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Subject: 03/20/92 - The National Midnight Star #453
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The National Midnight Star, Number 453
Friday, 20 March 1992
Today's Topics:
Administrivia
ABC In Concert Artist Profile
Re: Symbol Three
Re: 03/19/92 - The National Midnight Star #451
Sound, etc.
Rush and Drugs II
Re: 03/19/92 - The National Midnight Star #451
Re: Rush and drug use
rush/spinal tap connection
Re: 03/19/92 - The National Midnight Star #451
The Body Electric in FAQL
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From: Editor, The National Midnight Star <rush-mgr@syrinx.umd.edu>
Subject: Administrivia
Today's issue will be rather short, as I'm compiling it at noon instead of
in the evening. There will be no admin mail read after noon EST, so that
would explain why your mail might have been unresponded to. (It's all caught
up as of noon.)
Please keep non-Rush drug discussions to e-mail - you may have good points,
but this isn't the forum.
rush-mgr
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Date: Thu, 19 Mar 92 15:35:32 MST
From: martz@vistanm.com
Subject: ABC In Concert Artist Profile
First... if anyone gets details about the concerts this summer in Phoenix and
Denver (or anywhere else in the Southwest), please email me!!!
Well, here is the transcript from the ABC In Concert from a few weeks
ago. Sorry it has taken so long. I've never transcribed anything
before, so I hope this is OK. I tried to be as accurate as possible
with what the boyz said.
To quell the cancer rumors... in this interview, Neil's hair is short
but definately all there!
Virginia Martz
---------------------------------------------
ABC In Concert Artist Profile of RUSH
(brought to you by COAST deoderant soap)
Playing Time: 8 minutes, 52 seconds
Broadcast in surround sound
--- start of Roll The Bones video ---
Geddy: We seem to move around, you know. We seem to go from moments
where I think our music is quite intimate... which I don't think
you could really say about a lot of metal bands... to other times
where its pretty raw and its pretty up front. So, um, to a large
degree we're a band that defies description (laugh), but uh, I
think hard rock is the closest label that sticks.
--- bit from Where's My Thing ----
Alex: I think we've been together this long, um, because we... first of
all we get along very well, we're good friends... we spend 85% of
our time laughing.
Geddy: There seems to be a commitment that we have in common. Uh, an
unwillingness to give up on the idea of what this band is.
Neil: Its like the analogy that, uh, can be used is like a marriage, is
that it does take work.
Alex: Every aspect of the band is a very democratic thing... that all three
of us are involved in all the aspects.
Neil: If someone brings in an idea, for instance, that's one of the
most vulnerable parts of a creative partnership. Because anyone that
has an idea... its... its wide open, theres... theres no, um, barriers.
Geddy: We go in to make a record... and we start talking about the kind
of record we'd like to make, and everybody gets excited. We
always seem to want to make the same kind of record, or one
that's very similar.
Alex: And we, we just really enjoy what we do. We really love playing
in a band.
--- bit from DreamLine from RTB concert ---
Neil: I think that in some ways we've been able to remain normal enough
and mature, as I said, openly and in public that a lot of our
audience has too. So as our concerns have changed and grown, our
tastes and styles of music have changed and been enfluenced by
other peoples music, and so on. The same thing has happened with
these people, so, we remain relevant to their lives as a
soundtrack of their lives and they can listen to Roll the Bones
with as much pleasure as they listened to Moving Pictures 12 years ago.
Geddy: Well for me touring is, ah, you know, its the skill test in
question. You know, you get out there in front of a live
audience and they're gonna tell you if they like it or not. You
don't have to wait for any kind of, ah, response. They're gonna
let you know right away. To walk out on a stage in front of a
full house, to play for fans that have been waiting to see you...
its a great thrill.
--- Closer to the Heart from the Show of Hands video ---
----------------------------------------------------------
From: bkekesi@uceng.UC.EDU (Jealous Knight)
Subject: Re: Symbol Three
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 92 16:41:48 EST
To the guy who said that RUSH intentionally places three things on each
album cover.
