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Subject: 03/01/91 - The National Midnight Star #182
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The National Midnight Star, Number 182
Friday, 1 March 1991
Today's Topics:
Administrivia
My 2 bits
2112 Ending, Zoom Controls, Spiky Hair & Self-Reference
The Neighbour of the Beast
MY opening act's worse than YOUR opening act...
bad lines etc...
(none)
bootlegs
Superconductor Poll Results
Ha!
Red lenses...
Re: bad Rush
Bass tablature.
Grammys
Intelligent
Anagram for Mongo
Neil and FreeWill (the band)
(none)
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Editor, The National Midnight Star <rush-mgr>
Subject: Adminisitrivia
Sorry this issue is so late today; we're under a bit of a crunch
at work lately.
rush-mgr
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 91 12:30 EST
Subject: My 2 bits
From: gtv@cblph.att.com!
Good day,
Recently, John Mendenhall posed the following question:
>I would like to submit a question to the list:
>Are there any religious people out there (Christians,
>satan worshippers, Jews, Buddists, or whatever) who
>have been influenced by anything having to do with RUSH?
Well, for my 2 cents worth, I am a Christian and have always
been influenced by Rush. Neil says a lot in his lyrics. Most
of them usually apply to stuff I'm going through. It's almost
as if I use his lyrics as a "backup" to my religous beliefs.
Someone else recently posed the question of how often we
listen to Rush. Well, as for me, I usually listen to Rush
about 5 hours a week. Most of which is in my car. I listen
to so much variety in music; the times I'm in my "Rush" mood
usually averages about 5 hours a week or 1/2 hour a day.
One more thing, Can anybody out there explain what was
happening when Neil wrote "Red Sector A" from _P/G_? For some
reason I always relate that song to the movie "Red Dawn".
For those of you not familiar with that movie, it's about a
group of kids who become "underground marauders" after
Russia/Cuba invades the U.S.
Later,
Gary Varney
gary.t.varney@ATT.COM
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 91 14:09:44 EST
From: gordon@Stars.Reston.Unisys.COM
Subject: 2112 Ending, Zoom Controls, Spiky Hair & Self-Reference
Hello,
--| 2112 Ending (with a dash of "The Pass"):
I agree with the school of thought that says it's the "elder
race" that returns "to tear the Temples down." Up to this point, I've
always considered "the elder race" to be good, not evil, but the
"evil" interpretation has some merit. However, to me, it is a less
satisfying end to the story to consider the "elder race" to be
malicious. Overall, it seems ambiguous, and maybe Neil wanted it that
way so that people could place different interpretations on the words,
as usual.
When I first (long ago) realized that the main character in
the 2112 story had given up and was commiting suicide I was angry. I
was angry for all the reasons that Neil seems to point out in "The
Pass." Maybe "The Pass" is Neil's answer to, or present attitude
towards, the apparent suicide attempt presented in 2112? Maybe, just
maybe, "Christ, what have you done" is Neil cursing at himself?
Anyway, to appease my feelings of anger, I always imagined
that the "elder race" arrived just in the time needed to save the
wayward hero from his "ignoble fate." This ending satisfied me and
also reminds of an award-winning science fiction short story by
Frederick Pohl called "The Gold at the Starbow's End" written in 1972.
If you've ever read this story or ever have the chance to (it appears
in many anthologies), compare the fate of the main character in 2112
with the fate of Dr. Dieter von Knefhausen in Pohl's story.
Hmm, Pohl's story was written 4 years befire 2112. Knowing
that Neil reads science fiction, too, could there have been some
influence?
--| Amusing Sidenote:
An old friend of mine used to think the voice at the end of
2112 said, "WE HAVE A ZOOM CONTROL..." etc. He was grateful when I
enlightened him, as then the song finally made some kind of sense to
him!
--| Rush Self-Reference in Album Art
Anybody else think the man in the 2112 "man-and-star" logo
looks like the naked man on the Hemispheres cover, but with spiked
hair?
/\ /\ /\ 1-0-0-1-0-0-1, S.O.S. 1-0-0-1-0-0-1, in distress.
