SOUNDTRACK: RUSH, obviously (1974-present).
I’ve loved Rush since seventh grade. They introduced me to prog rock, Canadian accents, Lakeside Park and Ayn Rand. They taught me how to play killer bass lines, wild guitar solos and to ponder the existence of washing machines on stage.
[READ: March 5, 2010] “Living on a Lighted Stage”
I don’t often write about non-fiction pieces in magazines, but because this one is about Rush, it seemed necessary to bring it up.
The rather humorous subtitle of the piece sets the tone here. Rush has been together since 1974. They’ve been taken seriously by musicians and die-hard fans, but aside from that, the average person likes “Tom Sawyer” and that’s about it.
This article notes that Rush is appearing more and more in unexpectedly public places (to both the delight and consternation of fans). From the Colbert Report (their first time on American TV in 30-some years), to appearances is movies, including appearing as themselves playing live in I Love You, Man.
In addition to all of this there are two new works that are designed to really delve into the history of Rush. One is a new book, an academic treatise that I am sure I never would have heard about if it weren’t for this article, called Rush, Rock Music and the Middle Class: Dreaming in Middletown by Chris McDonald (which I just received and hope to start reading shortly). And, there’s also a new documentary coming out (possibly in the Spring) tentatively called: Rush A Documentary.
And finally, a new film coming out has Alex Lifeson (as well as about 100 other musicians) in a cameo (he plays a border guard). It’s called Suck, and you can see the trailer (which has Lifeson in it) at Rushisaband.com.
I can’t possibly explain the recent influx of Rush (“Tom Sawyer” even played a major plot point on Chuck not too long ago) except to suggest that maybe all the die-hard Rush fans have grown up and gotten jobs in some kind of prominence.
Some Rush fans bristle at the idea of the guys selling out (yeah, right) or, heaven forbid, having fun. They’ve always had a silly side (read the liner notes, look at Geddy wearing a Devo pin in the late 80s), and it’s nice to see them showing that side off a bit. And the thing is, none of this attention is going to make “Cygnus X-1” any more popular than it is. But if it gets some new people into prog rock, well, where’s the harm in that?
I won’t be first in line when the documentary comes out, but I’ll certainly watch it!
This article is available here.
I Just Read About That... 