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Subject: 10/28/91 - The National Midnight Star #364
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The National Midnight Star, Number 364
Monday, 28 October 1991
Today's Topics:
Administrivia
MIDI - Myths In Dymanic Interfacing (the truth about layering)
A Particular Anagram we all know - or do we?
Rush Fans
Kyle's Random Thoughts
RUSH Tix
Previous concerts
whats wrong with girls
Re: 10/25/91 - The National Midnight Star #363
A RUSH Poll?
GUITAR mag
Ticket sale dates, and other stuff.
Sundry &c.
Anagram (for Mongo)
Oh yeah!
Rush fans
Juno Awards
Ebbing Tide
John Becker I agree/ Life in 2 dimensions
Signals dissatisfaction
(none)
Tidewater Tales and Grand Designs
Re: 10/25/91 - The National Midnight Star #363
More Tour Dates/Rumours/Spoilers
Rush like the Cure?
SPOLIERS!! Hamilton 10/25
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Editor, The National Midnight Star <rush-mgr@syrinx.umd.edu>
Subject: Administrivia
Well, this issue is definately a big one, both in size and portent.
WARNING: The following issue contains SPOILERS, so stay tuned or de-
tuned, depending upon your stance. I'll try to move all the spoiler
mail to the end of the issue, but I might miss something. In addition,
I received so many mail items between Friday's issue and today (over 50!)
that there will be two digests today.
rush-mgr
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: MIDI - Myths In Dymanic Interfacing (the truth about layering)
From: dave.bbs@shark.cse.fau.edu
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 91 20:36:12 EDT
it has been stated in today's (friday's) TNMS and other sources that
MIDI is the only way to layer sound. that is (as i tell my 2-yr.-old
nephew) poop.
during the several years of analog domination, several models of
keyboards had the ability (WITHOUT MIDI) to interface and layer
sound. the most notable of these was the Prophet series, which
was perhaps the last popular analog keyboard, and is coming back
in Rap (and other kids' music) and dance music for its sound.
The Prophet (by Sequential Circuits) had the ability to layer
similar Prophets in their later models, in both analog and digital
interfacing.
I have (at my home in Florida) a history of MIDI, and there were
SEVERAL analog keyboards which had the ability to layer by interfacing
(some could hook up to 5 or more) with other keyboards.
I remember that Rick Wakeman also did some work and help to create
a keyboard with similar technology.
MIDI is different in that it uses a digital signal, but the technology
of layering keyboards was around before MIDI was born.
one example of the layering technology was the Prophet 10
(used by Tony Banks of Genesis) which has two Prophet 5 "brains"
inside and two keyboards. In one mode, you can "link" the two "brains"
together and (in effect) have both processors controlled by one input.
This is a simple explanation, but you get the point.
If memory serves correct (If enough brain cells have survived the
continuous party here in Atlanta) the Moog Taurus Pedals (analog by
nature) were "rigged" by Rush to be interfaced with other equipment,
although it was not a digital interface.
to all who know nothing about what i've just said, just "Relax ...
and Roll The Bones."
The analog sound that made so much of Rush's mid-career music great
is still good equipment (a Prophet 5 sells for $800 today used and
battered!) and has the "fat" sound that moved a generation.
although digital music is prevalent, it doesn't have the same "bite,"
and is better used to compose new and exciting sounds-from-hell
(the Art of Noise is a good example).
I remember when musicians were afraid they would all be out of work
if they played an "acoustic" instrument, and yet they have seemed to
survive. Perhaps people are so stupid after all. The "analog" feel
(remember the ELO?) seems to be as strong as ever, and I think we
should all prevent the REAL evil from resurfacing - I refer of course
to disco and their anti-christic leader - The Bee-Gees.
But it would be a shame to take away Devo's cause-to-be.
BTW, I remember someone was looking for the Xanadu Soundtrack.
If you come across them, please tell them that I have found a
source that can get it (as an import - $30!) and I don't mind
helping them out. (Which way did they come in?)
Today's thought:
The following is true - the preceding is false.
(Can you tell i've spent too much time with Paradox? [Thanks Borland!])
>From the Home of the Braves (You've gotta believe!),
dangerous dave (PS/2 it! Deep-six it!)
][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][
If Rock 'n' Roll is responsible for teenage sex, does that mean that
Country-Western is responsible for incest? - (heard on radio)
"Rectum? Damn near killed 'em!!" - (heard in a restaurant)
dave.bbs@shark.cs.fau.edu (current CYBERNET address)
weissd@shark.cs.fau.edu (something to call my own)
E-mail me, or I will have the IRS audit you forever! ;-)
----------------------------------------------------------
From: rushlyn@Athena.MIT.EDU
Subject: A Particular Anagram we all know - or do we?
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 91 21:11:47 EDT
Alright! Since there were TONS of messages on TNMS#363 about the "angel"
thing, I think it quite appropriate to submit something that will
TRULY AMAZE you (or at least it did me):
On TNMS#362, Doug White graciously posted a list of every word-play there
is in the lyrics of _Anagram (for Mongo)_.
Excelent job, Doug!!!!!!
