Disciple of Syrinx

Rush in their early days.... pre-synthesizers

My discovery of Rush, and my gradual descent into obsession with the band, was in the mid-to-late 70's. A primary school friend and I sneaked into his older brother's bedroom one day and we rifled through his record collection. Among the BeeGees and Black Sabbath albums was a black cover emblazoned with a rippling red star, "Rush" in bright sparkling type, with the mysterious and bold "2112" printed directly below. 

We got a taste of some spacey noises followed by staccato blasts of drums and guitars, which led into a heavy rocking wall of sound. That was the first track, Overture. And that was enough to make an impression on me. Not long after that, I bought myself the 2112 album and that, my friends, was the beginning of a decades-long love of all things Rush. 

Not long after I entered high school, I found the Rush record A Farewell to Kings in the school library. With the headphones on and the volume high, I very slowly found my way around this album. It took a little while, for this was even more challenging and textured music than that on 2112, which was comparatively more straight-ahead rock, if similarly woven from sci-fi themes. Farewell continued that science fiction/fantasy flair in spots, though lyricist/drummer Neil Peart stretched out into the real world a bit more in his writing for this recording. 

It wasn't long after that I reconnected with a childhood friend from the old neighbourhood... and the old sandbox... and the old crab apple tree. It was amazing after so many years just how similar our tastes were in music (and movies, books, and so on). Hard rock, metal, and progressive music were our shared interests, and before long that old pal helped me take my guitar playing to the next level. I'd been struggling away with tutorial books, teaching myself to read music, and learning very short, simple oldies - folk, classical, and gospel... no rock yet.

A few calendars & magazines from my collection

But soon I was delving deep into the Rush catalogue for riffs to master on my creaky acoustic at home, and on my buddy's concrete-weighted Gibson Les Paul whenever he let me noodle around on it. He'd jump behind his little drum kit and let me rock out with In the End  and Fly By Night... his massive Traynor amplifier rattling the windows! My little taste of rock stardom there.

Around this time, my favourite Toronto radio station Q107 played an entire weekend of Rush music, which spanned their entire career - up to either Hemispheres or Permanent Waves (I can't recall that detail). I hooked my tape deck up to the family FM receiver and sat with headphones on day and night until I'd recorded absolutely everything by Rush. During long songs (and most were, of course), I'd take bathroom breaks and make quick meals to bring back to my recording couch. My parents thought I was nuts, but they didn't interfere. I guess they figured this was better than playing with needles and pills in the alley. 

Oh, and once Permanent Waves hit store shelves, I snapped that up pronto - on vinyl! I believe that is my favourite Rush album of all. Prior to Permanent Waves' release, 2112 was my fave Rush disc, and after Moving Pictures came along in '81, that became my overall fave. But after decades of revisiting all of these classic albums, I have to admit that it is Permanent Waves that stands the test of time best for me. 

As I familiarized myself with all of Rush's music way back then, I found myself struggling with singer/bassist Geddy Lee's enunciation of lyrics. Lee's shrieking and wailing sounded awesome as an "instrument" but it was next to impossible to make out what he was actually singing sometimes. So... back to my school friend's basement, where I took pen and paper to copy the lyric sheets from his Rush records. We had lengthy listening sessions where I'd be writing furiously as he'd often accompany the music on his guitar. I suppose it never occurred to me to simply photocopy those things. But at least through all of that manual labour, I honestly learned all of the lyrics.... a lot like school (or monks in monasteries copying texts), learning by rote. Except I actually wanted to learn this stuff. 

My cash flow increased around this time with a better-paying after-school job, so I started to buy the Rush albums... on cassette tape, my medium of choice then. And that was when I began to branch out in my Rush fixation, buying posters, buttons and patches, tee shirts, books, photos, anything I could get my hands on. And eventually tickets to actual concerts! I still have my entire Rush collection, though tee shirts had to go after too much wear and tear, and I did part with all of my forty-some Rush wall posters several years ago. There simply came a time when I realized I wasn't going to display these things anymore. Besides, I'd already drawn my own art portraits of the members of Rush, and I was happier with those on my walls. At least I found a great home for all those posters.... the wife of a Rush fan bought the set off me to give her husband for Christmas. Now that is an understanding and amazing wife - lucky guy!

Into the 90's, I continued to check out Rush concerts whenever possible, though I missed a couple of tours. I did, however, get more serious about guitar, practising several times a week (in spare time, since I was married with a job) and even jamming with friends on a regular basis. I had about twenty or so complete songs in my repertoire, including a handful of Rush tunes that I learned pretty well. Limelight, Closer to the Heart, Bastille Day, and Ghost of a Chance were among them. Good times!

Rush biographies and music books, most from the 80's