Neil's ethnic background?
Tim Valihora
In a previous article, efr...@remus.rutgers.edu (Edward G. Fried) says:
>
>Is Neil part oriental, perhaps Japanese?
>I have a friend that looks very much like
>Neil and his father is Japanese. It is
>well documented that Geddy is jewish, and
>Alex is polish, but nothing about Neil..
>I dont even think Neil has told his daughter's
>name to the public. Pretty private guy.
>Anyhow.. just curious.
>
Geddy's parents were or are Hungarian. Alex is Yugoslavian.
With a name like Peart I would guess that Neil's dad was English but
you're right he does look a bit Japanese. I read somewhere that before the
release of HYF he took time off to ride his bike in the mountains of
Japan. Maybe his ethnic origin has something to do with that. Good call.
--
Edward G. Fried
Gregg Jaeger
>Is Neil part oriental, perhaps Japanese?
No. I seem to recall that he is somehow English in descent, though
recently I've come across thing which lead me to wonder if he's
Lithuanian if not English (as I seem to recall from *somewhere*)
-- anyone with better info on this?
>I have a friend that looks very much like
>Neil and his father is Japanese.
I think it's a coincidence.
>It is
>well documented that Geddy is jewish, and
>Alex is polish, but nothing about Neil..
It's not well documented that Alex is polish, rather he's Yugoslav.
The question is what Yugoslav ethnicity he is. I think he's Croatian,
but am not certain. Does anyone recall if his family is Catholic? If
so that would almost certainly make him Croatian.
Gregg
Zack Gemmill
>
>Is Neil part <snip>..?
Neil is black.
Ian Sewell
1994. It's about a 15 minute segment all on Rush.
Rush did NOT win any awards besides the Hall of Fame award (so their
record at the junos is now 2 awards, 35 nominations..). Rush did NOT
perform live. The video honouring Rush was excellent though.
Tom Cochrane opens it up at the awards ceremony, and then they go into the
main 15 minute video commemorating Rush.
Tom Cochrane: Nearly 20 years 3 very young musicians got together
and they started a band. Now that in itself isn't unusual. But something
distinguished Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart from the others.
Their attitude, their talent and conviction. With manager Ray Danniels
Rush founded a record label and then with little fanfare and some minor airplay
from a radio station in Cleveland they went on the road. And that's pretty much
where they've been ever since. Rush founded their own path outside the
mainstream and remaining true to their ideals they have flourished.
Tonight we're hear to blow the lid off our three friends. To pay tribute
to the music and the lives of Rush, and to salute a 20 year career that
defines commitment, artistic integrity, and spectacular achievement.
(old Close to the Heart concert footage)
20 years. 19 albums. 19 tours. Over 30 million records sold. All this
without a top 10 pop hit. Unless you count Geddy's collaboration with Bob &
Doug and the Great White North. The truth is, their success has been
anchored by brilliant musicianship, and playing live.
Geddy: There's something about what we are that is defined on tour. There's
something about live performance that kind of made us what we are, and it's
almost like we have to pay our respect to that in some way.
Alex: I think what happened is that Rush got the reputation as being really
good value as a live band. So anything that we did in the studio we made
sure that we'd be able to do it live.
Neil: We're up there for those 2 hours, every second is magnified in
hundreds of orders of magnitude. Every beat that I play, every note that
goes by, every transition, everything is just measured - my whole
self-esteem is just measured in those miliseconds.
Alex: A great performance seldom happens more then a couple of a times in
the course of the tour. But you know you come off stage and that's when
everybody's in synch, the crowd is in synch with the band and the three of
us are really playing tightly and you just come off knowing that you've done it.
Geddy: There's no feeling like it. It's just complete elation.
Elation shared by millions of fans worldwide. They have several fan
magazines, a computer fan network, their own incredible brand of fan
loyalty. Out there live in the big rock halls, they're adored.
<Tom Sawyer concert vid)
Neil: There are certain people that are in their 30's and even their 40's
now who have been with us through the whole ride. And our music is always
been meant to be the soundtrack of our lives, and I always thought it was
one of the nicest complements when people have said to me that our music
has been the soundtrack of their lives.
Goofy looking fan: And I'm a Neil Peart fan, a Geddy Lee fan, and an Alex
Lifeson, and they have said the standard by which all bands should follow.