I took this list back to my room and took a closer look at it. THERE'S
SOMETHING HERE EVEN MORE AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:
I'll copy some to make my point
darkness ->_a_knes_ -> snake
paradise -> parad__e -> parade
atomic -> tic; atomic -> toc
leaders -> deal
cosmic-> comic
night ->ni_ht -> thin
saint -> sin
ETCETERA
Now, not only is it amazing that this playing with words actually makes
a coherent poem (and rather profound, if I may say so), but
Neil is ALSO TELLING US HOW HE GOT THESE WORDS!!!!!!!!!
NEIL EXPLAINS THE PUZZLE WITHIN THE PUZZLE!!!!
Just listen to each line!
There's a snake coming out of the darkness:
Neil is telling us:
There's the word "snake" COMING OUT of the word "darkness"
Parade from paradise:
He's telling us: Get the word "parade" FROM the word "paradise"
There is tic, toc in atomic:
Thus: There are the words "tic" and "toc" IN the word "atomic"
Leaders make a deal:
Tells us that the word "leaders" MAKES the word "deal"
The cosmic is largely comic:
The word "cosmic" is a LARGER form of the word "comic"
The night is turning thin:
The word "night" can TURN into the word "thin"
The saint turns to sin
(Look at previous line)
This continues THROUGHOUT the entire song!!!!!!!!!
It applies to about 90% of the lines!!!!!!!
Now, if that's not an amazing piece of poetry, I don't know what is!!!!!
(My personal favourite is:
Image just an eyeless game -
Where he's saying that the word "image" is just the word "game"
without the letter i!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Wow!)
Anyway, I thought I'd just enlighten y'all with remarkable bit of information.
I can't believe it hasn't been picked up yet. I bet Neil's just sitting
there waiting for someone to notice.
Ah! There's a thought:
If one of us does happen to get so lucky as to get on Nightline,
let the boys know that their little secret's out (I bet they
half think no one will ever pick up on this puzzle/solution
bit.) Anyway, it'd be a nice way to show our appreciation
for all that they do for us (you know they don't have to do
anything at all). I think it would be much more appropriate
than asking something dumb like "So why are you dudes bowing
to commercialistic pressures?"
Well, that's about all - FOR NOW
p.s. but you've got to admit - it's quite impressive, eh?
Loretta
rushlyn@Athena.MIT.EDU
-"PrIdE reduced to humble PIE,
DiAmoNdS down to SAND" - author Neil Peart
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 25 Oct 91 20:47:36 EDT
From: Thomas Regina <71530.417@CompuServe.COM>
Subject: Rush Fans
Hello again,
I have noticed that several people have mentioned that Rush Fans
usually like Star Trek. I will attempt to submit a list that will
describe the "typical" Rush Fan:
1). Likes Star Trek, Star Wars.
2). Reads Science Fiction.
3). Is near-sighted.
4). Is into computers. (Duh!-Stating the obvious :))
5). Is a loner but not really lonely.
6). Has at least a beginners knowledge of some musical instrument.
7). Has, or wishes they had, a denim jacket with the 2112 artwork on the
back of it.
8). Likes their catalog of albums, but thinks the older stuff is a little
better.
9). Wonders if all the books, songs, movies, and national radio hosts
that have the word "Rush" in their names/titles is a good or a bad
omen. (Since we have been seeing this happen quite often, recently).
Now, don't get me wrong-the typical Rush fan is not a nerd. He/She is
a more well balanced person. Anyone care to add to this list, or comment?
ORQ: (Neil in early stages of writing RTB) "Shit happens when you smoke
the bones" Neil-"Damn! that's not right!"
Gene Roddenberry- Hats off to you, RIP.
----------------------------------------------------------
From: rushlyn@Athena.MIT.EDU
Subject: Kyle's Random Thoughts
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 91 21:24:56 EDT
Oh yeah, one other thing, one of the questions submitted for Rockline went
as follows:
> 3. Do you still consider yoursekf an "objectiviest" or have you largely
> renounced Rand's philosophy?
I believe the interview with Neil in the 1984 issue will suffice for an
answer to this question.
The interviewer refers to Neil's style of philosophy as "individualism".
(interesting)
Also, Neil states something along the lines ('cause the magazine's at home,
this is NOT a direct quote) about how he was INTERESTED in the ideas
portrayed through Rand's books, but that he's does not necessarily
support those philosophies to extreme.
Anyway, in a letter Alex (yes, Lifeson) wrote to me in February of this year,
he referred to Neil as using an "existentialists point of view" in
this album. Call me crazy, but that's practically getting it from
the horse's mouth.
Well, I hope this clears SOMETHING up. I hate it when the questions on
Rockline are stupid or repetitive of something previously stated
(I think Neil hates this too {understatement}).
Later!!!
Loretta
rushlyn@Athena.MIT.EDU
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 91 21:48:02 -0400
From: 284wallis@gw.wmich.edu
Subject: RUSH Tix
Ok, maybe this is a really STUPID question to ask, but does anyone
know of ANY tix for sale (like third party) in the North Midwest?
Like, Chicago or Detroit would be really cool, but NE Ohio or Northern
Illinois or Indiana would work, too.
We're desperate Rush Freaks here and Tix are scarce thanks to the F***Heads
at Believe in Music not knowing when the tickets were on sale (by the time
they figured out when they were on sale, they were ALL GONE!!!!!). Anyway,
if you know of any, PLEASE EMAIL ME...
