Three survey type questions for research purposes

[RUSHHEAD666]

I just tied inseparable. The music blows away the lyrical content. It's Neil writing science fiction based on the works of Ayn Rand. Not even original.

When will "2112" be a major motion picture based on the lyrics? Never.

 

The music is the truth. Lyrically fitting yet cliche.

[Verena]

1. What led you to become a Rush fan?

 

I became a fan listening to Test For Echo on the radio when the album was released.

The radio station used to play few more of their songs and I appreciated the band instantly. :)

 

2. If the album and/or song 2112 played a major role in your induction into the Rush fanbase, how did it do so?

 

Absolutely. When I had the album I loved since the first fifteen seconds until the very end.

I listened a lot during two years of my life, it was very inspiring.

 

3. What meaning do the lyrics and symbols of 2112 hold for you, or what lack of meaning if there isn't any?

 

I do like the symbol and lyrics. But what they be without the melodies?

I just love the whole masterpiece and Alex Lifeson's guitar riffs. :)

 

(And who here doesn't love the guitar riffs?)

 

-- The album surely made me considerate the band even more. I love their music since the 70's until nowadays.

[Maverick]

First. What do I get?

 

I, for one, would like to be given a feature interview in the next edition of the YBG.

[Tombstone Mountain]

First. What do I get?

 

I, for one, would like to be given a feature interview in the next edition of the YBG.

Here's the cover

http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o371/x1yyz/YBG%20Starman-drumstick_zps6nvll3g7.jpg

[Maverick]

Nifty!

[Thunder Bay Rush]

When I was 13 and living in Ottawa, a friend of mine from Upstate New York was visiting and be brought ATWAS. When 2112 was being announced by Geddy, my friend said, "Dude, you gotta check this out." That was it for me... then, I went out and bought ATWAS and 2112... and when AFTK came out a year later... done deal. Oh, and my first concert on the 2112 tour didn't hurt either! Ottawa Civic Centre... 8,000 people, sold out. I was hooked.

[JohnnyBlaze]

1. What led you to become a Rush fan?

 

Rush entered my brain via one of the strongest emotions around: FEAR. That is, one of my older bros used to scare me by playing Cygnus X-1 in the late 70s. I was 5 or 6 then. I became a true fan around age 9 when Moving Pictures was released. But it's a fact that fear was the first connection I had with Rush.

 

2. If the album and/or song 2112 played a major role in your induction into the Rush fanbase, how did it do so?

 

It didn't. I heard 2112 BEFORE I became a fan. After Moving Pictures, I went back and revisited all the previous albums. Permanent Waves, Hemispheres, and A Farewell to Kings were on my love list before 2112. I did eventually catch on to 2112 and love it but that was probably right around the time Signals came on the scene.

 

3. What meaning do the lyrics and symbols of 2112 hold for you, or what lack of meaning if there isn't any?

 

The lyrics are straightforward. It's the standard rock music mentality of standing up against "the man" and doing what you believe is right. The individual being surrounded by the masses is visually apparent with 1s being engulfed by the "full-bodied" 2s in "2112". The lyrics or symbols don't move me to any remarkable degree but they do fit perfectly. And, obviously so, having seen and heard the symbols and lyrics for so long, I can't imagine anything else that'd match the music.

[ctbadger]

1. What led you to become a Rush fan?

In 1983 I was 14; two of my friends were going to see Rush and asked if I wanted to go. Music wasn't important to me at the time, but I went to hang out with my friends. The concert was on April 1, 1983 in Hartford, CT. I enjoyed the show but when they played Countdown I became a fan for life. You see, I was a bit of a space nut back then, and I thought how cool is it that Rush wrote a song about the Space Shuttle!

 

2. If the album and/or song 2112 played a major role in your induction into the Rush fanbase, how did it do sot

It did not. I don't remember when I picked up 2112 on cassette (sometime between 1984 and 1987) but I do recall it was the second CD I ever purchased (Hold Your Fire was the first). So obviously it was an important album early in my Rush experience but did not play a part at all in my introduction to the band.