Geddy: A lot of people I think they look at us as their little secret in
some way
Goofy looking fan #2: Geddy bleuh-bleuh-bleuh jams.. Neil brrrrrrr.. ya
gottit goin' on baby joe (!!!)
Neil: We do find looking out into our audience that we see a great number
of people with thinning hair and eyeglasses which is a sign of maturity, I
guess. And then at the same time I see a lot of people who are 16-17-18
years old who were not even born when we started touring in the states.
Goofy looking fan #3: I grew up on Rush, they're the only Power rock trio,
Go Neil Peart, congratulations RUSH!!!
Alex: the fact that we've been kind of outside everything - we have a very
loyal audience that's grown with us and has lived through this whole thing
that we have, and shared it with us. And those are the important things to
us.
GLF#4/5: Two thumbs up. definitely.
Neil: The Mees vanerho (??) quote I've always loved is "god is always in
the deep hills", so we want our audience to see God every night.
GLF#6: Neil Peart IS God, go Rush!
Neil: So, the details become proportionately pretty important, although again the
basic reality doesnt change, that we are three guys in a warehouse learning
to play the song.
Mike Myers: My brother went to the same high school as Rush, and the most
amazing thing was, if you ever went down to the United States, you could
really like have a passport to cooldom if you went "Well yeah I'm from
Toronto. My brother went to the same high school as Rush."
Sebastian Bach: I can remember in Grade 9 we had an assignment at Lakefield
College School in Northern Ontario to write a essay on a very very
respected writer throughout Canada and I picked Neil Peart. (laughs)
Mike Myers: Or it would be "Uh yeah my brother once backed up Geddy Lee at
a fight at the Gasworks, and kiled a guy for Geddy."
Barenaked Ladies: Hi everybody, we're 4 of the 5 members of Barenaked
Ladies, standing here outside of snowy Maple Leaf Gardens, where when I was
15 years old, I saw my very first rock concert and of course it was RUsh -
the Signals tour. I was blown away like the other 15,000 people in there.
And most importantly though I was inspired. So congratulations on your
induction into the hall of fame.. and enjoy the limelight.
Sebastian Bach: Rush rules, here's to 20 years of Rush, and 20 more.
Mike Myers: I'm very proud that they're Canadian. All right Rush, you guys
rule!!!
<Roll the Bones concert footage>
As musicans, Rush enjoy universal respect and consistently appear at the
top of the critics list for their instrumental mastery. They've been
nominated for 35 juno's, they were Canada's group of the decade in the
80's, and were named musicians of the Millenium by the Harvard Lampoon.
Their dynamic clearly works.
Peter Collins: The balance between the three is quite extraordinary.
There's a brotherly love, there's an instict and intuition that works in a
miraculous way.
Alex: I think the way it works in Rush is that we are a democracy.
Neil: A true democracy, given there are only 3 people it makes it so
much easier.
Geddy: The dynamic is great with three people, because two against one
isn't fair, so you can't gang up on each other.
Alex: The thing is is that we spend a great deal of time laughing together,
and we enjoy each other's company, and we have for so many years, we're
still like we were when we teenagers. I know Geddy and I have known each
other since we were 13 or 14 I guess and every time I look at him I think
of that same guy I went to junior high school with.
Geddy: Well I'm certainly the bossiest person in the writing sessions, and
I push everybody around. Alex really is.. uh he probably told you that he
wrote everything himself.
Alex: A lot of people don't know that I do everything, and that Neil and
Geddy have always worked for me. It's not surprising that I felt sorry for
them, and I do what I do, cuz I'm that kind of a guy.
Geddy: We almost had him arrested for going around and telling everybody
that he wrote all the beatles material too.
Alex: (laugh)
Neil: Alex is more spontaneous in terms of his character, so his work tends
to be.
Alex: Geddy is more methodical, and he has a great sense of melody.
<Nobody's Hero... short segments of pro-shot Live footage... >
Neil: Geddy and I will be very methodical and work over things detail by
detail and build things in a more architectural approach and ok we've got
this and it would be better if we had these things, and whereas Alex will
just sit down and pick up his guitar and play something great
Geddy: Neil is very organized writer. He has a great consderation for the
fact that I have to sing what he's writing. As the years have gone by, as
he's become more of a fan of singers, his writing style has adapted.
Neil: In all cases it truly becomes the holistic idea of greater then the
sum of the parts. I write the lyrics but they're improved by the other
guy's input, you know, they write the music but it's improved by all of us
applying our arrangement ideas to it, our individual instruments to it, all
those things add to it as it goes to along (?)
