Neil Peart The Measure of a Life
Most everyone will experience a game changing event in their life. That moment in time when you realise that nothing will be the same. This experience can occur through exposure to new knowledge or altered insight on differing opinions. In the case of musicians, this can be hearing instrumentation used in a different way or discovering a new artist for the first time.
For millions of drummers, especially those that came of age in the ’70s, one of those moments was when we first heard the band Rush and their drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. My moment occurred in the back seat of a friend’s Datsun B210 in early January of 1977, right after Christmas break.
We gathered in the usual desolate corner of a cemetery for our morning ritual of listening to music, talking and having a smoke before school. My friend knew I had been gifted a drum set that holiday and, after passing me a smoke, handed me an 8-track tape, smiled and said, “Check THIS drummer out!”
Just one look at the photo on the front of the cartridge left me spellbound. It was Rush’s first live album, All The World’s A Stage. Peart’s chrome Slingerland kit glistened under the spotlights like a jewel in a king’s crown. I immediately had to hear what this band sounded like. “Play it!” I urged. The opening chords of ‘Bastille Day’ poured from the speakers, and as soon as the drums and bass kicked in, my body was covered in goosebumps. I knew, in that moment, my life was changed.
I’m sure I confused my school teachers in the months and years that followed as I suddenly became interested in the French Revolution, Ayn Rand, English literature and Shakespeare. This is the impact a “rock drummer” had on my humble 16-year-old life. I bought that double live LP the very next day. So began a love affair with a band and a drummer that continues to this day.
Just as I remember so sharply the first time I heard
