripping apart the set list they will be playing on the current tour, or saying the new stuff sucks, or Geddy can't sing like he used to. It gets into your head and has an effect on you, its not always a good thing. It kind of ruins the purity of what used to be. That's how I feel about it anyway. I just know their will be some who will agree with this sentiment. Others will say the opposite, and that's ok too. Lastly...Don't forget to like my Facebook page, "The National Midnight Starman" Its a real hoot!

This forum alone has changed my view quite a bit. I seldom listen to Rush and almost never read the Rush related posts here. Over-saturation and the repetitive rehashing of the same old discussions has made it all become stale.

[danielmclark]

QUOTE (thesweetscience @ May 22 2012, 03:43 PM)

QUOTE (Tick @ May 22 2012, 10:43 AM) Those who are old enough remember a pure and innocent time when being a Rush fan was just you and your enjoyment of the band. Your feelings not swayed by the vast opinions of the masses.  Now just as video killed the radio star, the internet has dampened the fandom of your favorite bands. Before the internet their was no overanalizing every lick and lyric like is done today. Rush put out an album, and you enjoyed the listen with no outside thoughts or interference. I miss those days. Its just not the same anymore. Its not all negative, but  now threads about Neils religious connotations, or, ripping apart the set list they will be playing on the current tour, or saying the new stuff sucks, or Geddy can't sing like he used to. It gets into your head and has an effect on you, its not always a good thing. It kind of ruins the purity of what used to be. That's how I feel about it anyway. I just know their will be some who will agree with this sentiment. Others will say the opposite, and that's ok too. Lastly...Don't forget to like my Facebook page, "The National Midnight Starman" Its a real hoot! This forum alone has changed my view quite a bit. I seldom listen to Rush and almost never read the Rush related posts here. Over-saturation and the repetitive rehashing of the same old discussions has made it all become stale. We're rehashing conversations that happened on alt.music.rush 20+ years ago