RIP Neil Peart

Among the engineering students when I was at college, Rush was the band- the combination of Rock and Roll Sound with incredible lyrics and music that was so complex it was incredible that it only came from three band members.  If Rock's basic equation was "Three Chords and the Truth", Rush was the AP Calculus.

Neil Peart, the drummer, passed away from brain cancer at 67 today.  Besides being the drummer, he also wrote most of the lyrics.  Like the music, there was a depth to them that is astounding.  Just one example (from "The Pass", my favorite Rush song):

All of us get lost in the darkness

Dreamers learn to steer by the stars

All of us do time in the gutter

Dreamers turn to look at the cars

That struck a chord with me in a way most songs can't.

Rush was my favorite band, and I saw them several times.  They were so much more than that for my wife, who often credits the album "Presto" for saving her life during a down time.  We saw the band several times, and even briefly appear on their R40 DVD.

Thank you for sharing your gifts with the world, Mr. Peart.