Neil Peart -- The Latest News

Neil Peart: Sep 12, 1952 - Jan 7, 2020

2020-01-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Jan 10, we received the tragic news that Neil Peart, drummer for Rush, passed away at age 67 from brain cancer (Glioblastoma) on Tuesday, Jan 7, 2020. He had been quietly battling the disease for the last 3-1/2 years according to a statement posted on Rush.com.

The news of Neil's death has shocked many around the world. Three days later, tributes continue to pour in. You can read many of these as retweets and comments on my Neil Peart News Twitter account. Even though it's difficult to lose such an important person much too soon, reading about how Neil inspired so many has been incredibly helpful.

Neil is survived by his wife Carrie and daughter Olivia. Other survivors include his family, Glen and Betty Peart, two sisters, and a brother. My thoughts and condolences go out to them, as well as his bandmates Alex and Geddy, the Rush family, friends, collaborators, and fans.

While I'm also just a "fan" and never had the opportunity to meet Neil, his death is a great personal loss. I've spent most of my life studying Neil's drumming, lyrics, music, and writing -- and even put together this website to share what I learned with others.

Statement from Rush.com:

It is with broken hearts and the deepest sadness that we must share the terrible news that on Tuesday our friend, soul brother and band mate of over 45 years, Neil, has lost his incredibly brave three and a half year battle with brain cancer (Glioblastoma). We ask that friends, fans, and media alike understandably respect the family’s need for privacy and peace at this extremely painful and difficult time. Those wishing to express their condolences can choose a cancer research group or charity of their choice and make a donation in Neil Peart’s name. Rest in peace brother.

Neil Peart September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020

I'm also posting the intro and lyrics to "The Garden" from Clockwork Angels, Rush's last studio album. I think it provides a nice lens from which to view this "moment." If "love and respect" were the treasure of Neil Peart's life, he succeeded beyond measure.

LONG AGO I READ A STORY FROM ANOTHER TIMELINE about a character named Candide. He also survived a harrowing series of misadventures and tragedies, then settled on a farm near Constantinople. Listening to a philosophical rant, Candide replied, “That is all very well, but now we must tend our garden.”

I have now arrived at that point in my own story. There is a metaphorical garden in the acts and attitudes of a person’s life, and the treasures of that garden are love and respect. I have come to realize that the gathering of love and respect – from others and for myself – has been the real quest of my life.
“Now we must tend our garden.”

In this one of many possible worlds, all for the best, or some bizarre test?
It is what it is – and whatever
Time is still the infinite jest

The arrow flies when you dream, the hours tick away – the cells tick away
The Watchmaker keeps to his schemes
The hours tick away – they tick away

The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect
So hard to earn, so easily burned
In the fullness of time
A garden to nurture and protect

In the rise and the set of the sun
‘Til the stars go spinning – spinning ’round the night
It is what it is – and forever
Each moment a memory in flight

The arrow flies while you breathe, the hours tick away – the cells tick away
The Watchmaker has time up his sleeve
The hours tick away – they tick away

The treasure of a life is a measure of love and respect
The way you live, the gifts that you give
In the fullness of time
It’s the only return that you expect

The future disappears into memory
With only a moment between
Forever dwells in that moment
Hope is what remains to be seen

Neil Peart News Update - May 29, 2017

2017-05-29T15:06:00.001-07:00

When Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee inducted Yes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 7, 2017, it was the first time we'd seen members of Rush on a stage since the 2015 R40 tour. And while I've mostly been content to think of the the band enjoying their well-earned retirement, seeing Alex and Geddy playing music again reminded me of how much I miss he band.

It's still too soon to say what the third act will look like for the members of Rush. Even if I miss them in the concert halls, I'll always be happy that they gave us 41 years of amazing music. And if Rush is done with the large scale tours that took them around the world, I still don't think it's the last we've heard (or seen) of the band.

As for Peart, I don't expect to see him on the stage any time soon. I do think he'll continue to write books and articles. In fact, last month we found out that he's working with author Kevin J. Anderson on a Clockwork Lives graphic novel.

