After his passing, Neil ‘The Professor’ Peart leaves a rich legacy of rhythm and intellect that will have a lasting influence on how musicians approach their craft.
When the spotlight was shining, Neil Peart was an untamed tiger; he showed up to every concert ready to pounce and viciously devour each song with perfect time and execution. But when the spotlight faded and the house lights came up, the tiger quietly retreated back into the wild to search for his next meal. Peart was one third of the famed Canadian prog rock trio, Rush, and his unabashed drumming on his 360 degree kit covered more ground in a single concert than most drummers could in a lifetime. From the small clubs to the massive stadiums, Peart had fans air-drumming his complex and unique drum parts throughout the concerts, and the rhythms he wrote for what have become classic Rush songs are as integral to the tunes as the guitar riffs and melodies. However, the man behind the kit was much more restrained. Peart was a living dichotomy; his private personal life, full of tragic family deaths, was unrecognizable from his demeanor on stage. When Rush completed their R40 tour with their final show in 2015, fans across the world were devastated. But upon hearing the news that Peart had died on January 7, 2020 after suffering from brain cancer, fans were shocked beyond belief.
Rush made its debut in 1974 with their eponymous album, but the lineup on that album is not the band fans have come to know and love over the last forty years. While high school friends Alex Lifeson (guitar) and Geddy Lee (vocals, bass, synth) founded the band and remained in it ever since, the original drummer was John Rutsey, who left the band after the first album as a result of health issues. This first album was unapologetically straight-ahead, and Rutsey’s simpler drumming certainly fit the style. But with Peart’s blazing debut on their second album Fly By Night (1975), right from the intro of the first song “Anthem” the contrast between the two was day and night. And Rush chose to fly by night. Peart’s playing was technically nuanced, and he executed complicated polyrhythms and time signatures with ease. His playing pushed Lifeson and Lee to a new level on this second record, and it was only a taste of what was to come for the next forty years.
A well-read intellectual, Peart also brought immense knowledge about literature and history to the band, and he became Rush’s primary lyricist for the remainder of the band’s career. While the stereotypical drummer of a rock band from the seventies was said to be the least smart of the bunch, Peart ignored the playbook and added more to the band than they could imagine. He wrote about fantasy novels and classics by famous authors such as Ernest Hemingway in the song “Losing It” (1982), as well as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in their well-known hit “Tom Sawyer” (1981). Peart’s literary contributions brought attention to the importance of lyrics in rock music; his words, in addition to his backbeat, were imperative to Rush’s continued success over the course of their musical trajectory.
Peart’s creativity and curiosity also drove his interest in travel, especially by motorcycle. Peart began riding at age 12, and he was immediately enthralled by the feel and control while navigating uncharted territory. Peart’s obsession with riding became so great that beginning in 1996, he toured with Rush by motorcycle instead of by tour bus. Peart said that for him drumming and motorcycle riding went hand in hand: “They are a good counterpoint to each other. Drumming requires three hours of performing at the limit of my physical and mental capabilities, and motorcycling is very demanding physically, and especially, mentally. The concentration necessary to do it correctly, safely, life-preservingly is enormous. It feels like the vibration of riding actually loosens up my sore muscles, so it’s therapeutic in that way, and after so many years of concert tours, which can be tedious, motorcycling keeps me excited and challenged.” In between tours Peart also travelled the globe, finding new places to explore and attempting to satisfy his insatiable hunger to learn more. Peart put his adventures into words, and in 1996 he published a book titled The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa, in which he chronicled his adventures by motorcycle in Cameroon.
Writing is also ultimately what saved Peart after the tragic deaths of his 19-year old daughter, Selena, in 1997, and his wife of 23 years, Jacqueline, the following year. Rush had been touring non-stop up until the conclusion of their Test For Echo tour in 1997, but after Selena died in a car crash and his wife died of cancer, the band gave Peart time to mourn – a break that lasted five years. He spent years alone traveling by himself and meeting new people, an unmapped journey from his hometown of Quebec to various destinations such as British Columbia, United States, Mexico, and Belize. Upon returning home, he published his second book Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road in 2002, which focused on his journey of self-rediscovery.
This therapeutic travel experience put Peart in the frame of mind to resume working with Lifeson and Lee, bringing Rush back to life with their album Vapor Trails (2002) and extensive tour that followed. Before the deaths of his daughter and wife, Peart had avoided many press events and meet-and-greets with fans, and after the band resumed touring, the group made a collective and definitive decision that Lifeson and Lee would take care of all interactions with the press in order to give Peart more privacy and avoid him feeling uncomfortable from questions about his personal life. This gave Peart more time to explore the open road yet also remain focused on his craft.
Peart’s incessant need to learn and challenge himself was unmistakable in his growth as a drummer. For twenty years since he joined Rush, he had developed naturally into a virtuosic player, evident in his complicated parts he executed night after night. In 1995, however, after feeling himself become too metronomic of a player, he decided to reach out for lessons. Just a year earlier, Peart participated in the record Burning For Buddy: A Tribute To The Music Of Buddy Rich (1994), in which he played “Cotton Tail” with a big band. During this time he was introduced to drum teacher Freddie Gruber, who had also taught Steve Smith, the drummer of the rock band Journey. Gruber played a critical role in Peart’s development, advising him to change his grip on his drum sticks from “matched grip” to “traditional grip” and altering the heights of some of the drums on his kit, all with the goal to help Peart play with “circular motion” as opposed to the more rigid style he had been using. This change in style provided renewed impetus for even more creativity with Rush, and enabled them to continue producing quality work for the next twenty years.
In 2013, Rush was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their performance at the event opened with the Foo Fighters, who are fronted by Dave Grohl, the former drummer of Nirvana. Grohl expressed how Peart’s playing changed the landscape for drummers: “An inspiration to millions with an unmistakable sound who spawned generations of musicians (like myself) to pick up two sticks and chase a dream. A kind, thoughtful, brilliant man who ruled our radios and turntables not only with his drumming, but also his beautiful words…I still vividly remember my first listen of 2112 when I was young. It was the first time I really listened to a drummer. And since that day, music has never been the same. His power, precision, and composition was incomparable. He was called ‘The Professor’ for a reason: We all learned from him.”
After Rush’s induction into the Hall of Fame, Peart’s health began to wane, and the future of the band became unpredictable. As he developed tendonitis from years on the road playing three-hour shows, executing his grueling drum parts became more difficult. Peart’s perfectionism manifested clearly in his playing, and since he accepted nothing less than his mile-high standards, he could not continue touring if that meant delivering subpar performances. Peart’s decision to make Rush’s final show on their R40 tour their last as a band set an example of how to leave the game with dignity, grace, and class. Peart’s unending desire to learn more is what enabled him to be successful and satisfied in his life filled with tragic loss. His recovery and legacy should serve as a model for anyone with a passion they are committed to mastering.
As Peart wrote in his book Far and Away: A Prize Every Time (2011), “Excitement is found along the road, not at the end, and likewise, peace is not a fixed point-except perhaps in the unwanted ‘rest in peace’ sense. PEACE is the breathing space between destinations, between excitements, an occasional part of the journey, if you’re lucky. PEACE is a space you move through very rarely, and very briefly-but you’re not allowed to stay there. You have to keep moving, and go do what you do. Because you can.”