Posted on 05/22/2022 3:02:47 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Rush singer and bassist Geddy Lee revealed that he and guitarist Alex Lifeson were forbidden from using a slogan they’d come up with for the launch of their branded beer.
Rush Canadian Golden Ale weighs in at 5.5% ABV, and the can features the Starman artwork from the classic album 2112, along with the tagline “Books are for tourists.” But in a new interview with Classic Rock, Lee revealed those words aren't the ones they wanted to be inscribed above the graphic.
“Rush fans like beer,” he said. “Hendersons approached us during the pandemic and said, ‘If you’re interested, then we’ll send 15 beers to you and Alex. You can taste them and give us your notes.’ They came back with this golden ale, and we said, ‘Xxxx, we like it!’ ... Did you know the phrase ‘Drinking beer is better than being hit in the head with a hammer’ can’t be put on a beer can? Me neither. But that’s a no-no. We did ask.”
In the same interview, Lee reflected that “Rush 2.0,” which came about after a five-year hiatus following the death of drummer Neil Peart’s daughter in 1997, was a “different animal” from the earlier version of the trio. “That first tour back as a band, different world,” he recalled. “We took a different attitude on that tour; we were much more open and appreciative of the opportunity. Five years away from it took a lot of cynicism out of our behavior. When we did our first gig after all those years and were welcomed back so strongly, I think everyone was taken aback: ‘Wow, these people waited for us.’”
Lee said the final 11 years of the band's career – which ended in 2018 with the retirement and later the death of Peart – were among the most enjoyable. “Snakes & Arrows and Clockwork Angels were probably the two most fulfilling recording experiences we’d ever had,” he noted. “It was the happiest period for the band since Permanent Waves [in 1980].”
Focusing on 2011’s Clockwork Angels, which turned out to be Rush's last album, Lee said, "Al and I were just talking about this the other night, how, from a personal chemistry writing vibe, it was the happiest collaboration we’d had since we were kids. From a songwriter’s point of view, it’s probably the most accomplished piece of work we did in our entire history."
Moving Pictures is my favorite. Classic.
Moving Pictures is my favorite. Classic.
Rush’s agent is our neighbor here in Hollywood. You’ll be surprised how much royalties they make every time Tom Sawyer is played in every rock station in the US. I saw them live when they toured with Primus, last time. Believe me, Geddy Lee doesnt need to tour, and they dont need the money. They’re just bored and need something to entertain themselves.
Hemispheres or Permanent Waves are toss up for my favorites.
Peart had a bit of a tragic life. Lost his wife to cancer. Daughter killed in a car accident. Then he gets brain cancer.
Which one had Trees? Great prophecy of our times today.
I heard Primus was going to do an old school rush cover tour
It was on my calendar, but covid inter-fear’d. I heard a rumor that it is transferred from big brown beavers, not pangolians ?
or was that Money-Pox. all these peer reviewed papers are confusing me
Most people don't have a sense of humor
Hemispheres had “The Trees.”
It’s different for lots of folks, but the album sequence Hemispheres—Permanent Waves—Moving Pictures—Signals is the era of RUSH I enjoy most.
Heck, there is no band with more relevant political songs than Rush.
2112/The Temples of Syrinx
Bastille Day
Anthem
The Trees
Something for Nothing
Working Man
Subdivision
Freewill
Manhattan Project
Half the World
Just to name a few. Good stuff.
I probably saw Primus live 3-4 times. The time that Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver came out, they came to Vancouver.
UNTIL NOW, I can state that was the best mosh pit I experienced aside from Woodstock 99. It was the third song and Les goes “we wrote this song backstage, we hope you like it..”
The time they played it, HALF the bleacher section jumped to the SRO/alla ages area just to get into the moshpit. Never saw that again..
I saw the same tour.
I just looked it up I guess I can make one of these venues after all
https://www.primustickets.com/#details
if you want to know about Wynona...
Wynona’s big brown beaver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYDfwUJzYQg
moshers rule
Best 3 member band ever. Nobody can compare to their sound, lyric content, and their longevity.
“The Trees” certainly came true for Canada.
sorry to everyone for turning a Rush thread into a Primus thread lol
needs more cowbell...
what is the explanation for not being able to use that phrase? did they ever explain it
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