Rush Guitarist Arrested on New Year's Eve

Handle with Kid Gloves, it's tough to be so cool.

All American like Harmon Rabb.

Well, Happy Birthday!

Thanks. I am 44 years old today. It seems like only last week I was lying in my bed, stoned and listening to Rush's newest album (2112) on the headphones. But, alas, that was 1977. How time flies.

I loved their first album, and wore out Caress of Steel and 2112 until the 8-tracks wouldn't play anymore. But, Farewell to Kings was only so-so, and subsequent albums bored me silly.

Draw another goblet From the cask of '43....

I loved their first album, and wore out Caress of Steel and 2112 until the 8-tracks wouldn't play anymore. But, Farewell to Kings was only so-so, and subsequent albums bored me silly.

I guess it depends on what sort of music you were into. They started as a hard rock power trio, but when Neil joined, there was a subtle change on "Fly by Night," and a major change on "Carress of Steel." "2112" was a real turning point, although it was still a fairly "hard rock" album. But after that, they became more "progressive."

Being a longtime fan of Yes and Pink Floyd, I loved their more progressive stuff. I still think that "Hemispheres" is their best album, and one of the best of all time.

Mark

Draw another goblet From the cask of '43....
Crimson misty memory Hazy glimpse of me

The tape would have to exist on security cameras outside the emergency exit of the ballroom in which this occoured. I am sure the Ritz had some there.

Sat, January 3, 2004

Rush rocked!

Alex Lifeson busted in hotel clash

By JONATHAN KINGSTONE, TORONTO SUN

Exit stage left -- enter jail. Alex Lifeson, the lead guitarist for the legendary Canadian rock band Rush, was arrested after a drunken New Year's Eve clash with police at a posh Florida hotel, during which he allegedly spat blood on one officer's face.

Lifeson, 50 -- whose given name, Alex Zivojinovich, is used on police reports -- his son, Justin Zivojinovich, 33, and his son's wife, Michelle, 30, face a rash of criminal charges stemming from the dust-up at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the Gulf coast town of Naples.

Arrest reports paint a picture of an intoxicated, belligerent rock star and his son, describing them as "wildly combative" and "extremely violent" -- with Lifeson allegedly swearing and swinging at police and even pushing a female cop down several stairs.

The alleged frenzied scuffle with Collier County sheriff's deputies ended when authorities delivered repeated jolts from a stun gun to subdue the renowned musician, the reports said.

Lifeson spent two nights in jail before being released yesterday on a $14,500 bond, police said.

The rock star, who says he spends six months a year in his Bay Colony home, was bloodied and sporting a broken nose when he left jail. He didn't want to talk about the incident.

"My lawyer has asked me not to talk about it until we've determined a course of action," Lifeson told NBC as he left the facility. But he did say his family was arrested for no reason.

"We were just ... having dinner," he said.

Lifeson's son, Justin, who was visiting his father, gave a very different account of the incident in an interview with the Naples Daily News. He said deputies broke his father's nose.

"I was singing Happy New Year's, that's all I was doing, singing to the whole crowd. That's all I said, 'Happy New Year','' Justin Zivojinovich said. "Everyone was enjoying themselves. That's when someone apparently started yelling for one of the security guards. There was no violence on our part.

In Lifeson's mugshot, large patches of blood can be seen on his shirt. His son said the family has hired a lawyer and plans to launch a lawsuit if the charges aren't dropped.

Lifeson's wife, Charlene, said yesterday her husband was eager to tell his version but was awaiting legal advice. "I'm sure the statement will come out," she told The Saturday Sun from the couple's Florida home.

According to authorities, the scuffle began when Justin Zivojinovich interrupted the house band and refused to leave the ballroom stage. As security staff and sheriff's deputies tried to remove his son, Lifeson intervened, "swinging and grabbing" at officers and "swearing obscenities," police reports stated.

Told he was facing arrest, Lifeson is quoted in the reports as saying, "Take me to jail, I don't care. It's f---ing New Year's Eve."

The 6-foot, 230-pound guitarist is alleged to have grabbed Deputy Amy Standford and pushed her down several stairs. She suffered injuries that required hospitalization, police said.