So, you might be asking yourself what all this means for this website? It is, after all, called Neil Peart News.

One change is that the blog you're reading now (Neil Peart - The Latest News) will mostly go dormant as a news feed. (It's actually been dormant since 2016.) Instead, I'll continue to post news updates and to these social sites:

Neil Peart News on Twitter
Neil Peart News on Facebook
Neil Peart News on Instagram (less active)

Beyond news updates, one of the goals of this site has always been to provide in-depth information about Peart's work, life, and drums. In the past few years, I've published new sections on the history of Peart's drum kits, a timeline of his early life, and a look at his drumming influences. As time allows, I'll continue to add these types of features to the site. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see.

As always, thanks for reading!

- Andy Olson, webmaster, Neil Peart News

Neil Peart's "Far and Wide" releasing Sep 13, 2016

2016-07-03T17:13:00.001-07:00

Neil Peart's latest book, Far and Wide: Bring That Horizon to Me! is scheduled to release on September 13, 2016.

In September 2015, Peart wrote the following about this book on NeilPeart.net, BubbaGram™ #1:

In recent months it became apparent that my experiences on the R40 tour in 2015 were much too vast and deep to fit into a couple of website stories. Plus I had far too many scenic and narrative photographs to fit in my usual format here. It would have to be a book.

Yet I did not want to neglect this forum and its audience — just "go dark" on everybody for the year or so it might take to put together a book. A fun solution to that conundrum might be . . . this! During the tour I had been sending occasional images of the day’s travels to my circle of friends under the BubbaGram™ title, so I will continue that theme here. At semi-regular intervals I will post a photograph or two and an anecdote, to represent the work in progress.

From the Publisher's description:

35 concerts. 17,000 motorcycle miles. Three months. One lifetime.

In May 2015, the veteran Canadian rock trio Rush embarked on their 40th anniversary tour, R40. For the band and their fans, R40 was a celebration and, perhaps, a farewell. But for Neil Peart, each tour is more than just a string of concerts, it’s an opportunity to explore backroads near and far on his BMW motorcycle. So if this was to be the last tour and the last great adventure, he decided it would have to be the best one, onstage and off.

This third volume in Peart’s illustrated travel series shares all-new tales that transport the reader across North America and through memories of 50 years of playing drums. From the scenic grandeur of the American West to a peaceful lake in Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains to the mean streets of Midtown Los Angeles, each story is shared in an intimate narrative voice that has won the hearts of many readers.

Richly illustrated, thoughtful, and ever-engaging, Far and Wide is an elegant scrapbook of people and places, music and laughter, from a fascinating road — and a remarkable life.

Neil Peart to produce "Red Barchetta" film (AFD)

2016-04-01T02:00:00.000-07:00

Update: 5:00 p.m. - As most of you guessed, this was an April Fool's Day joke. Thanks for playing along!

----------------

In a development that's sure to please both Rush fans and car aficionados, Neil Peart said in a recent interview that he's producing his first feature film, based on "Red Barchetta."

This is a must read: Neil Peart to produce "Red Barchetta" film.

Thoughts on Neil Peart retirement confusion

2015-12-12T21:24:00.001-08:00

If you were a little confused this past week about whether Neil Peart was "retiring from music," you're in good company. Even if you read the entire article in Drumhead Magazine (included in its entirety below), there's still a lot of ambiguity. To be clear, I don't have any idea what Neil Peart and Rush are going to do next, but here are my thoughts.

"No strict answer" for Neil Peart's future

First, let's talk about what we knew -- even before this article came out. In the press release for the R40 Live tour, Rush announced that this tour, "will most likely be their last major tour of this magnitude." I took this to mean that Rush probably wouldn't be going out on 50-show tours anymore.

