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LTC Stephen F.
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Edited 6 y ago
Thank you my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that September 12 is the anniversary of the birth of Canadian author and retired musician Neil Ellwood Peart, OC best known as the drummer and primary lyricist for the rock band Rush.
Happy 66th Birthday Neil Ellwood Peart!

Background from imdb.com/name/nm1307637/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
"Neil Peart Biography
Overview | Mini Bio | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (5) | Trivia (28) | Personal Quotes (7)
Overview
Born September 12, 1952 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Birth Name Cornelius Ellwood Peart
Nicknames: Pratt; The Professor; John Ellwood Taylor; Bubba; Milton Banana
Height 6' 4" (1.93 m)

Mini Bio
Neil Peart is one of the most universally respected rock drummers, and is best known for his nearly superhuman, pyrotechnic drum playing, and for providing intellectual lyrics for his band's songs. Neil has served as both drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush since 1974, joining bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson. (Rush's lineup has remained unchanged since Neil's arrival in 1974.) Rush is the most successful Canadian music group in history, and is the third most prolific seller of consecutive (American) Gold and Platinum Records and videos, behind only The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Beginning on August 10, 1997, immediately following Rush's "Test For Echo" tour, Neil Peart endured concurrent, seemingly unendurable tragedies when his daughter (and only child) died in a car accident, and his wife died from cancer 10 months later. This put Rush on indefinite hiatus for the first time, and prompted Neil to write "Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road", his second book. In September 2000, Neil married Los Angeles photographer Carrie Nuttall. Following Neil's recovery, Rush returned victoriously to the studio and the stage in 2002 with "Vapor Trails", their 17th studio album. A highly successful 2002 tour brought about the band's long-awaited return to the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Rush ended their tour with their first-ever shows in Brazil, where they played to 125,000 fans in three nights. The final performance of the 2002 tour was captured on DVD as Rush in Rio (2003), which was certified double-platinum within weeks of its release. Since the Vapor Trails album and tour, Neil's writing has become more personal. His live performances too, including his trademark percussion solos which showcase his superlative adroitness as a drummer, have been regarded as his best to date.

Spouse (2)
Carrie Nuttall (9 September 2000 - present) ( 1 child)
Jacqueline Taylor (1975 - 20 June 1998) ( her death) ( 1 child)
Trade Mark: His LONG drum solos in concerts; Wears an African drumming cap during concerts; Handlebar mustache in late 70s; Spinning drumkit; Long, tightly braided mullet in the mid-80s

