A part of my life died recently with the death of Neil Peart. He was more than just a phenomenal drummer in a Rock Band, he was the heart of one. From when he joined the group Rush, he became the voice. He penned songs steeped in fantasy lore and wove tales of vast galactic empires and one man who challenged it.
You see, in 1981, it was not chic to be a geek. In fact most of the time we were called dorks or dweebs. We were the outcasts, the round peg in a square hole. For some of us, even our parents thought we needed help. Instead of going out chasing girls on a Friday night, we huddled in basements like a secret conclave, rolling odd-shaped dice and moving little lead miniatures around a graph paper labyrinth.
We might as well be speaking Chinese, with our debates on orcs vs hobgoblins and such. Reading the books of Michael Moorcock along with Tolkien while having the latest X-men comic in our backpack. And the soundtrack to our forays into these mysterious worlds, a trio from Canada, Rush.
Rush was not cool, like the hair bands or new wave of the ’80s. It was “thinking” music. It was complex and introspective. It was our music because they were on the outside like us. They told us that we had free will, to think for ourselves, to not follow the crowd because they were popular. Rush sang about alloy air cars, the red star of the solar federation, and the adventures of By-Tor. They were there in our D&D games, our walkmans, and boom boxes. They moved us, because they were us, and even after 40 years, their last studio album, Clockwork Angels, a sci-fi story penned by Neil Peart and Kevin j Anderson.
I will miss Neil Peart, his writing has been a part of my life since 1981 when my friend brought this obscure album over and the needle dropped on Tom Sawyer, their biggest hit of their extensive career. But it was Signals, and the songs Subdivisions, New World Man, and Chemistry that changed my world and I truly am grateful for them. Rest in Peace Professor, you have earned it.
Written by Ed Carter
