A new documentary on iconic Toronto radio station CFNY (the inspiration behind Rush's The Spirit of Radio) has been in the works for 3 years now, and former DJ Alan Cross (one of the film's executive producers) announced earlier this week that it will finally be seeing the light of day next month on January 6th. The film documents the station's Spirit of Radio years (1976-1991-ish) and features Rush's Geddy Lee among many others. From the update:
... TVO Docs acquired the rights from HighballTV and has committed to multiple showings of the doc on TVO in Ontario and through its streaming app. The doc features staffers from the era along with appearances by Jim Kerr (Simple Minds), Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order), Lol Tolhurst (The Cure), Andy McClusky (OMD), Steve Page (Barenaked Ladies), Emily Haines (Metric), Ben Kowalewicz (Billy Talent), Deryck Whibley (Sum 41), and many others.
Is Geddy Lee in the film? Absolutely! Rush's global hit, "The Spirit of Radio" was inspired by what was coming out of that little yellow house and, later, the top floor of a strip mall at 83 Kennedy Road South in Brampton. And yes, Rush let us use the song. Why not? They're fans.
If you're in Toronto, listen to 102.1 The Edge (still CFNY, but with a new nickname) and Q107 to win tickets to a special pre-premiere screening in the private theatre at Corus Quay on Monday, January 5.
CFNY: The Spirit of Radio is directed by Matt Schichter and produced by Matthew Campagna for HighballTV. Executive producers are me, Barbara Hall, Chantal Jackson, Ivar Hamilton and Scot Turner. ...
Along with the announcement comes a new trailer which prominently features Rush, Geddy Lee and Rush's The Spirit of Radio.
Three years ago this coming January, on the 3rd anniversary of Neil Peart's passing, Rush tribute band YYNOT held a charity concert dubbed Bubba Bash in celebration of The Professor at the Keswick Theatre outside Philly (Glenside, PA). The event was such a huge success that they've made it an annual thing, with Bubba Bash 2026 slated to take place at the Keswick Theatre in Philly on Saturday, January 10th. Like the previous 3 years, the show will be "In Celebration of Neil Peart", and feature YYNOT along with special guests, and all proceeds going to support cancer charities. In addition to YYNOT and returning artists, the new artists for this year will be Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob, Category 7), Fer Velasco (Rush Monterrey Tribute, Mexico), Greg Russell (Natural Science), Jack Gibson (Exodus, Category 7) and Tyme Rogers (Tech 21 NYC). You can check out some of videos from previous events on YYNOT's YouTube channel here, and tickets are available for purchase via AXS.com.
I'm very sad to report that longtime RIAB reader/contributor, and massive Rush fan Joe Pesch passed away unexpectedly this past weekend. Joe described himself as an amateur Rush historian and enthusiast (an understatement), but there was much more to him than that. He was one of the most well-loved and prominent members of the Rush fan community, and touched the lives of Rush fans across the country/world. Joe was one of my early readers and helped me out a bunch in the early days of the site. I first met him at a Rush show in Detroit back in 2008, and saw him a number of times over the years at various Rush shows/events - the last time being the Rush Fan Day at the Rock Hall back in 2019. I will miss Joe tremendously. Rest in peace my friend.
Comedian Lewis Black, famous for his rants, has a YouTube channel where folks can send in their own rants, which Black then features on his channel. This past week he featured a rant from a female drummer about some of the negative feedback (mostly from men) regarding Rush's choice of Anika Nilles for their upcoming Fifty Something tour. You can check that out below or on YouTube.
That's all for this week. Have a great weekend and enjoy the Christmas Holiday next week!
