To: Geddy, if somehow you could read this

[OPBASSMAN1994]

When I read the first post in this thread I thought my PC was about to launch into a remix of the Eminem song 'Stan'! lol


Oh well, live and let live.

Peace.

creepiest thread ive seen on TB yet. cant you guys just go back to arguing about p's and wood?

Seriously guys? The kid's just a grateful fan who has a hero (like many of us here). No need to bash him because he's enthusiastic. Honestly, I think we'd all jump at the chance to jam with our musical idols, and thank them for the impact they've made on us. I sure as heck would.

 

[SteveC]

Seriously guys? The kid's just a grateful fan who has a hero (like many of us here). No need to bash him because he's enthusiastic. Honestly, I think we'd all jump at the chance to jam with our musical idols, and thank them for the impact they've made on us. I sure as heck would.

I agree. At age 46 I'm debating taking a 4 hour flight to NC and spending $1,000+ to attend a workshop for 90 minutes with one of my recent influences Jimmy Haslip. There's also an opportunity for a 2 hour lesson with him for $175.

Leave the kid alone already.

 

[Ler]

Another longtime, huge Rush/Geddy fan here- the reason I picked up the bass 30 years ago blah blah...I finally met Geddy and Alex last summer in Austin after the show. They were very cool, considering it was really late, between midnight and 2am. Alex was especially easy going and chatty, Geddy not as much. But he was very obliging to say the least. He was obviously a little whipped after the show.

They were kind enough to take a few pics and sign a couple of things. I remember Alex saying, "thanks for the support!" I was able to thank them, we shook hands and that was it. Probably 5 minutes or less with both of them, but an experience I'll not soon forget.

 

[Relayer71]

Geddy is the reason I wanted to play bass (after playing guitar for years).

A friend of mine told me he ran into him once a few years ago at the Prada store here in NYC and my friend said hi to him and Mr. Lee (and his lady friend, wife possibly?) were very pleasant. Now my friend didn't stay there and talk his ear off, just said "Hello, loved your last album" and Lee smiled and humbly said thank you, hope you like the next one or something like that.

 

[mbeall]

Intersting observations. Over the last 30 years, in my experience, Neil is far more talkative in interviews than Alex and Geddy combined. Doesn't seem to have a problem expressing himself.

Saw an interview with Neil where he discussed the making of "Moving Pictures." Described it as a lot of fun, no pressure and pushing the edge and went on to describe how analytically he approached drum/percussion parts. Didn't seem to be at a loss for words to me.

But the hyper-intellect could be the reason he doesn't care for small talk. Who knows? In any case, I've never seen these guys do a bad show (at least 1 every tour since MP) or interview. To have that kind of commitment & drive 40+ years on, they've earned my respect many times over.

Why not accept the explanation from the horse's mouth?






Living on a lighted stage
approaches the unreal
for those who think and feel
in touch with some reality
beyond the guilded cage.

Cast in this unlikely role
and ill-equipped to act,
with insufficient tact,
one must put up barriers
to keep oneself intact.

Living in the limelight
the universal dream
for those who wish to seem.
Those who wish to be,
must put aside the alienation,
get on with the fascination,
the real relation,
the underlying theme.

Living in a fisheye lens,
caught in the camera eye,
I have no heart to lie.
I can't pretend a stranger is
a long awaited friend.

All the world's indeed a stage
and we are merely players,
performers and portrayers,
each another's audience
outside the guilded cage.

 

[hrodbert696]

Why not accept the explanation from the horse's mouth?

Living on a lighted stage
approaches the unreal
for those who think and feel
in touch with some reality
beyond the guilded cage...

Yeah, Peart wrote "Limelight" about precisely this issue. It's not that he's inarticulate nor even antisocial, just private. He talks about this on the "Beyond the lighted stage" DVD, that he had guys he idolized when he was young but it never would have occurred to him to go find out what their hotel room was and sneak up to it or any of that fan behavior. That kind of thing just freaks him out.

 

[twocargar]

Yeah, Peart wrote "Limelight" about precisely this issue. It's not that he's inarticulate nor even antisocial, just private. He talks about this on the "Beyond the lighted stage" DVD, that he had guys he idolized when he was young but it never would have occurred to him to go find out what their hotel room was and sneak up to it or any of that fan behavior. That kind of thing just freaks him out.

Yeah, he also talks about 'Dealing' in the Limelight in detail in his (Roadshow or Ghost Rider) book. Apparently there was some kid who snuck onto his tour bus and was wanting an autograph. He also said he gets the willies when over zealous fans follow the bus after the show. He's shy and doesn't understand why fans do that. He said he would have never done that to Keith Moon back in the day when he was a huge Who fan.

 

[electracoyote]

I can relate to Peart. I love being an entertainer, but I hate crowds, and I eschew being forced or obligated to interact with strangers. I get phobic. Some might see it as ingracious or ungrateful, but it's not. It's a preference and an avoidance of things that make you uncomfortable. Some fans may think they own Neil Peart, but they do not.

I feel fortunate I got to meet the guy back in the day before he decided it wasn't part of his job description.

 

[davidjackson]

Seriously guys? The kid's just a grateful fan who has a hero (like many of us here). No need to bash him because he's enthusiastic. Honestly, I think we'd all jump at the chance to jam with our musical idols, and thank them for the impact they've made on us. I sure as heck would.