In an article I wrote for this site after the last R40 show in Los Angeles, 10 things to look forward to after Rush's R40 tour, I included this quote from Alex Lifeson:

"I think, in my gut, that this is probably the last major tour that we'll do. I'd like to think that we'll maybe do specialty gigs -- maybe a week in New York, or something like that... We want to discuss whether we want to make another record anytime soon. Whatever this tour is, it's not the end of the band. It's just reviewing where we're at, in terms of major tours... we're not waving goodbye

The question about "what's next" has remained, and is usually covered in interviews with the band, including one that Peart did for the January 2016 edition of Modern Drummer:

MD: What's in the future? If Rush isn't touring, will you still record? Write prose? Be a dad?
Neil: You just answered it. There's no strict answer, but those possibilities are all there.

The retirement story goes viral

When Cygnus-x1.net first posted a quote from Drumhead (on Sunday, December 6), it included the quote:

... Lately Olivia has been introducing me to new friends at school as "my dad -- he's a retired drummer." True to say -- funny to hear. ...Now after fifty years of devotion to hitting things with sticks, I feel proud, grateful and satisfied. The reality is that my style of drumming is largely an athletic undertaking, and it does not pain me to realize that, like all athletes, there comes a time to ... take yourself out of the game. I would much rather set it aside than face the predicament described in our song "Losing It." In the song's two verses, an aging dancer and a writer face their diminishing, twilight talents with pain and despair, ...

I saw this around noon on Monday, and by then many sites were reporting that Peart had "retired from music." Most responses to these stories on Twitter -- even from those close to Peart -- seemed to confirm the news.

I waited until Monday evening to post a story, and shorty after that Cygnus-x1.net posted the entire Drumhead article. (I ended up revising my story almost immediately to include a longer excerpt from the article.)

By Tuesday, December 8, Geddy Lee talked with Prog magazine and clarified that Peart hadn't retired from music, "...In my view, there is certainly nothing surprising in what he said. Neil just feels that he has to explain with all the thousands of people asking, 'Why no more tours?' He needs to explain his side of it."

Sadly, this kind of distortion and misinformation on the Internet isn't a rare occurrence. Take a look at any news website, and you'll see untrue stories being reported as "fact" on a daily basis. This is the reality we live in with a 24-hour news cycle to fill and fewer journalists (and their fact-checkers) to fill it.

It's going to take some time for Rush fans to get used to a reality that doesn't include tours. I know that many of us want a definitive answer about what's coming next, but, as Neil Peart confirmed to Modern Drummer, there's no definitive answer right now.

I do think we'll see more from Neil Peart, including books, blog updates, and, yes, more music. Peart might occupy a smaller stage, but he'll still be there. I, for one, am happy with whatever he choses to do next.

Neil Peart Reflects on 50 Years of Hitting Things with Sticks

Drumhead Magazine (transcribed and posted by Cygnus-x1.net)
December 2015

Not being one for celebrating personal "occasions," I am always content to mark milestones like birthdays quietly, privately. Not that I deny them – each September I am proud and grateful to have survived another year, and lately, at age sixty-three, to be in my seventh decade. I just don't like to make a big deal about it, or have others make a fuss.

For that reason, it was a few days later when I realized where I had spent my fiftieth anniversary of playing the drums -- at a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Having played there a few times with Rush over the years, it was fitting in that way – but this time I was with my wife Carrie and six-year-old daughter Olivia to see the Psychedelic Furs and B-52s.

I loved the Furs in the '80s, and Richard Butler's solo album in the noughties was a favorite for about two years. They and their songs still sound really great. The B-52s are nothing if not fun, of course, and all through her childhood Olivia had been dancing wildly to "Love Shack." To watch her dancing (wildly) is the aisle at the Hollywood Bowl with her mother was as they say, "priceless."

Lately Olivia has been introducing me to new friends at school as "my dad -- he's a retired drummer." True to say -- funny to hear. At the Bowl, two fine drummers appealed to dad's professional (retired) appreciation: Paul Garisto nailing the perfect balance of aggressive and artful rhythmic drive for the Furs, and Sterling Campbell laying down a powerful, solid groove for the B-52s – wonderfully abetted by Tracy Wormworth's muscular and immaculate bass playing.

