Neil Peart News, Weather, and Sports June 2012 Update - Where Words Fail, Music Speaks

Neil Peart News, Weather, and Sports Update - June 2012
After a five-month drought, Neil Peart has finally posted a new update on his website in his traditional News, Weather, and Sports blog. The June 2012 update, titled Where Words Fail, Music Speaks covers a number a topics.

Neil begins the entry by discussing the Revolver Magazine Golden Gods Awards, where Rush was presented with the Ronnie James Dio Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement. At the award ceremony, after a last-minute cancellation by Alex, Neil had to step in and accept the award. As fans know, Neil is a very private man, so his discussions surrounding his trepidation at speaking at the event is insightful and eloquent.

Fast forward a month or so and the band is to be presented with the Governor-General’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Performing Arts -- another moment of being in the limelight for Neil. I enjoyed one comment Neil made about the entire spectacle of the event:
Once or twice Alex, Geddy, and I caught each other’s eye and just looked at each other. Delighted, of course, but . . . bemused might be the word. If words didn’t fail so epically.
Neil also talks about his meeting with The Who's Peter Townshend during the Governor General's event:
We were ushered backstage to meet up with Matt and thank him warmly for doing us that honor, then into Pete Townshend’s dressing room. Usually I don’t care much about meeting celebrities, like the actors or athletes who come to Rush shows, but this was one meeting and photo op I was more than glad to attend.

To briefly recap a long history, The Who were my first favorite band. In my mid-teens, my bedroom was papered in magazine photographs and posters of The Who, hung with pop-art mobiles I made from photos of them, and my dresser had a Union Jack painted across its top (a triumph of clumsy masking and brushwork). In the middle of one wall I had painted the bass-drum logo from Keith Moon’s famous “Pictures of Lily” kit. (Another challenge for my mediocre artistry with paints.) I possessed every one of their singles, albums, and compilations, and every magazine that mentioned them. On the “drumset” I made across my bed from old magazines, in the layout of Keith’s drums, I could play along with all of their songs.

Around that time I had a high-school science teacher who was exasperated by my constant finger-tapping on my desk. When I said I couldn’t help it, he said, “What are you—some kind of retard?”

Seriously.

He sentenced me to a detention in which I would have to sit and tap on a desk for one hour. I played Tommy from memory; the teacher had to leave the room.

To the teenage me, Pete Townshend set the example for what a rock musician should be: “He smashes guitars—and reads books!”

So . . . meeting him now, forty-odd years later, I remained full of admiration, respect, and gratitude—for his example.

As we shook hands, I was pleased to tell him that my first concert, at age fifteen, had been The Who, with the Troggs and the MC5 opening. He smiled at the notion of losing my concert virginity to that mix!
Neil touches upon other topics including his recording session with Matt Scannell of Vertical Horizon and their song Instamatic as well as his feelings about Clockwork Angels:
The three of us, and the friends and collaborators around us, are very excited about Clockwork Angels. We modestly believe that it represents our best work on every level of our craft, and we sincerely (earnestly) hope other people will agree.
You can read the entire entry at this LINK.

And to check out every News, Weather, and Sports entry Neil has made dating back to 2005, they are all available at the News, Weather, and Sports Archives.

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