Canadian rock band Rush was a close trio. Since Neil Peart’s passing, it has been hard for Geddy Lee to cope with the death of his friend. As a creative and artist, Lee put his focus into a project, but not a musical one. He has written a memoir to help with the emotions of Peart’s death.
“I was struggling in the aftermath of Neil’s passing,” the singer said about why he started writing.
Right now, the book does not have a title. However, the Rush lead singer and bass guitar player is planning on releasing the book in Fall 2022. During their heyday, the band was on top of the world. The unique voice of Lee and the power trio setup captured the imaginations of millions of fans around the world. Peart is known as one of the best drummers ever.
Back in 2015, Peart passed away at the age of 67 after a battle with glioblastoma.
After spending so much time in lockdown over the last year and a half, Geddy Lee had spent a lot of time with family. He says that it was, “the longest time I’d spent in Toronto since I was nineteen and hit the Northern Ontario bar circuit with Rush.” That can change one’s perspective after a lifetime of traveling the world in one of the biggest rock bands ever.
After watching all the shows and doing all the things one does in lockdown, the Rush frontman was still not himself. His friend Daniel Richler suggested that Lee start writing about his childhood.
Rush Lead Singer Pens Memoir on Life
So, after speaking with Richler, Geddy Lee got to writing. It wasn’t meant to be a memoir from the beginning. However, each little story or anecdote had to be perfected. The musician insisted upon it.
“[Writing is] a less physical version of arguing with musical notes, without a Ricky doubleneck breaking my back! And soon my baby-step stories were becoming grownup chapters. Being the nuclear obsessive that I am, I’d write and re-write them, reassessing perspectives in the narrative not just by scouring my memory banks but my diaries and piles of photo albums too.”
These weren’t just regular stories either, not just words on a page. No, Lee gave his friend Richler more than that. These stories started to become a book and now, the two are working on making this a great final product.
“I’d then send these improved and even illustrated stories to Daniel, who’d clean up some of the grammar and remove a lot of the swearing, and preso! In a voice that sounded, well, just like me, a presentable, epic-length account of my life on and off the stage was taking shape…all sorts of nonsense I’ve spent too much time obsessing over,” the singer explained about the process.
Surely, Geddy Lee of Rush has some great stories. This is a book that I am very excited about. These rockstars from the 70s and 80s have some wild stories to tell. Memoirs like this give fans a look at their favorite artists that were previously unknown. I am all on board with this. Too bad we have to wait a whole year until it comes out.