Thanks in advance for your time & trouble...
Bob
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1991 22:04:02 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ceri Alun Morgan <cm5m+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Previous concerts
2 more days till the Pittsburgh concert !!!!!!!!!
This will be my first Rush concert. I was just wondering whether some of
you "old-timers" could tell me whether the following songs have been
played, and if so, how many times, on previous tours. Also, do you think
there is a chance that any will be played this time around?
1. Cinderella Man
2. Natural Science
3. Working Man
4. Jacobs Ladder
5. Something For Nothing
and
6. The Trees
Thanks in advance,
-Ceri
P.S. - Personally, I wouldn't mind if they played the whole Permanent
Waves album at the concert 8-)
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: whats wrong with girls
From: wilkinso@darkside.com (Sean Flanegan)
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 91 17:36:26 PDT
To Gonzalos Lira:
Why are you so suprised that Rush mention women? They are the
other half of the human race. It was not like Neil is pulling an Eddie
Money ' You know what I want and I got what you NEED.
OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH BABY!!!!!'
Anyway I think that your statement was very narrow minded, " Boys
and girls together." Would you rather them say " All little boys
together, We want to give you butt sex."
sean
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Jason Patrick Affourtit <affouj@rpi.edu>
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 91 22:42:37 -0400
Subject: Re: 10/25/91 - The National Midnight Star #363
To whomever wanted to know who Ayn Rand was ...
She has written QUITE a few books, and the ideology involved is Objectivism.
I don't know much about it, but I do know that there is quite the LARGE
following here at R.P.I. I'd tell you more, but I'm quite inebriated at the
moment. More news to follow...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| -King Ad Roc " If you cheated on your boyfriend/girlfriend, |
| -affouj@rpi.edu would you tell Jesus ? " - JA |
| |
| oo QUESTION STUPIDITY !!! |
| > |
| (__) |
| (A word to the wise - NEVER take Physics at R.P.I....) -GM |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 91 21:50:51 CDT
From: Michael Silverman <cubsfan@buhub.bradley.edu>
Subject: A RUSH Poll?
I have read submissions from at least two people the last couple
of weeks who were interested in doing some type of Rush poll, but
didn't have time to tabulate results. I, too would be interested
in taking a simple poll, and yes, I will tabulate results. Since
I don't have unlimited time, I will keep this poll very short and
very simple. Just three questions:
1. Your favorite Non-live (studio) Rush album
2. Your favorite live album.
3. Your alltime favorite Rush song.
Assuming I get a good response, I will post results to the NMS in
a couple of weeks. My address (repeated in the .sig for your convenience)
is
cubsfan@buhub.bradley.edu
Thanks for your time!
_ _ _ _ _
(_ | ||_)|\ | | | |(_ | | | |\|(_ "Any escape might
_)|_||_)|/ | \/ | _) | |_| | | _) help to smooth the
unattractive truth
but the
/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ suburbs have no
| || || || || || || || | charms to soothe
the restless dreams
of youth..."
Mike Silverman
cubsfan@buhub.bradley.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1991 01:02 CDT
From: RMP5541%TNTECH.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
Subject: GUITAR mag
Wow, my second post ever on the NMS!
I went to the store 2day to find a copy of the Guitar Player mag w/ the
interview but I couldn't find it in any of the stores around! I guess that
goes to prove what a bass-ackward place Cookeville, TN is! But anyway, on w/
my story, I ended up buying a copy of the Nov. issue of GUITAR for the
transcriptions of "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. I was thumbin' through the
mag when I stumbled across an article entitled "The Year In Rock Guitar."
They didn't come right out and talk about Rush but they did end up
mentioning the boyz several times. I'll type out these mentionings:
(About Queensryche)
"Not since Rush came along in the mid-'70s, has one band been so
adept at fusing the thump of heavy metal with the subtler flavors of
art-rock, and making that particular concoction a best-seller. But
Queensryche ...."
(About Queensryche's guitarists)
"As players, Michael Wilton and Chris DeGarmo prove themselves to be
intelligent soloists who, like Rush's Alex Lifeson, make their solos into
concise, eloquent statements, rather than just blowing notes all over the
place."
Whoever it was who said that Lerxst's solos are just a bunch of notes
running up and down the scales without meaning, Whatcha got to say about
that?
Continuing,
(About Queensryche AGAIN)
"An honest embellishment upon the tenets of "progressive" FM rock
that were laid down by Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Rush, and
U.K., Queensryche's music proves to guitarists of all styles that by taking
an outside chance and gambling on your own creative vision, one can make
something more than just another rock 'n' roll album."
Did you ever get the feeling that somewhere out there are some pretty cool
reviewers? Too bad the Rolling Pebble doesn't have any! I think they ( RS )
just have their noses stuck up the pop musicians' butts.
Since the Pebble likes pop musicians but rags on the boyz, it seems to me
that the boyz haven't converted over to pop just yet!
(Things that make you say Hmmm......)
My favorite quote: (one of them anyway)
Better the pride that resides
In a citizen of the world
Than the pride that divides
When a colorful rag is unfurled
God what a great album/song!