Then there was the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the fireworks finale to crown an unforgettable family evening. The occasion felt "well celebrated."

That night of September 12, 2015, was also my sixty-third birthday, which was no coincidence. Because it was for my thirteenth that my parents gave me drum lessons. No drums, you understand, just a pair of sticks and a practice pad. Every Saturday morning I would catch the bus to downtown St. Catharines (Ontario) for a lesson with Don George at the Peninsula Conservatory of Music on St. Paul Street.

Even there I wasn't playing drums, because other instruments were being taught in neighboring rooms. As arrangement of metal-rimmed pads mimicked the layout of a four-piece set, with a bass-drum pedal, hi-hat and a ride cymbal with a "sock" around it. I learned my rudiments, elemental sight-reading and basic drum-set patterns in a combination of thuds and clicks. I can still hear that sound. (One time Don asked me to improvise around the set a little, and after I did he nodded and said, "Nice. Some of that might not have sounded great on real drums, but the spirit was good.")

Don gave me my first and most important encouragement, mentioning my friend Kit Jarvis, too. "Of all my students, you and Kit are the only ones who can be drummers if you want to." That meant a lot.

As for not playing real drums that first year, fortunately I always had a good imagination! I would array magazines across my bed in a layout of Gene Krupa's drums, or later Keith Moon's, and beat the covers off them. I sat on a stool in front of a mirror and waved my sticks around – like a maniac I dreamed of becoming.

Mom and dad said if I stuck to the lessons and practiced for a year, they would think about buying me drums. Sure enough, the next year they got me a three-piece set of Stewarts ($150) in red sparkle, bass drum, snare drum, one tom and one small (clanky) cymbal.

That first day my shiny red jewels were set up in the living room, and over and over I proudly played my two songs, "Wipeout" and "Land of a Thousand Dances" (a local band played a cover of that with a cool drum part). Then I moved them piece by piece upstairs to my room, and every afternoon after school played along with the pink spackle AM radio on the steam radiator besides me. Whatever song came on the Top 40 station, I tried to play along.

Next, mom and dad got me a hi-hat, then a floor tom, and I saved up paper-route and lawn-mowing money for a pair of Ajax cymbals. And I still played along with the radio to the hits of 1965 and '66. (Perfect time to quote a contemporary drummer who remarked of that time, "My six favorite drummers were all Hal Blaine!")

So that's where I started, fifty years ago, and what a run it has been.

Forty-one years with one band – three young guys who grew up together in music and in life, going through everything music and life can throw at you. All the while, we were doing what we wanted, the way we wanted to do it.

That's the quality I'm most proud of, really – just that we can stand as an example, in the face of what often seems like a factory of corporate entertainment. If nothing else, we showed that it is possible to make a career of music without giving away – or selling – your soul. You just have to be determined. And of course, lucky.

I can't quite give the "wouldn't change a thing" statement you sometimes hear, as there are elements in both music and life that I wish had gone better. A line in our song "Headlong Flight" was inspired by my late drum teacher, Freddie Gruber, "I wish that I could live it all again." Toward the end of Freddie's long and eventful life, he meant it literally, wanting every experience and sensation again, just as it was. Some people rightly see another interpretation in the way I used the line 0- a wish that one could do it all again better. But never mind, regrets are ultimately ... not helpful.

The third teacher in my Holy Trinity, Peter Erskine, modeled a way of looking back on your younger self with a buddha-like ... amused tolerance. He talked about the unthinking way he used to set up his drums, or how limited his playing has been in some technique, with a knowing, comfortable smile. If he was foolish and lame then, he was better now, and that's what mattered.

It was Peter who helped me conquer -- or at least attack -- what was for me the Final Frontier: improvisation. Having developed a certain amount of compositional tools and habits over forty years of playing, I was determined to become freer and more spontaneous. Peter helped me toward that goal with guidance in developing deeper time-sense and greater musicality. (With credit to Nick "Booujzhe" Raskulinecz, too, who encouraged and enabled my improvising in the studio.)

