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Subject: 05/07/91 - The National Midnight Star #233
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The National Midnight Star, Number 233
Tuesday, 7 May 1991
Today's Topics:
Administrivia
Yo:BBS:unsubscribing:encounters
chords, rare EPs, various questions
Mr. Big (again)
What makes Rush innovative?
More stuff
Stuff
Gibson
Re: 05/03/91 - The National Midnight Star #232
an antiquity speaks :-)
Camel, Rupert Hine, and Rush videos
an omen, or just random weirdness?
Just dreaming...
Album patterns
Newsgroup
Re: 05/03/91 - The National Midnight Star #232
Big Money in F# and FBN
Re: 05/01/91 - The National Midnight Star #230
Unreleased songs
Re: Meeting Rush
Fly by Night
Mystic Rhythms on TV?
Comments
Signals/Permanent Waves
server & bbs access
Blue Oyster Cult & Rush, Mr. Big
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Editor, The National Midnight Star <rush-mgr>
Subject: Administrivia
FYI, there was no NMS mailed for Monday, 5/6.
Also, for all of you with questions/problems with the mail server at Ingr,
pay attention to Keith Ford's two posts in this issue.
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Yo:BBS:unsubscribing:encounters
Date: Fri, 3 May 91 13:32:30 CDT
From: keith@dragon.b23b.ingr.com (Keith Ford)
> that the version of M.R. was from ASOH. Hopefully things are straightened
> out now (yo, Keith, fix it on your server!!), and I can slink away...
Yo, it's fixed.
> services to get computer/network/mail access. Losing your account doesn't
> have to mean losing your NMS. There's always Compuserve... (Sorry Jimmy,
> I couldn't resist! :-) :rush-mgr ]
I also post TNMS on my BBS and have started moving some of the archive
files there. See my .sig for information. Everyone is welcome to visit.
Kindly suggestion. When subscribing to TNMS, you know you will be losing
your account on a certain date, inform Rush Mgr of that when you send him
email. Might I suggest that you include in your message text, on a line
by itself, something to the effect of:
KILL-DATE: 01-JAN-92
A program or shell script could utilize this information to automatically
remove you from the list. Perhaps that would keep some of the clutter out
of TNMS. Whaddaya think?
About meeting one of the boyz, why not ask them for a quick comment to
post in TNMS to be viewed by >800 active and hungry fans. Be sure to
offer to send them a copy of the text and any follow-ups.
--
__ fordke@ingr.com, ...!uunet!ingr!{fordke,infonode!umagic!sysop}
/ \ Micro Magic BBS 1:373/12 (205)830-2362 sysop@umagic.fidonet.org
\__/ home of OBUL and the Rush archives, running Opus+DV+UFgate+X00
[__] "He knows changes aren't permanent, but change is" -Rush
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 May 91 14:49:12 EDT
From: Doug White <dwhite@dsys.ncsl.nist.gov>
Subject: chords, rare EPs, various questions
Howdy! I'm new to the NMS, but having browsed thru the last issue, wanted
to make a few comments & questions.
With regard to Alex, Geddy or Neil leaving - God forbid! A third of the
band gone would mean a BIG change.
And as to split-ups, what with all the Pink Floyd name wars, and the Yes
and ABWH bands mixing & matching, who (if anyone) owns the rights to the
Rush name? Could (for example) Geddy leave the band, and reform a band
called Rush? (Yipes!)
I remember an interview where all the guys agreed that it was good that
there were only 3 in the band; it meant that the worst odds in a fight
were 2 against 1.
I have a 12" platter with Subdivisions, Countdown and parts of an interview.
I could have sworn that there was a series of such releases (from Signals,
not PW!) - anybody know if I'm right?
I saw someone looking for the first two chords of Fly By Night ...
try this:
|---:--3:---:---
|---:---:--4:--- 1st chord (just plain D)
|---:--2:---:---
|---:---:---:--
|---:---:--3:---
|---:---:--3:--- 2nd chord
|---:--2:---:---
(by the way, ever seen the sheet music for La Villa Strangiato? The opening
bars are almost solid black with 64th & 128th notes!)
I saw Rush in the Capital Center (hockey & basketball stadium) against my
usual judgement - I hate humongous places like that - but they sounded
great. I've heard stories that from Permanent Waves on, they've been
using some spiffy digital equipment that can reproduce the studio sound
with all sorts of spectral analyzers and gizmos. Which, supposedly, means
that you'll hear exactly what was on tha album if they play in your living
room or Shea Stadium. (Any roadie/backstage folks wanna correct me? I'd
love to get a yea or nea on this) 'Course, that's the THEORY.
