Rush, Sarah McLachlan, Adam Cohen & More Canadian Artists Talk Marijuana Legalization

Yesterday on 4/20 Billboard posted "Rush, Sarah McLachlan, Adam Cohen & More Canadian Artists Talk Marijuana Legalization":

Billboard asked more than two dozen Canadian artists what they thought of Trudeau’s vow to make marijuana legal, and -- if they are all for it -- if they could name a strain, what would it be called and what would it cure or be good for?...Singer/bassist Geddy Lee at first offers Lerxst Kush as their strain name. "That’s him,” he says of guitarist Alex Lifeson. “That’s his nickname.” But then Lifeson comes up with Lerxst Couch instead. “It’s not my forte,” says Lee, “But it is his.” “It is my forte,” says Lifeson. What would Lerxst Couch cure? “It would cure boredom,” says Lifeson. “I was going to say it would cure ambition,” says Lee, laughing. “That’s more appropriate,” Lifeson agrees, laughing too.

Rush Awarded the 2017 Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award

As was previously announced, last night Rush were awarded the 2017 Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award for their achievements and longstanding career in the music industry, social activism and support of humanitarian causes.  Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson were on hand to accept the award, which was presented by Toronto Mayor John Tory who was wearing a Moving Pictures t-shirt. 

Leading up to the event, Billboard.com posted Why Rush Might Be the Most Generous Band In the World:

On April 20, Rush will receive the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award for its social activism and support of humanitarian causes, as well as for recognition of its remarkable music career. The award will be presented during the annual Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards gala dinner in Toronto, an event during Canadian Music Week.

"They're giving us an award for doing what everyone should do," Geddy Lee tells Billboard. "It should be a part of everyone's upbringing and routine of life: You share when you've been blessed with good fortune. The world needs a lot of work, and there are not enough workers. We try to help where we can."

Alex Lifeson talks Rush's future and A Farewell to Kings 40th Anniversary Release

In a brand new interview with SiriusXM's "Debatable", conducted at last week's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in New York, the arthritis-stricken Lifeson stated about RUSH's current status: "I would say that it's unlikely that we'll tour again as RUSH. Really, we toured for forty-one years, and I have to say that first year off, I felt like I was grieving for my career and the band, but truly, forty-one years of touring the way we toured, I shouldn't feel badly about that."

RUSH recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of its landmark 1976 album "2112" with a deluxe reissue featuring rare live and previously unreleased material, and, according to Lifeson, "right now there's some work being done on a similar thing with [1977's] 'A Farewell To Kings'." He said: "We're not really involved in that so much; it's a record-company thing, or a publisher thing. We like to be slightly involved, in just giving approvals and make sure that everything's done in a way that we would like to see it."

Even though there are no plans for RUSH to regroup in the foreseeable future, Lifeson revealed that "Ged and I will probably do something together. He's been really busy. He's working on his own little book project. He's become quite a bass guitar collector, and he wants to do a little thing on the history of the instrument. So that's keeping him super busy." As for Peart, Lifeson said: "I'm not sure what Neil's doing these days. He's on the West Coast. He's always got something going on."

Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/alex-lifeson-says-its-unlikely-rush-will-ever-tour-again/#O5BJOlu1aZsTbi0T.99