Gotta run,
Rick Presley
rmp5541@tntech (Bitnet)
P.S. Ayn Rand is pretty cool!
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 91 23:08 EDT
From: "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug"
Subject: Ticket sale dates, and other stuff.
I too would be interested in ticket sale dates for the Massachusetts shows, as
I believe that's as close as the boyz will be getting to my locale (Maine). If
anyone knows of a closer appearance, please post that as well! I must've
missed a comprehensive post of NE tour locations . . .
A couple of other things that crossed my mind while reading the last NMS. Last
spring I saw Yes in Minneapolis (or was it St. Paul? So hard to tell), and
while I enjoyed the show immensely, I kept thinking: "Hmmm, Rush achieves this
sort of complexity and technical excellence with only 3 people. Yes seems to
require _8_ for it. Does that say something about relative talent, perhaps?"
Don't get me wrong, I love Yes, but I have to recognize a hierarchy when I see
one.
Also, a question for our beloved rush-mgr: Does the node name "syrinx" where
TNMS originates have the (apparently obvious) connection with the boyz and a
certain Temple in 2112? Sorry if this is a FAQ, I'm relatively new to this
group.
[ Yes, 'syrinx.umd.edu' is named after a certain temple sung about 15 years
ago by three long-hairs. There is also a 'cygnus' and an 'anagram' here
as well, thanks to my lobbying efforts. Oh, my license plate also says
"SYRINX" ... :rush-mgr ]
Laterness! String
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 91 23:46:56 -0400
From: at656@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Michael Sensor)
Subject: Sundry &c.
First, a brief moment of silence for Gene Roddenberry... *snif*
Now. Does anyone have any idea when tix for the Philadelphia show are going
on sale? I know that this is the nth time I've posted about this, but I
noticed that tix for the NYC show - 4(?) days after Philly - have already
gone on sale. Either the Spectrum is not with the times, or I'm about to
get shafted. :(
Wow... As I write this, the 1991-92 "Roll The Bones" Tour has officially begun.
Aside to the fans fresh from the hamilton show (go TiCats, eh? ;-): Please
be sure to place "SPOILER" in your message and/or subject header so we poor
schmucks further out in the tour won't have the suspense shot.
Finally, a brief aside to the gentleman who posted to Friday's NMS regarding
the content of the NMS: What would you like to see on this list? If you
think most of the content is asinine and boring, please tell us what would
make the list *not* asinine and boring, &c. Be glad we even *have* such a
medium to get and pass along information!
Anxiously waiting for the 3rd of December,
Michael
--
|======| Michael Sensor | "Philosophy is the goal toward which religion
|| Department of German| was only a helplessly blind groping."
|| Temple University | - Ayn Rand
==== Philadelphia, PA | <at656@cleveland.freenet.edu> | Nome to rome...
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Tero Valkonen <one@clinet.FI>
Subject: Anagram (for Mongo)
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 91 23:06:58 EET
About those "anagrams" that someone mentioned: The song contains only a few
real anagrams (more/Rome, miracles/claimers, need/eden), the rest being only
partial. The lyric isn't superior or divine, but considering the vocabulary
and creativity of a typical American I find it easy to believe why it would
seem that way. It IS a good lyric, though, which can't be said about many
Presto lyrics (Presto and Available light are also good) but the anagrams
aren't that great. Only a few of them really work, IMO - the best line being
"Lonely things like nights I find, end finer with a friend".
And people, PLEASE don't send any mail to the RS magazine. You are only
making fools of yourselves. What the hell does it matter whether the
press likes Rush?
One more thing: take out your Presto CD, point it with a bright light
from an angle and look very very very closely above the "RUSH" printing
(the big red one at the top of the CD. Not in the paper sleeve, but
the CD itself). Can you see "Motley Crue, Girls Girls Girls" printed
there? My CD has it, and according to the local record store, "It
happens. Not often, but it happens." I found this very amusing.
By the way, my CD is made in Germany, if that has anything to do with
this.
Bury the bones, A farewell to Presto, long live to everything between
FBN and HYF.
--
Tero Valkonen one@clinet.fi
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 1991 01:22 EDT
From: Armed with sense and liberty <S3SIJDP@SAE.TOWSON.EDU>
Subject: Oh yeah!
>From: dougo@soda.berkeley.edu
>
>> From: Chrystyna Lafferty <lafferty@freezer.cns.udel.edu>
>> Subject: The same old subjects...
>>
>> I don't know about the rest of you RUSH fans but I am getting quite tired
>> of hearing people discuss the same old topics for weeks, i.e. the "dog
>> barks".
>
>I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting really tired of people
>complaining about hearing people discuss the same old topics for weeks.
Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting really really tired
of people complaining about people complaining about hearing people discuss
the same old topics for weeks.
Har.
Dave
s3sijdp@sae.towson.edu
OBOWQ -"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
-Oscar Wilde, "Lady Windermere's Fan", 1892
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 91 02:26:23 -0400
From: ap555@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (John Brooking)
Subject: Rush fans
>Date: Fri, 25 Oct 91 09:37:29 PDT
>From: tspalmer@ocfmail.ocf.llnl.gov (Todd Palmer)
>Subject: Two Things...