Rush guitarist faces charges after New Year's Eve fracas

By GUY DIXON
From Saturday's Globe and Mail

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Even the good guys of rock 'n' roll have their bad days, it seems. Alex Lifeson, the guitarist from the superstar Canadian rock group Rush, was released on bond Friday after a New Year's Eve scuffle with Florida police officers, who reportedly had to use a stun gun to calm him down.

The sheriff's office in Collier County, Fla., said the British-Columbia-born guitarist, whose real name is Alex Zivojinovich, posted a $14,500 (U.S.) bond after being charged with six counts ranging from disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest to aggravated battery of a police officer.

Officers reported that they even used a Taser stun gun to subdue him while he was leaving a luxury hotel ballroom Wednesday night after the guitarist, who had begun bleeding from his nose, spat what a police report called “bio-hazard blood” into an officer's face.

The guitarist's son Justin and daughter-in-law Michelle were also arrested during the altercation, according to police, and have been released on bonds of $3,000 and $500 respectively.

Police reports say the incident started when officers were called to a ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Naples, Fla., a resort town overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Hotel security had complained a guest was trying to sing to the crowd at the hotel's New Year's event and had refused to leave the stage on which the house band was playing.

The police say they took Justin aside and out into a service hallway, and told him they would have to escort him off the property. Upon returning to the ballroom, his father — police reports describe him as being drunk and list his age as 46, although most biographic information on Rush says he was born in 1953 — allegedly said, “Take me to jail, I don't care, it's ...New Year's Eve.”

Alex then pushed Justin in a direction opposite to the one an officer was trying to lead him, as the officer told Alex he was obstructing justice. Other members of the party joined in, the police report says, including Justin's wife, Michelle.

Once they got to a service stairwell, now crowded with commotion, one officer allegedly struggled with Justin and stunned him with a Taser. Another officer was pushed down some stairs by Alex, who also fell and was by then bleeding from his nose, the report says.

Justin disputed this account, saying that the deputy fell as she was pushing his father down.

He also said that at the start, all he was trying to do was to sing on stage. “I was singing Happy New Year's, that's all I was doing, singing to the whole crowd. That's all I said, ‘Happy New Year,'” he told the Associated Press. “Everyone was enjoying themselves. That's when someone apparently started yelling for one of the security guards. There was no violence on our part.”

A friend who answered the telephone at the guitarist's residence in Naples said yesterday that Alex was unable to comment at this point. Representatives for the band also weren't immediately available.

Despite the band's legion of steadfast fans worldwide, Rush is the kind of arena rock group that really hasn't been in fashion for years. If anything, that's its biggest charm. Most people who grew up in Canada in the 1970s and 1980s — even those who vehemently aren't fans — will immediately recognize the group's rolling, guitar-drenched hits such as S pirit of the Radio , Limelight, Closer to the Heart and Tom Sawyer.

With bassist Geddy Lee's distinctive wail and drummer Neil Peart's complicated patterns, Rush has maintained a kind of loveable incongruity — down to their puzzling use of clothes driers rotating onstage, like those used at the Rolling Stones SARS concert in Toronto this summer. The group, which originally formed in 1968, has been planning to celebrate its 30th anniversary since Mr. Peart joined on drums with a North American and European tour beginning in June.

The band has a reputation for integrity. But with this latest incident, its guitarist might have succumbed to a new trend, the same as the currently highly in-fashion group the White Stripes. Jack White, the guitarist for that band, was charged in December with punching the singer of another trendy Detroit band, the Von Bondies.

Bar row rocks Rush guitarist
Alex Lifeson faces assault charges

Nose broken in melee with police

CAMILLE ROY AND CHRISTIAN COTRONEO
STAFF REPORTERS

A Canadian rock legend and member of the Order of Canada was subdued by a police stun gun during a New Year's Eve brawl in a posh Florida resort.

Alex Lifeson, 50, of the band Rush, was released yesterday after what deputies describe as a violent encounter at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Naples on south Florida's Gulf Coast.

Lifeson's son Justin Zivojinovich and his daughter-in-law Michelle were also arrested and later released. (Lifeson's real surname is Zivojinovich.)

According to police reports, Lifeson pushed a female deputy down a set of stairs and spit blood on a deputy's face, which Lifeson's son denies.