I also heard part of Different Strings used as a lead-in on a Maryland
Public Radio story. It's nice to know these people listen to real tunes.
Thought: Is it coincidence that my 3 favorite bands (Rush, Yes, the Who)
all have/had rock's premier drummers (Peart/Bruford/Moon), guitarists
(Lifeson/Howe/Townshend) and bassists (Lee/Squire/Entwistle)?
------------------------------------------
Douglas White, National Institute of Standards & Technology
Bldg. 225, Rm A216, Gaithersburg, MD 20899
dwhite@dsys.ncsl.nist.gov / Voice: (301) 975-2182 / FAX: (301) 590-0932
"The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's
foreign territory." - Paul Fix
P.S. Whatever DID happen to Rutsey?
----------------------------------------------------------
From: hcappell@ucdavis.edu (Heather Appell)
Date: Fri, 3 May 91 11:59:09 PDT
Subject: Mr. Big (again)
Gosh, as much as I hate to give this band much more attention (although I will
grant that I do like their bass player), I must correct a post that said Presto
was their first tour. Unfortunately not.
As much as I hate to admit this I saw them open for Winger, uh, I mean a friend
saw them open for Winger....yeah, that's it....during the summer of 89 in San
Jose, Ca. Then to see them again at the Presto concert, well, let me tell
you,I just couldn't control my enthusiasm (not:)
Well, midterms call. Pity us on the quarter system!
Heather
"...what I want is the deadliest weapon...that is truth"
~Marillion
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: What makes Rush innovative?
Date: Fri, 03 May 91 13:36:39 +0100
From: gimper@leland.Stanford.EDU
For anyone out there who hasn't been following the flame wars on
alt.rock-n-roll, the question has come up (many, MANY times) about
what makes Rush such an innovative band. Most of the replies I've
seen have not had a lot of substance. Mostly, they're like me --
I can't really put my finger on it, but Rush IS innovative.
I have just corresponded with one of the opponents to this view,
Hamish Reid, via e-mail (I refuse to perpetuate the flame war on
alt.rnr). I said that Rush was innovative, Hamish countered my points.
My point was that for a three-piece band, Rush is extremely innovative
(e.g. Taurus pedals hooked up to the Oberheim, Neil's back-to-back
kits, Geddy's Rickenbacker double-neck bass/guitar). But Hamish
says that *muscially* Rush is not innovative. And in the big picture,
I can see where he is coming from. Compared to Brahms, Chopin, etc.,
Rush probably *isn't* innovative.
But I replied to him that Rush is innovative in terms of a rock band,
particularly for a rock *trio*. But once again, I am kind of at a
loss for words. What makes Rush so innovative musically? I'm going
to e-mail Hamish at least once more, so do any of you out there have
any input for me?
On another note: I posted another question a few weeks ago, and
haven't seen an answer yet. What made "Witch Hunt" such a studio
production that the Boyz could not originally reproduce it onstage?
-- Stuart
ORQ: "One... Two... Buckle...My...Shoe..."
----------------------------------------------------------
From: atz@clmqt.marquette.MI.US (dweezilbub)
Subject: More stuff
Date: 3 May 91 13:36:55 EDT (Fri)
<la@doc.imperial.ac.uk> scribes:
>I've read in some music publications articles about Rush which quite
>worried me. The writers describe Rush as "crypto-fascists", "nazis",
>"right-wing extremists", etc.
>
>Is this true? What basis do these writers have for these allegations.
The people who usually write junk like that are crypto-fascists,
nazis, and right-wing extremists. ;)
Makes terrible toilet paper too
--
\_._____._____._____. ==== ==== ===== .____._____.___.___/
\__The Enterprise BBS == == == ,===~ This space for rent!__/
__-__________-__ ==~~== == ===== ____-_____-___-__
\ \ \atz@clmqt.marquette.mi.us/ / / /
----------------------------------------------------------
From: atz@clmqt.marquette.MI.US (dweezilbub)
Subject: Stuff
Date: 3 May 91 13:20:49 EDT (Fri)
<jahnke@joplin.biosci.arizona.edu> wrote:
>They then played Green Bay for quite a while. Then I had to drive
>down to Sun Valley to see them. Now I gotta drive to Pheonix. I
>do it, but it is a pain driving back.
I wish they still played Green Bay nowadays... I live in the northern
upper peninsula of Michigan, and the wife and I have to drive to
Milwaukee or Alpine Valley, which are both around 400 miles. We would
usually book it back after the show, but for Presto we had a babysitter
that spent the night so we stayed overnight there. The babysitter was
only 80 bucks! 6ha.