Now after fifty years of devotion to hitting things with sticks, I feel proud, grateful and satisfied. The reality is that my style of drumming is largely an athletic undertaking, and it does not pain me to realize that, like all athletes, there comes a time to ... take yourself out of the game. I would much rather set it aside than face the predicament described in our song "Losing It." (From 1982 it was performed live for the first time on our fortieth anniversary tour, R40, in 2015). In the song's two verses, an aging dancer and a writer face their diminishing, twilight talents with pain and despair, ("Sadder still to watch it die, that never to have known it.")

You have to know when you're at the top of your particular mountain, I guess. Maybe not the summit, but as high as you can go. I think of a Buddy Rich quote I used in a book, Roadshow, about our R30 tour, ten long years ago: "Late in his life, Buddy Rich was asked if he considered himself the world's greatest drummer, and he gave an inspiring reply: 'Let's put it this way: I have that ambition. You don't really attain greatness. You attain a certain amount of goodness, and if you're really serious about your goodness, you'll keep trying to be great. I have never reached a point in my career where I was totally satisfied with anything I've ever done, but I keep trying.'"

I recently picked up another great quote, this one from Artie Shaw. As many readers will know, he was a celebrated big-band leader and clarinetist (he called Benny Goodman "the competition") who famously gave up playing at age forty-four. This summation of his career really resonates with me now. "Had to be better, better, better. It always could be better...When I quit, it was because I couldn't do any better."

Neil Peart talks about retirement in new interview

2015-12-07T17:44:00.001-08:00

Updated, now that I've read the full interview (thanks, John, at Cygnus-x1.net!)

------------------

In a new Drumhead interview, Neil discusses his professional retirement. Here are the important excerpts:

Lately Olivia has been introducing me to new friends at school as "my dad - he's a retired drummer." True to say - funny to hear. At the Bowl, two fine drummers appealed to dad's professional (retired) appreciation: Paul Garisto nailing the perfect balance of aggressive and artful rhythmic drive for the Furs, and Sterling Campbell laying down a powerful, solid groove for the B-52s - wonderfully abetted by Tracy Wormworth's muscular and immaculate bass playing.

Now after fifty years of devotion to hitting things with sticks, I feel proud, grateful and satisfied. The reality is that my style of drumming is largely an athletic undertaking, and it does not pain me to realize that, like all athletes, there comes a time to ... take yourself out of the game. I would much rather set it aside than face the predicament described in our song "Losing It." (From 1982 it was performed live for the first time on our fortieth anniversary tour, R40, in 2015). In the song's two verses, an aging dancer and a writer face their diminishing, twilight talents with pain and despair, ("Sadder still to watch it die, than never to have known it.")

You have to know when you're at the top of your particular mountain, I guess. Maybe not the summit, but as high as you can go. I think of a Buddy Rich quote I used in a book, Roadshow, about our R30 tour, ten long years ago: "Late in his life, Buddy Rich was asked if he considered himself the world's greatest drummer, and he gave an inspiring reply: 'Let's put it this way: I have that ambition. You don't really attain greatness. You attain a certain amount of goodness, and if you're really serious about your goodness, you'll keep trying to be great. I have never reached a point in my career where I was totally satisfied with anything I've ever done, but I keep trying.'"

I recently picked up another great quote, this one from Artie Shaw. As many readers will know, he was a celebrated big-band leader and clarinetist (he called Benny Goodman "the competition") who famously gave up playing at age forty-four. This summation of his career really resonates with me now. "Had to be better, better, better. It always could be better...When I quit, it was because I couldn't do any better."

What does all this mean? As we suspected, Neil won't be going out on any major tours with Rush. But I don't think it means he won't record any new music. We'll need to wait and see...

