For over 40 years, Rush served the world of rock with intricate prog-compositions, galactic themed musings and thunderous instrumentation that surpassed the wildest imaginations of music fans worldwide.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, frontman Geddy Lee has opened up about the band’s often at times, bewildering lyrical content.
He noted that he had a difficult time interpreting drummer Neil Peart’s lyrics, saying “Being an interpreter for Neil has been a singular pleasure of mine and a really difficult job at the same time, because I’m not always on the same page as him.
As we grew as a band, I became trusted by him to be his sounding board and his editor, and if I couldn’t get into a thing, he would leave it alone.”
He went on to suggest that even he didn’t quite understand what Rush’s famed concept albums were actually about.
I still can’t tell you what any of those records are about, honestly. I don’t think it matters, because the music and the lyrics create a sound, and that gives you a picture of a meaning. Sometimes that’s enough to make you love it.”
Watch: Rush’s ‘Tom Sawyer’
Lee also went on to discuss the band’s musical capabilities saying at times they pushed themselves beyond their limits, especially in the late 70s, noting the track ‘La Villa Strangiato’ as a prime example.
“We thought, ‘We’re going to write this long piece and then we’ll just record it live off the floor and boom!’ But it was really difficult. It was beyond us. … [I]t surprised me how popular that song was among our fans.
They just love it when we go into that crazy mode. Yes, it is an indulgence, but it seemed to be a pivotal moment for us in creating a fanbase that wanted us to be that way.”
Lee also noted in the interview that he “misses” playing with Rush and playing alongside Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson.
“I miss playing with Rush. I don’t miss traveling with Rush. I miss being on stage with those guys because it was a singular honor to me. I’m sure I will play live again one day, but it will never replace that intensity of what a three-hour Rush show was like to perform: it challenged me to my max and that’s rare in this life.”
Recently, Lee revealed that the band have “no plans to tour or record any more”.
“I would say there’s no chance of seeing Rush on tour again as Alex, Geddy, Neil,” he explained. “But would you see one of us or two of us or three of us? That’s possible.”
