![]() Returning to Canada in 1972, Neil began working at his father’s farm equipment dealership, playing part-time in local bands. At eighteen, he moved to London, England, a time about which he has said: “I was seeking fame and fortune, and found anonymity and poverty. Early influences were Gene Krupa, Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker, Michael Giles, John Bonham, and Michael Shrieve. Catharines, Neil began drum lessons at age thirteen, studying with local teacher Don George, then played in a succession of rock bands. Neil Peart was born September 12, 1952, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and first lived on the family dairy farm, near Hagersville. ![]() In some brand of absurdist irony, I don’t think anyone will ever match his skill and talent needed to replicate “The Drum Solo if Life” in order to bring the legend back.At the Topic of the Town diner, Littleton, New Hampshire | Photo courtesy of About Neil Peart Peart voices a miniature version of himself (for some reason) and plays “The Drum Solo of Life” to revive characters in the movie. One of my favorite non-Rush Neil Peart moments comes from “Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters,” a movie based on the Adult Swim series. So, a lot of that history and memory came flooding back, and I felt a lot of warmth and gratitude amid the sadness.” Many of them were calling and sending messages. I’ve had a lot of friends over the years who also loved his music. I’ve been listening to his music since I was fifteen years old. The news of Peart’s death came as a surprise to fans everywhere, as Jackson details, “It’s the kind of news one is never ready to hear. That’s a tremendous legacy, because it pushes everyone else to figure out who they are and aspire to comparable levels of achievement in their own ways.” Neil was also a great individualist, creating his own personal sound that could never be confused with anyone else’s. You can’t always hear it in their playing. The problem is that Neil was so much better than everyone else, so sometimes it’s hard to know how much other people have been influenced by him. ![]() That’s about how I’d sum up Neil’s impact on music. “When I was playing rock and roll in college, my band’s drummer listened to everything out there, but when he played onstage or in the studio, there was really only one role model he held high. Referencing the impact Peart had on music, Jackson recalls a time he was in a band in college: Peart also wrote several books of his own, including autobiographical accounts and fiction. Jackson mentioned Peart had an Ayn Rand phase during the early portion of his career, a phase and philosophy he’s since disavowed with wry embarrassment. Nicknamed “The Professor,” Peart was a dedicated reader and poet despite dropping out of high school. He was the main lyricist in Rush, as gems like “Limelight” and “Subdivisions” still fill the airwaves today. However, it wasn’t just Peart’s insane skill on the drums that garnered worldwide admiration. People who call him ‘one of the best’ are either clueless or just trying to be polite.” While Jackson says Peart had several influences, like The Who’s Keith Moon, The Police’s Stewart Copeland and jazz drummers like Buddy Rich Peart had a style all his own that constantly evolved, a style that Jackson describes as “technically masterful.” TU English professor and avid Rush enthusiast Bob Jackson says of Peart’s “Greatest Ever” moniker, “Of course is the greatest rock drummer of all time. Widely regarded as the greatest drummer of all time, musicians and fans alike lament the passing of this rock icon. ![]() Seemingly lost in the mix of this terrible month was the loss of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer and Rush band member Neil Peart, who succumbed to brain cancer after a long battle. We’ve had war escalations in Iran, the tragic deaths of Kobe Bryant and his daughter and an outbreak of Coronavirus in China. TU professor of English Bob Jackson fondly recalls Neil Peart’s impact on rock music.
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