|  There
are good drummers. There are great drummers. And then there's Neil
Peart of the Canadian progressive rock band Rush.
Peart (pronounced "Peert") is one of the most honored and
influential drummers in rock history. Known for his massive drum kit,
exotic percussion instruments, and complicated solos, he was inducted
into Modern Drummer's Hall of Fame in 1983, and was voted
by the magazine's readers as Best Rock Drummer in 1980, 1981, 1982,
1983, 1984, 1985. He was honored 13 times for "Best Recorded
Performance" for his drum work on Rush albums between 1981 and
2002.
Neil Ellwood Peart was born in 1952 in Ontario, Canada. In 1974, he
joined Geddy Lee (vocals, bass, keyboards) and guitarist Alex Lifeson
(guitar) to form the current line-up of Rush. Musically, the band
has always been defined by Lee's high, soaring voice and the complicated
interplay of instruments. Early Rush albums were influenced by British
blues/rockers like Led Zeppelin and The Who, while later albums became
more "progressive," with longer, more ambitious songs, heavy
use of synthesizers, and a greater variety of instruments. In the
early to mid-80s, the band released several radio-friendly albums,
and achieved their greatest commercial success. By the late 1990s,
Rush had returned to a more guitar-driven sound. In 2005, the band
celebrated its 30th anniversary with the release of a live album,
R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour.
Rush was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994, and
all three members were honored as Officers of the Order of Canada
in 1996. Rush has also won nine Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent
of the Emmys), including one in 1990 as "Artist of the Decade."
Rush's studio albums include Rush (1974), Fly by Night
(1975), Caress of Steel (1975), 2112 (1976),
A Farewell to Kings (1977), Hemispheres (1978),
Permanent Waves (1980), Moving Pictures (1981),
Signals (1982), Grace Under Pressure (1984), Power
Windows (1985), Hold Your Fire (1987), Presto
(1989), Roll the Bones (1991), Counterparts (1993),
Test for Echo (1996), and Vapor Trails (2002).
Besides its musical ambition and instrumental proficiency, there is
one other thing that sets Rush apart from most bands -- the strong
libertarian/Objectivist themes in its lyrics, which are written by
Peart. The band's 1976 album, 2112, was even dedicated to
"the genus of Ayn Rand." The album, inspired by Rand's novel
Anthem, is about a future society where the rediscovery of
the guitar threatens a totalitarian society. It's no surprise that
Rush is the only band ever cited in the Journal of Ayn Rand Studies.
In more recent years, Peart has distanced himself somewhat from Rand
and her Objectivist philosophy. In an online chat on www.2112.net
(November 4, 1993), Peart downplayed Rand's impact on him. "For
a start, the extent of my influence by the writings of Ayn Rand should
not be overestimated -- I am no one's disciple," he said. "Yes,
I believe the individual is paramount in matters of justice and liberty,
but in philosophy, as Aristotle said long ago, the paramount good
is happiness."
A number of Peart's songs very clearly hint at his libertarian sensibilities.
The song "Free Will" (from Permanent Waves) proclaims:
"I will choose a path that's clear / I will choose free will."
Tom Sawyer" (from Moving Pictures) states: "His
mind is not for rent / To any god or government." And "Something
for Nothing" (from 2112) cautions: "You don't get
something for nothing / You don't get freedom for free."
According to a 2005 story by Bob Cook on the web site www.JewsRock.org
-- a site devoted to Jewish rock 'n' roll musicians -- "Peart
now refers to himself as a 'left-leaning libertarian.'"
In addition to his career in music, Peart has published four books:
The Masked Rider (1996), Ghost Rider: Travels on the
Healing Road (2002), Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack
to My Life and Times (2004), and Roadshow: Landscape With
Drums, A Concert Tour By Motorcycle (2006).
--
Bill Winter
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