I'm not doubting what you heard, I'd just like to point out that in the
art world, three objects that tend to form a triangle are esthetically
more pleasing to the eye than any other number of objects.
- Alex
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Date: 19 Mar 92 19:41:07 EDT
From: <bxe2@po.cwru.edu>
Subject: Re: 03/19/92 - The National Midnight Star #451
Hi,
Just wanted to know when RUSH was supposed to be at Jones Beach
in New York. When do tickets go on sale?
Thanx In Advance,
Brian Epstein
bxe2@po.cwru.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
From: madmax@Athena.MIT.EDU
Subject: Sound, etc.
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 92 22:45:37 EST
This being my first post to TNMS, it may be a little long in the typing.....
I have been a diehard Rush fan for about 5 years now. I know, not that long
compared to how long they've been around, but hey, I'm just a young'un. I first
got into Rush as a summer camp counselor. Someone gave me MP as a going away
gift (I was to be away for 12 weeks), and after about two listenings, it was
the
only album in my tape deck for the rest of the summer. I still have that tape,
even though I have expanded my collection to include all the albums, etc. on
CD.
I would like to get some of the "strange" stuff, like British releases, etc.
if
they are different. I know many bands put out different versions of albums in
different countries....
Anyways, the real reason I wrote is to talk about the sound at the Rush shows.
I
have seen RTB in Worcester MA (12/10/91), Hartford CT (12/13/91), and New Haven
CT (3/14/92). All the shows were awesome. I had side seats for Worcester.
The concert was really good. Not that much energy, as compared to Hartford, but
definitely awesome. The videos were really good, the lasers awesome to those
who
like lights, etc. and the bunnies were a welcome surprise. The sound was good,
because of the stacks suspended from the ceiling in the back, which allowed for
more lights too. Hartford was much the same way. I had better seats for
Hartford, and enjoyed the show more. Hartford was probably acoustically better
than Worcester. New Haven was a different story. I had horrid seats (I decided
to go with a bunch of people really last minute, and we stupidly got tix
together, which ment i was up in the rarified air section. The show was good.
Primus was different from Vinny Moore. I couldn't hear all that well. New Haven
coliseum was about half the size of Hartford or Worcester, and so the back
stacks were not even put up, which made the show less visibly impressive, and
worse sound wise. If you go to a concert at New Haven, never sit near the
ceiling. It vibrates, and you can't hear because of it. Oh well, I guess I am
too much of an audiophile.
As to the volume question, I do not believe the concert was too loud at all.
Concerts in my eyes are supposed to make your ears ring a bit. No one is ever
too old to listen to loud music. I saw a 60 year old guy jamming out at
Worcester (no I wasn't hallucinating at the time... :) ). I don't know about
the
distortion bit. One must remember that you are in an arena, not carnegie
hall... anything is going to be distorted some what. Overall, it was awesome,
so
phooie on anyone who says it was too loud. Wear earplugs. I want to hear it too
loud, and so do a lot of other people.
Oh, by the way, someone mentioned that they didn't see the foam arrow thingies
at New Haven. Alex did get shot with one, when he came over to Geddy's side of
the stage. He threw it back....
Enough babbling. Keep the faith.
Kimball Thurston
EECS Major, MIT
p.s. WAAF (107.3) is the prime radio station in Boston. Through out the day
(it
is the only station I listen to, I will hear a Rush song every couple of hours
or more - about as often as Metallica or Ozzy). They play old and new Rush
equally, a little more on the new side perhaps.
p.p.s. If anyone knows about concert dates in the northeast for this summer,
please post them. I would like to see the boyz as many times as possible.
