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Thread: Neil Peart writes about recording drums over the years

  1. #1

    Neil Peart writes about recording drums over the years


  2. #2
    Great article; thanks for sharing. I learned a lot about Neil's work with Rush over the years (and especially his early years with JR Flood).

  3. #3
    Member Gizmotron's Avatar
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    Thanks so much!
    Because I really admire Neil's writing, most of this was not new but some of it was. But I never tire of re-reading his prose. He is such a thoughtful player and writer.

    I certainly noticed his use of the the past tense in the second part of this parenthetical statement:

    (We often relied on visual cues for solo endings and such, just as Alex, Geddy, and I sometimes did onstage.)

    In case anyone wonders if he is done touring, I think this is a strong indicator. Neil never writes anything casually. Every word, construction, and yes, tense, is quite deliberate.

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    Member Koreabruce's Avatar
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    Agreed. Having just finished Far and Wide, I think Neil could not have made it more clear that he is forever finished with touring and probably drumming as well. He clearly wants folks to understand that he is retired. It would seem that his further involvement in Rush will be more along the lines of curating, coming up with creative ways to repackage their output with additional media, storytelling, etc., but he's clearly done playing. So far in his life he's been involved in the creation of a huge body of work through an immense amount of sweat, toil, and tears, and the vast majority of it is top-shelf. Now the man wants to stay home and raise his daughter Olivia and not be beholden to the rigors of life on the road. I say more power to him!

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    Member Gizmotron's Avatar
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    Indeed.
    In my estimate, he'd be brilliant and an asset to the world simply for his writing.

    The amazing drumming and the lyrics are bonuses.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Gizmotron View Post
    Thanks so much!
    Because I really admire Neil's writing, most of this was not new but some of it was. But I never tire of re-reading his prose. He is such a thoughtful player and writer.

    I certainly noticed his use of the the past tense in the second part of this parenthetical statement:

    (We often relied on visual cues for solo endings and such, just as Alex, Geddy, and I sometimes did onstage.)

    In case anyone wonders if he is done touring, I think this is a strong indicator. Neil never writes anything casually. Every word, construction, and yes, tense, is quite deliberate.
    Exactly. He retired from drums...Not from living his life.

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    ^ I agree with this, but I doubt he will NEVER play drums in public again.

  8. #8
    yep

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    ^ I agree with this, but I doubt he will NEVER play drums in public again.
    Has Bill Bruford?

  10. #10
    Wow, that was a great read. I think with him being retired now he will write a lot more like this, opening up about all the details of drumming, recording, touring, behind-the-scenes, etc. now that he doesn't have to deal with the stresses of touring and fan worship that bother him so much.
    You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by ytserush View Post
    Has Bill Bruford?
    Yes.

  12. #12
    Member Wounded Land's Avatar
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    Very interesting, thanks. One thing that surprised me was his comment that Rush used click tracks live only sparingly.

  13. #13
    Member Koreabruce's Avatar
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    That was a great article! He could retire from every other occupation but writing and still be someone whose work thrills with every new blog post.

    Reading that article made me interested in J.R. Flood. Here's that whole demo he talked about:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mCUVe-VrVE

  14. #14
    Member Gizmotron's Avatar
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    And because of his passion for automobiles I think he would be great as a co-host on any car show too. I wonder if Jay Leno or the Top Gear folks have tried to get him involved.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gizmotron View Post
    And because of his passion for automobiles I think he would be great as a co-host on any car show too. I wonder if Jay Leno or the Top Gear folks have tried to get him involved.
    Good Lord, if the man was passionate about blowjobs, would he put Lisa Ann out of business?

    I read his autobiography about his long bike trip, and frankly, he comes across as an arrogant douchebag...

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    Quote Originally Posted by BigSixFan View Post

    I read his autobiography about his long bike trip, and frankly, he comes across as an arrogant douchebag...
    Not sure I would go as far as that, but I too read his travelogues, and came away feeling less enamoured of the man. Not someone I would choose to spend time with.

    Outstanding drummer and erudite lyricist, but I was left with the impression that he's quite a selfish guy, and his writings rarely acknowledged the hard work of his support team that allowed him his indulgent lifestyle on his bike.

    To be fair to him, he never missed a gig, but I often wondered what kind of stress he was putting Alex and Ged (not to mention the tour crew) through, wondering if he would make each show on time.

  17. #17
    NEARfest Officer Emeritus Nearfest2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wounded Land View Post
    Very interesting, thanks. One thing that surprised me was his comment that Rush used click tracks live only sparingly.
    I thought the same thing. With all the videos and effects they've used over the years, I always assumed they used click tracks to keep everything in sync.
    Chad

  18. #18
    Member Yodelgoat's Avatar
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    I recall seeing by the mixing console on the R30 tour, there was a separate monitor screen streaming SMTP data from 2 sources, and the guy at the operation console would occasionally adjust the smtp to get back into sync with, what I assume, was the band, so in essence, they (I assume) had the click track conform to Neil, rather than having Neil attempt to stay in sync with a click. I do not know much about their tech, but I assume (because i didnt ask anyone) thats what they did to keep light sequencing in sync with the band.

  19. #19
    Jefferson James
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    Quote Originally Posted by BigSixFan View Post
    if the man was passionate about blowjobs
    Is this even open to debate?

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Facelift View Post
    Yes.
    When? (Just curious...)

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by BigSixFan View Post
    I read his autobiography about his long bike trip, and frankly, he comes across as an arrogant douchebag...
    Way harsh dude. I have read 4 books about his travels and keep a close eye on his webpage/blog because I enjoy his writings. As far as the man himself goes, he seems to be opinionated, snide, a little arrogant, judgmental and somewhat aloof. In others words, pretty much a normal person and I totally understand his thing about being around people that recognize him as a rock star. Me personally? I have no idea what I would say to him and not one question I would want to ask. He has given me just about the best (THE BEST during the 70's) music of my life and I have given him money. We're even.

  22. #22
    Progdog ThomasKDye's Avatar
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    I honestly hope that Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson don't retire musically, though. A third of "Victor" was decent and "My Favorite Headache" was fairly decent.
    "Arf." -- Frank Zappa, "Beauty Knows No Pain" (live version)

  23. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by KerryKompost View Post
    Is this even open to debate?
    Errr...possibly. Some tabloid story a few years back that a famous groupie visited the Rush dressing room way back when and Geddy and Alex partook but Neil said, "no thanks".

    I also don't like the way he comes across in his travelogue books, but don't let that stop you from reading this article about drumming. It's interesting and informative if you're a fan of the band or drumming, and I don't detect any "douchebaggery"...
    You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...

  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Koreabruce View Post
    That was a great article! He could retire from every other occupation but writing and still be someone whose work thrills with every new blog post.

    Reading that article made me interested in J.R. Flood. Here's that whole demo he talked about:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mCUVe-VrVE
    I actually like that recording. Try to get to it a few times a year. Neil's not even the best one on it.

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