>
>1) I've been keeping up with the NMS admirably during the
> past few weeks and I would have to say that I am extremely
> disappointed with its overall content. All I can say is
> that lately I've gleaned an understanding of why the music
> community comes away with a bad impression of Rush fans.
> A great deal of extremely boring and unimportant stuff has
> been spewed forth and I only hope I'm not contributing to
> the morass with this message. 'Nuff said.
Well, Todd, we can't be all things to all people, and excitement and
importance is, like musical taste, in the eye (ear) of the beholder. If
in-depth discussion of the lyrics or music is what you want, I think I
could certainly contribute to it, and having met several other readers
personally (hello Pittsburgh!) I can say the same for them. Speaking for
myself, however, that sort of thing would take a lot of time that I don't
really have and couldn't sustain for long, it's often hard enough to just
keep up with the reading and throwing in my 2 cents whenever something
really inerests me. (Evidenced by the fact that it is now after 2 am, and
I am not even a college student! :-) To me, reading TNMS is a break from
the other, more serious, aspects of my life, I skim it, if something
interests me, I respond, more often than not I just say "that's nice" and
delete it afterwards. I don't ask a lot of it and it doesn't ask a lot of
me.
It's hard to respond in more detail since you don't say more about what you
were expecting or maybe have seen on other fan lists. The only other one
I'm on is for Tull fans, but it is much smaller and less frequent, and
although the fans usually are more laid back than Rush fans (you don't as
frequently see "Tull Rules!!!" on .sig files, and we are used to things
like having a Jethro Tull hour on the local radio station cancelled at the
last minute to bring you a post-Van Halen concert hour [actually happened
here last month - Auuuugh!!!!]), I don't know if I would consider it's
content much different in quality than here.
Time to get to bed. Have a good night.
--
ap555@cleveland.freenet.edu | "Wheels within wheels in a spiral array, a
-----------------------------+ pattern so grand and complex. Time after time
we lose sight of the way, our causes can't see their effects." - Rush
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 1991 02:28 EDT
From: "Andy Lloyd, York University, Toronto, Canada" <AS374112@Orion.YorkU.CA>
Subject: Juno Awards
Regarding Juno Awards and Rush ...
Group of the Year, 1977: Rush
Group of the Year, 1978: Rush
A.L.
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 26 Oct 91 00:50:42
From: Gonzalo.A.Lira.Jr@Dartmouth.EDU
Subject: Ebbing Tide
A little natural science applied to Natural Science: As can be seen, NS is
structured in three parts: Ebbing Tide, Hyper Space, and Permanent Waves. The
first part describes the rise of an intelligent species. The second, the decay
of that same species. And the third, the decay of the planet they inhabit, or
maybe inhabitted.
I heard on an interview with Neil, just before HYF came out,
that he said that NS was just like Force Ten in how it was written: spur of
the moment, fast, in a couple of days (!). If that's the case, then The
Professor has been thinking about decay a great deal, or at least he was, back
in '79 when NS was written and recorded. After all, you don't just go ahead
and write something as complex as the ideas I've outlined in a matter of days;
it takes long, long hours to come up with that sort of material and focus. But
the material isn't exactly Ayn Rand stuff. Going further back, Neil in
Hemispheres touched on something almost the complete opposite of what Rand
said (In a nutshell, she said "be completely selfish"); this is seen in the
song Anthem (which is, incidentally, the name of another Rand book), with it's
sort of childish egotism, which contrasts sharply with the selflessness of the
character Cygnus in Hemis.
I think Neil abandoned--or at least cooled off--Objectivism
quite some time ago. The theory after all is a pretty lonely one, and doesn't
inspire much in the sense of personal relationships. Nor does it allow a
person to grow by the selfless act, which, as anyone, knows is often the most
important form of growth. More concretely, in Scars, Neil shows some genuine
caring about the plight of total strangers ("Hungry child in the desert/ And
the flies that cloud her eyes"), the anti-thesis of Objectivists. So in terms
of interpreting Professor Peart's lyrics in light of Objectivism?......I'd
give it a rest. More likely, as the source of the inspirations for the lyrics
has grown, Neil is probably drawing on a little bit of everything, and not
just one or two particular writers.
Anyway, that's all for today. Think big, dream Rush. Gonzalo
Lira, Dartmouth College.
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: John Becker I agree/ Life in 2 dimensions
From: wilkinso@darkside.com (Sean Flanegan)
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 91 10:03:42 PDT
Well I completely agree with John Becker in his reasoning that
Rush don't have shock quality. This is good. One slut that sells
everything off shock is Madonna. Do you think anyone said" Gee I love
that video'justify my love' it is so well done" It was probably more
like " Gee I wonder what Madonna is going to do next, even if she is
scabby ho"
My interpretation of the line in Grand Designs is this
Life in 2 Dimensions,
Television
is a mass production scheme
is a mass production scheme
sean
e
a
naes
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 26-OCT-1991 13:40:38.54
From: Kyle Patrick Murphy <KMURPHY@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU>
Subject: Signals dissatisfaction
> From what I understand, the reason that the group didn't like _Signals_
was that the mixing was done poorly. If you notice, the keyboard and
synthesizers pretty much dominate the entire thing. I guess Alex was
particularly unhappy with it because the guitars can barely be heard at all,
under the synths. That's why the guitars stick out more on _P/G_ - it was
a reaction to how far down in the mix they were on _Signals_. The album in
general lacks the energy of many of the others as well.