Anyways... I have noticed alot of new names around here lately. Since
I have pretty much wrapped up the sending of these GIF's I have (to over
50 people), I thought I would like to mention it again. If anyone wants
GIF's (they are on the server thingy or whatever, thanx David!) but if
you dont have the capability to get them from there send mail to me.
atz@clmqt.marquette.mi.us or ged@lopez.UUCP
When I saw Mr. Big open for the boyz they did a song ABOUT rush (I think
it was the last song). Does anybody relate? If you know any of the
words, I would appreciate seeing some. Chanx. Yabba dabba do.
--
\_._____._____._____. ==== ==== ===== .____._____.___.___/
\__The Enterprise BBS == == == ,===~ This space for rent!__/
__-__________-__ ==~~== == ===== ____-_____-___-__
\ \ \atz@clmqt.marquette.mi.us/ / / /
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Robert B Simmon <presto@rpi.edu>
Date: Fri, 3 May 91 18:33:21 EDT
Subject: Gibson
William Gibson is awesome!!!
As far as the relationship between Digital Man and Neuromancer -
One was published in 1982 (Signals) the other either 83 or 84 (my copy is at
home) and won all the awards in 84.
Zion & Babylon were associated with a rastafarian colony, while
digital man was written when Rush was exploring Reggae, a musical form
associated with the Rastafarian movement.
Maybe Gibson was inspired by Rush (wouldn't that be cool, after all
he is Canadian) but more likely the two terms are either symbols found
throughout the Rastafarian "cult" or Jungian archetypes - words which have
aquired a meaning above and beyond a mere place.
By the way, this is all conjecture, and I know next to nothing about
either Rastafarians or Jungian psychology.
If I had a modem, I'd go home, listen to Digital Man, and flip
through Neuromancer, and do a little bit of a better job. Oh well.
Have you read the new Sterling/Gibson novel "The Difference Engine"?
Any of Sterling's stuff? (I've read a lot of Sterling, but didn't have the
money to by the hardcover of The Difference Engine, but my birthday's soon,
and I may get $$$$ (Yippee, a new Gibson Novel is as good as a new Rush or Yes
album, to me.)
How about the various Cyberspace/Cyberpunk newsgroups? Some of them
are good, but I don't have the time to read at all regularly. Oh Well.
-rob simmon (or) redline (or) cinnamonhead
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: 05/03/91 - The National Midnight Star #232
Date: Fri, 03 May 91 18:54:51 EDT
From: ddl683@csc.albany.edu
On the subject of Rush's popularity...
It's clear that a lot of people like the band. They go platinum with
every album, and sell out nearly every venue they play. So why aren't
they considered a "regular" act? That is, why aren't their videos in
rotation on MTV a little more often, why don't AOR stations play them
with the same frequency as Floyd or Zep or the latest clone band?
Well, some of it can be linked to the band itself. They don't do TV
interviews much, or create high-visibility images (anything from
clothing to hair styles to breaking guitars on stage), or do benefit
concerts. But still, they DO produce videos which are standard
mid-budget MTV fare, judging from what's on _Through the Camera Eye_
and _Chronicles_: "Big Money" and "Mystic Rhythms" are both good
examples. They do make songs that are singable and "accessible," such
as "Time Stand Still" and "The Pass" (both of which did get some airplay).
A lot of it can be traced to the fans, who are seen as elitist, loud
and long-winded (or alternately, educated, vocal and well-spoken).
Face it, most of us, myself included, treat most of the music industry
with scorn. Rush, we feel, is one of the only acts extent with the
true "spirit of radio," or of music. This translates to aloofness.
People react to that attitude -- read rec.music.misc if you can, to
see examples of it (some people just like playing with Rush fans' heads).
This isn't a flame, of course, and I'm not saying what's right or
wrong here, just what I see.
But one question for you 800-or-so devotees: How do you think you'd
feel if a Rush song hit it _really_ big? Say "The Pass" made it to
number one on the Billboard charts, or even in Top40 radio. Suddenly
there'd be a whole new deluge of interested fans, of stories on the
band, of posters and t-shirts (which I really MISS having a lot of, so
I wouldn't be sad to see them!). How would you react? How would the
band react? Maybe when you complain about Rush's lack of "respect" or
whatever you want to call it, you're actually looking a gift horse in
the mouth...
Derek L.