Trivia (28)
1. Is the drummer for the band Rush.
2. Avid fan of BMW motorcycles.
3. Has written 3 books as of April, 2005: "The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa" (1996), "Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road" (2002), and "Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times" (2004).
4. Dropped out of High School.
5. On February 26, 1997, he and his bandmates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson became the first rock musicians to be inducted into the prestigious position of Officers of the Order of Canada. This is the highest honor bestowed upon a civilian by the Canadian government. According to the Ottawa Sun, "The award was given as much for their community service as for their contribution to the arts. They have raised over $1 million for food banks and the United Way."
6. Grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario. His song, Lakeside Park, is about his summers at the beach in Port Dalhousie, Ontario.
7. Lost his wife and daughter in a span of 10 months. His daughter Selena was killed in an auto accident, shortly afterwards his wife Jacqueline succumbed to breast cancer
8. Since the death of his daughter and wife in 1997-1998, has declined to be interviewed or to appear at many meet and greets with the band.
9. Took piano lessons as a child, but eventually started calling in sick and spending the lesson money on candy bars.
10. Close friends with actor Nicholas Cage.
11. Rides a motorcycle (along with the band's security manager) in between each venue. In the 80s, he would do this on a bicycle.
12. "Overtly" Canadian, he moved his primary residence to Los Angeles, California after marrying Carrie Nuttall, and returns to Canada for writing and recording.
13. Became good friends with Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park) during the time chronicled in his book "Ghost Rider." The animation team created an intro for Rush's hit "Tom Sawyer" featuring Cartman, Kyle, Stan & Kenny, which was played each night on the 2007 Snakes & Arrows tour.
14. Has played on every post-1974 Rush recording. The only album on which he didn't appear was the self-titled debut.
15. In addition to drumming for Rush, he is also the band's primary lyricist.
16. Has had two children; Selena Taylor (b. 1978 d. 1997), and Olivia Louise Peart (b. 2009).
17. Neil, along with other Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in February 2013.
18. Hot on the heels of their triumphant 2002 tour, 2003 DVD, and benefit performance for 450,000 at the 2003 SARS benefit, Rush has announced plans to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their current lineup with a celebratory tour. Planned shows include their first visits to Europe since 1992. [December 2003]
19. "Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away" is released. It is an authorized biography of the band, written by Martin Popoff. [June 2004]
20. Touring in support of Rush's latest album, "Snakes & Arrows". [June 2007]
21. "Vapor Trails" tour with band, Rush. [October 2002]
22. Performed with Rush for 450,000 people as part of the Toronto SARStock relief benefit, alongside major bands including AC/DC and The Rolling Stones. Rush was one of the few native Toronto bands to perform at this historic event to herald Toronto's graceful endurance of the SARS scare. [July 2003]
23. With Rush, released "Feedback", an EP containing 8 cover songs. This marks the first Rush release wherein the band performs songs other than their own. After "Feedback", Rush embarked on a highly successful Thirtieth Anniversary Tour ("R30" for short). On this tour, the band performed some of the cover songs live -- also a first for them. [June 2004]
24. Los Angeles, CA, USA: Inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band Rush. [April 2013]
25. Neil, Alex and Geddy are in the recording studio working on Rush's new album, to be released early 2007. [November 2006]
26. Until the mid-90s, when he took lessons from Freddie Gruber, Neil played the drums with the "butt" ends of the sticks. This was out of force of habit from his youth when the tips of his sticks would break off and he couldn't afford to replace them.
27. Suffered a motorcycle accident in September 2010 in NE Pennsylvania when he hit a patch of freshly laid asphalt and went sliding off his bike. He was not badly hurt, but was limping for a day or two afterwards and was able to perform the next night in Pittsburgh without any problems. He did not speak of the accident until five years later, when he had retired from touring, out of fear he would no longer be allowed to tour by motorcycle due to insurance reasons.
28. When Neil started traveling by motorcycle between shows, his riding partner was his best friend Brutus. However, Brutus's criminal record, which culminated in 1999 with a charge of transporting marijuana over a national border, got him banned for life from entering the United States. For this reason, Michael Mosbach, a security expert whom Neil met after moving to California, became his new riding partner in North America, while Brutus is his riding partner in Europe and other continents. (While Brutus could conveniently be his riding partner in Canada or Mexico, Rush's tour itinerary rarely includes Mexico, and if so, it's a one-off show like in 2002, while Canadian dates, as of late, are almost never strung together in a row.).


Personal Quotes (7)
1. I don't like lyrics that are just thrown together, that were obviously written as you went along, or the song was already written and the guy made up the lyrics in five minutes.
2. Anytime I have an idea, I'll make sure that I put it down so that when we do sit down to write an album, I don't have to dream it all out of thin air. I don't have to be creative on the spur of the moment, or spontaneously artistic. I just take advantage of whenever creativity strikes.
3. To get nostalgic about other people's music, or even about your own, makes a terrible statement about the condition of your life and your prospects for the future. I have no patience with that kind of attitude, whether it's on radio or among friends. [from an interview in 1986]
4. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
5. I honestly don't see anything wrong with playing drums leading with the left hand.
6. I still don't like seeing myself on the screen! I don't like to hear myself talk, I don't want to look at myself, and I'll probably never watch this video!
7. I can play like [Rolling Stones drummer] Charlie Watt for the rest of my life, but I can't play like Neil Peart for the rest of my life."


Neil Peart Full Interview On The Hour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_mKr28G7og

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SPC Douglas Bolton
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Maj Marty Hogan Drummers are my favorite in all bands.
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MAJ Ken Landgren
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Rush totally rocks!
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