Neil Peart gone. A Farewell To Kings well he was one of the ‘Kings’ of drumming.
I wouldn’t say he was a good friend but he was always nice to me and friendly. People think of Neil as stern he was completely the opposite when I used to deal with him. I was in Europe and he was warming up with his ‘Security’ blocking the room I asked him to ask him if I could shoot it. ‘No way’ came the reply. ‘Ask Neil’ I don’t care what you think. He begrudgingly went in the tune up room came out and looking very pissed off said ‘ ‘Neil says fine’.
So every night I was with Rush I’d photograph Neil warming up and talk to him. He told me his favourite drummer was Keith Moon ( If you listen to Neil he’s a more precise version of what Keith Moon does, odd fills and snare work ), he saw the Who at the Oval in 1971, so did I my first Who show - I gave Neil Tom Wright’s excellent book, Tom was the Who’s first Tour Manager.
Neil lived in Colliers Wood a mile from where I grew up in the glorious south of London. He worked as a jeweller at the Great Frog in Covent Garden the now very hip jeweller to the rock and fashion world.
He was trying to get a job drumming gave up and went back to Toronto and thought he’d try auditioning one last time, the band were RUSH. Neil’s now left the building may he ‘Fly By Night' and find ‘Xanadu'.