"We're going to get back to everybody and tell our side of the story," Justin Zivojinovich said yesterday.

"Because of course, what you're reading makes us look like complete villains."

Zivojinovich, 33, told the Naples Daily News on Thursday evening that deputies broke his father's nose and assaulted him again when he was spitting blood as it flowed from his nose.

The trouble reportedly started when Zivojinovich got up on stage where the house band was performing.

"I was singing Happy New Year's, that's all I was doing, singing to the whole crowd. That's all I said, `Happy New Year,'" Zivojinovich said in the interview. "Everyone was enjoying themselves. That's when someone apparently started yelling for one of the security guards. There was no violence on our part.

"I was ready to leave. I was asked to leave and I said, `Okay, I'm going to go. I'll grab my wife and be out of there.' They didn't want that. They didn't want me to leave on a high note. They felt they would lose. They decided to aggravate me. They stunned me, as well as my father, with a stun gun."

Police said Zivojinovich became verbally abusive to security guards who were asking him to get off stage, and that's when Lifeson came to the defence of his son.

In his report, Collier County Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Knott said that he told Zivojinovich that he would escort him to the hotel's property line and issue him a trespass warning barring him from returning to the Ritz-Carlton property.

"Justin stated that was fine. When Justin and I walked back into the ballroom to retrieve his property, he threw his hat and started screaming obscenities," Knott's report states. "A second male identified as Justin's father (Lifeson) approached us and stated that his son wasn't going anywhere."

Knott said he told Lifeson that he would be arrested for obstruction of justice if he didn't move away from them.

"Alex stated, `Take me to jail, I don't care, it's (expletive) New Year's Eve,'" Knott's report stated. He added that Lifeson then put his hands on his son's chest and began pushing him away from where the deputy was taking him.

"Justin began to struggle and resist. I placed Justin in an arm bar and began escorting him away with the assistance of Corporal Amy Stanford to avoid any further disturbance. Corporal Scott Russell was trying to keep Alex and several other members in their party away from us, with little success. As I looked over my right shoulder, I could see Corporal Russell struggling with several people to include Alex and Justin's wife, Michelle."

Knott's report goes on to say that Zivojinovich struggled and swung his right elbow at Stanford's face when deputies entered the service stairwell.

Knott said he felt Lifeson pushing into him as he forced Zivojinovich to the ground.

"As the situation began to escalate with several people filling the stairwell, I removed my Taser (stun gun) and warned Alex to keep away. I turned to assist in handcuffing Justin and he began to thrash his body. I warned deputies of my intention to tase the wildly combative Justin."

Knott's report states that after the stun gun was used on Zivojinovich, Lifeson was screaming obscenities and being extremely violent. Knott says Lifeson ripped the police radio off his uniform, "depriving me of calling for backup units."

Knott states that when Stanford tried to pull Lifeson away from him he grabbed her and shoved her down the steps, forcing her to fall on her back.

Zivojinovich said that Stanford fell down the stairs as she was pushing his father down the stairwell.

The details of the police report were reported in the Naples Daily News.

Lifeson is charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence and disorderly intoxication.

The picture of a rock 'n' roll terror hardly blends with the celebrated guitarist's reputation as a gentle, friendly homebody.

"He is a fabulous father," said long-time friend Tim Notter, who owns the Orbit Room on College St. with Lifeson. "He's nothing but a consummate gentleman."

"I've known the guy for 30 years," he added. "He has been backstage, had rock shows with the police and with crowds and with security. He owns his own nightclub. He knows how to behave. He knows how to deal with the police. He's been doing it for years.

"These aren't some idiots."

Rush, comprising singer Geddy Lee, drummer Neil Peart and Lifeson, are icons to millions of fans who grew up listening to their platinum-selling albums, and even formed lines outside the Naples police department to show support for Lifeson yesterday.

The Toronto band followed its debut LP in 1974 with 21 more albums, eventually selling more than 35 million copies worldwide.

Over the last three decades, they garnered eight Juno Awards, three Grammy nominations and a place in the Juno Awards Hall of Fame in 1994.

In 1990, they were named Canadian Artists of the Decade and, in 1992, they received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Musicians Institute in Hollywood.

