Neil Peart ~ Ghost Rider

[idea man]

Originally Posted by dyvking

Your wife is the rapist? I was wondering who that was.

Yeah. She's great.

[1200GSCanuck]

Originally Posted by JimVonBaden

I must be shallow. I liked both of them.

Though no literary masterpieces, they certainly gave me inspiration!

Jim

you are what you eat but not necessarily what you read.
my mother reads STAR, Enquirer, and People, and we dont consider her to be shallow either..everyone needs to trash out on something mindless once in a while for the sake of a mental break! mindless indulgences are quite excusable, hence network television's popularity.

[Moving Pictures]

Originally Posted by jdiaz

Hmm, sounds like most of the albums they made after Grace Under Pressure. :):

Jon

Like (horkkk-ptui) Roll the Bones (hork-ptui)
FWIW, Power Windows was damn good, I thought. Hold your fire had its moments....

[Magnuson]

Originally Posted by Media Weasel

Like (horkkk-ptui) Roll the Bones (hork-ptui)
FWIW, Power Windows was damn good, I thought. Hold your fire had its moments....

I'm one of those rabid Rush fans who loves the "Farewell to Kings," "Hemispheres," "Permanent Waves," "Moving Pictures," "Signals," and "Grace Under Pressure" era, and tends to think that the "Power Windows," "Hold Your Fire," "Presto," and "Roll the Bones" era is the weakest time musically for Rush. They all have their moments, but for post-"Grace Under Pressure," they really got back into their own with "Counterparts," "Test For Echo," and their last effort, "Vapor Trails," has some of the best stuff from the last twenty years. "One Little Victory," "Secret Touch," and "Earthshine" are some of the hardest rocking Rush songs in their catalog. I can't wait to hear their next album, which they just finished recording, to be released sometime in Spring 2007.

http://www.neilpeart.net/news/

Call me silly, but I also think that "2112" is one of their worst albums overall in retrospect. It hasn't aged well at all. Neither has "Caress of Steel". Interestingly enough, though, the first two albums, "Rush" and "Fly By Night" hold up well in comparison.

As far as the books Peart has written, they are all good in their own way. I agree with what some have commented on about "Ghost Rider" bogging itself it down in the middle, but this is primarily due to the repetition of the content in the "Letters to Brutus" section where he reproduces letters to not only Brutus, but to others as well, in their entirety, so he is repeating the same content to each individual person who the letter is written to. If those were edited for repetitive content, it would make the middle of the book smoother and easier to plow through. However, I think it illustrates the point of grief where you cannot escape nor can you stop repeating the same thing over and over in your head as you eventually run the topic into the ground for yourself, and by doing so, is a means for catharsis.

"Roadshow" is good too, however, it leans more towards a Rush tour retrospective than a travelogue by motorcycle. If a motorcycle travelogue is what you're after, then "Ghost Rider" is the book you want to read.

[KLRlynuts]

Great Post, Magnuson.

There are no points I would dispute. I, too, am I long time Rush fan, since the 2112 days. I've seen them three times in concert: the Farewell to Kings/Hemispheres tour, the Moving Pictures tour and most recently the Vapor Trails tour. They perform better each time I've seen them. Their production and technical savy certainly reflect 30 years in the business.

As a point of synchronicity, this past fall, I was riding some backwoods double-tracks. As I upshifted across a paved section, I noticed something wrong. I stepped off, and examing, the gear shift lever fell off in my hands - the factory weld broke. Fifteen miles from the nearest small town, 50 miles from my garage, on a Saturday at 4:45 pm. The lever broke in third gear, so I could get it rolling fanning the clutch and still do 45 mph without revving the crap outa the bike. I planned a route home with the fewest stoplights & no interstate. As I started off on the last unpaved section, my MP3 player shuffled to the track from Test for Echo, "Cut to the Chase": "Can't stop moving . . ."

[camgregus]

saw Grace Under Pressure tour.

They wanted to be Led Zepp for years (Fly by Night , etc.) then tried to sound like the police (Signals) The newer stuff they sound like they may have their own sound now.

