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Gangster of Boats Trilogy?


DirtyMidnighter
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Sorry if this has been covered but could anyone point me to an explanation of the odd subtitle for "Where's My Thing?" Thanks!

 

I actually have no idea.

 

Those Rush guys have always been just kind of goofy like that, though.

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I read somewhere that Alex and Ged used to joke with Neil they were going to call something or the other the "Gangster of Boats" and they threw in the whole "Part IV.... trilogy" thing for humor. No one said anything about it being *good* humor, though. ;)

 

Many of the instrumental titles seem to be some sort of inside joke.....

  • Often we forget LVS has a subtitle of "An Exercise in Self-Indulgence".
  • "Limbo" was actually a bit of pun reference to Rush Limbaugh (Limbaugh apparently might have mistaken that as an endorsement and found out otherwise when the band demanded he stop using their music for lead ins).
  • I think "The Main Monkey Business" was a reference to one of the guys' mother or grandmother making a euphemism for sex?
  • "Mal Nar" is a direct reference to the movie Team America: World Police.

That kind of thing. Sometimes I think they guys just got together to record music solely so they can hang out, joke around, and try to crack each other up.

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I read somewhere that Alex and Ged used to joke with Neil they were going to call something or the other the "Gangster of Boats" and they threw in the whole "Part IV.... trilogy" thing for humor. No one said anything about it being *good* humor, though. ;)

 

Many of the instrumental titles seem to be some sort of inside joke.....

  • Often we forget LVS has a subtitle of "An Exercise in Self-Indulgence".
  • "Limbo" was actually a bit of pun reference to Rush Limbaugh (Limbaugh apparently might have mistaken that as an endorsement and found out otherwise when the band demanded he stop using their music for lead ins).
  • I think "The Main Monkey Business" was a reference to one of the guys' mother or grandmother making a euphemism for sex?
  • "Mal Nar" is a direct reference to the movie Team America: World Police.

That kind of thing. Sometimes I think they guys just got together to record music solely so they can hang out, joke around, and try to crack each other up.

And don't forget Anagram (for Mongo).

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I read somewhere that Alex and Ged used to joke with Neil they were going to call something or the other the "Gangster of Boats" and they threw in the whole "Part IV.... trilogy" thing for humor. No one said anything about it being *good* humor, though. ;)

 

Many of the instrumental titles seem to be some sort of inside joke.....

  • Often we forget LVS has a subtitle of "An Exercise in Self-Indulgence".
  • "Limbo" was actually a bit of pun reference to Rush Limbaugh (Limbaugh apparently might have mistaken that as an endorsement and found out otherwise when the band demanded he stop using their music for lead ins).
  • I think "The Main Monkey Business" was a reference to one of the guys' mother or grandmother making a euphemism for sex?
  • "Mal Nar" is a direct reference to the movie Team America: World Police.

That kind of thing. Sometimes I think they guys just got together to record music solely so they can hang out, joke around, and try to crack each other up.

And don't forget Anagram (for Mongo).

 

 

I didn't realize Anagram was an instrumental? :huh:

 

But, yeah, that song title relates.... they were clowning around there, too. :joker: (I believe this emoji is an Alex Lifeson self portrait, in fact).

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Don't forget YYZ... which was named after their friend Zach (nicknamed 'Zed') crapped on their couch.

 

Geddy said Why, Why Zed?? The name just stuck

Edited by Lost In Xanadu
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Well, it's coming from the guys that have songs called "Leave that thing alone", have had chicken roasters and washing machines on stage, and were going to have a song named "Take that lampshade of yo head". Can anyone really be surprised at this. :P
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I'm still waiting for Gangster of Boats Trilogy Part V.Led Zep never called their fourth album lV,must have been an in joke.
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Don't ask the band,they are not giving anything away except there could be part V re: Colbert show.Tentative nod from Neal.Colbert missed a golden opportunity to get to the bottom of this.
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I got in touch with the Gangster of Boats...he's got some killer rock! I see why Rush dedicated this song to him! If anyone needs his info, hit me up...:smoke:
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From the way back machine:

 

137:But why is "Where's My Thing" labeled as Part IV of the trilogy?

"Strictly an inside joke, in the sense that the other two guys keep threatening that if I don't come up with an album title in time, they're gonna call it 'Gangster of Boats,' for reasons best known to them. And then the joke in that, of course, is it's 'Part IV of a trilogy', so we thought that was apropos." - Neil Peart, "Rockline," 12/2/91

"The Gangster of Boats thing is just.. it's a joke. We've decided tonight that it's not a very funny joke because because people keep asking serious questions about it." -- Geddy Lee, in the January 24, 1994 "Rockline" interview

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