John Smith Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 I think one would view him as somewhat of a not very nice person after reading these books. I've read roadshow and I am torn between him being an elitist prick and a guy who is living a very conflicted life. I think the fact that he will eat at Dairy Queen and stay in cheaper hotels while riding his motorcycle around the country speed viewing national parks pulls him out of the elitist prick category (his descriptions of stops at various national parks reminds me of the Griswold's at the grand canyon). I think he is a prick of a different kind. I believe that he enjoys the music, but not necessarily touring it. Touring is a necessary evil that they have to do, but not necessarily want to do, him at least. I view him and his descriptions of work as being similar in view to people who work because they have to and are not always doing what they love, say an accountant for example. But the touring becomes acceptable to him because it allows him the freedom to lead his life of semi-adventure. He is leery of fans and rightly so, but seems to go to great lengths to avoid contact and will acquiesce when required or when it becomes unavoidable. I can understand his stance on fans, but it is as they say :one of the hazards of the job" One thing about his writing that makes me dislike him as a person is his written treatment of his daughters mother (I don't believe they were married). He blames her for her cancer and for her own death saying that she died because she lost the will to live. While she may truly have lost the will to live after the death of their daughter, I think the way he writes about it makes him out to be a total a$$. I am taking his words at face value, but I think he may have softened his views so he might not look as bad as he really was. I can only imagine how he was with her as she was dieing before his eyes. grieving over his daughter and not caring about her mom. Just a jerk in my mind. What's the deal where he knocked down some dude who tried to get him to sign some albums? Or sped away and the dude fell down or some such thing. I believe the guy followed him onto his tour bus right after a show and surprised him witha pile of crap to autograph. There was no security present initially, but I think he popped the guy after security arrived. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 In a big post he had on his site the other day, he spoke of someone following him around. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Smith Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 One thing I found ironic about the books are that he is writing them in the first place. He seems to want his distance from his fans and the freedom to live his life as he does. If that is the case why put out books describing how he lives his life? If he really craves the privacy, why not keep it private? Putting so much personal information out there about himself is what I would consider to be almost an invitation to a stalker. Not that stalking is ok, but to a stalker the more they know about a person the closer they feel they are to them. Now he probably has a person who has sat in the shadows for 20 years until he read these books. After reading them there is a new bond between fan and artist. Of course only the fan is certain about the bond. I think is Peart really wanted what he alludes to, he should have never written these books, or perhaps written them differently as fiction under a Nome de plume. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 I was thinking of that when I looked at photos of him in my hometown - if I had known about it, I could have been right there to bother him. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
squarewave Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 OK, I think that the rock star bashing is cranked up a little high here.... Neil is one of the most respected drummers in RxR.... in a phenomenally successful geek-rock band who's catalog references such fare as sci-fi, and fantasy imagery... and who has written one of the Worlds best songs about weed.... These three things mean that the most devoted morons on the Planet Earth will be coming out of the woodwork to try to meet and chat with him. I don't know if you can tell, but Neil is not your typical rock star. Not all successful musicians are obnoxious frontmen looking for non-stop T&A and fake acceptance from everyone they meet, some are just normal human beings with a gift for writing and/or playing an instrument. I grew up in Rockford, IL, and I happen to know where Rick Neilsen, Brad Carlson (aka Bun E. Carlos) live, and the home where Robin Zander formerly lived here in town. What is crazy is seeing your RxR heroes' wife hanging his undershirts on a clothesline. If you had driven by the Carlson residence in the 80s (hell, possibly this past weekend) and you may very well have seen that. As a fellow "normal" human being, I can identify with having a not-so-pleasant day and just wanting to be left the fuck alone.... If I were riding cross-country on a motorcycle, trying to determine a reason to NOT drive into a bridge abutment after my daughter AND wife were taken from me, then I may also decide to pretend that I am not who I really am and refuse a toast/autograph request/etc. while sitting in a hotel bar. Yeah, it's a bummer for the fan who wanted to meet someone who's music he enjoys, but the larger picture allows Mr. Peart some slack in this case. Success is a double-edged sword. Some people relish it (ie: EVERYONE in the 80s hair-metal scene), and some people regret it. You may remember how the John Lennon story ended.... You have probably seen the Dimebag Darrel story... The Selena story.... The toll of the E. Coast/W. Coast feud in hip-hop.... and there are many more.... When fans go nuts, they go NUTS, and people die. Some person went on the Rush tour bus uninvited?? And Neil is an asshole for forcing them out??HELL YES I would have physically forced them out. That is a MASSIVE invasion of personal space. When Jeff stiff-armed that person on stage, Walter Payton style.... same deal. If I followed you through your front door and ran into your living room and frantically said that I LOVED your prolific posts on VC and wanted you to autograph my VC hat, and that I had to ask you some deep and probing questions about something you wrote 5 years ago, you would sic the family cat on me, hit me with a rolling pin, and call 9-1-1.... If an artist wants a little space, give them a little space without assuming that its just another rock star asshole who is too good to meet his fans. Relax,Rick. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 ^^ Well said A_Wheel. I think saying the guy is a prick when you haven't even met him is a bit unjust. I know there have been a few times where I've based my opinion (negatively) about someone solely on the words they've posted on a site like this. I've often been proven wrong when I've actually met them in person. You just can't get the full picture in words alone sometimes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 I base my views on some of his views expressed in the books he has wrote. I have never been into the starstruck deal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
