Neil Peart, the greatest rock drummer of all time, and one of the all-time great lyricists too, the brains and the beat of the Canadian power trio Rush, recently passed away. I’ve seen Rush at least ten times, more than any other band, beginning in the mid-1980’s, and they got better and better every time. Hard to separate Neil’s contribution from the rest, but overall Rush was a huge influence on my songwriting. I remember learning La Villa Strangiato in high school, and couple years later doing several Rush songs in the prog-party band Infinigon.
Begin the day with a friendly voice
A companion unobtrusive
Plays that song that’s so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood