Home
Rush At 40: Geddy Lee Talks the Past, Present and Future - Paste Magazine
Pop Culture References Update (and more) - December 2015
It's time for the next update of Rush References in Pop Culture. Since my last update two months ago, quite a few items have already come to light.
During the Nike commercial "Short A Guy" which premiered back in July (and I'm sure you've seen a dozen times), a kid is first asked to join a game of pickup basketball, before being asked to join various other sports activities with associated athlete celebrities. When he joins the marathon he is given bib number 2112.- Adam Sandler first performed version 4 of his "Chanukah Song" live in concert in San Diego on November 18th, and this updated version includes Geddy Lee among notable Jewish celebrities. You can watch the performance here.
- Rush has been referenced on the animated series Family Guy twice in the past, and for their 248th episode (titled "Fighting Irish") which aired May 3, 2015, Peter tries to lure Liam Neeson into a fight by selling black jeans from a vendor cart. Among other taunts he yells "Don't be the only one at the Rush concert without a pair of black jeans!"
- During episode 3 of the new Marvel Netflix series, Jessica Jones ("AKA It's Called Whiskey") which aired November 20, 2015, the numbers for an address that are spoken aloud are "2112".
In 2011, Ernest Cline published his first novel, Ready Player One and it was a sensation among Rush fans (including this one). His followup novel, Armada, was published back in July, and like its predecessor, also includes a few Rush references. Taken from the story itself, the book even includes artwork for an 80's cassette "Raid The Arcade Mix" tape which features "Vital Signs", and a character who plays to a continuous loop of Moving Pictures:
"...He was bobbing his head in time to his favorite Terra Forma battle soundtrack song, 'Vital Signs' by Rush. Ray claimed that its unique time signature matched up perfectly with the alien Spider Fighter drones' erratic swarming patterns, making it easier for him to anticipate their movements and rate of attack. He also claimed that each of the other songs on Rush's Moving Pictures album was perfect for battling a different Sobrukai drone. Personally, I'd always assumed this was just an excuse he'd concocted for playing that same album on a continuous loop, day after day.
- The video game Guitar Hero Live was released October 20, 2015, and "Limelight" is one of the songs available in the game's TV mode. For more game details including videos click here.
- During the October 30th episode of Dr. Ken (season 1, episode 5), after being dosed with a pain-killer lollipop, Pat (Dave Foley) is listening to headphones, and yells to people in the office "Do you like RUSH?! This drum solo is sick!" You can view the episode here.
- Caustic Casanova's new video for "Show Some Shame", from their new album Breaks released September 25th, is a near complete recreation of Rush's "Time Stand Still" video, including the same spins, camera girl, industrial pillar, etc. The video begins with a Rush Chronicles style placard, and ends with the tribute "We thank Geddy, Alex and Neil for over 40 years of timeless music. Freeze this moment a little bit longer.
X-Men: Apocalypse is set for release on May 27, 2016, and as seen in the official trailer (at the 1:50 mark), Quicksilver (Evan Peters) wears a 'Moving Pictures' t-shirt.- Since my last update, there has been another Rush sighting on The Goldbergs. During the episode “Boy Barry” (season 3, episode 5, aired October 21st), the high school sax player is seen two more times throughout the episode (apparently on two different days) wearing the same Moving Pictures t-shirt (does he ever wash that thing?).
As covered previously, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson guest starred on NBC's Chicago Fire in an episode titled "2112" which aired Tuesday, November 17th. The storyline involves Rush performing a concert in Chicago and a few lucky Firehouse 51 fans snag free tickets to the show. You can view the episode here.- ESPN's pregame show on December 13th featured Cincinnati Bengals fan Jeff Wagner, who hand makes banners for every home game. Interviewed while wearing an R40 Live tour shirt, Jeff says he starts off creating his banners by "turning on Rush, greatest rock band in the history of the world." Check out his story here.
- In John McEnroe's biography Serious, published June 10, 2002, he talks of being a fan of Rush, and of getting a guitar lesson by Alex Lifeson.
- We've recently added a couple of songs to the Rush covers page:
- "The Spirit of Radio", performed by Rekha on Milky Ocean (iTunes), was released October 15, 2005. You can hear it Youtube.
- "Witch Hunt", performed by MolchMon on Expose, was released November 19th. The track is available on their bandcamp page.
- And finally, here are two fairly recent documentaries that have been released which feature Rush:
Rush are interviewed in the Rob Cohen documentary Being Canadian, released April 26, 2015. In the documentary, famous Canadians (and some non Canadians) are interviewed in an effort to explain Canada to the world. Check out the trailer here; Rush are at 1:36.
Geddy Lee is one of the many musicians interviewed in Jaco: A Documentary Film, which premiered November 22, 2014. The film tells the story of legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius (a short snippet of Geddy discussing fusion music from the documentary can be seen here).
The 10 best stand-up comedians, by Geddy Lee - TeamRock.com
TeamRock.com has posted "The 10 best stand-up comedians, by Geddy Lee." As the title suggests, Geddy lists his top 10 comedians; check out the story here.
My Planet Rocks: Geddy Lee - Tomorrow Night Dec 20
My Planet Rocks has previously seen some of the world's greatest rock
stars take to the airwaves. Since the series first began, the likes of
Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, Lemmy from Motorhead, The
Who's Pete Townshend, Meat Loaf, Alice Cooper, blues legend Gary Moore
and the late, great Ronnie James Dio have all taken control of the radio
station for an hour and given the world a glimpse into their lives.
Listen to My Planet Rocks every Sunday at 7pm.
This week (20th December) - Rush frontman, Geddy Lee! - Thanks to Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!
Listen to My Planet Rocks every Sunday at 7pm.
This week (20th December) - Rush frontman, Geddy Lee! - Thanks to Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!
Geddy Lee talks R40 Live and future prospects: "Our touring life might be over" - MusicRadar
RUSH Deliver Fully Loaded 1985 Model Complete With Power Windows - Now Available
1981’s Moving Pictures had catapulted Rush to international stardom while capping off what was the classic ‘70s era Rush. 1982‘s Signals would signal the end of their longtime relationship with producer Terry Brown, and by 1985 Rush would take a new approach to the studio, with producer Peter Collins pushing the band to rethink everything, with spectacular results.
Rush lyricist/ drummer Neil Peart saw an uncanny number of socio-political issues to write about with songs like “The Big Money”, “Manhattan Project”, and “Marathon” while guitarist Alex Lifeson would breath new life into his guitar parts, stretching and creating news sounds for every new composition.
As bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee expresses to InTheStudio host Redbeard, Power Windows initially sounded like a silly name for an album, but it soon stuck.
“The album is about power ,the power of big business, of money. The power of government. The power of love in “Emotion Detector”. The power of dreams. So we wanted to have that in the title somehow, but all of the titles sounded so corny... At one point we were going to call the album Windows, but it sounded too jazz -like. Nobody thought of Power Windows because it sounded so silly at first. It sounded like a joke. And the more we thought of it, the more we liked it. “ - Geddy Lee
RUSH Power Windows @ 30/ InTheStudio interview is now available to stream here.
Power Windows 30th Anniversary "In The Studio With Redbeard" coming December 14th
Rush is marking the 30th anniversary of 1985’s Power Windows with “The Big Money”,”Manhattan Project”,”Marathon”, “Mystic Rhythms”; and we will add 1993’s terrific hard-rocking Counterparts sporting “Animate”,”Stick It Out”, and the emotionally powerful “Nobody’s Hero“. Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson host this thoughtful conversation In the Studio the week of December 14. -Redbeard- Thanks to Lance Buckhammer for the headsup!
ESPN Features Rush Fan Jeff Wagner
Today's ESPN pregame show featured Cincinnati Bengals fan Jeff Wagner, who hand makes banners for every home game. Oh, and he starts off by "turning on Rush, greatest rock band in the history of the world." Check out his story here. - Thanks to Dave DeSantis and Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!
Neil Peart interviewed in December issue of Drumhead Magazine
There is a new interview with Neil Peart in the December issue of Drumhead magazine: "Neil Peart reflects on 50 years of hitting things with sticks". In the interview, Neil has seemingly announced his retirement with his comments:
"Lately Olivia has been introducing me to new friends at school as "My dad--He's a retired drummer." True to say--funny to hear. " He goes on to reflect "and it does not pain me to realize that, like all athletes, there comes a time to... take yourself out of the game. I would rather set it aside then face the predicament described in our song "losing it" ("Sadder still to watch it die, than never to have known it")"The complete article is now available here. It also includes "Notes for Neil", a sidebar piece where many of today's drummers congratulate Neil on his (touring) retirement. - Thanks to Joe Pesch for the headsup, and to John Patuto for the transcript!
"Rush Committed To At Least One More Studio Project" - MusicExpress
Today Canada's MusicExpress chimed in on the question of Neil Peart's retirement with a new interview with ole general manager, Andy Curran, who replied “It’s just a rumour as far as I know”, but the article went on to say that the band is committed to at least one more
studio project. Check it out here. - Thanks to Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!
Geddy Lee 'optimistic' over band's future - BBC
Geddy is in the UK doing press interviews this week to promote R40 Live, and in a new interview with the BBC again says "I'm one of three members and everybody has a kind of different idea about what they'd like to do with the rest of their lives. So I'm not really sure at this point whether there will be more tours or not. But I remain optimistic." You can read the full interview here. - Thanks to Ed at RushisaBand for the headsup!
Geddy Lee clarifies Peart retirement rumours - Prog
In a response to yesterday's fan panic after news surfaced that Neil was "retired" following his story which appears in the new issue of Drumhead, Geddy Lee has stepped up to clarify Neil's statement:
Lee tells Prog: “There’s really nothing to say. I think Neil is just explaining his reasons for not wanting to tour, with the toll that it’s taking on his body. That’s all I would care to comment on it. We’ll get together eventually and chat about things. But in my view, there is certainly nothing surprising in what he said. Neil just feels that he has to explain with all the thousands of people asking, ‘Why no more tours?’ He needs to explain his side of it."
Asked whether he feels Peart's quote was taken out of context, Lee adds: “I think that’s absolutely right. That’s their job. Talking about something when there’s nothing to talk about.”
Rush at 40: Still Breaking Boundaries, Still Down with the Nerds - Noisey.com
Q&A With Rush ‘Starman’ Hugh Syme
R40 Live CD/Blu-Ray/DVD Now Available
 |
| Buy Now |
The album debuted at number 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart (dated Dec. 12) with 24,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen Music.
Rush.com officially announced the release of R40 Live on September 25th when they shared the audio of Roll The Bones, featuring the new celebrity rap. The "Roll The Bones" single is also available to purchase here. The second single, "Closer To The Heart", was released October 23, and "Tom Sawyer" was released November 6, 2015. The official trailer was posted on October 8th, and in the ensuing days videos for "Jacob's Ladder", "Closer To The Heart," "The Spirit of Radio," "Tom Sawyer," "Subdivisions" and "Xanadu" have been shared; all videos can be seen below.
For more information, check out the official press release from Rush.com, and additional news and reviews of the album below:
- Rush R40 Live Concert Film Nov 20 - Rush.com, October 8, 2015
- RUSH R40 Interview With Joanne Wilder @ Q107, November 19, 2015
- RUSH Answer Questions From Their Fans Interview @ Q107, November 19, 2015
- Rush R40 - PopMatters.com, November 20, 2015
- Rush share stories behind their iconic songs - Entertainment Weekly, November 20, 2015
- Geddy Lee on how Rush cranked back the clock one song time at a time on R40 Live - digitaltrends.com, November 20, 2015
- Rush Debuts at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums With 'R40 Live' - Billboard.com, December 2, 1015
- 'Rush R40 Live' - Examiner.com, December 4, 2015
- Rush Debuts at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums With 'R40 Live' - Billboard.com, December 12, 2015
Click below for additional videos:
Geddy Lee on 40 years of Rush - The AV Club
Rush Debuts at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums With 'R40 Live'
|
| Buy now |
R40 Live follows previous chart-toppers Clockwork Angels in 2012 and Snakes & Arrows in 2007.
While Top Rock Albums launched in 2006, Rush's history on the Billboard 200 dates back four decades. The new album debuts at No. 24 on the Billboard 200, marking the band's 24th top 40 title. Rush first reached the region with another live release: All the World's a Stage: Recorded Live (No. 40, 1976).
R40 Live is also the first live album to crown Top Rock Albums since the Beatles' On Air: Live at the BBC Volume 2 on the Nov. 30, 2013, chart. Additionally, Rush's new release opens atop Hard Rock Albums, where it's the band's second leader, following Clockwork Angels. (Could R40 Live be the final live album of Rush's storied career? When the band announced the R40 Live Tour earlier this year, its accompanying press release stated that the trek "will most likely be their last major tour of this magnitude.") - Billboard.com, December 12, 2015
Rush makes their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame votes - KSHE.com
Today KSHE radio in St. Louis posted a short interview with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson where they discuss their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame votes:
One perk of getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- you get to vote for who else you think should be enshrined.
So who would 2013 inductees Rush put in? We recently spoke to Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, and they were both surprised to learn that one of this year's nominees, Chicago, aren't already in. Geddy says, "Great band. We all listened to those early CTA [Chicago Transit Authority] records." And Alex adds that they were very "influential." Asked who he'll vote for, Geddy said, "Yes and Deep Purple 100 percent."
Other notable nominees this year include Cheap Trick, The Cars and Steve Miller. The Class of 2016 will be announced in mid-December.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)