 

3. What meaning do the lyrics and symbols of 2112 hold for you, or what lack of meaning if there isn't any?

Certainly the Starman symbol is the de facto identifier of Rush and something which I identify with. For me it was an extension of my experience of who I felt I was as a teenager. Subdivisions played a huge part in that as well. I never really identified with any group in high school; not athletic enough to be a jock, not outgoing enough to be in the popular set, not rebellious enough to be with the smokers/stoners, even not nerdy enough to be a geek! So I kind of floated aimlessly and had just a couple of close friends, and Rush as a whole became an identifier for me. As for the lyrics I think I appreciated the man vs. the collective aspect of 2112 but I wouldn't say it was defining for me. I was never a Ayn Rand fan, didn't like her works at all. I was more of a Lord of the Rings kid.

Edited March 7, 2016 by ctbadger

[JARG]

1. What led you to become a Rush fan?

Hearing the big drum fills in By-tor and the snow dog. I'd never heard music like that before. I sat down with the lyric sheet and was immediately drawn in. This was in 1977 and I was twelve years old. I was just the right age for rock songs with fantasy lyrics to take hold.

2. If the album and/or song 2112 played a major role in your induction into the Rush fanbase, how did it do so?

All the early albums played a big role in me becoming a fan. Certainly 2112 with its sci-fi lyrics appealed to me for the same reason that By-Tor's fantasy lyrics appealed to me.

3. What meaning do the lyrics and symbols of 2112 hold for you, or what lack of meaning if there isn't any?

Other than advancing the story line, the lyrics to 2112 don't hold a particular meaning for me now. When I was in my Randroid phase, the lyrics were more important to me.

[robertrobyn]

1978 I was in a talent show with my 2 friends. I was Neil on drums which consisted of boxes trashcans etc. We lip synced to Temples of Syrinx. I was 10

[hcm]

1. My friend played Fly By Night for me when I was 10(it was their newest album), something about how different the music and Geddy's voice, yes Geddy's voice pulled me in

 

2. 2112 came out and the same friend invited me over to listen to it, it cemented me as a fan, loved the story line(I didn't read Ayn Rand till after I was a Rush fan, see rock can expand your horizons)

 

3. the lyrics and music and even the guys are all irreplaceable, there is a kind of magic the way it all works in my ears, mind and eyes, are the lyrics sometimes lacking, maybe, but the music fills in the gaps and carries me along. To just read the lyrics isn't enough, even now when I read them I hear the music in my head. The music is great but the lyrics crystallizes the thoughts.

[presto123]

2112 had zero influence on me becoming a Rush fan. I revisited the early period after the early 80's material had me hooked line and sinker and to be honest was slightly disappointed by the first 5 or so records. 2112 never really clicked with me off the bat and still remains towards the bottom of my Rush album rankings. It is one of the most important records in Rush history for obvious reasons, but not one of the best IMO. Would be interesting to hear everybody's take on the meteoric takeoff of Moving Pictures and what they thought of their cult band suddenly becoming the world's biggest cult band. Edited March 7, 2016 by presto123

[Disembodied Spirit]

1. What led you to become a Rush fan?

It was 1980 and my boyfriend at the time played me Permanent Waves, which had recently came out. This was the first time I had heard the band's music and I loved it immediately.

 

2. If the album and/or song 2112 played a major role in your induction into the Rush fanbase, how did it do so?

It did not. I started listening to 2112 after I was already a fan and I wanted to hear more of the band's music.

 

3. What meaning do the lyrics and symbols of 2112 hold for you, or what lack of meaning if there isn't any?

The lyrics and symbols of 2112 are just part of a story to me. As far as the stories contained in lyrics I think 2112 is pretty good, but I don't read any more into it than that. The imagery started out as illustrations to go with that story, but over the years the Starman has come to be a symbol of Rush the band.

 

I had heard of the album 2112 for a couple years before I ever heard Rush's music due to the Columbia Record House. They had those ads in magazines and newspapers where you could get a number of tapes for a dime or a quarter or whatever it was, and I remember seeing "Rush - 2112" listed in there. I wonder if I would have liked the album then, at that younger age and without the more accessible songs on Permanent Waves to first draw me in?

Ah, Columbia House.

Kids we would tape a Penny to a postcard. No seriously. TAPE A PENNY to a postcard, and they would Magically send us

10 Albums 6 weeks later.

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag153/Freedom80065/columbia-house-ad_zps2jpuutfc.jpg

[x1yyz]

1. What led you to become a Rush fan?

It was 1980 and my boyfriend at the time played me Permanent Waves, which had recently came out. This was the first time I had heard the band's music and I loved it immediately.