/ \ /\/ \ /\/ \ /-------------------------------------------------------
\/ \/ \/ Del Gordon gordon@stars.reston.unisys.com |><-
----------------------------------------------------------
From: yackob@eeserv.ee.umanitoba.ca
Date: 28 Feb 91 13:17 -0600
Subject: The Neighbour of the Beast
>X-Mailer: Mail User's Shell (7.2.1 10/31/90)
Did anyone else notice that yesterday's
NMS (Number 181) had exactly 666 lines
in it?
[ Ooh, I can see the Rush/Satanism debate heating up now! :rush-mgr ]
--
Kerry Yackoboski <yackob@eeserv.ee.umanitoba.ca>
The Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Laboratory in the Cellar
U of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 91 14:29:06 EST
From: herrera@tegra.com
Subject: MY opening act's worse than YOUR opening act...
This is my first submission to The Star, so be nice!
Kevin Tipple (aka Blue Steel) reported that the worst
opening act he ever saw for Rush was Rainmaker. Well,
I've never seen Rainmaker, but I'll bet I've got him
beat. I saw Rush at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston back
in 1978 (I think it was '78 - it was the _Farewell to
Kings_ tour). When I got there, and excitedly sat down
third-row center seats, I discovered that the opening
act was The Babys. I had never heard them, so I had an
open mind when they lit the stage. The audience was not
kind. John Waite (lead vocalist and bassist, now with
their keyboard player Jonathan Pain, er, I mean Cain,
in Bad English) came out on stage with a wide brimmed
straw hat that would have looked better on Angela
Lansbury. Mike Corby, the guitarist, waddled out to
the front of the stage in a floral print blouse (I
said blouse, not shirt) and waved and smiled to a
woman sitting next to me. She looked back, smiled and
flipped him the bird. The audience constantly booed
them, and I think they were wise not to attempt an
encore. I had seen the Babys after that at the
Orpheum - a local radio station (WCOZ) was selling
tickets for a concert with Piper (Billy Squier's
band) and The Babys for 93 cents. I was in line to
buy Utopia tickets and figured "What the hell for
93 cents?". Piper went on first, and the crowd
loved them; by the time The Babys had been into their
third or fourth song, two-thirds of the audience had
left, leaving the balcony pretty much empty and about
half of the orchestra full. Pretty sad, really. Anyway,
Rush was great, and (back when they'd let you bring in
cameras) I got great shots of Geddy using the Rick
and his little Mini Moog. Anyone remember Neil with
long hair and a handlebar moustache?
#=====================================================================#
|***Valentino Herrera Tegra/Varityper herrera@tegra.com*** |
| |
|"I attended Julliard, I'm a graduate of the Harvard Business School |
| I travel quite extensively, I lived through the Black Plague, and I |
| had a pretty good time during THAT; I've seen _The Exorcist_ about |
| 167 times, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER, EVERYTIME I SEE IT, NOT TO |
| MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU'RE TALKING TO A DEAD GUY - NOW WHAT DO |
| YOU THINK!?!? Do you think I'm qualified?" |
| Michael Keaton |
#=====================================================================#
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 91 16:06 EST
From: "Derek D. Lichter [Cinderella Man]" <DEREK%ALBNYVMS.BITNET@UACSC2.ALBANY.EDU>
Subject: bad lines etc...
Well, Dave hit it on the head in the last issue with his choice of a "bad
rush line": "Excitement so thick/you could cut it with a knife". This
really kills the song for me. Usually I hit stop on the cd player after
that. Other bad lines? Hmm... "That's entertainment!" from Superconductor
(another cliche); the end repeat-to-fadeout of War Paint... those are all
I can think of at the moment.
Oh, and Dan D.-- that's "You guys are so unhip it's a wonder your _buns_
don't fall off!" (from one of the hitchhiker's guide books). Just being
an anal retentive for a minute, forgive me... :-)
later eh,
Derek L.
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 1991 16:30 EST
From: KROHN@UCBEH.SAN.UC.EDU
Hey, hey, hey, hey,
After read the interpretations of the Fear trilogy, I have, off
the top of my head, come up with what IMHO is the general theme:
Witch Hunt : Fear of the unknown
The Weapon : Fear of others
Enemy Within: Fear of self (hence the title?)
