Neil Peart
Neil Peart
Neil Ellwood Peart, OC, is a Canadian-American musician and author, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist for the rock band Rush. Peart has received numerous awards for his musical performances, including an induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1983, making him the youngest person ever so honored. He is known for his technical proficiency and stamina...
NationalityCanadian
ProfessionDrummer
Date of Birth12 September 1952
CityHamilton, Canada
CountryCanada
When I started playing, I played in R&B bands. I played James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and all that.
Our songs were not written to be listened to in headphones or on the radio. They were written to be played. All of the little infinite detail that went into the arrangements and giving ourselves lots of breathing room in terms of playing what we wanted to play and using up any ideas that we had - all of those were conceived to be performed.
Live shows were always religion for us. We never played a show - whether it was in front of 15 people or 15,000 - where it wasn't everything we had that night.
I am the audience. I want to observe people. Even when I'm playing drums onstage, I'm watching people. I'm looking at them and their faces and their T-shirts and their signs. And travelling by motorcycle, especially, the world is just coming at me.
I expect if you're a professional public speaker, you probably wouldn't want to go onstage and sing and play drums.
I'm still no good at ball-and-stick games. If I go play golf with the guys, it's intended to be a joke.
When I was young, my ambitions were very modest. I thought, "If only I could play at the battle of the bands at the Y, that would be the culmination of existence!"
All four winds together can't bring the world to me Shadows cast a play of light, so much I want to see Chase the sun around the world, I want to look at life-In the Available Light. I'll go with the wind, I'll stand in the light.
I want to be an improviser, and I've worked very hard at that. It's an art. You don't just play whatever comes into your head; you have to be very deliberate about what you do.
If I do something weird, play it twice and it's a new part.
All the world's indeed a stage And we are merely players Performers and portrayers Each another's audience outside the gilded cage
Live for yourself -- there's no one elseMore worth living forBegging hands and bleeding hearts will only cry out for more
Well, I know they've always told you/Selfishness was wrong/Yet it was for me, not you, I came to write this song/
What you own is your own kingdomWhat you do is your own gloryWhat you love is your own powerWhat you live is your own story