3 Doors Down's Chris Henderson Digs Rush

In a new interview posted today at MemphisFlyer.com, 3 Doors Down guitarist Chris Henderson talks about how Rush's Chronicles compilation helped him through a bad breakup, and how working with Alex Lifeson (in spring 2000, shortly after the release of Better Life, Lifeson produced three 3 Doors Down tracks: "Wasted Me", "Dangerous Game" and "Dead Love") taught him to be a better producer.

I had a girlfriend. I was engaged to her. We broke up after five years of being together. She went off and did whatever to get over it. I put in Rush Chronicles, got in my truck and drove around for five days. That's how I got over that relationship. After I listened to that record, I said, 'I don't need this crap. I've got Rush.' So needless to say, when Alex Lifeson's name came up as a producer, I was in, Jack. I didn't need to hear anybody else's name. I can't explain how nice a guy and how smart he was. How cultured he was and how great a musician he is. I can't put into words how much his influence brought to my life before I met him and after I met him. There's not a week that goes by that I don't think of that experience. I spent three weeks with him in the studio.

He taught me that the technical aspect of being a producer is not the most important part. Tee most important part is the song and how to delegate. If you want to change someone's art, they are going to fight you on it. If it's all about the art becoming better, you've got to get your point across. That's what Alex taught me. Instead of saying 'I'm a producer. I'm from Rush. You need to listen to me.' He wasn't like that. He came in and was like,' Think about it like this: What does the fan think? From a radio listener's perspective, you have about 13 seconds. They hit that seek button. That's the way it works. He taught us that.

- Thanks to Rushfanforever for the headsup!