As for 2112, IMHO it is the Elder Race from the tragic-hero's
dream that have returned, and restored there control over the
people of the ex-Solar Federation.
A few digests ago someone refered to the "lost brotherhood of man"
returning and taking over. Can you elaborate on this "lost brotherhood"??
My Rush lyrics make mention of a Brotherhood of Man in "Temples"
but that is in reference to being part of the Federation:
"Look around this world we've made
Equality, our stock in trade.
Come and join the Brotherhood of Man.
Oh what a nice, contented world,
Let the banners be unfurled.
Hold the Red Star proudly high in hand."
My quote may be a little off because I don't have the lyrics here in
front of me and I don't have them completely memorized (I know I should).
--The Analog Kid
IMO: 2112 is THE greatest song EVER written!
OBRQ: "It's just the age.
It's just a stage.
We disengage,
We turn the page."
--you know where or you shouldn't be here
(Turn the Page, HYF for those wondering if the
above comment meant I didn't know where it
came from.)
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 91 15:57 EST
From: <DEGE%JHUVMS.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: bootlegs
Hi to all those RUSH fans. This is my first posting, and I just want to
say I am so glad my brother got me on the NMS mailing list.
Anyway, I was just wondering if you could get bootlegs of RUSH concerts,
and where to get them. I am attending Johns Hopkins, so anything in the
Baltimore area would be great. If anyone has any information they could
just email me. Thanks to anyone who does.
[ Bootlegs? Why, aren't they illegal?? ;-) :rush-mgr ]
Rio
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 91 16:49 EDT
From: IDBST@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Superconductor Poll Results
I'm back !
Live and uncensored, too!
[ Hey! I heard that! :-) :rush-mgr ]
Here are the results from my {lame} Superconductor poll.
The question asked was:
"Do you think that Rush/Neil was intending to bash bands with their
song 'Superconductor'?"
Well, I only received 5 responses (thanks, guys, for replying):
1 said yes, Superconductor does bash bands/a type of music
4 said no.
Oh, well. That's all from this end.
Catch you all later
Ian Bjorhovde idbst@vms.cis.pitt.edu
University of Pittsburgh
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 91 15:44:46 EST
From: cadreri!rlp@Sun.COM (Robert L. Pitas)
Subject: Ha!
[ PLEASE keep your posts to ~70 chars/line! I had a fun time editing this.
:rush-mgr ]
That's kinda funny... All this time I've read this newsletter, and I never
thought twice about where the name came from... Then, (right after pressing
return, committing my e-mail to the whims of the electronic gods) I realized
that I had just called my favourite magazine a news-rag! Repent! Repent!
Rush-Mgr, if it would make you feel better, I'll walk around in a circle,
knocking my self on the head repeatedly with a board, ala Monks in 'Quest for
the Holy Grail'! Just don't boot me off the list, it's the only reason I
come to work every day! (well, ok, so the money isn't bad, but...)
[ "Pi-ay Esu Domine' ; Dona Ay Eis Requiem" is the correct quote, I
believe. (Although badly mangled.) :-) :rush-mgr ]
Sorry!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___
/ _ \ Bob Pitas
/ /USH 4-EVER!! sun!cadreri!rlp
/ /| \ (Providence, RI)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 91 15:39:06 EST
From: cadreri!rlp@Sun.COM (Robert L. Pitas)
Subject: Red lenses...
In response to TNMS #181- On P/G songs, I don't think that red lenses is about
nuclear warfare... I have always thought it was written to reflect the paranoia
accompanying the cold war. Remember when we used to think that the 'commies' were
everywhere? For instance:
"Maybe it was something that I read (red?)
- representing the newspapers realization that people _wanted_ to read
about spys in america. This was a perfect vehicle for anti-communist
propaganda.
"We've got Mars on the horizon"
- Mars, the god of war, just over the horizon? Scarey thought in light of
things like the Cuban missle crisis.
"Said the national midnight star"
- Another example of busting on news-rags.