"Better the pride that resides in a citizen of the world, than the pride that
divides when that colorful rag is unfurled...." -NP, _PW_, "Territories"
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 92 23:32:48 EST
From: tweety@ruth.ece.psu.edu (Mike Hansen)
Subject: Rush and Drugs II
Thanks for the interesting input so far. I apologize for letting an anti-
drug message through my first post, since I did not want to spark debate about
anyone else's sensibilities about using drugs recreationally -- including
the members of Rush themselves.
Although some of us don't seem to care about the boys using drugs, I think
it is very interesting to get behind WHY artists do what they do. Knowing
when and how much the boys were into drugs (and what kind of drugs, may they
be marijuana or otherwise) lends interesting insight to the impetus behind
the works they have created. The availablilty of "A Nice Morning Drive" and
the Dylan Thomas villanelle on syrinx are just other facets of this same idea.
Thor mentioned A Passage to Bangkok with its obvious content about drugs.
I agree, but I'm not sure exactly what that has to do with them personally.
I have always had the opinion that the song doesn't portray drug use in a
good light, even though the song is in first person and the narrators are
quite happy with their "travels". It strikes me that, because drugs are so
obviously the central point of both the song and the lives of the characters
in the song, it is showing society and drugs as a bad combination.
I will be happy to accept personal E-Mail about this topic, since the
"drug thread" has been dealt with here before...
-- Mike
P.S. -- I accept all flames for my heinous spelling, and send my apologies to
Geddy. This happens when you hack Unix and have a friend nicknamed
Gettie. If it's any consolation, my finace and my dog have similar
names too, and they don't like it when I mix THEM up either.
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 92 09:33:11 EST
From: Wes Morgan <morgan@engr.uky.edu>
Subject: Re: 03/19/92 - The National Midnight Star #451
>From: wilkinso@darkside.com (Sean Flanegan)
>
>Well today was the day I had a chance to play Xanadu for my Honors
>British Literature class.
>
>well...I tried and no one liked it, except for one girl (bless her heart)
>
>any similar experiences?
>
I once played "La Villa Strangiato" for a music theory class. They *really*
liked it; in fact, several people ran out and bought the album!
We critiqued it from a composer's point of view. The general consensus
was that it came dangerously (*grin*) close to following the classical
composition model. The abrupt segues between styles was seen as a fine
application of well-known techniques, and the general theme was compared
to works by Mozart, Bach, and Stockhausen (?).
In short, it was an excellent experience. In fact, one of the students
later played it for his Conducting class; according to him, they had a
ball with it! Can you imagine attempting to conduct a symphony in the
performance of "La Villa Strangiato"? 8)
Wes Morgan
morgan@engr.uky.edu
ps> ORQ: "I have memory and awareness, but I have no shape or form"
(for real philosophical fun, apply this quote to the notion of Cyberspace)
----------------------------------------------------------
From: becker@areaplg2.corp.mot.com (John Becker)
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 92 08:53:04 CST
Subject: Re: Rush and drug use
Regarding Rush and their possible drug use, in NMS #451, Thor Iverson wrote:
> There is some circumstantial evidence:
>--Alex's comment about being "pretty messed up" around the time of COS.
>--The obvious: "A Passage To Bangkok".
>--The era--they would have been pretty odd not to be taking drugs at that
time.
(several lines deleted)
>I'm sure I'm missing some things, but that'll do for now.
I think the most obvious thing is the name Rush itself. You take certain
drugs, and you experience a Rush, right?
I know there are several less controversial explanations circulating as to
how the band got it's name, from interviews they have given and such. This,
in my opinion, is just good-sense public relations. Can you imagine the
amount of flak they would get if they said they picked the name Rush
because they used to get stoned all the time when they were teenagers?
Jerry Lee Lewis (who married his 14 year-old cousin) and the Beatles (for
Lennon's remark about being more popular than Jesus) both found out what
happens when you make public certain things that would better have been
kept private. I think the boys learned this lesson well. Just my opinion.
