Sonic Reality

buscemi · Post by **buscemi** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:10 pm

blatanville wrote:
buscemi wrote:Watch some more live stuff too, though, and get a little more of an idea. That video is an excellent song but they are all so serious in it. I've seen them have WAY more fun than that over the years
Yeah, these guys are serious about their music, but not too serious about how they present their music. There's almost always some joke in their album covers, and there's always some riff on threes (they are a trio, afterall) in there somewhere.

Last time I saw them was on the Vapour Trails tour, here in toronto at the Air Canada Centre. There were three washing machines on stage, next to Geddy's bass amps. Mid-set, just after they took their "breather," Alex and Geddy went to the washing machines and took tour shirts out of them, and began throwing them to the crowd.

Yeah, they are great fun - I like all the little lyric changes ("freedom of baseball" anyone?) and Alex actually playing the Hentor Sportcasters, etc.

GaryG · Post by **GaryG** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:59 pm

buscemi wrote:I like all the little lyric changes

"we are the plumbers, who've come to fix the drains"

Squids · Post by **Squids** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:49 am

I was tempted to ask Neil about Rush lyrics. It's incredible that he's such an amazing drummer and writes those complex lyrics as well. I've always been curious what some of them mean or why he chose certain words that you don't commonly hear. But I wasn't sure if he'd want to talk about it or not so I didn't go there. I asked Nick if he ever talked at length to him about it and he hadn't either (with some significant hang time having produced the last Rush album). Neil is very comfortable with Nick so it was a good thing he was there. Plus Nick is a fantastic engineer. It was a very interesting mic set up. Two RCA ribbons for one room set and two U67s plus a Telefunken 251 mono room. 3 C12's for overheads to capture Neil's enormous kit. You can kind of see the mic array on our myspace page. Just look in the Studio ProFile Sessions photos. I'll maybe post a few in here to look at. Plus I have the shots of us with Neil. I have one with me, Nick Raskulinecz, Neil Peart and Terry Bozzio. I'd show my mom but she has no idea who any of them are... so I'll show you guys instead.

Muso to Muso.

tboulette · Post by **tboulette** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:56 am

Squids wrote:I was tempted to ask Neil about Rush lyrics. It's incredible that he's such an amazing drummer and writes those complex lyrics as well. I've always been curious what some of them mean ....

Read some Ayn Rand and you'll get a lot of it.

jjkinva · Post by **jjkinva** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 2:04 pm

tboulette wrote:
Squids wrote:I've always been curious what some of them mean ....
Read some Ayn Rand and you'll get a lot of it.

...and how many of the lyrics were facilitated by controlled substances, especially in the 70's. I mean, "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", "A Passage to Bangkok", "Xanadu", "Jacob's Ladder"...a vivid imagination would be required, but I think a little nudge from "other things" would have also helped!

Agreed about the Ayn Rand references...I was only able to get through "Atlas Shrugged" and part of "The Fountainhead", but the influence of this literature is definitely in Rush lyrics. Mythology as well. Plus a good dose of observation and social commentary in songs like "Subdivisions", "Countdown", "Witch Hunt", "Freewill", "Different Strings", "Territories" (one of my all-time faves...especially on the live A Show of Hands DVD), "Show Don't Tell", etc...

ZombyWoof · Post by **ZombyWoof** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 2:34 pm

jjkinva wrote:Agreed about the Ayn Rand references...I was only able to get through "Atlas Shrugged" and part of "The Fountainhead", but the influence of this literature is definitely in Rush lyrics.

Say it isn't so! I always regarded Ayn Rand as a wee bit fascistic in her black and white world. Won't stop me from loving me some Rush though.

blatanville · Post by **blatanville** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:18 pm

apparently, 2112 is based on an extrapolation of Ayn Rand's Objectivist Philosophies.
I don't know how much more influence she's had on Rush's lyrics after that album, though.

I've heard that Neil's a very interesting fellow, with a wide open mind, and a wide range of interests**. It's perhaps a bit of a let-down for those who practice and practice and practice that to him (again, this is just my interpretation), the rock music world is a career that enables him to engage in his other pursuits...whereas some others would sacrifice their left arm to be able to do what he does with just his right...y'know?