That's just my opinion!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___
/ _ \ Bob Pitas
/ /USH 4-EVER!! sun!cadreri!rlp
/ /| \ (Providence, RI)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 1991 14:21:29 PST
From: crenshaw.osbu_north@xerox.com
Subject: Re: bad Rush
In Feb 28th's NMS, Dave says,
>What I am wondering is if there are certain lines (or even songs,
>or albums, whatever) that RUSH has written that you absolutely do not
>like at all.
Yes! A Passage To Bangkok
I don't agree with the sentiment behind it and it really bugs me that
a band as talented and hardworking as Rush is would stoop to writing a
song about drugs like so many other less talented groups do.
And yes, I'm a little annoyed with the triteness of the "Excitement
so thick/You can cut it with a knife" line in Countdown; but for
completely unmusical reasons (my dad works at NASA and worked on the
shuttle for YEARS), I'm quite partial to the song anyway. By the way,
when I forced my poor dad to listen to it years ago :-), he confirmed
that the conversation at the end ("...800 to L.O.S. ..." is all I can
remember at the moment) is taped communication between Mission Control
and the shuttle pilots (??? Young and Bob Crippen, so this is the first
shuttle take off). That was his favorite part, I'm sorry to say, but
what can I say...he square dances and listens to Musak...
Cheryl
...
Where is the thinning line
Between admiration
And fanaticism?
Between mere pedestal
And Mount Olympus?
There it lies
In ability to criticize.
"In Awe", sometime in the summer of '84 (I don't have a copy handy)
ps. David Kenney, I tried replying to you, but it bounced...any
chance you have an Arpa address?
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Marshall <cs2ct@hatfield.ac.uk>
Date: Fri, 1 Mar 91 00:02:44 +0100
Subject: Bass tablature.
Greetings fellow er... people :-) [Rushians is a bit corny I think]
This might have been on an often asked questions list, but I've only just
joined and ftp access is unwieldy from this end. Does anyone have/know of
any bass tablature transcriptions of Geddy's bass lines? In particular,
things like Yyz would be nice. I do have sheet music for a lot of the
songs, but as Gary Larson cartoon characters put it: "Gee, look at all the
funny little dots..."
Another subject: Any ideas about the aproximate worth these days of a
Japanese Fender Squire Precision bass? Age is uncertain, but I think
it must have been one of the last ones made. I bought it 'new' about a year
and a half ago and later heard that Japanese models had been out of
production for a few years. For the record, it cost me 160 pounds, which
must be 320 of your funny dollar things :-) Comments welcome at the address
below or to nice Mr. rush-mgr. I'm wearing a flame proof suit right now too
:->
******************************************************************************
* This is a Vax 8650 Somethingorother running Berserkley 4.3 Unix *
******************************************************************************
* Chris Marshall, * JANET: *
* 2nd Year BSc CS Degree, * cs2ct@unix1.hatfield.ac.uk [use your *
* Hatfield Polytechnic, * cs2ct@vms3.hatfield.ac.uk (blech) fave bounce *
* Hatfield, * cs2ct@sol.hatfield.ac.uk site for *
* Herts. UK. * UUCP: the UK] *
* Phone +44 727 810402 * ...!ukc!hatfield!cs2ct *
******************************************************************************
* "Bosses keep talking so tough, *
* and if that wasn't evil enough, *
* we get the drunken and the passionate cry, *
* of the citizens along for the ride." *
******************************************************************************
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 91 22:19:48 EST
From: ROBERT_SIMMON@mts.rpi.edu
Subject: Grammys
How did YYZ (which was nominated for best instrumental) lose to "voices
inside my head" in the Grammys. Last time I heard "voices .. " (a few days
ago) Sting sings quite a bit. Oh well, just a thought.
On the subject of YYZ and the recent frequency of subtleties in Rush albums
the beginning of YYZ is morse code for, you guessed it, YYZ which happens to
be the luggage letters for Toronto airport. One of the boyz said the song was
intended to evoke images/emotions associated with airports. It does a very
good job.
-rob simmon
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Evan A.C. Hunt" <evanh@sco.COM>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 1991 19:08:38 PST
Subject: Intelligent
> I hate to sound like a heavy, but we're all reasonably intelligent,
> right?