Alex: That works very well in our little group.
Justin, Alex's son: Congratulations Dad, and Geddy and Neil, for making it
into the Hall of Farts. you deserve it.
<Sections of Tragically Hip covering Limelight.. not bad cover, sounds
good... anyone have the whole thing?>
Kim Mitchell: Alex, Geddy and Neil, congratulations on tonight, and thank
you for years and years of great music, I hope there's lots more to come
and I'm sure there will be, maybe some latino albums, some different stuff.
Anyways I...
Joe Carter/Paul Molitor (Blue Jays): Congratulations to Rush. Musical
heroes with a 20 year winning streak. Keep pounding em out boys.
Kim Mitchell: I have a lot of respect for you guys as friends, as musicans,
as fathers, and I can't believe you showed up for something like this
actually, this is just great, so have yourself a great time tonight guys.
Les Claypool (Primus): I think the main thing that people are forgetting
about Rush is not so much the music thing, but the massive sex appeal.
Tim Alexander: (take two!) Thanks for all your inspiration and
congratulations.
Larry Lalonde: You know if you're a musician/guitar player/drummer/whatever
over instrument, Rush is the guys to listen to.
Vernon Reid (Living Colour): You guys are one of the best bands in the
world, you deserved it, and keep on truckin'.
Chris Cornell (Soundgarden): Rush, welcome to the hall of fame, good luck
in the future, it's the future that counts.
Kim Thayil (Soundgarden): Congratulations on Rush for being inducted into
the hall of fame, and here's for another 20 years.
Ben Mink: They're the only band I know that included in their ride-around
tour a French berlitz (?) teacher so that they could learn french after
dinner rather then sit around and do whatever it is that a lot of rock
bands do.
Sam Sniderman (Sam the Record Man record chain owner guy): Well Alex, Neil,
Geddy, you said it, and by gosh, you did it. It was a half a generation ago
that I had the honour of presenting Rush with it's first gold record. And
now Canadians can be justifiably proud as you become the newest members of
the Canadian recording hall of fame. Gezunt.
Ray Danniels: I know of no other act who's released 18 or 19 records and
gone out and toured on every one of them. Whether they at that point of
their lives wanted to or not they've been there. It's very much been like a
sports team where you show up every season, you may not win the world
series or the stanley cup every time, but you sure as hell make the
playoffs.
<Stick it out video>
Rush has stuck it out. Neil, Alex, and Geddy have always looked ahead,
embraced the challenge, and that's the thing. They just keep growing.
Neil: You shouldn't be a drummer picking up drum sticks for the first time
saying I'm going to play at Madison Square Gardens. You should say I'm
going to play at the church down the street. And for the band too I mean we
never thought we'd stay around 20 years and make 20 records and you know
sell out tours 20 years from now. Never dreamed of those things. We thought
we're going to go onstage and play.
Alex: We don't try to stay in the same place, we're always trying to move
forward, and hopefully we'll be able to continue that for another (looks
aside, scared voice) 20 years.
Geddy: Writing the great song, I still feel like it's in me somewhere,
there's a really truly great song in there somewhere, but it hasn't come out
yet.
<Back at the Award's ceremony>
Tom Cochrane: This is an incredible band, and more important then that,
they're incredible people, and that's what makes for longevity. Ladies and
Gentlemen, please welcome the latest members to the Juno Hall of Fame. Neil
Peart, Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee.. Rush!
<Alex leads the walk to the stage, Geddy trails. Standing ovation. Tom hugs
Alex. Awards are given (cheap glass looking thing) >
Neil: Thank you all very much. Thank you. In all these 20 years, we've had
more then our share of good fortune. Good health, good partners, and good
families. So many people have contributed to what we have accomplished and
so many people are as committed to their missions as we are to ours. We are
honoured tonight by the Canadian music industry, and to us, this industry
includes the drivers who carry us through darkness to bad weather to the
next show, the guys on the crew who set it up and tear it down, the record
company rep who gets our song on the radio, or the fan who introduces a
friend to our music for the first time. They're all part of the industry.
We may provide the music, but they provide the audience, we bow for the
applause, but this industry brings all those hands together. Nietzsche said
without music, life would be a mistake. Music without an audience can be a
sad thing too. What is more unnerving for us is that without music, we
would have to get a life, and without an audience, we would have to get a
job. Thank you all very much for this honour.