The accolades culminated in 1997 with the Order of Canada. Most recently, when Toronto was suffering under the shadow of SARS, Rush was among the headlining acts for a benefit concert, drawing half a million people to Downsview Park.

Up until now, that long, storied public life has never been tarnished by scandal.

"I'm shocked that this has happened," Notter said. "I'm really, really worried for him, too."

He may do a little time on this one,unless the Judge is a Rush fan IMHO....

February 27, 1997

A nervous Rush as rock stars receive Order of Canada OTTAWA (CP) -- Rock 'n' roll did it for Rush, Frank Shuster made it with his droll wit and the King of Kensington got there after two decades on TV. The Grammys, Genies or Junos it wasn't. How about the Order of Canada. Try Geddy Lee, OC, on for size. The bassist-singer and his fellow Rush-ites Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson were the first rockers to be given the medal of distinction in its 30-year history. "I'm just going to wear it all the time and see if it gets me better tables at restaurants," the irreverent Lee, decked in a black suit and tie, said after a formal ceremony at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General where 43 Canadians were inducted Wednesday. As the hip rock stars brushed cuff-links with philanthropists, scientists and business leaders in the regal ballroom, the trio was a long way from the dingy bars where they started out 25 years ago. The honor was created in 1967 to recognize "significant achievement in important fields of human endeavor." "It kind of touches you in a place that none of these other things do touch you," said Lee. "It's not so much music related as your country saying thank you ... something about our home country has kept us here and moments like this make you feel like you've made the right decision." It was perhaps fitting that Rush, which has stayed put in Canada, was being decorated for its contribution on the same night as the Grammys where several Canadians were up for awards. The Rush rockers said they were more nervous than they've ever when Gov. Gen. Romeo LeBlanc presented them with the Order. "I'm just a musician in a band," said a humble Lifeson. It's a distinction that some say is long overdue for the unofficial ambassadors of Canadian rock. The band, which is currently taking a break from a tour promoting their latest release, Test for Echo, is noted for raising millions of dollars for charities. The Order of Canada was also a long time coming for Shuster. He and his late partner, Johnny Wayne, started making people laugh after the Second World War. "I don't know if Count Dracula ever wore anything like this," joked Shuster as he displayed his medal. "This is quite interesting." He said the honor also belongs to Wayne, who died in 1990 at age 72. Media mogul Roger Landry, publisher of Montreal's La Presse, and genetic researcher Charles Scriver, also of Montreal, were promoted to the order's highest level of companion. Rush, Shuster, the late philanthropist Peter Bronfman and Arthur Labatt were among the 10 people decorated as officers, the second highest distinction. Among the new members are actor Al Waxman, the King of Kensington in the former television series, Alan Abraham, the former lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia, William McKeag, former lieutenant-governor of Manitoba, Montreal police chief Jacques Duchesneau, and Gordon Penrose, the zany Dr. Zed of Owl and Chickadee magazines for children. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 27, 1997 Called to Order By TRALEE PEARCE Ottawa Sun Canadian rock legends Rush stepped onto an unfamiliar stage yesterday, as they were inducted into the Order of Canada at Rideau Hall. Trading stadium digs for red carpets, frontman Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer-lyricist Neal Peart stood shoulder to shoulder in the Rideau Hall Ballroom to receive their medals from Gov. Gen. Romeo LeBlanc. They were named Officers of the Order of Canada. The award was given as much for their community service as for their contribution to the arts. They have raised over $1 million for food banks and the United Way. "It's a great honor. It's a very patriotic moment," said Lee, sporting his new medal after the ceremony. Lifeson hammed it up with the press, pinching one photographer's camera and snapping a few shots. Of the medal, he cracked: "I think I'll wear it to bed. Maybe I'll get more