ORQ : "We go out in the world and take our chances.
Fate is just the weight of circumstances
That's the way that Lady Luck dances
Roll the bones. " (also see .sig)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Kyle Murphy | "Keep on looking forward |
| Wesleyan University | No use in looking 'round |
| | Hold your head above the crowd |
| _Not_ an all-girls school | And they won't bring you down" |
| outside Boston. | |
| | - Neil Peart |
| | |
| kmurphy@eagle.wesleyan.edu |Rush,The Who,Yes,Pink Floyd,Jethro Tull |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 91 14:32:30 EDT
From: jaeger@buphy.bu.edu (Gregg Jaeger)
Subject: Tidewater Tales and Grand Designs
>First of all, I have a question about some lyrics. On Power Windows in the
>song Grand Designs, what is meant by the line "Life in 2 dimensions is a
>mass production scheme"? Any ideas?
A few people have come close on this one, but I don't think it has
been adequately explained yet. What people have got right is that
`life in two dimensions' is a life made according to an imposed plan;
some have said that it is some sort of totalitarian control
which makes the plan, while others see it as the _us_ of the lyrics.
I don't think that the plan is imposed by totalitarians (as in 2112)
but rather by normal social forces (why? `mass production' occurs
in Rush lyrics before and only in `Subdivisions', which talks about
a normal North American suburban scene, not some Orwellian extrapolation).
In Neil's lyrics (in general), imposed schemes are _`plans'_, while
self-made schemes are _`designs'_. `Life in two dimensions' is
a planned life, while `curves and lines' are `of grand designs.'
The us (who I take to be those who share the individualist spirit
of the band) don't allow themselves to be mass-production pieces
in accordance with this plan, but rather freely make their own
designs (keep in mind `RTB':`we make our own designs...'), the
`curves and lines / of grand designs.' By not being `run of the mill'
but instead `swimming against the stream' one can `break the surface'
tension of society's pre-conceptions and expectations which are
imposed on the individual. I think this is the way to see it.
> About the Tide-Water Tales: It's a book by John Barth, one of
>these blow-out novels that middle aged dudes can't seem to have enough self
>restraint to not write, a sort of poor man's Ulysses. I paged through it, and
>it seemed rather boring, although it might be interesting from a technical
>point of view. In a way, it seemed a small, personal version of John Dos
>Pasos' U.S.A., which was the basis of The Big Money in PW. Thinking about it,
>it seems Neil is a very systematic reader: He got the idea for Grace Under
>Pressure from Hemingway, and The Big Money was Dos Pasos', who was a good
>buddy of Hemingway's.
Well, I'm damned glad Barth wasn't hampered by this sort of attitude.
This person must think that modern _life_ is boring (the similarity
of the title to the title of _The Canterbury Tales_ is not accidental,
BTW). _The Tidewater Tales_ may have seemed boring to you, but I think
it is a masterpiece (in fact it's on my desk next to _Ulysses_ and
Nabokov's _Ada_), and it doesn't depend on technical devices for merit.
In fact, unlike _Ulysses_ it isn't even a particularly tough read. It's
quite normal and hip, like the Tom Robbins novels that Neil likes. Its
merit lies rather in its subtlety (like Neil's recent lyrics). I think
it is ridiculous to see _TTT_ as like Dos Passos' (the correct spelling)
_U.S.A._ in any significant way. _U.S.A._ is fundamentally
sociopolitical, while _TTT_ is fundamentally personal. (Gee, sounds like
the difference between Grace/Pow and Presto/RTB.) One work (_USA_) is
modern, the other (_TTT_) is post-modern, and the styles of the two
have little or nothing in common. Neil _is_ a systematic reader,
but it's not because he read the works of buddies; it's
because he's read almost everything important in British and
American fiction (as far as one can tell from interviews).
Gregg
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 91 14:37:32 EDT
From: Derick Cordoba <dcdb_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu>
Subject: Re: 10/25/91 - The National Midnight Star #363
Please remove me from the list!!!!!!!!!!!
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 26 October 1991 14:41:04 CDT
From: "RUSH HEAD " <U24129@UICVM.uic.edu>
Subject: More Tour Dates/Rumours/Spoilers
Hey All!
Well, just got some more tour dates and etc... for everyone. So, I'll get
right to the point! Hope it makes a lot of folks happy. :)
Dec. 16, 17 Maple Leaf Gardens, TO
January 92
==========
17 Las Cruces, NM.
18 Pheonix, AZ.
20 San Diego, CA
21 Los Angeles, CA
23 Los Angeles, CA
24 Fresno, CA
26 Reno, NV
27 Sacramento, CA
29 Oakland, CA
30 Oakland, CA
February 92
===========
2 Vancouver, BC, Canada (cool on a Sunday, I'll be at this 1)
4 Seattle, WA
5 Portland, OR
15 San Antonio , TX
16 Dallas, TX
18 Houston, TX
20 Austin, TX
22 Shreveport, LA
23 New Orleans, LA
25 Pensacola, FL
26 Jacksonville, FL
28 Miami , FL
29 St. Petersburg, FL
March
=====
2 Orlando, FL
4 ATlanta, GA
5 Columbia, SC
7 Chapel Hill, NC
8 Hampton, VA
10 Richmond, VA
11 Baltimore, MD
13 Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, NY
April
=====
Europe (don't know exact dates yet!)