 

2. If the album and/or song 2112 played a major role in your induction into the Rush fanbase, how did it do so?

It did not. I started listening to 2112 after I was already a fan and I wanted to hear more of the band's music.

 

3. What meaning do the lyrics and symbols of 2112 hold for you, or what lack of meaning if there isn't any?

The lyrics and symbols of 2112 are just part of a story to me. As far as the stories contained in lyrics I think 2112 is pretty good, but I don't read any more into it than that. The imagery started out as illustrations to go with that story, but over the years the Starman has come to be a symbol of Rush the band.

 

I had heard of the album 2112 for a couple years before I ever heard Rush's music due to the Columbia Record House. They had those ads in magazines and newspapers where you could get a number of tapes for a dime or a quarter or whatever it was, and I remember seeing "Rush - 2112" listed in there. I wonder if I would have liked the album then, at that younger age and without the more accessible songs on Permanent Waves to first draw me in?

Ah, Columbia House.

Kids we would tape a Penny to a postcard. No seriously. TAPE A PENNY to a postcard, and they would Magically send us

10 Albums 6 weeks later.

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag153/Freedom80065/columbia-house-ad_zps2jpuutfc.jpg

 

 

Moving Pictures is in there! Third column, sixth down.

[foghorn-leghorn]

1.My first experience of RUSH came after buying ATWAS purely on the strength of the album cover. The early albums were great but the 70's were full of fantastic music. It was seeing them live were they became "Special" in my eyes.

 

That first gig in 1977 convinced me they were a cut above the rest. In fact, I actually stopped listening to other bands for quite some time,

 

and started comparing every live band I saw to RUSH. Then, not long after I went to see UFO. During the interval,the DJ put on Xanadu.

 

As the RUSH fans in the crowd began to realise who it was, we ALL got on our feet and started cheering and clapping. The UFO fans who still had never heard of RUSH,

took offence and started booing. This was Glasgow and things could have got nasty, but luckily, we all quickly calmed down. I had never felt like that or seen the Glasgow crowd react to an interval song in such fashion.

 

That helped convince me this was THE band for me. Incidentally, UFO were fantastic on the night.

 

 

2. 2112 simply confirmed they were a great band for me, but did not stand out from the others.I actually preferred Caress Of Steel.

 

 

3. When I was young, I didn't care about lyrics. I gave up as soon as I heard YES . I liked the symbols simply as ARTWORK.

 

I was more shocked by the Kimonos, thank goodness they dropped them.

Edited March 7, 2016 by foghorn-leghorn

[foghorn-leghorn]

I would be very interested in reading your final essay. If it does not get a top grade,there WILL be trouble.

 

Just so your teacher knows.

[Alph Seeker]

Hi there,

 

I became a Rush fan soon after Moving Pictures was released. I was 15 and a friend was playing the tape on his box (we all had one) :); as soon as I heard Tom Sawyer I just loved it. I had a turntable (of course) and bought the LP. After that, I joined the 'Record Club' (Columbia House, I think) and of the like 14 selections you could get for a penny (I think there was actually a place to tape a penny on the form you mailed in) I chose as many Rush albums as they had available. I'll get to 2112 next, but what really stood out for me after MP was Caress of Steel. I remember very well just thinking how different it was from MP, and how I liked it nearly as much, but for different reasons. Similarly, when Signals came out, I just could not believe how different THAT album was. I was a bit disappointed in how mellow it was, but I was also a big Yes fan (still am) and Signals grew on me pretty quickly.

 

Before I started that initial collection of Rush's past albums, I heard 2112 for the first time at summer camp - again on a friends box. Overture and Temples was just amazing to me; I really could not get enough of it. Once I had my own copy, it became THE album I would play as loud as my speakers could bear. It became a form of therapy when the stresses of school, girlfriend, job - all that typical teenage stuff got overwhelming. So, I did vote that 2112 was a major part of my becoming a Rush fan, but really it was just the next taste I got after MP - Rush had already become my favorite band just from MP alone. As to the lyrics vs the music, I voted them equally influential. I was very impressed with the epic format of 2112, but at the same time AFTK and Hemispheres were already out and I bought everything around the same time, so it was all one big influence for me. I read a lot as a kid, so of course I picked up Anthem right away and also read The Fountainhead. Atlas Shrugged I did not get to until well into my adult years. Like many, I may not have paid much attention to Ayn Rand if not for 2112. I can confidently say, though - that if I had heard 2112 first, that would have hooked me as much as MP did.

