Transcript: "Rejuvenated Rush Hits Grand Rapids On The Upswing", The Grand Rapids Press, October 23, 1996

Here's another new transcript, "Rejuvenated Rush Hits Grand Rapids On The Upswing," an interview with Neil Peart from the October 23, 1996, edition of the Grand Rapids Press. A great interview, Neil discusses his early days both in London before joining Rush, as well as auditioning for Geddy and Alex after the departure of Rutsey, and studying with Freddie Gruber following the Burning for Buddy tribute albums leading to his reinventing his approach to drumming for Test for Echo.

Transcript: "Andrew MacNaughtan TriNet Chat", December 15, 2002

On the Wallpaper pages of my website I have quotes from Andrew MacNaughtan from a TriNet chat he participated in shortly after the filming of Rush in Rio.  Andrew was not only Rush's photographer but also a close friend to the band, and his untimely passing due to a heart attack in 2012 at the young age of 47 came as a shock to all.   There aren't many interviews with Andrew, and when I recently found on my hard drive the TriNet chat in its entirety, I was surprised to realize it wasn't in my Transcript Archive.  And that leads us to my latest addition: Andrew MacNaugtan, TriNet Chat, December 15, 2002, which I hope you will enjoy.  On a related note, TriNet also once hosted a feature dubbed "An Introduction to Andrew MacNaughtan" which I have been unable to find; if you have it, drop me a line!

Transcript: "Interview: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson" - Now, June 10, 2010

Amazingly, it has been 13 years since the release of Beyond The Lighted Stage.  Here's an new (to me) interview with Geddy & Alex at the time of its release, from Toronto's Now.  Classic Geddy: "I think it's kind of a miracle that they made an interesting film, when they had this material to work with." - Thanks to RushFanForever for unearthing this article!

Transcript: "Rush: Something Special For Everyone", Northeast Ohio Scene, February 14 1980

I've just transcribed "Rush: Something Special For Everyone" from the February 14, 1980, issue of Northeast Ohio's "Scene" newspaper.   This is a great interview with Geddy Lee where he touches on the early days of Rush, and even gives an explanation of Rutsey's leaving.  Geddy also gives Rush's credo which was already was well established by then: "Here we are, three musicians who want to make music. And that's all we care about - making music, and making the kind of music that we like. That's got to be first priority. From the band's inception it was 'We're going to do this on our terms-no one else's terms. No record company, no radio station, no management is going to dictate what we sound like'. So when you think of it in that term, you just do what you naturally do. And that's all we've ever done." - Thanks to John Harrison for sending the article!

Transcript: "Rush Receives Marvel Comic Honors", Circus, May 12, 1977

A year after the release of 2112, the March 1977 issue of Marvel Comic's "The Defenders" was dedicated to Rush, and that issue's villain, Red Rajah, quoted lyrics from "The Twilight Zone". I've just transcribed "Rush Receives Marvel Comic Honors" from the May 12, 1977 issue ofCircus magazine, where Neil talks about how proud he was to receive that recognition and discusses the Randian influence. Also included in that issue of Circus is "The Rush Conquests: 'Closer To The Heart' Will Be The Group's Sixth LP".

Transcript: "Attention All Planets of the Solar Federation... Alex Lifeson Has Assumed Control", Guitarist, May 1995

My latest transcript addition is "Attention All Planets of the Solar Federation... Alex Lifeson Has Assumed Control", a rare magazine feature with Alex Lifeson for his then upcoming solo album, Victor.  Alex was interviewed in the May 1995 issue of the UK's Guitarist magazine, and besides discussing the early stages and planned stylings to be found on Victor  (8 months before its eventual release), he also mentions how he wanted Rush's followup to Counterparts to be "much heavier and maybe a little darker".  He also discusses how they had recently found the Hammersmith Odeon '78 recording that would later first appear on Different Stages over three years later, and how reviewing those songs made him consider bringing some of them back to the set list with the thought that "a 1995 approach to them they would be really quite powerful, certainly more powerful than they were back then".

Transcript: the "Grace Under Pressure Radio Special"

Another radio special! I didn't know this existed until recently, and have transcribed the "Grace Under Pressure Radio Special", a promo album produced by Anthem Records for radio broadcast to promote the release of Grace Under Pressure in April 1984! Enjoy!

Transcript: Signals Radio Special

After audio of the Signals Radio Special show recently surfaced online, I compared it to a transcript fellow long time Rush fan Dave Ward had completed back in the 90's, and I realized Dave's transcript was missing half the show. I have duly completed the transcript, made a few edits for punctuation, and have updated it accordingly. Check it out here!

Transcript: "We Have Assumed Control" - Sounds, June 11, 1977

46 years ago today, Rush played their first show in the UK (also their first show outside of north America), at the City Hall in Sheffield, England, on the All the World's a Stage tour. Sounds' Geoff Barton was there, and wrote a detailed account of what happened that night, including the technological issues before and during the show, in "We Have Assumed Control". I've had this clipping tucked away in the Tour Archive under this tourdate for years, and finally took the time to transcribe it. It's well worth the read!

Transcript: "The Universal Dream: Rush's Moving Pictures" - Vintage Guitar, May 2020

Published three years ago, thanks to RushFanForever for transcribing "The Universal Dream: Rush's Moving Pictures" featuring a then-new interview with producer Terry Brown, from the May 2020 issue of Vintage Guitar.

