Donna Halper, Rush historian and Geddy Lee superfan was recently interviewed by Boston-based radio station WGBH to discuss stories about the life and times of Neil Peart and how originally Neil Peart wasn’t even in Rush as he was the shocking replacement for the group’s original drummer – John Rutsey. Rush singer Geddy Lee ‘replacement’ revealed.
Santoro: And nor was Neil in the band.
Halper: He was not in the original. The original iteration that I got had a drummer named John Rutsey. Now, God rest John Rutsey’s soul. He was a diabetic. He also was somebody who at that time was not taking care of his health. Now, if he were around today, it would be much easier for him to maintain his illness. You know you got the little portable things you can do. You get the finger stick. Back then, if you had serious diabetes, you had to go to the hospital.
Santoro: And with life on the road like that, it’s almost impossible.
Halper: Bingo. And so they sort of knew that if they were going to get to the next level, they needed a different drummer. It was a tough decision. But they also wanted someone who could be more of a lyricist. They had been a three-chord bar band, as they themselves would tell you. And that was where they were, but that’s not where they wanted to stay. They had visions of being something else. And that led to Neil. Geddy Lee alcohol photo revealed after Rush tragedy.
In other news regarding Geddy Lee and Rush, fans took to the prominent Rush message board: TheRushForum to discuss why certain fans like some Rush albums more than others. User 9/4 explained: ” Since Neil’s passing, I’ve summoned the courage to (try to) play drums along with Rush albums, including albums which didn’t resonate with me as much (post Power Windows). In the past week, I’ve played along with Hold Your Fire and Presto a few times, and I’m enjoying those albums more and more.”
The user concluded: “I’m realizing that the experience playing one of the instruments and being ‘inside’ the music is different than just listening to the music and being ‘outside’ it. This may partly explain why Rush liked all of the music they made, and enjoyed playing much of it countless times live, whereas many of their fans like the albums quite unequally.” Click HERE to read the full WGbH interview with Halper.
