Neil Peart, Drummer and Lyricist of Rush, Dead at 67

Two days ago I went down a rush rabbit hole on YouTube. It started with “what makes this song great?”. It’s a channel by a guy named Rick Beato.
Good channel if you’d like to see a knowledgeable guy break down songs into the individual elements that have been woven together to create something great. In this case he was breaking down Limelight.

In the related video section there were some documentaries about the band, and interviews with Neil.

So I watched those. For almost 3 hours. Just two days ago. I learned more about Neil than I ever knew. Two days ago. I now I find he has passed.

I felt a loss, someone I never knew.
I also learned that he would think that was weird!

I came home to play a bunch of Rush tunes on the big stereo. Loud! I expected to feel sad, a sense of mourning maybe.

Guess what, it made me happy! Imagine that!
Thank you Neil!!! I mean it.

They were nominated for a Grammy for this tune.



They lost to Pink Floyd

a reply to: spacedoubt

Rush was always that saving sound for me, growing up. When I was in my late teens, I was no longer just a Rush fan, I was a addict! I listened to every 'Cassette' almost religiously, often. My friends got into them from me - all of them. The words were always full of wisdom, the sound always full of spirit.... They gave me a sense of calm in my life.

Years and years go by and when I had those solemn days, Rush was there - the only band ever - that could and would lift me up and put my core right there where it was supposed to be. Rush is why I picked up guitar. Rush is why I picked up drums. Even coming from a musical family where mostly everyone plays music - Rush turned me onto musical creativity.

Rush for me is like how people feel when listening to Pink Floyd for the first time, but Pink doesn't have that same effect. I wish I could experience pink for the first time again... but it doesn't move me like Rush STILL moves me.



If you want to experience a soulful bliss that you can only achieve on earth - aside from God himself... Compile ALL Rush albums (studio) and play them all on random and take a drive... You wont come back the same person!

Some people will read that and think I'm crazy but anyone who's done it knows better.

My God that just more than sucks, what a huge loss. Best drummer and one of the best music lyricist ever IMO and a great humble person. Rush was a big influence on me and my playing growing up. He will be missed.

A couple of months ago I was involved in an online conversation about music and the subject of Tommy Aldridge came up for some reason.

I casually interjected that the most impressive drum solo I'd ever seen at a concert came from Mr Aldridge during the Diary of a Madman tour.

Another party responded "I guess you've never seen Rush live then?" or something similar...

... And I replied "I have, but it wouldn't be fair to compare any other drummer to Neil Peart so I tend to exclude him".

The man was on a level all his own.

Rest well Neil.

Queuing PERMANENT WAVES...

Natural Science.
m.youtube.com...

Saw them in concert twice. Had all the album's.
Weirdly ran into Neil at a Renaissance fair. He was actually dressed for the occasion. Years ago...
God speed like your metronome 😑

Edit: Neil was the metronome..

Family tragedy and recovery

On August 10, 1997, soon after the conclusion of Rush's Test for Echo Tour, Peart's first daughter (and, at the time, his only child) Selena Taylor, 19, was killed in a single-car accident on Highway 401 near the town of Brighton, Ontario. His common-law wife of 23 years, Jacqueline Taylor, succumbed to cancer only 10 months later on June 20, 1998. Peart attributes her death to the result of a "broken heart" and called it "a slow suicide by apathy. She just didn't care."

If you were a fan, you knew the above info.

Thank you universe for allowing me to experience this amazing human.😔

Oddly enough I also saw them twice. First time was the Moving Pictures tour - July 5, 1981 @ Alpine Valley - I was 11 at the time and it was my first concert Second time was the Test for Echo tour - June 13, 1997 @ Marcus Amphitheater - Billed as "An Evening with Rush" they played the entire first side of 2112 at that show along with a bunch of other stuff.

Damn glad I at least got those two opportunities, they were all awesome at both shows especially the drum solos.
This band live was ridiculously good, you got your money's worth at a Rush show.

ETA: Yea, I'm gutted. This is my favorite band so this is a tough one just like Lemmy was. Was really hoping there could have been one more tour or album after the R40 tour or Clockwork Angels as Geddy would have been up for it but the others not so much in part due to their declining health.

"He's got a road map of Jupiter"
"A radar fix on the stars..."



