UPDATE - 7/29@10:08AM: Author and former fitness writer James Fell interviewed Alex Lifeson for his daily Facebook column On This Day in History, Shit Went Down, to talk about that fateful day in 1974 when Neil Peart auditioned for and ultimately joined Rush. You can read the entire interview on Facebook or on Substack. Here's an excerpt:
... Sarcastically, Alex referred to himself and Geddy as "hip and cool" with waist-length hair and satin pants. Neil showed up driving his mom's Pinto. "He was a very nerdy looking guy with short hair," Lifeson said. "But when he set up his drums and started playing, we were just blown away." The connection went beyond Peart's drumming prowess. "He arrived at noon and stayed until 11 at night and we just jammed and then sat around, and we talked and laughed a lot. That was the thing that stood out, that we had camaraderie. We talked about books and social issues and then we'd jam for another hour then maybe smoke a joint and talk about more stuff. It was just an instant connection with him." Singer and bassist Geddy Lee turned 21 on July 29, 1974. For a gift, he got a new band member. At the time, Alex didn't understand how much Neil's joining would change the direction of Rush. "We were just excited to be on tour in America," he said. "It wasn't until we started writing material for Fly by Night (Rush's second album, the first with Neil) a couple months after he joined" that Lifeson realized the band was on a different path. That album, Alex explained, was written using acoustic guitars in the backs of cars. He described Neil as "very intelligent and well read" and so was given the job of penning lyrics while they composed the tunes "bounding down highways on the way to the next gig." ...
James has the distinct honor of having interviewed all 3 members of Rush; he interviewed Neil Peart about his fitness regimen back in 2011, and Geddy four years later for a piece that ran on the day of their final show. You can follow James on Facebook and Twitter.
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On this day back in 1953, our favorite singer/bassist/author - Gary Lee Weinrib (aka Geddy Lee) - was born in Willowdale, Toronto. That makes Geddy 68 years young today! Not only is today Geddy's birthday, but it also marks the 47th anniversary of one of the most important events in Rush history; 47 years ago on July 29th, 1974, the late Neil Peart joined Rush, replacing original drummer John Rutsey. The day after Neil joined the band Rush bought equipment for their first tour at Long and McQuade Music in Toronto, including Geddy's black Rickenbacker, Alex's Gibson Les Paul Deluxe and Neil's Slingerland kit (aka Chromey)... and the rest - as they say - is history. Happy birthday Geddy! Geddy's bestest bud Alex wished him a happy birthday via Instagram earlier this morning:
Happy birthday to my bestest friend forever. I so love this guy. ❤️