--
derek@albnyvms.bitnet <> ddl683@sarah.albany.edu
====}=---------------` Fencers love to touch '-----------------={====
"Cinderella man... hang on to your plans..."
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 May 91 20:06:21 EDT
From: Ken Dykes <kgdykes@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Subject: an antiquity speaks :-)
>Date: Sat, 4 May 91 01:35:51 NST
>From: carl%fivegl@mercury.gen.nz
>Subject: How old is the NMS?
>
>BTW, who is the oldest member on our list (age)? And how long have you been
>listening to RUSH? Come on, own up!:)! Is there anyone on the list who
>saw their first concert? Where was it, and what did they play?
first concert? well not a concert as such, but i remember seeing them
when they were still doing the bar circuit... i was young and my mind
has faded, i presume the bar circuit had some overlap with their first
couple years of "real concerts" too.
> (eventually) answered by the poll I'm currently considering. As for age
> of members, the survey will hopefully answer this; I can tell you that
> we have at least one or two members who have crossed that big 3-0 mark,
*shudder* sez me pushing 33 this july...
- Ken Dykes, Thinkage Ltd., Kitchener, Ontario, Canada [43.47N 80.52W]
kgdykes@watmath.waterloo.edu [129.97.128.1] watmath!kgdykes
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 May 91 17:28:43 -0700
From: David Conley <dmc@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Camel, Rupert Hine, and Rush videos
Hello fellow NMS members! I know, long time, no post! :-)
Two items to add to discussion today:
1.) Are there any Camel fans among this group? My guess is yes.
Anyhow, Camel has been a very popular, influential band in
England since the early '70. To be honest I don't know if they
are still together, as I haven't heard anything from them in
years. Their style is a bit hard to describe, similiar to early
Genesis and not unlike Rush in that they are very innovative and
shall I dare say it "Progressive" !!
To get to the point: Camel CD's are a bit rare, but I spied an
import copy of their 1979 "I Can See Your House From Here" release.
I had never noticed it before, but the record was produced by
none other than Rupert Hine. I don't think he produced any other
Camel albums, but the liner notes listed the many other groups
he had worked with. He also has recorded some solo work. Has
anyone heard any of Rupert's music?
2.) I recieved a copy of the Chronicles video for my birthday
(I won't reveal which number this was). I enjoyed seeing some
of the bands early videos, especially the live version (although
it wasn't in front of any audience I don't think) of The Trees.
I wish Neil would grow his handlebar out again!! hee-hee
I was not as impressed with the later Rush "MTV" style videos,
"The Big Money" and "Time Stand Still" in particular. Frankly,
I felt a bit embarassed!! I have always been of the opinion that
videos should add something useful, some special imagery or
thought provoking ideas to supplement a song. I despise most
videos because it seems that some bands feel obligated to crank
out a video for a song no matter how simple minded or foolish they
appear. I won't mention any band in particular.
The Rush videos weren't all that bad, but they left my wondering
why the Boyz felt they were necessary. Just having some fun or
what?? I guess I can do without them. Anyone else have similar
feelings??? Comment??
Just one man's opinion :-)
Cheers,
Dave
-----
David Conley "The DIgital Anatomist" dmc@milton.u.washington.edu
University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 May 91 23:17:21 EDT
From: vanth!jms@amix.commodore.com (Jim Shaffer)
Subject: an omen, or just random weirdness?
When I went to the local record store Wednesday night to pick up a copy of
Union, I noticed that 1: Cassettes of "Presto" were selling for $3.99, and
2: copies of every Rush album were in stock.
The first was surprising, the second was just plain unheard-of. I know
that the next album isn't supposed to be out until the end of the summer,
at least, but if I *didn't* know that I'd say its release was right around
the corner! (Then again, maybe they're just being weird. Cassettes of
"Union" were selling for an unheard-of $6.99. I thought I'd fallen victim
to a time warp!)
[ It's just a jump to the left... :-) :rush-mgr ]
Then that night, I had a dream about the new album (I'm not kidding!)
Unfortunately I can't remember anything at all about it. (Believe me, I
tried!)
* From the disk of: | jms@vanth.uucp | "You know I never knew
Jim Shaffer, Jr. | amix.commodore.com!vanth!jms | that it could be so
37 Brook Street | uunet!cbmvax!amix!vanth!jms | strange..."
Montgomery, PA 17752 | 72750.2335@compuserve.com | (R.E.M.)
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 May 91 02:12:51 EDT
From: chuckles@egrlab.ac.duke.edu (Charles L. Hamilton)
Subject: Just dreaming...
Well, its getting close to the end of the semester, so I was dreaming about
how my grades would turn out, which led me to dream of other things...
