Rush drummer Neil Peart dead at 67

CBC ^ | Jan 10, 2020

[Rastus]

Neil Peart, the drummer of iconic Canadian band Rush, has died at age 67.

The influential musician and lyricist died Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif., after having been diagnosed with brain cancer, according to a statement issued Friday by family spokesperson Elliot Mintz.

[Magic Fingers]

To me, it’s an acquired taste - kind of like Neil Young’s voice. It also depends to a significant extent on the nature of the material. For some tunes it’s a perfect fit..others, ehhh, maybe not.

[DoodleBob]

As I wrote elsewhere, I think it's fair to say that Mr. Peart stands in the annals of drummers much like Eddie Van Halen stands with guitarists. That is, there will never be a Jimi Hendrix ever again, but Eddie Van Halen's influence is arguably greater than that of Hendrix, even though Hendrix may be the GOAT.

Similarly, just like there will never be a Keith Moon or John Bonham in the world of drumming ever again, Neil Peart's influence is arguably greater than that of either Messrs. Moon or Bonham.

Please note I'm not saying Peart was BETTER than Moonie or Bonzo. That's a matter of opinion, though lots of drummers consider either of these legends to be the GOAT. And, to be sure, lots of people cop Bonham's triplet play or Moonie's manic style of playing (btw, Peart's fav for a long time was Moonie, and Moon wins the grand prize in my book).

But contemporary drummers, for the most part, must be able to play in odd time signatures and with incredible dexterity and technical proficiency...and a lot of that has to do with Peart and Rush. To wit: nobody was writing or playing things like La Villa Strangiato or By-Tor and the Snow Dog or The Trees or Xanadu before Rush/Peart (with the possible exception of Billy Cobham and Mahavishnu Orchestra).

All that said, now is not a time for fighting, but for remembering. Thank you Neil - I hope you found God at the end.

[Dr.Deth]

Maybe they can rename YYZ to Peart’s Own Airport?

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

The guys from Kansas set Tyler straight when he did it to them.

[dfwgator]

He loved drumming too much to retire for anything other than for health reasons.

[dfwgator]

For me, Alex Lifeson is the best musician in Rush. La Villa Stangiato may be the single greatest guitar performance of all time.

[Callan]

La Villa Stangiato [YouTube]

[MarkL]

blah-blah-blah.

Now you're quoting Alex from the R&R Hall of Fame induction ceremony!

Mark

[Mr Fuji]

I think they were libertarians back in the late 70’s-early 80’s. I’m fairly certain all of them said in recent years that they were young and dumb back then and had become left-socialist as they aged and “grew up”.

[MarkL]

Steven Tyler was known for sabotaging opening acts when they got too good of a response from crowds.

Yeah, there's a great story about when Kansas opened for Aerosmith in Wichita, KS! Steven Tyler was unhappy when the opening act was called back for a 3rd encore!

Mark

[MarkL]

Actually, Tom Sawyer was one of the few song lyrics Neil didn't write. The lyrics were primarily Pye Dubois, the lyricist for Max Webster, another great Canadian band that never made it to the level of Triumph, let alone Rush, I'm sorry to say. But Max Webster was a really cool 70s rock band. They also opened for Rush on a few tours.

Mark

[MarkL]

Phil Collins is right up there.

Most people have no idea just what an incredible drummer Phil Collins is. Those who never saw early Genesis where Phil played the drums really missed something. It says a lot about what an incredible drummer Phil is that Genesis hired Bill Bruford to play drums on their first tour where Phil was the lead singer.

After that, they toured with Chester Thompson, another phenomenal drummer, who was known from his work with Frank Zappa!

Something else most people don't know is that Phil also played drums in Brand X, another really amazing band.

Mark

[chris37]

No fights at all.

Neal Peart will live forever in the memories of all of those who loved his music.

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.” -Bruce Lee

[dfwgator]

And who did Robert Plant want to be his drummer on his first solo tour? Phil. And Robert had a pretty good one in Led Zeppelin.

[dfwgator]

Alex does have a bit of a warped sense of humor.

[MarkL]

Re: I’m not sure he ever received the recognition he deserved because liberal music critics hated Rush. RIP, Mr. Peart.

During their (very long delayed) induction into the R&R Hall of Fame, at the beginning of the presentations, Jan Wenner was giving a speech, pretty much just announcing who were going to get the awards. Weeks before, the Rush fan FB groups were making arrangements to pack the audience, and they didn’t disappoint. When he said either Canada or Toronto, the crowd just went wild, and Wenner couldn’t get another word in until the band members stood up and took a bow, just so the presentation could continue. It was really something.

And Alex Leifson’s acceptance speech is one for the ages, and really put Rolling Stone, and their 30+ year dismissal of Rush into perspective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i2ZbJnkFEY

Mark

[MarkL]

If you remember, Phil played drums with the “reunited” Led Zeppelin at Live Aid.

I don’t remember the order of the acts, but I believe he played a solo set in London, then took the Concord across the Atlantic, and played drums for the Led Zeppelin set in Philly!

Or I might have it backwards.

Mark

[Lurker]

Very special to me, too. I’ve been a huge fan since the very first album.

Ginger Baker has some accompaniment this week.

L

[RedStateRocker]

I liked his self-description as a “bleeding heart libertarian”.

[21twelve]

Thanks for thinking of me. My son sent me a text message with a twitter image. At first I was hoping it was one of those spoof things. Sadly not.

Then I thought - I hope he didn’t die on his motorcycle. After reading that he had been battling brain cancer for 3 and a half years, maybe a bike crash would be preferable.

Although I’m guessing that those 3.5 years were still lived to the fullest with his wife and young daughter, years that they will hold on to forever. He retired only four years ago, no doubt with the hope of living a long contented life with his family in “the garden”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsBNzf5JlZA