R40 Live releases today

2015-11-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

Rush's R40 Live video and CD releases today, November 20. There are five R40 Live versions to choose from, which you can order from Amazon at the links below:

R40 Live set to release Nov 20

2015-10-10T12:46:00.001-07:00

Rush's R40 Live video and CD will release on November 20. And if the "Roll the Bones" video preview is any indication, this promises to be an epic release. There are five R40 Live versions to choose from, which you can order from Amazon at the links below:

Filmed in their home town of Toronto at two sold-out shows on June 17 and 19, R40 Live will give the fans who saw the mind-blowing show a way to relive their memories -- and a chance for fans who didn't to experience it (sorry Europe, Brazil, and everywhere else). After watching the "Roll the Bones" video preview, it appears that this production focuses on the band, much like R30. I was immediately impressed with mix and the direction. In particular, the stereo mix seems to be much more balanced than what we've heard in past releases, and it appears we have David Bottrill (Vapor Trails remixed) to thank for that. I can finally hear the drums and bass -- as well as the guitar. We'll see how the 5.1 mix turns out, but I'm optimistic that this will be one of the best-sounding Rush live releases ever.

Read the official press release on Rush.com.

Watch official trailer.

Neil Peart News, Weather, and Sports Update - Sep 2015 - "BubbaGram #1"

2015-09-21T20:21:00.001-07:00

Neil Peart has posted a September 2015 update to his website entitled "BubbaGram #1."

The big news in this update is right at the beginning:

In recent months it became apparent that my experiences on the R40 tour in 2015 were much too vast and deep to fit into a couple of website stories. Plus I had far too many scenic and narrative photographs to fit in my usual format here. It would have to be a book.

Yet I did not want to neglect this forum and its audience--just "go dark" on everybody for the year or so it might take to put together a book. A fun solution to that conundrum might be . . . this! During the tour I had been sending occasional images of the day's travels to my circle of friends under the BubbaGram^TM title, so I will continue that theme here. At semi-regular intervals I will post a photograph or two and an anecdote, to represent the work in progress.

My guess is we'll see quarterly updates from Neil.

R40 Live album and video set to release Nov 20, 2015

2015-09-19T16:21:00.001-07:00

According to an email sent out to industry professionals from Zoe/Rounder Records/Concord Music Group, it looks like the R40 Live album and video are scheduled to release on Friday, November 20, 2015.

Here's an excerpt from the email (courtesy of Rushisaband):

CD/DVD RELEASE DATE NOVEMBER 20, 2015
Unlike other concert DVD's where the looks is the same throughout, this show has an extremely extensive setup that changes multiple times throughout the show (as the set list moves back in time, the stage setup reflects the band's stage setup from that period in their career.)
* Amazing value with almost 3 hours of footage!
* Includes multiple songs that have either never been performed before or never been captured on video

Rumor has it that this was the band's last large-scale tour, making this an absolute necessity for a Rush fan to own...

In addition, the first single from the album, "Roll The Bones (Live)," is scheduled to be available on Friday, September 25.

More info as we get it. Thanks to Rushisaband for the head's up!

Clockwork Lives releases today

2015-09-15T19:14:00.001-07:00

Clockwork Lives, the follow-up to Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart's first New York Times bestselling novel, Clockwork Angels, was released today. Order your hardcover copy today:

Order the Kindle version: Clockwork Lives

Happy 63rd Birthday Neil Peart!

2015-09-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Neil Peart turns 63 today, Saturday, September 12. Neil Peart News would like to wish Bubba a Happy Birthday!