No offence intended. My comment was meant in a light hearted way. We all have our heroes and they help inspire us to progress in our playing and enjoyment of the instrument.

 

[OPBASSMAN1994]

No offence intended. My comment was meant in a light hearted way. We all have our heroes and they help inspire us to progress in our playing and enjoyment of the instrument.

Absolutely. Sorry for taking it too seriously.

 

[Kaa]

I feel that most big performers would rather chat about stuff other than their jobs. I bet that if someone asked Geddy whether he'd rather talk about music/bass, or hockey, he'd probably go for the hockey.

I had breakfast with a nationally famous actor one time, and I told myself I was not going to ask or say one thing about acting. So we chatted baseball, and he seemed to appreciate it.

 

[VitalSigns]

I feel that most big performers would rather chat about stuff other than their jobs. I bet that if someone asked Geddy whether he'd rather talk about music/bass, or hockey, he'd probably go for the hockey.

Nah, Geddys a baseball man!

 

[OPBASSMAN1994]

^^^^
Toronto Blue Jays season tix. Right behind Home Plate. Every year.

 

[dave64o]

I feel that most big performers would rather chat about stuff other than their jobs. ...

A few years ago I hung around after a Bela Fleck and The Flecktones concert for a CD signing. All the guys were very congenial and seemed genuinely happy to see the fans but I was surprised by the reaction I got from Future Man. I said something to him about the venue we were in and that really seemed to get his attention. So he talked to me for a while about about the architecture and design behind some of the venues they've played and what he liked about them. I thought it was pretty cool and, as gracious as they were with everyone, I guessed he appreciated not having to have the same conversation about the show or the album they were supporting for the 200th time that night.

Would love to have a chance to meet the guys from Rush some day, even though I know the odds of meeting Neil are low at best. I was about 12 when 2112 came out and I've been a huge fan ever since.

 

[MarkMcCombs]

FWIW - I hope the kid gets to meet him, as I did once. Do keep in mind he's just a guy, though (obviously) very musically talented.

I met him at a gala before the 1989 All-Star game, lots of celebs there but I think I was the only one who recognized him. Went up to him and asked "excuse me, you're Geddy Lee, right?", just as he bit into a burrito, so his mouth was full when he answered. I expressed how much I admired his music, he thanked me. Great guy.

 

[Tupac]

Geddy, this kid has the same dream I had about 30 years ago. If my place in line comes up first I will gladly defer my spot to Presto2112. The world needs more kids with great dreams.

I have dreams on this level, I just don't make threads about them. What were you really hoping to accomplish here OP? If you want to meet him, write a letter, visit a concert, or shoot an email even. You're not the #1 fan you know, the world won't stop for you. But it won't stop you either.

 

[AtomicPunk]

Geddy would like you a lot better if you had a conversation about baseball, not John Rutsey or what's the meaning of "the Necromancer". I have a feeling he is not much for idol worship either.

 

[Kaa]

Nah, Geddys a baseball man!

This I did not know. I presumed being Canadian, he would be a hockey fan. That'll show me to be presumptive.

 

[seang15]

Dear Geddy Lee: Thanks for the impact you've made on people like myself, Presto2112, and countless others. Thank you for being a true musician (alongside Alex and Neil) for nearly 4 decades, ignoring the criticism, ignoring the popularity contests and record label pressure, and just writing good music. Thanks for making such a giant leap for the bass as an instrument, and for creating some of the most memorable and incredible riffs in the history of Rock and Roll. Thanks for being a good role model, and staying clear of the hard drugs, groupies and wildness, being professional and letting the music speak for itself. Finally, thank you for the memories. I'll never forget my first (and second...and soon third ) Rush concert, and dropping my jaw at the bass solos in Red Barchetta, La Villa Strangiato, and YYZ, which left me with an even greater thirst to grow as a musician. I pray for many more long years of success and musical longevity for you, Neil, and Alex. God bless Rush, and God bless Geddy Lee.

-Daniel


I guess this has become the "Geddy Lee fanmail" thread now...

-AMEN!!!

 

[bassvi]

I consider myself lucky I got to talk to Geddy and Alex way back in the 70's at the Electric Ballroom in Atlanta. They were touring behind Caress of Steel, I believe it was their "down the tubes" tour. I was in a 3-piece band at the time too and could relate to all the pressure they had to be under to conform (add a singer, add a keyboard player, add a 2nd guitar, write more commercial music, etc..) I admired them a lot because they championed the idea that artists could control who they were, not the record company, the press, or even the fans. I still respect them for that. I would like to think the support my friends and I gave them that night helped validate their struggle at the time.
They are true heroes to me in the sense that they fought to choose their own destiny in a business that is so jaded people will do anything to make it. I think you have to respect that even if you don't get into their music or sound. They are one of the most amazing bands ever, on many levels.

Geddy was super nice when I met him, laughed when I asked if they were really Canadian, and told me he learned how to sing like that while in choir in high school.

Alex really was the most outgoing and outwardly nice guy in the band. I spoke with him as he put his guitars away, and he told me I could go back in the dressing room if I wanted to meet Geddy. Super nice guy, and a wonderful guitar player.