May-June
========
Outdoor Arenas (don't know exact dates yet)
rumour has it they will do Alpine Valley , in Wisc. again. but don't know
the exact date as of now, but I'll keep ya informed
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THIS IS AN ITERNERARY AND CERTAIN SHOWS MAY BE ADDED
OR DELETED SO CHECK W/ YOUR LOCAL TICKET PLACES.... I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE
FOR TYPOS OR THE CHANGE OF DATES NOR AM I AFFILIATED W/ RUSH !!! :)
enjoy the shows all!
=========================================================================
============ R U M O U R S A N D S P O I L E R S ! ! ! ! ! ========
=========================================================================
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACCURACY OF THESE RUMOURS BECAUSE THEY ARE
EXACTLY AS THE WORD SAYS "RUMOURS" !!!!! THANKS
1) just finished rehearsing in Toronto
2) Just finished the video shoot for Roll The Bones w/ a new director,
but Ged's brother produced the Video, and they recreated the album cover
w/ a real Wall Of Dice for the video shoot
3) Next vid should be Ghost of a Chance
4) tour should end at the end of June 92 (just like Presto did)
5) they have a new stage setup w/ 85 lighting rigs!!!
6) New lighting director---same person who did the lights for the Stones
last tour. (hmmmm, I guess Howard Ung. is still on the road w/ QR)
7) Andy Curran is opening for Rush on Oct. 25 for the Hamilton show,
otherwise Eric Johnson is sched. for the entire first leg of US shows
8) They are going to do 4 or 5 songs from Roll The Bones (start guessing)
9) the song list is supposed to be very different from other tours they
are dropping some of the REGULAR TUNES....to bring back a lot of OLDER
TUNES !!! :))) NO I'M NOT GOING TO FIND OUT THE SET LIST!!!
10) they will again have a new poster for sale at the concert for
souvenirs and memorabilia collectors.
thats about it for now, I'll keep ya all informed of whats going on.
Keep up the good work Dave.
hsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuRhsuR
p Internet:u24129@uicvm.uic.edu p
- "I was lined up for glory but the Bitnet:u24129@uicvm.bitnet -
g tickets sold out in advance. Genie: P.Choy g
p The way the big wheel spins." p
- Patster -
g g
RushRushRushRushRushRushRushRushRushRushRushRushRushRushRushRushRush
ps: I don't want to sound cruel/mean/obnoxious/or whatever, but please don't
send me Private mail asking, "HOW DID YOU GET THAT INFO, WHO DID YA CALL TO
GET TOUR DATES, ETC...." I will NOT answer them, its just that I have my
resources and my contacts and ALL them wish to remain PRIVATE and kept
NAMELESS so I have to respect their wishes and their rights... sorry
if this has caused anyone inconveniences. Just go out and Enjoy the Show!!! :)
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Rush like the Cure?
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 91 14:57:01 -0700
From: dougo@soda.berkeley.edu
(I was going to reply to this via personal mail, but I realized that there
are a lot of NMS subscribers out there who might benefit from this.)
rotem@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu says:
> In the 70's RUSH was one of the "hardest" bands, now some of their
> music reminds me of that keyboard dominant pseudo-music by lame British
> bands with 5 members, of which only one does anything since they use a
> drum machine and a computer plays the keyboard parts (I wouldn't be
> surprised if the computer composed it!). Since a computer can't sing
> at least not yet :-), these bands have to actually use one of their band
> members to do more than just look "pretty".
>
> Ofcourse, I'm exagerating.. But I just don't like the direction that
> RUSH is heading.. If they had adopted a Metallica sound It would have
> been better than a Cure sound.
1. I used to be a huge Metallica fan, but they lost me with the sharp turn
to the right that _Metallica_ was. But heavy metal is still one of my
favorite kinds of music; I especially love bands like Anthrax, Megadeth,
Suicidal Tendencies, and Primus.
2. I am also a Cure fan, and I am saddened at this stereotype of being a
bunch of pretty boys who dance around to the pre-programmed synths and
drums. While I admit they go overboard with their makeup and costumes, they
are some of the best musicians in the whole "alternative rock" crowd. In
fact, they recently threw out their keyboard player because he was
contributing so little to the music composition. And in no way can you say
that the keyboard dominates their sound; it is mostly drums/bass guitar
driven music. Sure they play in 4/4, but they have some of the most
intricate rhythms around. Just listen to "Fascination Street" for example.
Or listen to "The Kiss" for some of the wildest wah-wah guitar screeching.
3. There are some bands that do fit your description, but they don't last
long. Most of them died out by 1985 or so. I definitely recommend you give
the "alternative" scene a listen, there's a lot of great things going on
these days, like EMF, the Stone Roses, Nine Inch Nails, the Charlatans,
etc. Don't you get bored of listening to Bob Seger and Foreigner all the
time?
