Wednesday, March 6, 2013
New Neil Peart news update at NeilPeart.net
[NEWS, WEATHER, and SPORTS: March, 2013 - Winter Latitudes]
Neil Peart has once again updated the news page on his website with a story titled Winter Latitudes. Neil describes his February vacation in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec where he spent a lot of time skiing, snowshoeing and enjoying the natural surroundings. He then goes on to talk about his January hiking trip with his friend Greg in the Santa Monica Mountains and spending time with his 3-year-old daughter Olivia. You can read the entire thing on Neil's website at this location.
Comments
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Why all the fuss. I dont get it. If neil wants to write something i occassionally read it.if i am not in the mood i dont.some people will tune in to everyword. Some wont tune in at all. I have to admit if neil speaks of a rush album or tour,i am all ears.lets not get too excited about this subject.but lets all hope he drums,and writes lyrics, for a good few years yet
#24 and #25, thanks. I appreciate the responses. #25 LOL @ Private Peart! I forgot about coining that phrase. Yeah, I like the Private Peart, not the Public Peart. LOL!!!!
#23/ 24
I have to say I can identify with what both of you had to say. In fact, you said how I feel (about Neil) better than I could have, myself.
MGRushfan...I feel the same, I preferred Neil being more of a "mystery". I remember you coined the phrase (in one of these blogs) of the "private Peart", a while back and I agreed. I preferred the "private Peart".
Oh well. That's all long gone ,now.
#23
I am in broad agreement with you here. When I was in my late teens and early twenties I hung on every lyric Neil wrote. Back then the lyrics were, to me, kind of the 4th member of the band, so to speak. But as much as I still believe Neil to be the greatest drummer, and Rush the greatest band, of my lifetime, I find I rarely bother with Neil's lyrics anymore. But I put that down in large part to the fact that I am now in my 50s and no longer a naive and impressionable young man looking to "pop culture prophets" for answers.
I would also agree that Neil`s writing in general is not of a particularly high standard, and you make an excellent point about the punchlines...for a man who is perhaps an intellectual, he peppers his writings with silly soundbites. I would go so far as to suggest that, take away the Rush fans who buy his books, and his sales as a writer would be almost nothing.
But thank heavens for his unrivalled skills as a drummer, and for Rush's unparalleled genius as rock composers! That is the Neil Peart I admire and there is no harm at all in recognising his limitations in other areas.
Although I would not go so far as to say that I don't like the "new" Neil, or that people who are interested in reading his updates are somehow lacking, I would like to say as a 25 year fan of Rush that Neil's writings simply bore the crap out of me. I skim them for snippets of Rush related paragraphs (or sentences as it usually works out with Neil). But I learned long ago not to spend my time on his long missives. Why?
Well, for one, I'm not interested in his life outside of Rush. I find it personally to be a little insulting that for the vast majority of Rush's history, Neil was always shrouded in mystery and darkness, only now to expose many intimate details of his life. Maybe I'm shallow, but i liked him when he was a mystery to me. I don't want to see his kid, wife, cars etc...In fact, I'm shocked he would even publicly expose them at all.
Secondly, Neil lives in a rarified world that holds nothing I can really relate to personally. I don't hold it against him that he's rich and lives a very high-end lifestyle, but personally I have difficulty relating to much of what he says. I drive a 1995 toyota and struggle to find money to eat every week. Reading about the travels of a rich rock star and his multiple homes, cars etc just isn't something I'm into.
Third, I have no interest in travelogues. And I don't think Neil is as good a writer of them as he thinks. He constantly has to find a "punch-line" in almost every paragraph, which gets annoying. I don't mind the social commentary so much, but it gets overbearing at times. Basically, I love the dude's lyrics (up to 1994 or so), and that's all the attention I have for his writing.
Let's face it, I would venture to say that most of you would agree that a Neil Peart written autobiography of his life in Rush, with detailed Rush anecdotes, stories, commentaries, remembrances etc would sell like hotcakes and everybody and their mother would line up to buy it. But how excited are you really reading about his motorcycle ride down a desert road somewhere in Nevada?
To me, it all seems like a big waste of our time and his.
He knows changes aren't permanent, but change is...
How relevant - and my favorite 2 lines from that song. People change, always, whether by design or perception. Only the individual knows to what degree true change has taken place.
#18- #20-
I don't really completely "agree" with either of your sides on this. I don't really have a problem with Neil's writing. In fact, I've read all of his books, except for the most recent one "Far and away". I will most likely read it ,at some point, but haven't yet.
Personally, though (and I don't say this to piss anyone off or offend anyone) Neil has appealed less and less to me over the years. Mostly, since his move to California. I am not saying I hate the guy, now. He has just changed over the years. It's his life and if he is happy, then great for him and his family. Some of what I liked about Neil years ago (pre-2000) is still there. But he's just different ,to me now.
#18 - i take it from your comment you don't appreciate the genre of literary biographies, or in this case, autobiographies? I consider literature one of many art forms, and in Neils case, a lot can be appreciated with his style of writing; not just in the mundane "he did this" or "he went there".
I'm 99.9% sure #19jupe is not a fanboy or is following Neils every move. What dismays me, if i can use your terminology with respect, is people with an attitude of condescension, putting others down for no good reason other than having an opinion. Why not target Ed as well since he's the one providing all this material about Rush.
#18- So it "rather dismays" you that I like to read Neil's updates? One of society's saddest ills? Give me a frickin' break!
#13
I would't disagree with the point you make. However my own point isn't about why a celebrity wants to write about their personal life. It's why people want to *read it* that rather dismays me. One of the saddest ills in society, in my view, is the adoration of people who are, as the song goes, "Nobody's Hero" in the bigger picture.
Make art I like and I will buy it. Put on a concert or exhibition and I will pay to attend. In both cases I am extremely grateful for the experience on many levels. But, no, I don't want to watch your home videos, or read about your personal life. :)
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