Rush's 2112 was staple listening for me when I was a teenager. Aside from being enamored by the music, I also enjoyed that the 2112 took me on an adventure - in this case, an intergalactic catastrophe followed by a peaceful yet dystopian planet ruled by the authoritarian iron fists of the priests from the Temples of Syrinx, who proclaim to supply "all the gifts of life" to those over whom they rule.
I hadn't listened to the 2112 in well over two decades, but the other day I experienced a sudden motivation to revisit Rush's classic epic. Though the story it tells was not new, I experienced it from an entirely different perspective - partly because of age, but mostly because of the events and circumstances we have been living through since 2020.
Rumor has it the band wrote 2112 in protest of their dealings with authoritarian record executives. Without that knowledge, 2112 is an allegorical space odyssey set against the evils of authoritarianism, communism, and totalitarianism. Influenced primarily by libertarian beliefs espoused by writers like Ayn Rand, the work features no explicit mention of spirituality (other than the priests of Syrinx who, with their red pentagram banners, are little more than galactic Grand Inquisitors).
Though the primacy of the spiritual is not explicitly stated (except for line "The meek shall inherit the earth"; Psalm 37:11), the work implies the importance of human learning, growing, and creativity, all of which the Temples of Syrinx expressly forbid (as the lyrics from The Temples of Syrinx segment of 2112 make clear):
We've taken care of everything
The words you hear, the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes
It's one for all, all for one
We work together, common sons
Never need to wonder how or why
We are the priests of the Temples of Syrinx
Our great computers fill the hollowed halls
We are the priests of the Temples of Syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within these walls
Look around this world we made
Equality our stock in trade
Come and join the brotherhood of man
What a nice contented world
Let the banners be unfurled
Hold the red star proudly high in hand
Re-listening to this arrangement of connected songs after twenty years was a bittersweet experience. On the one hand, I still enjoy the music and the adventure. On the other hand, I recognize and am left cold by the shallow "solution" to the problem of enslavement, communism, and totalitarianism.
I realize now that 2112 and and other similar works of art represent a sort of high point in the belief of human autonomous consciousness in relation to freedom, meaning, and purpose. Yes, rediscovery, learning, and creativity can all potentially lead back to freedom, meaning, and purpose, but if these are not anchored in God and Creation they will amount to nothing more than an interlude between periods of enslavement.
All the same, I still consider it an enjoyable and impressive piece of music (yes, the band was a trio!), mostly because it reminds me of a time when popular or rock music still took you on journeys and adventures. The clip below includes some illustrations that help tell the story. If you've never gone on the 2112 adventure, have twenty minutes to spare, and aren't totally averse to rock music from the 1970s, I humbly invite you to give it a whirl.
I hadn't listened to the 2112 in well over two decades, but the other day I experienced a sudden motivation to revisit Rush's classic epic. Though the story it tells was not new, I experienced it from an entirely different perspective - partly because of age, but mostly because of the events and circumstances we have been living through since 2020.
Rumor has it the band wrote 2112 in protest of their dealings with authoritarian record executives. Without that knowledge, 2112 is an allegorical space odyssey set against the evils of authoritarianism, communism, and totalitarianism. Influenced primarily by libertarian beliefs espoused by writers like Ayn Rand, the work features no explicit mention of spirituality (other than the priests of Syrinx who, with their red pentagram banners, are little more than galactic Grand Inquisitors).
Though the primacy of the spiritual is not explicitly stated (except for line "The meek shall inherit the earth"; Psalm 37:11), the work implies the importance of human learning, growing, and creativity, all of which the Temples of Syrinx expressly forbid (as the lyrics from The Temples of Syrinx segment of 2112 make clear):
We've taken care of everything
The words you hear, the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes
It's one for all, all for one
We work together, common sons
Never need to wonder how or why
We are the priests of the Temples of Syrinx
Our great computers fill the hollowed halls
We are the priests of the Temples of Syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within these walls
Look around this world we made
Equality our stock in trade
Come and join the brotherhood of man
What a nice contented world
Let the banners be unfurled
Hold the red star proudly high in hand
Re-listening to this arrangement of connected songs after twenty years was a bittersweet experience. On the one hand, I still enjoy the music and the adventure. On the other hand, I recognize and am left cold by the shallow "solution" to the problem of enslavement, communism, and totalitarianism.
I realize now that 2112 and and other similar works of art represent a sort of high point in the belief of human autonomous consciousness in relation to freedom, meaning, and purpose. Yes, rediscovery, learning, and creativity can all potentially lead back to freedom, meaning, and purpose, but if these are not anchored in God and Creation they will amount to nothing more than an interlude between periods of enslavement.
All the same, I still consider it an enjoyable and impressive piece of music (yes, the band was a trio!), mostly because it reminds me of a time when popular or rock music still took you on journeys and adventures. The clip below includes some illustrations that help tell the story. If you've never gone on the 2112 adventure, have twenty minutes to spare, and aren't totally averse to rock music from the 1970s, I humbly invite you to give it a whirl.
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