Shocking sad tragic news today with the announcement that Neil Peart has passed away. Like most I have been a lifelong Rush fan and been lucky throughout my career to do many interviews with the guys. But only once with Neil and it was for a TV shoot for VH1 Classic back in 2006. It’s amazing because over the years so many have asked me about that interview because Neil did so few for TV one on one. It’s something I’ve always felt so lucky and grateful to have done and it couldn’t have been a better day. He was such a grounded, nice, wonderful guy above and beyond the incredibly brilliant drummer and writer he also was. Like many I held out hope maybe one day we would hear him play again having no idea what he was battling. Neil, and the entire Rush family and management have endured some really sad losses over the decades, made even sadder by the fact that they are all such nice people. My recent all Rush holiday special is re airing tonight on Q104.3 NYC and streaming on the free IHeartRadio app 11P-2A ET. My next live show on SiriusXM Volume 106 on Monday 2-4P ET will be dedicated to talking about Neil with some guests calling in. Condolences to his family, friends, many fans, Geddy & Alex, and the entire Rush office. RIP Neil Peart. We will never see the likes of him again.
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“I can’t pretend a stranger is a long awaited friend”
Yet, here we are, Neil, majority of us never knowing you on a personal level, all of us feeling like we have lost a long awaited friend. Rush was my first rock concert, Palace of Auburn Hills, MI, Eric Johnson opening. RIP Neil, condolences to the entire Rush family. -J McKay, Lansing MI
Very sad news indeed. I’d been planning to pick up one of Neil’s books, and upon hearing of his passing I downloaded Ghost Rider and dug into it. I know that Neil was a bit standoffish with fans, understandably, but I can tell you that anyone that want’s to get to know Neil need only pick up some of his wonderful writing. We all knew he was a brilliant lyricist, so it’s no surprise that his talent for writing makes for the kind of reading that pulls you in and has you right there with Neil on his many adventures. One of the many things we all love about Rush is that these guys aren’t the stereotypical rock stars. They’re uber talented musicians, but otherwise they are ‘real’ people like those living down the block. Neil fought through tragedy on a level that should befall no one, yet he came out the other side and was able to make a go of it with another family. My heart goes out to his wife and daughter. I’m sure that all Neil would ask in his memory is that we raise a toast of his favorite, The Macallan, enjoy some of the wonderful Rush catalogue, and be decent to one another. His loss hits really, really hard, but we should be very grateful that we have so much to remember him by. RIP Neil.
Excellent post Rich Cudd.
I feel the same about his books and of course lyrics.
That last sentence about enjoying the Rush catalogue and being good to each other is probably what Neil Peart would have wanted,
rather than extravagant fanfare.
Of course raising a toast of The Macallan is a good idea, and believe it or not I had no knowledge of what that stuff was until I read it in his books prompting me to go to a liquor store and investigate myself.