4. I still love Rush, and am very impressed at how they have been able to
progress while still retaining their edge. I was starting to give up on
them with HYF, but thankfully Presto and RTB have been more
guitar-oriented. Sure, I wouldn't mind hearing another "Limelight" or
"Freewill" guitar/bass/drums jam, but I like their current style just as
much, as long as they play what they want, and not become stagnant. If I
want to hear a "heavy" prog-rock album, I'll stick with King's X or Primus,
both of whom cite Rush as heavy influences.
Hope you can have fun discovering all the great new music out there,
-- DougO
"All this machinery making modern music
Can still be open-hearted"
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 91 10:57:13 EDT
From: faulkner@acsu.buffalo.edu (shane p faulkner)
Subject: SPOLIERS!! Hamilton 10/25
First off, let me just say one thing.... if you missed the Presto tour
completely, and you're really upset about it, fret no longer. The Boyz have
seen fit to redo the Presto tour almost note for note. Forgive the sarcasm,
but I'm pretty disenchanted.
Here's the song list, it's not it exact order. Force Ten (opener), Limelight,
Freewill into Distant Early Warning (just like Presto tour), Dreamline,
Bravado (!!!), Roll the Bones, Where's My Thing?, Show Don't Tell, The Pass,
Xanadu (done exactly like Presto tour, this time instead of breaking into YYZ,
the lead into...) Superconductor, Time Stand Still, The Big Money,
Subdivisions, Tom Sawyer, Closer to the Heart.
Encore: all of The Spirit of Radio, All of 2112/Overture (no Temples), and
parts of the following, La Villa (Lerxst in Wonderland and Monsters!), Anthem
(a real shocker here), Red Barchetta and Finding My Way.
That's about it. A couple suprises for sure, most notably the abscence of
In the Mood and YYZ. Oh, how could I forget, there was a drum solo right after
Where's My Thing (although not in the 6/4 measure as I had predicted). Right
after they finished Gangster Gedd walked up to the mic and said, "Ladies and
Gentlemen... The Rhythm Method!". I have never been a huge fan of drum solos
at Rush concerts. They were great the first few times I saw Rush, but lately
I've wished for another song instead of a solo. BUT Neil's solo this time
around is SIMPLY UNBELIEVABLE!! It's almost entirely different than recent
solos (the old standby cowbell part remains intact, though...). It starts
out with the drum pattern from Scars.
Staging/Tech aspects: Alex's sound is the same as Presto. IMO, flame if you
will, but Alex's sound on the last two tours has been absolutley hideous.
Totally muddy, no chorus, and lack of sparkle on clean tones. I was 28 rows
back.. I'm sure he had a PRS guitar, though not the one from Presto. One
keyboard stood on his side.
Geddy had his red Wal as seen in this month's Guitar Player mag. He had two
keyboards on stage, and of course Midi and Moog pedals.
Neil's set is a different color (dark). The graphic on the bass drum is
similar to the back of the CD case. Notice I said "the Bass drum" and not "the
bass drumSSSS". Neil only has one bass drum, he's using a double pedal on the
one. I like it since it gives you a great chance to see Neil's feet at work.
The stage was different. There were tiered something-er-others behind and to
the sides of the drums which looked great under certain lights. The screen
for projections was bordered by different designs at different points of the
show, including dice (all 3's) and building arches similar to the Moving
Pictures cover. The lighting was good, but not on par with the beauty of the
Presto tour lights. Laser were most notably excellent in Xanadu and the Lerxst
section of La Villa.
Background projections were used in a lot of songs. Force Ten (some new storm
footage, I believe), The Pass (footage from the video... it worked REALLY well
with the music), they brought back the high school footage for Subdivisions,
including high school "smokin' in the bathroom" scenes not in the video. Ok,
you all want to know who rapped during RTB.... it was sequenced and a
skeleton was shown mouth-ing the words behind the band.
My impressions: Like I said, if you saw Presto, you're not going to see any-
thing different. With the exception of the 4 songs from Roll the Bones,
everything they played has been done on one of the LAST two tours. Why can't
they bring back something for the REAL FANS??????? Jacob, Natural Science,
part of Hemisperes or Cygnus or the Camera Eye or Digital Man?????? And I
think I safely speak for most true Rush fans when I say it's time to retire
Closer to the Heart (and Sawyer too, though no one will agree :-).
Don't get me wrong, most everything sounded good!!! The Roll the Bones
material especially sounded excellent. By they way, Dreamline and Bravado were
given extended instrumental passages which were superb, and Where's My Thing
had an extra introduction with Geddy going sick on his bass... most superb!!
Sorry for the long-winded and terribly disjointed nature of this message, I
basically just typed things in as they came to me. I'm sure there are
questions I left un-answered.... E-mail me if so.
Up tonight, 10/26, Rochester.. see you there!!
///////////////////////// The Gangster of Boats /////////////////////////
////////////////// Rush - Marillion - Kim Mitchell ////////////////////
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/ Shane P. Faulkner | Boys and Girls together /
/ University At Buffalo | Mistake conceit for pride /
/ V127L2QZ@UBVMS.BITNET | Ambition for illusion /
/ faulkner@acsu.buffalo.edu | Dreams for self-delusion - Neil Peart /
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
----------------------------------------------------------
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(Rush Fans Mailing List)
********************************************
End of The National Midnight Star Number 364
********************************************