Like...
What would happen if Rick Wakeman went into the studio with RUSH?
Hmmm...shivers up my spine just thinking about it. But, would there be
possibly, ahem, _too much_ music? Dunno... but I think they could do
an impressive 20 to 30 minute epic...[shiver!]
Chuck Hamilton
ObRQ: For best results play at maximum volume.
----------------------------------------------------------
From: lopez!ged@sharkey.cc.umich.edu (Ged)
Subject: Album patterns
Date: 3 May 91 14:08:50 EDT (Fri)
From: Craig Rindy <MV012791@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
>Good day, has anyone ever noticed the patterns in Rush's live albums?
>For one thing, they have consistently released four studio albums,
>then a live one. Coincidenccccce? . . . I think not.
This is something I noticed awhile back, in fact figured that's what
they were going to do cause in ATWAS, it says "This album to us,
signifies the end of the beginning, a milestone to mark the close
of chapter one, in the annals of Rush."
So I guess Presto is the beginning of Chapter 4...
The part about starting off with the first song from 2 albums ago is
pretty interesting. Vooba!
--
===. ===== ===. ____/ __/ __/______\__ \_____ \_____
== __ ==-- == ) Chase the sun around the world, I want
___ ~== / =====__====~_ ----- --- --- ------ --- ------ - ---- ___
/ ged@lopez.UUCP / to look at life - in the Available Light! \
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 04 May 91 04:26:20 EDT
From: bsb2u@prime.acc.virginia.edu
Subject: Newsgroup
I'm not quite sure about this, but wasn't this list started from a
newsgroup in the very dim past? I seem to remember something like
this from the early days. If so, if there's anybody out there who
remembers the change to mailing list format I'd like to hear about
the reasons for making the change back then.
[ We got to know each other in rec.music.misc (before there was an
alt.rock-n-roll!). We decided it would be a good idea to exchange
views in a "cooler climate", i.e., a mailing list. :rush-mgr ]
Actually I think a newsgroup is a great idea!!! Screw all those
(many many) people who aren't on Unix machines and have no access
to Usenet! They don't really matter anyway! ;)
I may have an even better idea. How about if the rush-mgr just
puts a new file on syrinx each day and we can all FTP it ourselves!
Yeah! I'd just love to have another excuse to run FTP, uudecode,
tar, zip, etc... each and every day!! >:)
Seriously, a newsgroup is IMHO a VERY bad idea.
Brian
bsb2u@virginia.edu
ORQ "Chase the sun around the world."
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 May 91 09:17:59 EDT
From: patzerk@cps.msu.edu (Kurt E Patzer)
Subject: Re: 05/03/91 - The National Midnight Star #232
Please remove me from the mailing list. I just got moved to a site which
doesn't have internet access, so I won't be able to keep up with my old
account.
Thanks
KEP
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 May 91 12:09 EDT
From: Shane Faulkner <V127L2QZ@ubvmsc.cc.buffalo.edu>
Subject: Big Money in F# and FBN
Well, both times I tried to post the 2nd chord to fly by night, it got
messed up, probably had something to do with starting a line with a minus
sign, I don't know. Anyway, David Sandberg beat me to it and posted the
correct chord.
The Big Money is DEFINITLEY played with Alex's guitar tuned UP a whole step
to F#, as he mentioned both in a '88 Guitar World article, and the recent
'91 GFTPM article. Geddy, however, keeps his bass tuned standard.
If you don't turn your guitar to F#, you can''t play the opening to the
solo using harmonics, you'd have to use fretted notes. For example, the
first guitar phrase in the solo is 5 notes, all played as natural harmonics
on the 12 fret, on the D, G, and B strings. The 2nd phrase is 5notes played
as natural harmonics on the 7th fret. Try this on a standard tuned guitar
and it'll be too low. Of course, you could keep the guitar in E and play
them as fretted notes, but you lose the ringing quality of the harmonics.
-Shane
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 May 91 17:16:27 CDT
From: wadew@eng.auburn.edu
Subject: Re: 05/01/91 - The National Midnight Star #230
Someone asked last week if anyone had heard Rush clips in strange contexts,
like TV commercials.
The strangest I`ve heard is for the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have often
played Rush clips as the teams run on and off the field between innings when
the TV station is going to commercial.
Wade
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Andrew Brooks <arb@computing.lancaster.ac.uk>
Date: Sun, 5 May 91 18:48:13 +0100
Subject: Unreleased songs
How far did Rush get with recording the following songs?