Godspeed Neil & thanks for all the ...sweet memories...!

a reply to: spacedoubt

Counterparts!
Another great selection.

I'm lucky to still have this and good speakers to make this resonate on me. Yep I'M Feeling this!

God speed Neil Peart.

You were my template for drumming perfection. I never attained anything even near that, but I am a better musician because of you, as well as for so many others, I am sure.

Your music lives on.

a reply to: Nucleardoom


Listening right now🤗

Geddy and Alex have released this statement.

“It is with broken hearts and the deepest sadness that we must share the terrible news that on Tuesday our friend, soul brother and band mate of over 45 years, Neil, has lost his incredibly brave three and a half year battle with brain cancer (Glioblastoma). We ask that friends, fans, and media alike understandably respect the family’s need for privacy and peace at this extremely painful and difficult time. Those wishing to express their condolences can choose a cancer research group or charity of their choice and make a donation in Neil Peart’s name.

“Rest in peace brother.

“Neil Peart September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020”

A collection of tributes from the music world .
metalinjection.net... f-his-death

I think Lars sums it up perfectly.
"Thank you Neil.
Thank you for inspiring me and for all your help and advice along the way , especially the early days when you took the time to talk to a young Danish drummer about recording , gear and all the possibilities that lay ahead...
Thank you for what you did for drummers all over the world with your passion , your approach , your principles and your unwavering commitment to the instrument.
Rest In Peace."

The day after the night before and it feels like I've lost a friend , I never met the man but that's the measure of his percussive genius , a legend is lost ... long live the legend.

for me it's got to be working man. maybe his playing in 2112.

i use to have the red star as my sig may put it back.





then you can't leave Exit Stage Left
none of the video will post right. best live album.

a reply to: spacedoubt

Neil...…..Your favorite drummer's favorite drummer. Caught that quote on You Tube. Fitting.

Just like to add my condolences at this surprising, sad news.

One of the best drummers in rock history with one of the deepest, richest voices which the band was wise enough to exploit (listen to Caress of Steel and 2112).

The real sadness, for me, is that he never really had the chance to enjoy his retirement. He had the cancer for 3 and a half years and the band only decided to break up in 2015. And I get the impression he was the least enthusiastic of the three about carrying on, particularly touring.

The first drummer for Rush, John Rutsey, died prematurely just 12 years ago...what is that band doing to its drummers?

You leave a great legacy, Neil. Now finally you can rest.

So I watched those. For almost 3 hours. Just two days ago. I learned more about Neil than I ever knew. Two days ago. I now I find he has passed.

a reply to: spacedoubt

That’s really interesting because at the time you were watching them, he had already passed. He passed on Tuesday the 7th according to a statement by Getty Lee.

ETA: They did a great job keeping it from the press for a few days .

Yeah, this is terrible news - a real downer. He was a great drummer and he's going to be missed. I've covered Rush before in some of my bands, but they were hard to do justice to - Neil was just too good to cover. I think I'll put on Moving Pictures and enjoy them again. They were important in rock and roll and will always be.

"The only hint that Peart, who also wrote books, was battling any physical ailments came in Rush’s 2016 documentary, Time Stand Still, when it was revealed that he was in enormous physical pain through much of the last tour, including an agonizing foot infection.

"On August 10th, 1997, Peart’s 19-year-old daughter, Selena, died in a single-car accident on the long drive to her university in Toronto. Five months later, Selena’s mother – Peart’s common-law wife of 23 years, Jackie Taylor – was diagnosed with terminal cancer, quickly succumbing. Shattered, Peart told his bandmates to consider him retired, and embarked on a solitary motorcycle trip across the United States. He remarried in 2000, and found his way back to Rush by 2001."

originally posted by: shawmanfromny
Man, this sucks. Never knew that he even had cancer. Very sad day for his bandmates, family and fans around the world.

Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist for Rush, died Tuesday, January 7th, in Santa Monica, California at age 67. The cause was brain cancer, which he had been quietly battling for three years, according to Elliot Mintz, a spokesperson for the Peart family. A representative for the band confirmed the news to Rolling Stone.

www.rollingstone.com...

Sad and surprising, another one gone. Rush is one of my favorite bands and Moving Pictures is one of the greatest albums ever made. Peart was one of the best drummers and lyricists. Truly one of the last great musical artists.