[Moving Pictures]

Originally Posted by tbirdsp

Not being in the best of physical shape myself, I also didn't like the way he kept coming down on everyone who was "fat", "unhealthy" even "ugly" in his opinion. Fuck, he even said "Die! die! die!" Meanwhile he's puffing on his fucking cancer sticks at every stop.

As a cancer survivor, I understand entirely. Sometimes, the people that eat well, exercise and do all the right things - get cancer. Those who live like slobs, smoke, drink and party, don't.

Life ain't fair. I know what Peart's perspective was. It's called survivor's guilt.

[Moving Pictures]

Originally Posted by Magnuson

I'm one of those rabid Rush fans

Noted. Same here.

They all have their moments, but for post-"Grace Under Pressure," they really got back into their own with "Counterparts," "Test For Echo," and their last effort, "Vapor Trails,"

I very much feel the same about the same set of albums as you outlined. GUP, in my mind, may well be my most-loved album, period.

Call me silly, but I also think that "2112" is one of their worst albums overall in retrospect. It hasn't aged well at all. Neither has "Caress of Steel". Interestingly enough, though, the first two albums, "Rush" and "Fly By Night" hold up well in comparison.

Agreed.

[Giuseppe]

Originally Posted by camgregus

saw Grace Under Pressure tour.

They wanted to be Led Zepp for years (Fly by Night , etc.) then tried to sound like the police (Signals) The newer stuff they sound like they may have their own sound now.

Man, I don't even know where to begin with that...

[Moving Pictures]

Originally Posted by MIKE STH

Canada, Alaska, Belize...and back. Good read, thanks Santa!
Recognize the name?

On the basis of some of the suggestions here, I got the book from the library.
I wouldn't rate it highly. As a professional writer, I think the work would have benefitted greatly from a whole lotta hacking: about half the middle could have been summarized much better. The "letters to brutus" dragged on. The whole point of the book was the healing journey (been on one myself) but the whole "finding the girl that I marry" thing was jammed in a hastily written EPILOGUE? Geesh.
I respect Peart for his work as a musician: I'm a long-time Rush fan, but he needed a better editor.

[CJBDRdude]

As a professional bass player/rock musician and long time Rush fan I've always thought the band was innovative and ever evolving. I've never read Neil's books, but love his drumming and I'm glad to hear hes a fellow motorcyclist. BTW, 2112 still kicks ass, they have lessor albums IMO.
They(RUSH) were young and 'hungery' for success back then and the sound reflects that. Aging sometimes, mellows rock musicians and their music/writing. I'm glad at age 50, I still play it loud and hard like Queensryche and Iron Maiden. Put that on your headset!!!!!!!!!

[DRZ400mike]

I'de have to agree that the first 1/3 was great. I have about 30% left. It might take a few weeks.



ALso,would have to agree listening to some rush on a long ride is great.

[GS Bones]

I love Rush and Peart's drumming.
I love most motocycle related writing.
I don't usually care for travel books.
I agree with the sentiment about Ghost Rider.
I will give him benefit of the doubt regarding the grief related to the loss of his only child, as that is beyond what I could handle, that is for sure. But if the point was to publish a book that others would want to read and might benefit from, indeed, it needed more editing.

NOW....you want to read a fantastic and entertaining travel type book? Get Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. I absolutely guarantee you will both learn a tremendous amount about some of our country and laugh your ass off at the same time. THIS guy can write!

Bones

[Bimble]

The last third of Ghost Rider was the same way for me. Pretty tough read, but I found it to be a good reflection of a pretty tough time for Peart. In all I'm glad to have read it.

+1 on Bryson's book. Pack plenty of Snickers.

[nwgs]

Originally Posted by Bimble

The last third of Ghost Rider was the same way for me. Pretty tough read, but I found it to be a good reflection of a pretty tough time for Peart. In all I'm glad to have read it.

+1 on Bryson's book. Pack plenty of Snickers.

Couldn't find a thread on the movie. But watched it last night and thought is was fun.
I like Nicholas Cage.


Good Movie.



Nwgs rating 8 stars.