respect that way." Actor Al Waxman (King Of Kensington, Cagney And Lacey) and comedian Frank Shuster (of Wayne And Shuster) were also recognized for their contributions to Canadian society -- with Member and Officer designations, respectively. Waxman, who will star in Death Of A Salesman at Stratford next summer, said he never dreamed of such awards back in his Kensington days. "I never did. I must say in recent years I hoped that something like this would happen. I take my country very personally. So, for me, it's a personal joy to be here today." And Shuster, who mused that his medal looked like something Count Dracula might have worn, paid tribute to his late partner-in-laughs, Johnny Wayne. "He should be part of this. We all miss him ... the team is always the team." Other arts industry recipients included Haida artist Robert Davidson, choreographer David Charles Earle and jazz guitarist Edward Isaac Bickert. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 25, 1997 Geddy up for top honor By PAUL CANTIN Ottawa Sun Nobody gets into rock 'n' roll to get the Order Of Canada, but now that the honor is about to be bestowed upon Rush, Geddy Lee is happy to accept. "I think it is really cool. I'm really honored to be given a medal by my country," says bassist-singer Lee, who will join drummer Neil Peart and guitarist Alex Lifeson tomorrow at Rideau Hall, honored alongside actor Al Waxman, comedian Frank Shuster and a host of unsung Canadians in receiving our highest civilian award. "I've never had a medal, and I'm sure it will look nice at the breakfast table every morning," says Lee, father of a 16-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl. "It will be a great source of getting more respect out of my children. "Sir Geddy would be good," he adds with a laugh. Considering their many achievements, it's a surprise that it has taken so long for the trio to get recognized. "Oddly enough, throughout the world, we are kind of considered slightly more underground," says Lee. "But in our own home country, we are treated more as a mainstream, established group. As a result, we do get taken for granted from time to time. But it comes with the territory. I can't say I harbor any weird feelings." The temptation of warmer weather and lower taxes could have lured them elsewhere, but the decision to stay in Toronto was a deliberate one. "There is a nice sense of giving a damn about certain social programs that don't exist in other countries. Although our present government in Ontario is trying hard to cut them all out, I think there is an outcry and people are concerned about the kind of community they have here," he says. "Although I am not a socialist, I do favor supporting certain programs that benefit our society. Things like childcare and so forth. How do you help people help themselves? That's an attitude that does exist in this country and I'm proud of that." Rush maintains a devoted following but continues to attract new, young fans, and enjoys a healthy respect in underground rock circles. Pavement even name-checks Lee on their new record (he hasn't heard it), but Lee says respect comes from not dwelling on the past. "All these bands coming back with great revival tours, I don't want to go through that. I want to make new music and experiment within ... a little niche for ourselves." Despite their focus on the future, the band is preparing to reissue its early albums with upgraded sound and restored artwork. There's also what Lee calls a "plethora" of live material awaiting release and discussions about a follow-up to their recent Test For Echo LP. But for now, Rush is focused on its ongoing tour, which should touch down in Canada by summer. He won't comment on rumors the group could open the Canadian leg in Ottawa on Canada Day and he pours cold water on bothersome suggestions about the band's future, including whispers that Peart has been suffering health problems. "There have been times where there was the feeling of giving it a rest. But considering the length of time we have been together, they have been remarkably few," he says. But back to titles. Lee jokingly wonders if, in 20 years, Rush could be promoted within the Order Of Canada, from "officer" to the loftier title of "companion." "I think Prime Minister of the Order of Canada would be nice." Or just Prime Minister Geddy? "I don't think I'd get enough votes from all the special interest groups." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

