A year after leaving RUSH, Peart was
diagnosed with brain cancer. I have very few heroes. Most of them reach that level in part due to their incredible intellect. This included my dad. When brain cancer is involved, as with my dad, it’s an extra cruel loss. Losing your intellect and functions is one of the worst ways to go. Believe me. I’ve seen it up close and personal. The fact that they were able to keep Pearts’ fight quiet, in this age of constant media intrusion and social media bombardment, is utterly amazing. Just as the irreplaceable loss of Frank Zappa, whose in- tellect showcased the absurd and unrelenting integrity of self-expression, the world lost a real-life hero in Neil Peart. His message was received loud and clear. The world is a darker place without him. I was fortunate enough to see the space
shuttle Columbia launch from the VIP obser- vation area when I was 13 years old. A friend of my parents knew a senator and took us on this magical journey. My young self hated get- ting up early more than almost anything in the whole world. We had to be there before sunrise, which was excruciating. If it had been up to me, I would have declined and slept through what is one of the most amazing experiences I have had. The launch was delayed. We weren’t
sure if we had traveled all that way and gotten up at that ungodly hour for nothing. I was not a happy camper! I fell asleep in the chaise lounge and waited. After a few hours they started the countdown. There were loud- speakers around the observation area which were blaring RUSH’s song Countdown. Wak- ing up to that song magically kept me from going into my usual attack mode. The music and lyrics of Countdown could not be a more perfect immersion and representation of a shuttle-launch experience. I am grateful for it all.
The corporate machine has an insa-
tiable appetite for providing the masses with content. However, they aren’t so much inter-
ested in the true artistic expression that comes from the heart and soul. There was a very brief time that the artist seemed at the top of the pyramid. The first Zappa/Mothers of Invention album I was introduced to as a young child is called We’re Only In It For The Money. That about sums it up. Sure, there are many in the business who went into it for the right reasons, are good people and stay true to a solid ethic. Some stood their ground and didn’t sell out, but so many sold their souls at the expense of the artists, that it can be hard to see the good ones. Musicians were told how, when, where
and what or else no deal. Once they produced a hit, they were hounded to become a hit ma- chine. Part of the tragedy that caused the col- lapse of Michael Jackson was that he knew he might never replicate the success of Thriller. Not that he didn’t have enough fortune and fame already, but that monster had taken over his life. How do you “make it” these days? You
usually have to adhere to “the formula.” One approach is to apply for, or stand in line for, a “tryout” for some tv show that a corporate en- tity has concocted. If you get to the finals and get enough votes, you’re groomed for “suc- cess.” I often wonder just how much of you is left afterwards. I have huge admiration for those who either play the game just long enough to get popular so they can speak their minds or those who do so all along. I am re- pelled by the corporate stars and the pageantry of award shows and commercial endorsements. I rarely spend my limited time on these distractions. There are a few artists I respect and can cut through that crap to visit in small doses. Artists who use their voices to further the social conscience, even when it’s raw, painful and a threat to their fame and to the machine, are winners in my book. I could- n’t name one Taylor Swift song, and I’m very okay with that. However, she’s got real guts and is making her mark! After just watching Miss Americana, this Tennessee girl is now a
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