Geddy: Thank you. I had a speech prepared but Frank Sinatra stole it from
me last.. at the Grammies thing. After what Neil has said there's hardly much
I can add to that, he echoes my feelings quite sincerely. I'm very happy I
stayed in this country all these years, it's a great country to work out of
(applause) and I feel honoured to have been able to watch the Canadian
music industry grow into what it has become today, and I just thank you
very much.
Alex: Uh oh. 3 dozen eggs, 2 litres of milk, and 150 valiums. That's kind
of what it's been like. Thanks very much.
-- end...
Transcribed by Ian Sewell, 338...@jeff-lab.queensu.ca
Jethro on IRC - A big hi to everyone on #p/g!
Ian Sewell
I dont know if this is known on AMR, but it certainly hasnt been posted to
TNMS. (I sent an article saying so friday, but TNMS has seized up while
Jimmy writes finals, and seeing as how this is time-sensitive, here it is)
The Toronto show is now MAY 7th. It was moved from MAY 8th because of a
Leafs hockey game.
Hamilton show has been cancelled. They were offered the final concert on
May 8th but apparently didnt want a rock concert on a sunday. So the tour
will end in Toronto on the 7th.
Montreal is May 6th, tickets are on sale NOW.
Quebec City is May 5th, don't know about tickets.
Does ANYONE know when Toronto goes on sale. Seeing as how Montreal is
already on sale, Toronto should be on sale any day now. Please email
or post any Toronto information.
Ciao
Ian Sewell
(Jethro)
(Hi to #p/g! 'ers)
U24...@uicvm.uic.edu
comprehensive coverage of the Junos!
-Garry Peterson
"When the axe entered the forest, the trees said; the handle is one of us!"
Patrick Bernard
so if you have any information where we can buy them please e-mail
thanks
Patrick
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patrick Bernard | Centre de recherche informatique de Montreal (CRIM)
Communication | 1801, avenue McGill College, bureau 800
<pber...@crim.ca> | Montreal (Quebec) Canada H3A 2N4
tel: 398-5348 local:278 | tel. gen: +1 514 398-1234 / fax: +1 514 398-1244
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
SIG
Gregg Jaeger
Wow. Thanks for the transcription Ian! I think it's really great that
they got Vernon Reid to be in on the comments. Few next to Neil, no-one
(well, maybe Sting) has written lyrics that impress me more, and it's
great to see that Rush is getting respective from a band like Living
Colour (besides Sebn. Bach and people that have worked with Rush
(Mitchell, Mink, etc.))...
Gregg
P.L. Steppic
>
>
>Neil: The Mees vanerho (??) quote I've always loved is "god is always in
>the deep hills", so we want our audience to see God every night.
>
>Jethro on IRC - A big hi to everyone on #p/g!
For the record, it's Mies van der Rohe. It's a Dutch name.
--
//////////^\\\\\\\\\\ +------------------------+
<<<<<<<< Pat >>>>>>>> | "That cat's something |
\\\\\\\\\\v////////// | I can't explain" |
+------------------------+
ROBERT CURRY
>The Toronto show is now MAY 7th. It was moved from MAY 8th because of a
>Leafs hockey game.
>Hamilton show has been cancelled. They were offered the final concert on
>May 8th but apparently didnt want a rock concert on a sunday. So the tour
>will end in Toronto on the 7th.
>Montreal is May 6th, tickets are on sale NOW.
>Quebec City is May 5th, don't know about tickets.
>
Hellooooooooooo?!?!?!?!?! Why the fuck are they not coming to Halifax????
Has everyone forgotten that Canada extends beyond the Quebec/New Bruinswick
border? We listen to Rush here to!
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why don't bands come here....
Glenn
J.B. Martinson
>
>The Toronto show is now MAY 7th. It was moved from MAY 8th because of a
>Leafs hockey game.
>
>already on sale, Toronto should be on sale any day now. Please email
>or post any Toronto information.
>
> (Jethro)
>(Hi to #p/g! 'ers)
Y95 in Hamilton just announce that tix to the T.O. show (May 7)
will be on sale this Saturday (March 26). They didn't mention what time,
but I imagine it will be either 9:00 or 10:00am EST. Anyone know for sure?
Brett.
--
J. Brett Martinson President, Eng. & Mgmt. Club
Engineering Physics and Management E-mail: u901...@muss.cis.mcmaster.ca
McMaster University, Hamilton Home: (905) 527-5714
Greg Gershowitz
>Neil is black.