February 27, 1997

A nervous Rush as rock stars receive Order of Canada OTTAWA (CP) -- Rock 'n' roll did it for Rush, Frank Shuster made it with his droll wit and the King of Kensington got there after two decades on TV.

The Grammys, Genies or Junos it wasn't. How about the Order of Canada.

Try Geddy Lee, OC, on for size.

The bassist-singer and his fellow Rush-ites Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson were the first rockers to be given the medal of distinction in its 30-year history.

"I'm just going to wear it all the time and see if it gets me better tables at restaurants," the irreverent Lee, decked in a black suit and tie, said after a formal ceremony at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General where 43 Canadians were inducted Wednesday.

As the hip rock stars brushed cuff-links with philanthropists, scientists and business leaders in the regal ballroom, the trio was a long way from the dingy bars where they started out 25 years ago.

The honor was created in 1967 to recognize "significant achievement in important fields of human endeavor." "It kind of touches you in a place that none of these other things do touch you," said Lee.

"It's not so much music related as your country saying thank you ... something about our home country has kept us here and moments like this make you feel like you've made the right decision."

It was perhaps fitting that Rush, which has stayed put in Canada, was being decorated for its contribution on the same night as the Grammys where several Canadians were up for awards.

The Rush rockers said they were more nervous than they've ever when Gov. Gen. Romeo LeBlanc presented them with the Order.

"I'm just a musician in a band," said a humble Lifeson.

It's a distinction that some say is long overdue for the unofficial ambassadors of Canadian rock.

The band, which is currently taking a break from a tour promoting their latest release, Test for Echo, is noted for raising millions of dollars for charities.

The Order of Canada was also a long time coming for Shuster. He and his late partner, Johnny Wayne, started making people laugh after the Second World War.

"I don't know if Count Dracula ever wore anything like this," joked Shuster as he displayed his medal. "This is quite interesting."

He said the honor also belongs to Wayne, who died in 1990 at age 72.

Media mogul Roger Landry, publisher of Montreal's La Presse, and genetic researcher Charles Scriver, also of Montreal, were promoted to the order's highest level of companion.

Rush, Shuster, the late philanthropist Peter Bronfman and Arthur Labatt were among the 10 people decorated as officers, the second highest distinction.

Among the new members are actor Al Waxman, the King of Kensington in the former television series, Alan Abraham, the former lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia, William McKeag, former lieutenant-governor of Manitoba, Montreal police chief Jacques Duchesneau, and Gordon Penrose, the zany Dr. Zed of Owl and Chickadee magazines for children.

February 27, 1997 Called to Order By TRALEE PEARCE Ottawa Sun Canadian rock legends Rush stepped onto an unfamiliar stage yesterday, as they were inducted into the Order of Canada at Rideau Hall.

Trading stadium digs for red carpets, frontman Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer-lyricist Neal Peart stood shoulder to shoulder in the Rideau Hall Ballroom to receive their medals from Gov. Gen. Romeo LeBlanc. They were named Officers of the Order of Canada.

The award was given as much for their community service as for their contribution to the arts. They have raised over $1 million for food banks and the United Way.

"It's a great honor. It's a very patriotic moment," said Lee, sporting his new medal after the ceremony.

Lifeson hammed it up with the press, pinching one photographer's camera and snapping a few shots.

Of the medal, he cracked: "I think I'll wear it to bed. Maybe I'll get more respect that way."

Actor Al Waxman (King Of Kensington, Cagney And Lacey) and comedian Frank Shuster (of Wayne And Shuster) were also recognized for their contributions to Canadian society -- with Member and Officer designations, respectively.

Waxman, who will star in Death Of A Salesman at Stratford next summer, said he never dreamed of such awards back in his Kensington days.

"I never did. I must say in recent years I hoped that something like this would happen. I take my country very personally. So, for me, it's a personal joy to be here today."

And Shuster, who mused that his medal looked like something Count Dracula might have worn, paid tribute to his late partner-in-laughs, Johnny Wayne.

"He should be part of this. We all miss him ... the team is always the team."

Other arts industry recipients included Haida artist Robert Davidson, choreographer David Charles Earle and jazz guitarist Edward Isaac Bickert.

February 25, 1997 Geddy up for top honor

By PAUL CANTIN Ottawa Sun Nobody gets into rock 'n' roll to get the Order Of Canada, but now that the honor is about to be bestowed upon Rush, Geddy Lee is happy to accept.

"I think it is really cool. I'm really honored to be given a medal by my country," says bassist-singer Lee, who will join drummer Neil Peart and guitarist Alex Lifeson tomorrow at Rideau Hall, honored alongside actor Al Waxman, comedian Frank Shuster and a host of unsung Canadians in receiving our highest civilian award.

"I've never had a medal, and I'm sure it will look nice at the breakfast table every morning," says Lee, father of a 16-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl. "It will be a great source of getting more respect out of my children.

"Sir Geddy would be good," he adds with a laugh.

Considering their many achievements, it's a surprise that it has taken so long for the trio to get recognized.

"Oddly enough, throughout the world, we are kind of considered slightly more underground," says Lee.

"But in our own home country, we are treated more as a mainstream, established group. As a result, we do get taken for granted from time to time. But it comes with the territory. I can't say I harbor any weird feelings."