squarewave Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 ^^ Well said A_Wheel. I think saying the guy is a prick when you haven't even met him is a bit unjust. I know there have been a few times where I've based my opinion (negatively) about someone solely on the words they've posted on a site like this. I've often been proven wrong when I've actually met them in person. You just can't get the full picture in words alone sometimes. Exactly, nobody writes about the 10,000 times you sign an album, shake a fan's hand, stop to talk shop with a kid in a music store for 30 minutes when you really only need to get a few packs of strings, another backup wireless TX, or some new drum heads, and there is a cab sitting outside with the meter running waiting to drive you back to the theater.... It's the ONE time you find someone waiting in the closet in your hotel after you are beat tired from a 2 hr set, FLIP OUT and grab the guy by the neck and throw him down the hotel stairway that gets all the press!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Smith Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 I don't think anyone called him a prick for hitting the guy in his bus after the show. I can fully understand his before and after show routine and the need for them. No body called him aprick for mourning the loss of his wife (common law) and daughter or for writing about it. Nobody called hima prick for not signing every autograph. No person can do that. If he nnever signed a single autograph, that would in no way make him a prick. No he was called a prick for who he is or rather who he expresses himself to be through his writing. The whole notion of "I am a musician when on stage and a real person when off stage" is all well and good. These are real people with real feelings, even those 80's hair metal types getting bashed here. But to steadfastly set your feet in the ground and say I am a private person when off stage period!!! And then to write about every off stage activity every day is insane. It is no different than Michael Jackson crying about his privacy, then anonymously calling the press to tell them when he is going out and where to. Though Michael does it for publicity, Peart does it for book sales. But here is little difference in my mind. Oh well, all in all much ado about nothing. I like Rush but I have never had any desire to meet them or any other rock star types, and that proably colors my opinions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 It is no different than Michael Jackson crying about his privacy, then anonymously calling the press to tell them when he is going out and where to. Of course it's different. Neil is documenting something that has already happened. Micheal, in your scenario, is announcing somehting that hasn't taken place. Maybe Neil's books and website postings are his way of giving his fans a peek into his life to the extent he is comfortable. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Smith Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Of course it's different. Neil is documenting something that has already happened. Micheal, in your scenario, is announcing somehting that hasn't taken place. Maybe Neil's books and website postings are his way of giving his fans a peek into his life to the extent he is comfortable. I think it is different in the execution, but not in the results. The results are similar...people who claim to desire privacy open themselves up and give fans or the press more private information. For fans this opens to door to the types who think they are your buddy because they share your personal knowledge. In the mind of the obsessed fan it invites into the stars life the very people who he is nto wishing to invite. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 I think it is different in the execution, but not in the results. The results are similar...people who claim to desire privacy open themselves up and give fans or the press more private information. For fans this opens to door to the types who think they are your buddy because they share your personal knowledge. In the mind of the obsessed fan it invites into the stars life the very people who he is nto wishing to invite. Well, maybe that's why his traveling partner packs a glock. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Smith Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Well, maybe that's why his traveling partner packs a glock. I thought it was compensating for something... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Dave, the bus driver. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
squarewave Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Even if he were to sucker punched a nun in church, he would still be far from the biggest jerk drummer in RxR.... Lars Ulrich has that title sewn up tight. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mountain bed Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Although in hindsight it might seem delusional on his part, when Crosby was getting arrested for firearms back in the '80's he always answered the question "why do you have a gun on you?" with the answer "John Lennon". It is amazing that many musicians ( Wilco included) still take time to interact with fans. Unfortunately, the 'obsessed fan' is a kind of occupational hazard for any successful musician...there's a whole lot a people out there with a head full of snakes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Even if he were to sucker punched a nun in church, he would still be far from the biggest jerk drummer in RxR....Lars Ulrich has that title sewn up tight. Which is funny - as he use to follow metal bands around when he was a kid. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Even if he were to sucker punched a nun in church, he would still be far from the biggest jerk drummer in RxR....Lars Ulrich has that title sewn up tight. Oh my God that is so right. Ulrich is such an unlikeable twat. A complete wanker. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Smith Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Even if he were to sucker punched a nun in church, he would still be far from the biggest jerk drummer in RxR....Lars Ulrich has that title sewn up tight. Preaching to the choir... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
squarewave Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Although in hindsight it might seem delusional on his part, when Crosby was getting arrested for firearms back in the '80's he always answered the question "why do you have a gun on you?" with the answer "John Lennon".Yeah, the "everybody's out to get me" thing MAY have been a symptom of the massive cocaine use... Paranoia will destroy ya. Just sayin'. As for Peart's traveling partner, I remember reading in Ghost Rider that this person was pinched on a sizeable marijuana charge and facing some serious time... Either Canada doesn't have an equivelant to the US policy where "felons can't carry guns", he got the charge dropped/reduced, or he is just an outlaw type.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Smith Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 As for Peart's traveling partner, I remember reading in Ghost Rider that this person was pinched on a sizeable marijuana charge and facing some serious time... Either Canada doesn't have an equivelant to the US policy where "felons can't carry guns", he got the charge dropped/reduced, or he is just an outlaw type.... According to Roadshow Brutus was unable to travel through the US with Peart because of the newly emerging criminal troubles. So fo the US leg of the tour he traveled with his security guy with Brutus joining him for Canada and Europe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.