Did they just write them, or actually record them and lock
the tape away somewhere?
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Wessex Tales
Holy Walter (or was that Holy Water?)
for Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, and Hold Your Fire
respectively.
Andrew.
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Meeting Rush
Date: Mon, 06 May 91 01:17:49 PDT
From: Isaac <Isaac.Salzman@Eng.Sun.COM>
>cfabrams@eos.ncsu.edu writes:
>In 228, Brett Jenkins discussed whether or not meeting the members of
>Rush would be as magical as many fans first think it would be.
from personal experience, i'd say, yeah, it's pretty intense! :-)
ok, i know this is going to sound too good to be true, but it is true. i
have a friend, Jon Sutherland, who used to write for a (now defunct)
magazine called "Record Review" (he now writes for BAM in LA, and all sorts
of other rock magazine). he'd interviewed Alex and Geddy a few times before
i met him (which was sometime around when Signals came out). well, he
calls me up one day and says "hey, Polygram called me today and asked if i
want to interview Neil after the P/G show at the Forum. want to come
along?". gee, tough question. :-) needless to say, i was a happy camper!
even with my backstage pass it wasn't a definite go. the stage manager (i
can't remember the guys name) had to ask Neil if it was ok for me to sit in
on the interview and he said it was OK. so on Wed. May 30, 1984, Jon & i
spent over an hour with Neil Peart in a small room deep in the bowels of
the LA Forum.
so, how can i describe this experience. it really was a dream come true for
me, and my memory of it is as if it were a dream (kind of hazy - like it
didn't really happen - but it did!). as one would expect, Neil is a pretty
intimidating person (especially since i was only 20 at the time). it was a
somewhat formal interview. the stage manager brought us down to this little
room, then brought Neil in, introduced us, and off we went.
one thing i definitely learned about him is that he is extremely passionate
about music (not just his own - in general). this shouldn't surprise
anyone, but he's more intense about it then anyone else i've ever met. Jon
asked him about his choice of producer for P/G. the rumor was that Steve
Lillywhite (sp?), who produced U2, was the first choice to produce P/G. Jon
commented that U2 had a very raw sound while Rush is so polished, and that
he didn't understand why they wanted him. Neil took some offense to this.
Neil basically called Jon a musical snob, and then Jon called Neil the same
later in the interview. so it got a little "warm" in the room every now and
then. :-) i got in to the conversation every once in a while, and asked a
few questions here and there. at some point i said something really stupid,
but luckily Jon bailed me out. i wish i were a bit older at the time and
maybe i would've had something more intelligent to say. ah well....
Neil was smoking cigarettes during most of the interview. :-( he keeps 'em
in a little gold cigarette case. about 1/2 way through the interview he
pulled something out of there that was already 1/2 smoked. care to guess
what it was? it sure wasn't tobacco! hint: Passage to Bangkok. he offered
me a hit saying "would you like a puff?". that's one thing i remember
distinctly - and the way he said it was so nonchalant. i replied "no thank
you". what a fool i was. it would've helped me relax and maybe i would've
said something intelligent! ;-)
another interesting comment he made was how he felt about the that night's
show. Jon and I both went the night before and we both thought that they
played better that night (of the interview). at least Ged & Alex seemed
more up. Jon mentioned that to Neil at the beginning of the interview and
he said "tonight it was just a job" and that it clicked for him the night
before. it's amazing how different the band's perspective is from the
audience's in terms of how good the performance was. but to hear him say
"it was just a job". it's not all that surprising to hear him say that -
it's just the way he said it....
so to answer the question, "is meeting Rush as magical as many fans first
thing it would be". i'd say - YES! of course this was more then a meeting -
and it was defintely magic. i didn't get to meet Geddy or Alex (and i'm a
guitarist so that would've been cool), but if i had to pick one person to
meet, it would be Neil. did my opinion of him change after meeting him? if
anything, i have more respect for him now then i did before. he is truely
an artist and a craftsman, and approaches his work with more honesty and
integrity then anyone i will ever meet (well, then anyone i've met so far).
now some of you are probably wondering "where can i get a copy of this
interview". the bad news: the magazine went under just before the article
was to be published. :-( the good news: i still have a copy of the
transcript (the first draft Jon wrote) lying around somewhere. in fact,
it's already typed in but i have to go through a backup tape from my old
job to find the file. when i find t, i will post it. however, i'm going
ask Jon first since he really owns it. i'm sure he'll say it's ok, but i
want to check with him first anyway.
so that's my "Meeting Rush" experience -- and what an experience it was!!!! :-)
"Though his mind is not for rent don't put him down as arrogant
His reserve a quite defense riding out the days events ..."
