Francis Berger
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Remembering Neil Peart

1/15/2020

4 Comments

 
I only learned of Neil Peart's passing yesterday through SK Orr's blog Steeple Tea. For those unfamiliar with Peart, he was the drummer for the iconic Canadian rock band, Rush, and was generally regarded as one of the best percussionists the world has ever known. I agree with that sentiment. I was lucky enough to have seen Rush live once in my life and Peart's performance behind his kit was beyond impressive. SK has written a short personal reflection on Peart and Rush. It's well worth reading, even if you happen to be unfamiliar with the drummer or the band. It also includes a great version of the instrumental song, YYZ.

Though Neil Peart will be remembered foremost for his drumming, I was inevitably drawn more to his work as a lyricist (the writer in me, I guess). Peart was an extremely well-read and articulate individual, and he wrote the bulk (or perhaps all?) the lyrics for Rush's songs. Among my favorite are the lyrics for the song Subdivisions, taken from the 1982 album Signals. Though I was only eleven when I first heard it, the lyrics really resonated with me as the small town I was growing up in was slowly being consumed by the cancer of perpetually spreading subdivisions. Through the imagery and diction he employs, Peart really captures the sense of soulless alienation so prevalent in sterile suburban residential areas.

Subdivisions

Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In-between the bright lights
And the far, unlit unknown

Growing up, it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass-production zone
Nowhere is the dreamer
Or the misfit so alone

Subdivisions
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
Subdivisions
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out

Any escape might help to smooth
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth

Drawn like moths, we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night

But of course, we mustn't forget what Peart was most famous for - his awe-inspiring solos. 
4 Comments
bruce charlton
1/15/2020 11:36:59

I suppose it depends on what drummers are for. Dave Mattacks, a favourite drummer of mine, said that this was the best solo ever, by his lights of drumming:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12R4FzIhdoQ

Reply
Francis Berger
1/15/2020 11:55:55

@ Bruce - Ah, Ringo. I wonder if he still catches some flack for his drumming with the Beatles.

Reply
S.K. Orr link
1/15/2020 11:45:45

You're so right about "Subdivisions," Francis. It's one of those songs whose precise lyrics fit well with the moody, layered instrumentation. Rush were really hitting their stride with shorter, more intimate songs during the "Signals" era, moving away from the sprawling epics of years before (I once heard an interviewer ask Rush if they'd ever written a song that was so long, by the time it ended they were being influenced by themselves....the band cracked up in raucous laughter, good sports that they were).

Great video, too. He truly was a master of his instrument. There's a documentary out there (can't recall the name) of Peart re-learning the drums under an old jazz master, and he certainly became a more relaxed, fluid drummer in the years after the lessons.

I used to wish Peart would re-grow his elegant Dutch masters mustache. I thought it gave his face a more regal character...

Reply
Francis Berger
1/23/2020 15:16:22

@ SK - This spam filter of mine here on this site is really testing my nerves. I just noticed your excellent comment now.

I have friends in Canada that are absolutely devastated by this loss. Rush was such a big part of their lives.

I liked the Dutch masters mustache too!

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