In honor of Neil's birthday, we've compiled a few PeartFacts^TMfor your enjoyment:

40 million+: Albums sold worldwide by Rush
25 million: Albums sold in the U.S.
544,525: People who saw Rush on R30 tour¹
200,000: Miles of motorcycling in first 10 years¹
21,000: Miles driven on R30 tour¹
1,500: Age of oak used in R40 drum kits
2012: The year Rush received the Revolver Golden Gods Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement award
1000s: Number of postcards sent to fans over the years
257: Pairs of drumsticks used on R30 tour (57 shows)¹
213: Shows played on 2112 and All the World's a Stage tours (Aug 1976 - June 1977)
155: Shows played on the Rush tour (Feb 1974 - January 1975)
100: Shows played on the Moving Pictures tour (Sep 1980 - July 1981)
82: Book reviews in Bubba's Book Club
78: Singles released by Rush
50: Years playing drums (including one year of lessons starting in 1965)
41: Years making music with Rush
31: Years of bicycling¹
24: Albums certified Gold
21: Years motorcycling¹
20: Studio albums with Rush
19: Peak chart position for Feedback (US, 2004)
18: Months living abroad in London, England (June 1971 - Dec 1973)
17: Peak chart position of Rush Replay X3 (US, 2006)
16: Peak chart position for Presto (US, 1990)
15: Number of times voted "Best Recorded Performance" by the readers of Modern Drummer
14: Albums certified Platinum
13: Number of drum kits played on Rush tours (2 Slingerland, 2 Tama, 3 Ludwig, and 6 DW)
12: Cymbals used on "modern" drum kit (14 if you count both hi-hats)
11: Number of drums (toms, floor toms, snares, bass) on modern drum kit
10: Live albums made with Rush (11 if you count the upcoming R40 Live album [TBA])
9: Duration of "Der Trommler" drum solo (mins)
8: Peak chart position of "Tom Sawyer" (1981) and "Subdivisions (1982) singles (U.S.)
7: Grammy nominations (including one for his drum solo, "O Baterista" from Rush In Rio)
6: Published non-fiction books
5: Number of times Neil won DRUM! magazine's "Drummie" award
4: Concert toms used on "retro" drum kit
3: Movies appearing as "himself"
2: Novels co-written with Kevin J. Anderson
1: Number of major league sports theme songs arranged and performed: "The Hockey Song"
Unknown: Times people have mispronounced "Peart" (for the record, it rhymes with "ear")

¹Peart, Neil (2007-09-25). Roadshow: Landscape with Drums: A Concert Tour by Motorcycle (p. 397). National Book Network - A. Kindle Edition.

10 things to look forward to after Rush's R40 tour

2015-08-02T12:29:00.001-07:00

Now that Rush has played their final R40 Live show in Los Angeles, many of us are unsure of what the future holds for the Holy Triumvirate. While a lot has been made of R40 Live being Rush's final tour -- and Los Angeles being their final show -- my feeling is it's not the end of the road for Rush. Instead, I see it as the beginning of a new chapter where they'll continue to write new music (and possibly perform live).

But don't take my word for it. Alex Lifeson said as much in a recent interview on the Eddie Trunk show:

"I think, in my gut, that this is probably the last major tour that we'll do. I'd like to think that we'll maybe do specialty gigs -- maybe a week in New York, or something like that... We want to discuss whether we want to make another record anytime soon. Whatever this tour is, it's not the end of the band. It's just reviewing where we're at, in terms of major tours... we're not waving goodbye."

So, while we ponder the band's new direction, here are some upcoming releases to look forward to -- in the coming months and beyond:

1. More Updates on NeilPeart.net: I fully expect Neil to continue to write and publish blogs and book reviews on his website. We should see an update from him in the next week or two, including his reflections on the final night of the tour.

2. Clockwork Lives (release date September 15, 2015). Written by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart, this novel is a return to the Clockwork Angels universe. Having read one chapter, Clockwork Lives: The Bookseller's Tale, I expect another great read.

3. 2113: Stories Inspired by the Music of Rush: (No date announced) This anthology will include stories by David Farland, Mercedes Lackey, Greg van Eekhout, Dayton Ward, David Mack, Steven Savile, Brian Hodge, Michael Z. Williamson, Brad R. Torgersen, David Niall Wilson, Ron Collins, Mark Leslie, Larry Dixon, John McFetridge, and Tim Lasiuta. Bonus stories include a reprint of Richard Foster's story "A Nice Morning Drive" -- the original inspiration for "Red Barchetta" -- and Fritz Leiber's "Roll the Bones."