--
* Isaac J. Salzman, Sun Microsystems Inc. ----
* Multi Media Platforms -- Audio Tools & Integration /o o/ /
* 2550 Garcia Ave., Mt. View, CA 94043-1100, MS: MTV23-03 | v | |
* AT&T : +1 415-336-4338 _| |_/
* Internet : isaac.salzman@Eng.Sun.COM / | |
* UUCP : ...!uunet!sun!isaac.salzman | | |
----------------------------------------------------------
From: bold%astroatc.UUCP@cs.wisc.edu (Jeff Beck)
Subject: Fly by Night
Date: Mon, 6 May 91 8:43:34 CDT
Hi all,
`
There seems to be a lot of argument about Fly by Night. The first two
chords are:
--2-----3----
--3-----3----
--2-----2----
--0-----2----
-------------
OBRQ: This is Neil Peart. This is Neil Peart on the drums.
Any questions?
:-)
--
******************************************************************************
* Jason Bold - Madison,WI= [(rutgers||ames)!uwvax||att!nicmad]!astroatc!bold *
* "A strawberry mind, a body that's built for two" - Michael Hedges *
******************************************************************************
----------------------------------------------------------
From: stedmant@LONEX.RADC.AF.MIL (Terrance A. Stedman)
Date: Mon, 6 May 91 11:13:48 EDT
Subject: Mystic Rhythms on TV?
Ok, who can answer this one for me? Several years ago there
was a show on one of the big networks (ABC,NBC, or CBS) that used
some instrumental sections of "Mystic Rhythms" as its theme song.
I believe the show was broadcast on a weekly basis, but the name of
the program eludes me.
[ Without double-checking, I think it was "1986". If I'm wrong, I'm sure
there will be plenty of people to correct me! :-) :rush-mgr ]
Cheers!
-Terry
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I_) I I <~ I_I Terry Stedman ORQ: "if I could wave
I \ I_I _> I I (stedmant@lonex.radc.af.mil) my magic wand..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 6 May 91 23:17 EST
From: <NIDSTER%JHUVMS.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Comments
In response to someone's (Glenn?) question about the education of the members
of Rush, I read in the biography "Visions" that Neil was a high-school
drop-out. Who knows what he did afterwards. As far as Geddy and Alex go,
"Visions" doesn't say whether they graduated high school or not, but I'm pretty
sure I can go with the theory that they didn't make it to the "college scene."
(wise decision on their parts, IMO)
Speaking of "Visions," a friend and I had a hell of time finding a
copy, but eventually found one in a mall record store in the sheet music rack.
I read it through (instead of studying for finals, of course), and found a lot
of cool info. Including the fact that Mr. Big is indeed Peter Collins.
(Something we all pretty much know by now.) It also mentions early use of
pot by the Trio, and I'm wondering if anyone out there knows when (or if) they
stopped using substances of that nature. (Just wondering.)
Other observations. Concerning Rush airplay, here in Baltimore they
tend to play a good amount, especially noontime and afternoon on classic rock
stations. Sometimes, on 98-Rock (for those who care) they have a half-hour
long Rush block at noon and usu. play "Tom Sawyer" "Spirit of Radio" "Freewill"
"YYZ" and "Limelight."
More opinions. No newsgroup...please, for reasons already mentioned by
many subscribers. It would only tarnish the good thing we already have.
Also, I agree with Doug Grumann's comment in TNMS 231 about meeting the
memebers of Rush. I'm sure they'd much rather prefer fans who were willing to
deal with them as people and musicians and not as gods especially when meeting
them face to face, as Doug says.
I also saw last week's episode of 60 minutes with the festival seating
and the deaths at the AC/DC concert. Although I like 60 Min. as a show, I'm
getting sick and tired of the way the media gives such a biased view whenever
they deal with the music (esp. heavy metal) industry. Their report was so
obviously pointing the finger at AC/DC and other bands when they should have
been hounding the promoters who set up the concert. Although they added
little disclaimers at the end of the report, to the viewer it seemed like
heavy metal bands and their fans were at fault. If anyone has any other ideas
about this topic, please discuss them.
To the person asking about Star Wars mailing lists a few issues back:
please let us (or at least me) know if you are successful in finding such a
list. I'm too much of a computer-idiot to find out for myself.
One last thing. Does anyone know where you can get good oversize or
uncommon Rush posters around the Baltimore area? Or for that matter, the
Bergen County, NJ area?
Sorry, to be so lengthy, but, hey... I'm procrastinating!