** for instance, he often rides his motorcycle from one gig to the next, eschewing the tour bus except when he HAS TO (and probably giving the tour's insurance underwriters a series of heart attacks)

** he's also ridden a bicycle across Africa.

** etc.

"Red Barchetta" was influenced by an article in a British auto magazine from the 70s (it's archived online by some Rush fans -- google it)

& c.

blatanville · Post by **blatanville** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:20 pm

ZombyWoof wrote:Say it isn't so! I always regarded Ayn Rand as a wee bit fascistic in her black and white world. Won't stop me from loving me some Rush though.

and don't kid yourself: Rand is a fascist.

her philosophy of Objectivism is powerfully attractive to people who feel themselves to be better than others.
But as a complete philosophy to live by, it has some gaping holes: what to do with the human beings who CAN'T care for & assert themselves (children, the infirm, the handicapped, the aged)? there's no room in her philosophy for these people, they just don't exist. Perhaps, like Hitler, Rand would simply "do away with" them...

Squids · Post by **Squids** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 5:22 am

On the lighter side of things... Just posted a bunch of new pics from the Neil Peart sessions. Heard some really good news today about something sort of Genesis-related. Can't say yet but it's pretty exciting... other news... I'm going back out to LA soon to record some stuff. I am also joining Nick D'Virgilio and Mark Hornsby in Nashville to do some unusual interpretations of Genesis songs from The Lamb era. Check out Nick's page if you want to hear an example. I didn't play on that one though but I will on some other tracks... it's for an album to be released on his label. Muso progressive category. Just so you don't think I'm only a throwback I am co-producing a trip hop band too... plus, I may even release my own album this year with me singing, writing, playing guitar, keys, drums etc. It's sort of similar to Gabriel-Floyd-Radiohead-ColdPlay style but with Mellotrons and Chamberlins, acoustic instruments, various electronica and other influences...

Anyway, here's a cool pic of Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio, me and Nick Raskulinecz. Nick was amazing in the session. He's one of the hottest producers around right now. He produced the last Rush album and three Foo Fighters albums and a bunch of other stuff. Cool guy and fun to work with too! Terry Bozzio is another really cool person who came by when we were recording Neil Peart. We have sampling session coming up with Terry recreating the sound he got with Missing Persons and producer/engineer/manager Ken Scott! Me, I'm just weazling my way into a pic with these legends.

Squids · Post by **Squids** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 5:25 am

jjkinva · Post by **jjkinva** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:07 am

Squids wrote:Anyway, here's a cool pic of Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio, me and Nick Raskulinecz.

Nice to see Mr. Peart without that funky fez/skull cap or whatever you call that hat he usually wears! Looks like he worked up a lather doing whatever-it-was in the studio! Looking forward to more details on the session!

BTW, does anyone know what type of bass drum he's using in the pic below? Looks a bit under-sized, no?

GaryG · Post by **GaryG** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:32 pm

Has someone just nicked Neils wiimote & nunchuck in that first picture?

Rainman · Post by **Rainman** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:57 am

Squids wrote:
Rainman wrote:Whoa!!! That kit will take more than just a few hours to sample
All day and all night.... I am uploading pictures now!

How's the Custer Dome Rainman?

The Custer Dome is undergoing a major renovation right now, hardly time to even check out the forums. I've doubled my overall space and am now applying some acoustical treatments. Lots and lots of long days but it's all worth it in the end.

All the best!

Rainman · Post by **Rainman** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:23 am

I used to hear Neal on a radio program called "Morningside" on the CBC from Canada every now and again. The host used to have him on just to talk about anything, current affairs, motorcycles, lyrics, literature, you name it. Definitely a notch above the average joe in terms of intellect.

Back to work.

Jim Roseberry · Post by **Jim Roseberry** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:57 am

jjkinva wrote:
Squids wrote: BTW, does anyone know what type of bass drum he's using in the pic below? Looks a bit under-sized, no?

DW made the shells for his Roland Vdrums (so they'd match his new S&A kit).
So... that's just a shell for the V-drum kick pad. Serves no real purpose other than aesthetic.

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