The temptation of warmer weather and lower taxes could have lured them elsewhere, but the decision to stay in Toronto was a deliberate one.

"There is a nice sense of giving a damn about certain social programs that don't exist in other countries. Although our present government in Ontario is trying hard to cut them all out, I think there is an outcry and people are concerned about the kind of community they have here," he says.

"Although I am not a socialist, I do favor supporting certain programs that benefit our society. Things like childcare and so forth. How do you help people help themselves? That's an attitude that does exist in this country and I'm proud of that."

Rush maintains a devoted following but continues to attract new, young fans, and enjoys a healthy respect in underground rock circles. Pavement even name-checks Lee on their new record (he hasn't heard it), but Lee says respect comes from not dwelling on the past.

"All these bands coming back with great revival tours, I don't want to go through that. I want to make new music and experiment within ... a little niche for ourselves."

Despite their focus on the future, the band is preparing to reissue its early albums with upgraded sound and restored artwork. There's also what Lee calls a "plethora" of live material awaiting release and discussions about a follow-up to their recent Test For Echo LP. But for now, Rush is focused on its ongoing tour, which should touch down in Canada by summer. He won't comment on rumors the group could open the Canadian leg in Ottawa on Canada Day and he pours cold water on bothersome suggestions about the band's future, including whispers that Peart has been suffering health problems.

"There have been times where there was the feeling of giving it a rest. But considering the length of time we have been together, they have been remarkably few," he says.

But back to titles. Lee jokingly wonders if, in 20 years, Rush could be promoted within the Order Of Canada, from "officer" to the loftier title of "companion."

"I think Prime Minister of the Order of Canada would be nice." Or just Prime Minister Geddy? "I don't think I'd get enough votes from all the special interest groups."

Please delete #133

Being a longtime fan of Yes and Pink Floyd, I loved their more progressive stuff.

By age 17, I was a confirmed Floydophile. They remained, by far, my favorite band from then on. I memorized every note, from every album up to "The Final Cut," which was (for me) the band's epitaph. It didn't help me to appreciate Rush's post 2112 work, however.

I have a good friend who loves Yes and particularly Steve Howe's excellent guitar playing. He's tried to get me into Yes, but they have never been my cup of tea.

During the early punk days, Johnny Rotten was seen around London wearing his famous "I hate Pink Floyd" t-shirt. David Gilmour sardonically stated that "He never would've gotten as much mileage out of an 'I Hate Yes' shirt."

I loved their first album, and wore out Caress of Steel and 2112 until the 8-tracks wouldn't play anymore. But, Farewell to Kings was only so-so, and subsequent albums bored me silly.

I still like to turn out the lights and crank out "The Necromancer". However, I think the best album by far was Moving Pictures. It was a combination of thechno and power rock that was never equalled.

I'll side with Mark L. Hemispheres is IT!

By age 17, I was a confirmed Floydophile. They remained, by far, my favorite band from then on. I memorized every note, from every album up to "The Final Cut," which was (for me) the band's epitaph. It didn't help me to appreciate Rush's post 2112 work, however.

Musical taste is hard to define, and even harder to explain.

I loved the PF albums between Meddle and The Wall, and I even saw the concert in 79 or 80 at the Nassau Colloseum, in NY. That was about the time that "Moving Pictures" came out IIRC, give or take a year. I saw them 3 times in 2 weeks! At 3 different venues, all in NY!

I still think that "Close to the Edge" by Yes is one of the all time musical masterpieces. Chris Squire is something of a musical hero to me, being a bass player.

Something that really scares me, though, is the fact that I seem to share similar musical tastes with Les Claypool of Primus, although nowhere near the talent. He's a huge fan of Yes, PF, and King Crimson (I love them too, especially the Tony Levin/Bill Bruford incarnations). Back in the early 80's, the band I was in did the same thing that Claypool's "Frog Brigade" did... Played the entire "Animals" album in concert. It was awesome, although we were a bunch of broke HS and college kids... Didn't have all they synths, but it still sounded pretty great. Les and his Frog Brigade even recorded the show, and it was pretty darned good.

But getting back to it, RUSH ROCKS (and Primus Sucks!).

Mark

"....Give me back my wonder, of something more to give
I guess it doesn't matter, there's not much more to live"