Posted on 09/12/2006 11:51:45 AM PDT by My Favorite Headache
Rush Wrestling With Faith On New Album
Neil Peart
September 11, 2006, 3:50 PM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y. Rush has penned eight songs for its next studio album, which should be out in early 2007, according to drummer Neil Peart. The artist tells Billboard.com his lyrics for the as-yet-untitled set were greatly influenced by his motorcycle journeys throughout the United States, chronicled in the new book "Roadshow: Landscape With Drums."
Peart says he was struck by the ubiquity of religious billboards that have sprung up on America's highways, which got him thinking about some weighty topics. "Just seeing the power of evangelical Christianity and contrasting that with the power of fundamentalist religion all over the world in its different forms had a big effect on me," he says.
"You try to put your own way of seeing the world into some kind of congruence with other peoples, and that's difficult for me," he admits. "I mean, I see the world in what I think to be a perfectly obvious and rational way, but when you go out into it and see the way other people think and behave, and express themselves on church signs, you realize, 'Well, I'm not really part of this club.'"
"I looked for the good side of faith," Peart says. "To me it ought to be your armor, something to protect you and something to console you in dark times. But it's more often being turned into a sword, and that's one big theme I'm messing with."
Musically, the new album is continuing in much the same vein as 2002's "Vapor Trails," which returned Rush to a more guitar/bass/drums-driven sound. But Peart is quick to add that the music is "remarkably organic in a way that I haven't heard [from Rush] before. We spent a month together in May working on those songs and developing our individual instrument parts for them. It's early to characterize it, but it's definitely fresh and different and that's certainly satisfying."
Peart, bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson will regroup next month to finish pre-production and will begin recording in November. However, as Peart writes at the conclusion of "Roadshow," he is ambivalent about putting himself through yet another massive world tour.
"It is true that in 1989 I announced that I wasn't going to tour anymore, and have said that every time since and have gone back and decided [to do it] for all good reasons," he says. "One of the main ones to me is that a band plays live, so if I want to consider our band as a living, working thing then that's the case. I haven't in my own mind committed to [another tour] yet, but of course I haven't ruled it out, either."
The biggest threat to American liberty is Islamic Fundamentalism.
The 2nd biggest is Christian Fundamentalism.
Why are we here?
'Cuz we're here
Roll the Bones
Roll the Bones
Why does it happen?
'Cuz it happens
Roll the Bones
And that does'nt even begin to cover other Libertarian/atheist screeds, such as "Freewill" "Witch Hunt" and "Anthem"
All good stuff musically, but Rush will never be confused with "contemporary Christian" music, and frankly, with many unbelievers seeing Fred Phelps, Tammi Baker, Pat Robertson, Jimmy Swaggert, the Couch's and any other empire building power/money monger playing The Cross like a pitch prop, as the face of Christianity, they are not too far off the mark in their own perception.
Peart is a big-time Randian, so his trouble with religion is no surprise to me. And since I once was a 15-year-old white boy, I too used to be a Rush fan.
If memory serves, the last album of theirs that I bought was either "Power Windows" or "Hold Your Fire" (correct title?). Probably stopped listening to them in the mid-80s.
I love those signs...and don't ever find them to be the least bit offensive.
You think that is true? To me it is Islamic Fundamentalism and then LIBERALISM.
Yep. Liberals and Fundamental Christians want the same thing... control of the government to push their social agenda.
You may want to squeeze in 1.a - Atheism
A few hundred. Most "successfull" bands would be lucky to fill stadiums with tens of thousands of people all over the world the way Rush still does. See the Rush in Rio DVD, for example.
As a longtime Rush fan, reading "Ghost Rider" was a depressing experience for me. Faced with the loss of everything he holds dear, Peart's travels took him everywhere except the one place he desperately needed to go - into a personal relationship with Christ Jesus.
It's so obvious to a Christian, and yet its the one approach he and his rational, logical mind would never even consider. Too much fear of letting go of his worldview, IMHO.
The fact that he is now trying to lump Christianity in with Islam only reinforces the idea that he is looking for ways - any way - to discredit the path he desperately does not want to travel.
Despite what he may say for public consumption, I guarantee Neil still has a huge hole in his heart and his life that will never be filled unless he lets go of his logic and grasps onto faith.
I pray he does - he is a talented, brilliant man, as are his bandmates (OK, maybe not Alex :-)). Their music was a treasure for me growing up, and remains so today.
Agreed with everything you said. I know "Ghost Rider" was written as a healing tool for himself and the road he had been on after losing his wife and daughter...but I found it to be a big case of TMI.
Good post, MFH.
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"You're not making Christianity better. You're just makeing Rock and Roll worse!" Hank Hill
You're reading it incorrectly.
Rush? No talent? lol...ok Al...looks like you picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.
"Oooooooooooooh Salesmen!!!!!
I'll probably buy it anyway. I've been a Rush fan for a couple of decades now. Seen them 3 times. I still dig them. They'll never be confused for conservatives though. I keep in mind that the Islamists would kill Neil Peart, Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and Christains equally. Were all infidels after all. :-)
Looking forward to the new RUSH album!!!
It seems so. But Canadians, at least the lefties in power and those they influence, have been appeasing the Muzzies for some time, even those who speak out against their non-Muslim countrymen. Appeasement and tolerance and 'looking at the good, peaceful' side of Islam. So, I'm not really surprised. It kind of reminds me of Neil Young's or Green Day's recent efforts, their Bush/America bashing 'music'.
Unlike Islam, Christianity's sword is a spiritual one. But knowing Peart, he'll just lump Christianity in with all the other world religions, as being fundamentalist-fascist, power-hungry type of organizations.
And, hey, if he can 'demonize' Christianity (it's the new fun!) and point to the spiritual side of Islam ignoring the terror aimed at him, well, it's a win-win for him. But - it's not the Christians screeching 'death to the infidel/kafir' at the religious services...
Let me know when you write "Trees".....and have a doctorates in music....sheesh...
Let me know when Peart gets one too...considering he is a high school drop out.
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