No, David. We're Rush fans, and Rush plays hard rock.
Therefore, we're all headbanging heavy-metal fans with long hair,
zits, and brains the size of small turnips. Haven't you been
paying attention to the Rolling Stone reviews?
Sheesh, guy, get with the program,
eh
[ Oh, sorry, my fault. I'm working on the long hair, does that count?
:rush-mgr ]
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 1 Mar 91 02:14:51 PST
From: "Careful with that VAX, Eugene... 01-Mar-1991 1013" <wilcocka@iosg.enet.dec.com>
Subject: Anagram for Mongo
Hi , I'm a first poster to this list, though I've been read-only for about a
week, and loving it to death. I'm in England, and it's such a pity that we don't
see Rush play over here more often (Luckily, I saw them on the HYF tour, the
concert that was video'd, brings back memories each time I watch it).
I don't know if this stuff is common knowledge;
1. The title 'Anagram for Mongo' comes (slightly) from the Mel Brooks file
"Blazing Saddles', where the quote 'Candygram for Mongo' is used.
2. Not so sure about this one, 'cos someone told me ages ago, but I'll tell you
anyway... YYZ is the call sign for Toronto airport, and the cymbal 'solo' at
the beginning is the morse code for what the pilots say when coming into land
there.
Vague as hell I know, but hey, I'm new 8^)
Andy.
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 1 Mar 91 08:47 EDT
From: "Douglas G. Schwabe" <DGSST4@vms.cis.pitt.edu>
Subject: Neil and FreeWill (the band)
If it seems that Neil's drumming has become more conservative it's because
the songwriting has become more conservative. Neil is not writing intricate
songs at this point (who knows, he might return to this style on the next
album) which means that there is hardly room for him to "let it all out"
with his drumming. I would like to see Rush write songs which give Neil
the freedom to do intricate fills again but keep the technological side
(it's too early in the morning to get into this, please send mail to me
if you have any questions).
I read in NMS that a reader saw the band "FreeWill" in Youngstown, Ohio
a few weeks back (I forget who the reader was) Where did they play in
Y-town and when will they be back in that area? More importantly, are they
ever going to be in the Pittsburgh area?
Douglas Schwabe
dgsst4@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Bucs and Blue Jays in October!!!!!! (early prediction, any objections you
know where to write)
----------------------------------------------------------
[ This post wins today's prize for most asignine use of abbreviations.
I'll buy you a beer next time you're in town, Ken! :rush-mgr ]
Date: Fri, 1 Mar 91 15:16 EDT
From: Ken Renard <KDRENARD@vms.cis.pitt.edu>
NIDPA, but dut drums, yes. Anyway, AHO DCI (not DCI, but Drum
Charts International)? Well I got mail from DCI the other day that
BMA. Some of you may say BFD and others might say it GMAW (or MMW).
They sell drum charts for none other than RUSH! TOS, man! They have
2112 (for $18.95), and Big Money, Closer to the Heart, Limelight, Tom
Sawyer, and Vital Signs (3 for $9.95). RCS, huh? IHRI, it's no WOM
(IMHTTO) :-) Don't take this message and FIOTNC or you'll PMO you
POS. WFM.
BTW, See NMS #181 for acronym translations
BTW again, the address for DCI is:
135 West Nyack Rd. #18
Nanuet, NY 10954-2943
PH: (914) 6-CHARTS
P.S. - IDBST, no, I don't have AFTK, Signals, or 2112 on CD
=======================================================================
KDRENARD@VMS.CIS.PITT.EDU DoD-USArmy-BRL-SECAD
KDRENARD@UNIX.CIS.PITT.EDU
KDRST@VMS.CIS.PITT.EDU ORQ- Quick to judge, quick to
KDRST@UNIX.CIS.PITT.EDU anger, slow to understand
-N. Peart, Witch hunt -MP
=======================================================================
----------------------------------------------------------
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The contents of The National Midnight Star are solely the opinions and
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Copyright The Rush Fans Mailing List, 1991.
Editor, The National Midnight Star
(Rush Fans Mailing List)
********************************************
End of The National Midnight Star Number 182
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