 

I guess I'll close by saying that up until I heard MP, I did not have a favorite band. I had listened to music for a few years up to that point, but only had a few albums -mostly it was the radio as background music. Rush was the first band I became passionate about and they have stayed #1 ever since - but they also got me into Prog Rock and Jazz - just basically kick started me into an interest in music I had not had before. I am forever grateful! My only 'regret' for a while after I really got into them, was wishing I had heard them sooner. If nothing else, I wished I had seen the Moving Pictures tour - they had played in my area when I was in 9th grade - I knew of the concert but didn't know the band. It was only a few months later that my friend played MP on his box. The first concert I ever saw was Asia. A respectable runner-up I'd say!

[Empty Mindless Spectre]

1. What led you to become a Rush fan?

It was pretty much love at first listen for me. I was 14 when Permanent Waves came out. I heard The Spirit of Radio on the radio (oh the irony, Lol), and was drawn to it. It wasn't played all that often, but I listened to the radio quite a bit back then, and every time I heard it I liked it even more. I was just starting to branch out from listening to my Dad's favorites, such as The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Moody Blues, Buddy Holly, Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John, etc. I was into stuff like Journey, AC/DC, Aerosmith, but I remember feeling like none of these could ever be my favorite band, and there had to be something better out there. I also liked Zeppelin, but again, wanted something more. When I was finally able to buy Permanent Waves, sometime @ March 1980 I think, and carve out an opportunity to listen to it on my Dad's turntable (which wasn't easy), I just couldn't believe how awesome it was. No other rock band had lyrics like this, and the music itself was even better. Alex's guitar sound just grabbed me right from the start, and the drums were the icing on the cake. I probably didn't appreciate Geddy's bass playing enough at that time, but ubdoubtedly it's role in the totality of the incredible overall sound of Permant Waves was a key part of what drew me to Rush. I can still remember sitting in my living room listening to Natural Science and reading the lyrics on the album sleeve, and just not believing how amazing it was. I replayed that song two or three times right away, before replaying the entire album again. The next album I bought was Caress of Steel (cassette tape actually) which my Dad actually spotted for me in the bargain bin at Sears for $3.99 (or maybe $2.99). As soon as I heard Bastille Day for the first time, I knew…. that this was the band I had been searching for. I was literally ecstatic that I had discovered Rush, and couldn't wait to get all of their albums.

 

2. If the album and/or song 2112 played a major role in your induction into the Rush fanbase, how did it do so?

2112 was the 5th Rush album I listened to, and by then I was already a huge fan. I liked it very much, especially Alex's guitar work, but there were, and still are, many other Rush songs I like better. Don't get me wrong… it is a GREAT song, and would be my favorite song ever if other songs like Natural Science, LVS, The Necromancer, Cygnus X-1 (both), Xanadu, etc. didn't exist.

 

3. What meaning do the lyrics and symbols of 2112 hold for you, or what lack of meaning if there isn't any?

The starman symbol, to me, simply means Rush. I had a raglan t-shirt in high school with the Hemispheres style logo above the starman, which I wore until it shredded off my back.

 

The lyrics of 2112 were never all that important to me. I always saw it as a cool story and concept, but not really earth shattering. Certainly the Orwellian "big brother" concept it reminds me of is important, but there isn't really anything new or groundbreaking about it. I never realized at the time how much meaning it had for the band and the situation they were facing when they wrote the album though. After watching BTLS and learning about how 2112 was written as a giant "F-You" to the record company, who were trying to strong arm them into producing a more radio friendly record, I honestly appreciate 2112's lyrics and their meaning much more. It might not be a bad idea to tie this into your report somehow if it fits, but that is up to you.

 

I hope this helps, and good luck with your report.