"For the spirit ever lingers
Undemanding contact
In your happy solitude"
****************************************************************************
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 7 May 91 02:13:54 EDT
From: William_MacDonald@mts.rpi.edu
Subject: Signals/Permanent Waves
Yo!
First off, I was quite surprised when I learned that WQBK 104 was playing,
as part of their 6 CDs on Sunday program, the entire album of Permanent
Waves! Even the "not-so-well-known" songs such as Different Strings and
Natural Science. I thought it was a good opportunity for the rest of the
FM radio community to hear what Rush has to say other than through The Spirit
of Radio and Freewill. It was nice to hear...
I was listening to Signals the other day, and as I glanced at the album cover,
something hit me. Could the songs The Analog Kid and Digital Man be related?
Think about it...around the time the album was produced, Rush was making
a transition from analog recordings to digital recordings, and these two
songs could demonstrate what the band feels about the process.
"and a bright and aimless vision has him longing to depart..." -
"the boy pulls down his baseball cap and covers up his eyes..." -
these statements could reflect a departure from analog recordings...
Plus think of this...Analog KID, as opposed to Digital MAN...a clue that
digital technology is far more advanced than that of analog. I don't know,
I might be reaching here, but it was just a thought. Good day all....
Bill, the EE stud at RPI
"he know's changes aren't permanent, but change is..."
Rush. MP 1981
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: server & bbs access
Date: Sun, 5 May 91 12:37:24 CDT
From: keith@dragon.b23b.ingr.com (Keith Ford)
In my previous posting, I mentioned that my bbs has TNMS available.
If you have questions, you can address them to sysop@umagic.fidonet.org.
That's me. As you can see, usenet email is also available here.
Now, about the email archive file server I'm running. Some people have
had problems with email gremlins eating the items they request. I keep
logs here and can determine who ordered what, when and where it was
sent to. If you have problems, let me know.
One problem was that some mailers were giving bad From: lines. If you
can add a Reply-To: header, do so and provide a valid email address for
yourself. Domain/ARPA style addresses are best. If you cannot add
such a header, you may now do so within your server request. In the
body of your request, simply add a line like the following:
REPLY-TO: user@site.domain
It is case insensitive but must be in the left-most column. I hope
this helps some of you. The server is here for your benefit. FYI,
the server is not run on Micro Magic BBS.
--
__ fordke@ingr.com, ...!uunet!ingr!{fordke,infonode!umagic!sysop}
/ \ Micro Magic BBS 1:373/12 (205)830-2362 sysop@umagic.fidonet.org
\__/ home of OBUL and the Rush archives, running Opus+DV+UFgate+X00
[__] "He knows changes aren't permanent, but change is" -Rush
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 7 May 91 11:41 EST
From: <SICILIAN%JHUVMS.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Blue Oyster Cult & Rush, Mr. Big
I was reading 'Visions' the other day and noticed that in the
early days of Rush, they opened for Blue Oyster Cult, as well as
a number of other bands. I found this interesting, since on the
Power Windows Tour, BOC opened for Rush in Philadelphia. Did anyone
else see the show or know of any other place where BOC opened for Rush?
Anyone know why they opened?
Secondly, Peter Collins was called Mr. Big, but I seem to remember
that on one of the videos (I think on Marathon from PW), a computer
generated man has 'Mr. Big' on his chest. Am I remembering correctly
or did that last final ruin me for good?
- Tom
** illusions are painfully shattered right where discovery starts **
----------------------------------------------------------
To submit material to The National Midnight Star, send mail to:
rush@syrinx.umd.edu
For administrative matters (additions, deletions, changes, and
questions), send mail to:
rush-request@syrinx.umd.edu or
rush-mgr@syrinx.umd.edu
There is now anonymous ftp access available on Syrinx. The network
address to ftp to is:
syrinx.umd.edu or 128.8.2.114
When you've connected, userid is "anonymous", password is <your userid>.
Once you've successfully logged on, change directory (cd) to 'rush'.
There is also a mail server available (for those unable or unwilling to
ftp). For more info, send email with the subject line of HELP to:
server@ingr.com
These requests are processed nightly. Use a subject line of MESSAGE to
send a note to the server keeper or to deposit a file into the archive.
The contents of The National Midnight Star are solely the opinions and
comments of the individual authors, and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of the authors' management, or the mailing list management.
Copyright The Rush Fans Mailing List, 1991.
Editor, The National Midnight Star
(Rush Fans Mailing List)
********************************************
End of The National Midnight Star Number 233
********************************************