Neil is a very odd shade of pink.
-Greg G
--
"No matter who you are, no matter what you look like, deep down in
the gunny sack of your soul, in the top drawer, in the back, on the
bottom, we all have a pair of pants with a pocket full of kryptonite."
"When God belches, it sounds OK" - Spin Doctors, Jones Beach, 7/9/93
Jason S Owchar
: Hellooooooooooo?!?!?!?!?! Why the fuck are they not coming to Halifax????
: Has everyone forgotten that Canada extends beyond the Quebec/New Bruinswick
: border? We listen to Rush here to!
: Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why don't bands come here....
: Glenn
HEY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! What about the prairies and western provinces??
This is the second tour in a row that Rush screwed the west (I heard
only Vancouver for RTB). Don't they know that the entire country
listens to the gods of music?
Jason S. Owchar
jso...@engr.usask.ca
****************************************************************
* "If she went out into those woods, you can forget about her."
* - guess who (hint: Brisco County, Jr.)
****************************************************************
Samuel H Theiner
Jeff X. Mink
>um...come again?
Yes. Neil is black. In 1973, he felt that it would help his musical
career if he was white instead of black, so he started wearing white
make-up to cover up his ethnic background. In addition, he had his hair
straightened out, to make himself look more white. It wasn't until this
year that he finally admitted this to the public, and he has decided to
stop with all of the silliness. So, when you see them on this tour and
wonder "Who's that black guy playing the drums?", you'll know that it's
really Neil without his disguise.
I love playing around with the "humour-impaired".
Mentally Yours,
Jeff Mink
The Scourge of the Galaxy
High Priest of the Church of Harmonic Chaos
Zack Gemmill
Well, maybye just at night !>(> (harh!)
Zach
Ed Lawson
: Zach
That's not really funny. You are making fun of another race. I am white, but really think that's unnecessary...
iwerk...@cobra.uni.edu
Actually, I don't think anyone was making fun of any race. Don't you think it's
odd that you referred to people making fun of "another" race when you have no
idea what the ethnic background of those posting is?
Besides, everybody knows Neil is actually a green Venusian.
Dan Iwerks
iwerk...@cobra.uni.edu
Insert witty quote here
Scott Bissett
That's not really very nice. You are stereotyping green Venusians as
god-like drummers. Now, we all know how green Venusians have rhythm and
soul, but I would like to think that Rush fans are above such petty
generalities. Please have some interplanetary awareness. I mean, the
green Venusians have such a time of it and all...
=)
...
Scott Bissett
bis...@benji.colorado.edu
Zack Gemmill
>Zack Gemmill (za...@fast13.fa) wrote:
>: >In article <2mlap2$q...@lsi.lsil.com> za...@fast3.fa writes:
>: >>Neil is black.
>: >um...come again?
>: >
>: Neil is black. What? Are you blind?
>: Well, maybye just at night !>(> (harh!)
>
>: Zach
>
> That's not really funny. You are making fun of another race. I am white, but really think that's unnecessary...
>
the humor-impaired. What if I'm black? What then? Do you write
letters to the producers of "In Living Color" because they make light
of black stereotypes sometimes? Probably. I'm half Indian (oops! I
mean *Native-American*) adopted by whites as a child and cut off from
my people, btw. Let's get some "Injun" jokes going around.
Zach "Killing Hand" Gemmill
YYZ
and i would rate it a -A. the sound is amazing, and the vidio is
great too. if i had a way to dubb it, i would make it avaliable to
all you fans. there is also a cpoy of opening night out there. i
didn't buy it because of lack of money, plus it wasn't of high
quality. i have a question---during CLOSER TO THE HEART, alex says
something. i can't quite make it out. he calls neil, geddy and
himself different names. did anyone understand him? i got some other
cool stuff, including the EXIT>>STAGE LEFT vidio. i also got a
backstage pass from 2112, and a comic book that gives the whole
history of RUSH, up to the reslesal of CP. i got all this at the
rock-n-roll expo that was held in albany. tisk tisk for all those
living in albany that missed it. if i get the technology to dubb the
vidio, i would be glad to make it avaliable. see ya!!!
opie
jason allan long
my 2 cents on what Alex said in the concert. I'm not sure what he called Geddy,
but he called Neil=Leonard Nemoy and himself "the fabulous" Fabio. Later.
"All the world's indeed a stage............"