-John
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1992 10:56 EST
From: sandra guzdek <V130QH57@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu>
Subject: rush/spinal tap connection
hi there fellow NMSers! just bought the new spinal tap album and i must say
it seems *very* rush influenced...
for one, there are photos inside the cd cover that are very HYF-ish. the
typeface is gothic (which i'm told can be found on CoS). but the real
clincher is some of the lyrics:
"when the game has just been lost
when the race has all been run
when the storm has left your ship well-tossed...
ignore the cost.
get your stars uncrossed,
back at square one. ... " _just begin again_. doesn't it seem a lot like
_bravado_?
"...the more it stays the same, the less it changes!" _the majesty of
rock_, an awful lot like "the more things
change, the more they stay the same."....
> ...to name a few.
a lot of the music reminds me of rush too.
if you liked the movie and the 1st album, you will probably like this, too.
more on the three observation: there are three hanging lights that are
swinging in _show, don't tell_. coincedence? i think not.
well, i'm off. see you around.
sandra g.
ub illustration
v130qh57@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1992 11:31 EST
From: "CHEESEBURGER CHEESEBURGER CHEESEBURGER 2 PEPSI, ONE CHIP."
<ACCASB%HOFSTRA.bitnet@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Re: 03/19/92 - The National Midnight Star #451
Regarding that statement to the effect that pot is "safer" than tobacco:
even though I agree marijuana use doesn't 'kill brain cells,' it has been
shown that it contains three times the tar of normal cigarettes.
I don't think you need drugs to augment your creative output - they just help
you get off on it more- which however, is probably the raison d'etre
for music.
ACCASB@HOFSTRA
----------------------------------------------------------
From: exumfs@exu.ericsson.se (Mark Steph)
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 92 10:49:37 CST
Subject: The Body Electric in FAQL
A comment on the FAQL...
> What is the significance of 1001001 in "The Body Electric?"
>
> In the video, the protagonist is a prisoner attempting to escape
> from some sort of prison. The number on his uniform is 1001001.
> Many people have converted this number into decimal and noticed
> that ASCII 73 is a capital I and read significance into that,
> but I've never seen anything "official" on the subject. My
> _opinion_ is that 1001001 was used because it fits and sounds neat.
>
> 1001001 is also not a valid choice for a California license plate,
> but UNIT ONE is. (It's taken now.)
Okay, the following is all conjecture, but I felt it was significant when
I discovered it...
"The Body Electric" has 2 different bit patterns in the song... 1001001 and
100100 (presumably "unit 1" was scared and left). I don't know alot of
trivia about Rush, but always thought them to be Objectivists. There are
*many* songs that are *definately* based on or supporting Objectivist ideas
(as well as the "based on the genius of Ayn Rand" line in 2112). Anyway,
if you convert both bit patterns using ascii you get...
1001001 = ascii "I"
100100 = ascii "$"
The dollar sign is a significant "Objectivist symbol" from *Atlas Shrugged*.
The "men of the mind" went on strike from the world and went on to create
their own city. They used the dollar sign to identify themselves.
The "I" is also significant. It represents rational selfishness. In *Anthem*
(the book by Ayn Rand, not the song), the word "I" was removed from the
vocabulary of a collectivist society. The protagonist of this story escapes
and in the end discovers "this God, this one word, 'I'."
I think that it must be more than coincidence that both of these "line up".
It seems like Peart was a) fearful that the Objectivist philosophy was
in distress or b) feeling that the Objectivist ideas were losing meaning
to himself.
Mark Steph | He's not afraid of your Judgement
exumfs@exu.ericsson.se | He knows of horrors worse than your Hell
Opinions are my own -- | He's a little bit afraid of dying,
noone else wants them | But he's alot more afraid of your lying
| -Neil Peart, "The Weapon"
----------------------------------------------------------
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Copyright The Rush Fans Mailing List, 1992.
Editor, The National Midnight Star
(Rush Fans Mailing List)
********************************************
End of The National Midnight Star Number 453
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