In Defense of Neil Peart

     In the short history of this blog I've established that I'm a big Rush fan. I'll admit that I'm not one of those super fans who have seen them 100's of times and go to multiple cities every tour, but I've seen them 6 times and I love their music. However, I'm not myopic and freely admit that they have made questionable choices throughout their history. Among these would be:

* kimonos
* Ayn Rand
* those 80's mullets
* kimonos
* skinny ties
* keyboards
* naked dudes on album covers
* the song Dog Years
* kimonos

     I say this to show that I'm not a fan boy apologist when I say give Neil Peart a break already. Now, maybe my perception is skewed because I'm basing it on what I read on message boards, but people really need to lighten up on Neil. I am a frequent visitor to the fansite Rushisaband which is a fantastic resource for everything Rush. Rushisaband has a link to a message board called Counterparts that is populated by many bitter people. The object of much of their bitterness is Neil Peart. I'm all for people having opinions, especially about music, but some of these people seem to feel entitled to something from Neil because they buy tickets and records. I understand people who aren't fans hating Geddy's voice or thinking Neil is a robotic drummer, but I don't get supposed fans bashing someone who has done nothing to them just because he's a private person. I've read all of Neil's books, including Ghost Rider, which was about the deaths of his daughter and wife and his subsequent motorcycle journey to heal from these losses. I've also seen the Rush doc Beyond the Lighted Stage several times and the members of Rush seem like great guys. So why all the vitriol for Neil?
     The craziest complaint about him is that he's responsible for a five year band hiatus because he was a self-indulgent baby when his wife and daughter died. People begrudged him this time to recover and dismissed it as a rich guy not working for their amusement just to ride a motorcycle and mope. What a bunch of crap. We all deal with grief in different ways and his process seems to have worked well for him. He's remarried and has a little girl and the band is still going strong, so be happy for him.
     The main thing people have against Neil is that he doesn't like to be bothered by people he doesn't know, e.i., fans. All Rush fans know this about him, especially from the song Limelight, and most respect his wishes. There is a vocal minority, however, who have a huge problem with his private nature. It's a constant topic of ridicule and venom on the message board. All Neil owes you is to play his best every night and that's it. He enjoys creating music and performing to the best of his ability, then he wants to get on his motorcycle and live his life the way he wants to. How is that hurting anyone? Is your own life so bankrupt that you need your fandom acknowledged by Neil to feel validated? I don't get it. Let it go! Life's too short. Peace.