Transcript: PROG #129, April 2022

It's been quite awhile since I've added any old articles to my Transcript page, and I've got a stack to get to. I did finally add last year's PROG issue #129 which focused on the Moving Pictures 40th Anniversary reissue. Thanks to John Patuto for the transcript. Check it out here: http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/20220400prog.htm

Signals 40th Anniversary Edition desktop wallpaper

I now have a complete set of Signals 40th Anniversary Edition desktop wallpaper images available for your enjoyment, found on my main Wallpaper page as well as on my Signals 40th wallpaper page. - Thanks to John Patuto for help with the scans.

Moving Pictures 40th Anniversary Edition desktop wallpaper

I now have a complete set of Moving Pictures 40th Anniversary Edition desktop wallpaper images available for your enjoyment, found on my main Wallpaper page as well as on my MP40 wallpaper page (where you'll also find tabs linking to the linernotes essays and other notes about the release). - Thanks to John Patuto for help with the scans.

Rush in Pop Culture Update - July '22

It's been awhile since I've updated my Rush Pop Culture References In Literature And Film page, and here's a quick update with a few additions:

• During the season 4 premier of the Netflix series Stranger Things, at the 11 minute mark, Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) disperses pot smoke in his bedroom using Rush's debut album cover (the back of which is more recognizable).
• During the season 3 finale of the Amazon series The Boys "The Instant White-Hot Wild", ) Hughie (Jack Quaid) wears a Hold Your Fire t-shirt.
• During the Netflix series God’s Favorite Idiot, Melissa McCarthy's character is a Rush fan.  Early in the series premiere "B-Minus", Amily (Melissa McCarthy) plays “The Temples of Syrinx” from her scooter.  Then during episode 4 "God, Satan and All the Good Smells", "Tom Sawyer" is played in the breakroom and Amily screams out "I love Rush!" then begins playing air flute as she misidentifies the keyboard solo saying "I think it's a flute"..
• During the June 19th episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, a shady character is seen wearing a RUSH hat, and John Oliver mentions RUSH twice and later refers to the "Ontario's Power Trio".
• 2112 sighting: the LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game, released in June 2016, has an unlockable stormtrooper designated FN-2112, which wears only his helmet and Rush colored boxers (i.e. red and black), possibly a PG rated nod to the naked starman.  Check him out in this video at the 40 second mark.
• Destination Ontario's "Share Your Love For Local" television commercial which first aired December 16, 2020 features a cover of "Closer To The Heart".

Thanks to Kenny Bratz, Ab Rooswinkel, Tod O'Donnell, Darren DrDual, Jesse Maddox, and Horus Threesixteen for sharing these!  If you're aware of other references I'm missing on my page, please drop me a line.

Transcript: "Rush: Sound With A Score To Settle" - Toronto Globe And Mail, August 23, 1977

Reader RushFanForever sent in a transcript of an article that appeared 45 years ago promoting A Farewell to Kings. Check out "Rush: Sound With A Score To Settle" from the August 23, 1977 edition of the Globe & Mail, which includes comments from Anthem Records then manager, Tom Berry, as well as some words from Neil Peart: "We consider Kings a strong advance from 2112. We hope we've kept the important elements of other Rush albums."

Smartphone Wallpapers

I've been asked to create a single page which features all of my "smartphone wallpapers". To this end, I've added a tab to my Wallpaper page; the default tab is for "Desktop Wallpaper" which is my previous page complete with all of the stories about the album art as before, and I've added a "Smartphone Wallpaper" tab which is merely a chronological collection of the wallpapers previously only found in my discography pages. Thanks for sharing.

Transcript: "Grammy Nomination For Rush Instrumental Track" - RPM Weekly, January 25, 1992

Last night was the Grammy's, and, it reminded me of all those times RUSH was nominated for a Grammy. Yeah, not too often, but thanks for RushFanForever for sending me this old article, "Grammy Nomination For Rush Instrumental Track" from RPM Weekly, January 25, 1992 , which announced that "Where's My Thing?" had been nominated for Best Rock Instrumental.

Transcript: "From the Riser: A Drummer's Perspective II" foreword by Neil Peart

One of the last things he wrote, I've just added the transcript of Neil's foreword to David Lawrence Phillips' "From the Riser: A Drummer's Perspective II", published in September 2016.

Transcript: "Rush Album Art: The Stories Behind All 19 LP Covers" - UltimateClassicRock.com, December 24, 2011

Around a year and a half ago, UltimateClassicRock.com posted a series of 20 articles over a period of a few months each focused on one Rush album cover and fresh commentary by Hugh Syme. I have collected all of those posts and added them to my Transcript Archive as "Rush Album Art: The Stories Behind All 19 LP Covers". If you love Rush's album art as much as I do, I think you'll enjoy this one.

Transcript: "Introduction to 'Rush Gigs' by Ray Wawrzyniak" from Power Windows

Last December the Rush Backstage Club published Rush Gigs: Found On The Studio Walls And In Concert Halls, a unique book featuring "ads and gig posters promoting everything from Rush's first concert in America to the largest crowd they ever played (a benefit show in Toronto) to their final act, at the fabled Forum in Los Angeles".   This book features items from the collection of Ray Wawrzyniak; Ray has kindly sent us the book's introduction which you can read here.