[taurus]

2112 was the first Rush song Iever heard. Summer of '76. I'm at my older cousin's house, on the throne and I hear the spaceship sounds and then the "da da da daaaa". I cut my business short and rushed out to find out who was making the most awesome sounds I had ever heard. That was the beginning, 40 years later I'm still holding the Red Star proudly high in hand

[Empty Mindless Spectre]

2112 was the first Rush song Iever heard. Summer of '76. I'm at my older cousin's house, on the throne and I hear the spaceship sounds and then the "da da da daaaa". I cut my business short and rushed out to find out who was making the most awesome sounds I had ever heard. That was the beginning, 40 years later I'm still holding the Red Star proudly high in hand

 

Just don't hold the toilet paper high in hand! :D

[Alien Girl]

I became a Rush fan at the age of 10 in 1980, when my sister brought home Permanent Waves and played TSOR for me. We were so blown away by that whole album. And that's what started us on the road of being fans. 2112 was part of the 'filling in the backstory' part of that. There was something so intense and powerful to the song and in it's audial imagery that for a while I was kind of obsessed with it. I remember roller skating around the block of a boy I had a crush on in the 6th grade with a boombox playing 2112 on a continual loop. Well, as continual loop a cassette tape can get when you have to rewind a 20 minute song. He finally came out of his house and asked me to stop. It was then that I realized that 2112 was not the magnum opus to everyone else that it was to me. Turns out he was more of a Van Halen fan. Meh. It takes all kinds, I guess.

[OldRUSHfan]

!. First heard "Fly By Night" on the local ROCK station, WRIF Detroit, in Januarly of '75, and later, around the first of Sept. "Caress of Steel" in it's entirety from a friend who bought it. "Lakeside Park" was the first song to catch my attention on that album along with "I Think I'm Going Bald". The same friend bought "2112" as soon as it came out, and he allowed me to tape both albums and "Fly By Night" for myself, since I didn't have a steady job yet. The first album I got was ATWAS that fall, and my first concert was on that album's promotional tour in Feb. of '77. I turned 19 that year.

 

2. In '75 I turned 17 in May, so I was 16 when I first heard RUSH. I also first SAW RUSH on "Don Kirshner's Rock concert" TV show that year.So I consider myself an "OldRUSHfan" hence my username since I got into online msg. boards. It's my UN Everywhere I had an acct. online.

 

3. I'm a Music Fanatic, so the music is WAY in front of the lyrics, although Lyrics are in the fore in terms of INTELLIGENCE, and MUCH better than the "COCK ROCK" purported by most bands in the '60s and '70s. So lyrics and icons are important, but not as much as the MUSIC! "Lessons" is my Favorite Song by RUSH, and it's the only song credited with lyrics by Alex! http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j223/OldRUSHfan/Music%20Smilies/music-ENJOY.gif

[Lorraine]

1. What led you to become a Rush fan?

 

2. If the album and/or song 2112 played a major role in your induction into the Rush fanbase, how did it do so?

 

3. What meaning do the lyrics and symbols of 2112 hold for you, or what lack of meaning if there isn't any?

 

 

1. Moving Pictures

 

2. N/A

 

3. Out of all of the Rush albums, 2112 is, believe it or not, an album I rarely listen to.

[EagleMoon]

I became a Rush fan in 1977 when AFTK's came out. Xanadu was my indoctrination into the hallowed hall. 2112 just cemented my love for the band along with the previous albums. I'm definitely an older Rush fan. I've come to appreciate the newer stuff but it'll never hold the same place in my heart as the pre-Signals albums. They are the ultimate Rush. Hard to say about 2112 music or lyrics/symbols. I'd have to say a combo of both. I remember reading a lot of Ayn Rand because of it. :)

[HemiBeers]

1. Well my situation with 2112 is a little different. You see my username is the address of the house that grew up in. Honest. No bull. My sister still lives there after my parents died. So my first introduction to Rush was seeing 2112 listed on Columbia House and wondering what was up with this album that's the same as my house address? A few years went by and I gradually got more diverse in my music choices in high school. Then I saw the cover of ATWAS and was immediately drawn to the stage set. I never heard Rush before buying ATWAS since our local radio was playing The Eagles, Boston, Fleetwood Mac, etc. On a good day, I got reception for WRIF in Detroit. As soon as I played ATWAS I was blown away and have been ever since. So I guess you can call my initial notice of Rush as purely a coincidence.

 

I'm old as f**k in case you haven't figured that out. When I was born, all the wheels were still square,

 

In terms of what 2112 means to me, I'm a musician first and foremost. If the lyrics are interesting that's cool, but I really DGAF about lyrics. I'd be happy if they were all instrumental like The Dixie Dregs. Neil's lyrics are moderately interesting, but not nearly as interesting as the music. Hey I'd be happy with pizza without the cheese, so sue me for only liking the music.