4. The R40 Live video release: While a date hasn't been announced, we do know that Rush filmed both Toronto shows on the R40 Live tour. Alex Lifeson said in the Eddie Trunk interview that it could be released by Christmas 2015. And being that this is the band's last "major tour," I expect to find a few surprises on it.

On the the "less certain" list:

5. More Neil Peart travel books: Neil's previous two books were based on his blogs. Now that he'll have a little more time, I expect that he'll write and publish a band-new book by 2016 (not that being busy ever stopped him!). I wouldn't be surprised to see him write something more introspective and historical, like he did in Roadshow and Traveling Music.

6. A new Hudson Music drum DVD or Drum Channel lessons: Even though Taking Center Stage was the ultimate DVD for fans of Neil Peart's drumming, I expect that Neil will continue to share his knowledge with the world -- especially with the way he's transformed his style in the past 10 years.

7. Soundtrack work by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. In one recent interview, Geddy and Alex talked about the prospect of doing soundtrack work for film. Given Geddy's interest in cinema, I think this will happen at some point. (See number 8 and 9 as well.)

8. Geddy Lee-produced movie based on the book "Baseballissimo." A few years back, Geddy Lee optioned Dave Bindini's book about baseball in the Italian farm leagues. Since then, the movie has been in development with director Jacob Tierney, producer David Miller, and writers Jay Baruchel, Dave Bindini, and Jesse Chabot.

9. Clockwork Angels movie. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, Neil Peart said: "I thought, what a great semi-retirement project (a Clockwork Angels film) for the three of us, 'cause Geddy loves cinema, Alex for the soundtrack and me for the story. But I was hoping that's a project that the three of us would undertake at some point."

10. A new Rush album: My gut tells me that we will hear new music from Rush, even if they don't support it with a major tour. Neil has always said that writing new music is the most exciting part of the job for him, so I don't expect him to stop doing it just because they scale back their live performances.

Photos of the Night - Los Angeles, CA - August 1, 2015

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For the final show of the R40 Live tour, here are two amazing photos from the end of the show by @OURoadWarrior and @CR_BROOKS_1. As you can see, Neil joined Alex and Geddy for a group hug at the front of the stage (probably for the first time ever). It's the end of another chapter for Rush, but we will see more from these three Canadians.

More to come...

Photo of the night - Irvine, CA - July 30, 2015

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Great pyro photo by @Wondermasons. One more show...

Photo of the night - Phoenix, AZ - July 27, 2015

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Check out this amazing photo of Neil and Alex by photojournalist Michael Chow! (See more of his photos here.)

Photo of the night - Las Vegas, NV - July 25, 2015

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Great photo of Alex and Neil at the MGM Grand by @OURoadWarrior (now a three-time Photo of the Night photographer!).

Photo of the night - San Jose, CA - July 23, 2015

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Something a little different for San Jose from @dronology. Thanks for sharing!

Photo of the night - Portland, OR - July 21, 2015

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From my seat in Portland, Neil was hidden behind the drums for most of the night. But I did happen to get a good photo at the end of the show. Always nice to see the Professor smiling!

Photo of the night - Seattle, WA - July 19, 2015

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This photo was taken by yours truly.

Photo of the Night: Vancouver, B.C. - July 17, 2015

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Great photo by @shinedon via Twitter! Thanks for sharing.

Photo of the night - Calgary, Alberta - July 15, 2015

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Photo from @planetarium_51. Great shot!

Photo of the night - Salt Lake City, Utah - July 13, 2015

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This photo is via Cygnus-x1.net. (Robert Provard, I think.) What an amazing shot!

Photo of the night - Denver, CO - July 11, 2015

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Great photo by @greggkallish of Rush in Denver. Thanks for sharing!

Photo of the night - Kansas City, MO - July 9, 2015

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The first photo of the third leg is by @LibertyCentric. Thanks for sharing!