RUSH’S GEDDY LEE: He [NEIL PEART] Hasn’t Just Retired from RUSH; He’s Retired from Drumming

In a special appearence on Trunk Nation, Geddy Lee talked about Neil Peart’s phisical condition and why he can’t play the drums anymore. Take a look:

 “Neil [Peart, drums] is retired. He hasn’t just retired from Rush; he’s retired from drumming. He’s not drumming anymore, and he’s living his life.”

“Which is fine – Alex [Lifeson, guitar] and I are cool with it. We’re all still total pals. In fact, Alex and I were there just a few weeks ago visiting him, and we stay in touch.”

“And, of course, Alex lives very near to me, so we’re constantly going out to dinner, ’cause he loves to drink everything in my wine cellar. We’re still pals, and we all talk, but that period of our life is done.”

On Peart’s condition:

He was struggling throughout that tour to play at his peak, because of physical ailments and other things that were going on with him. He is a perfectionist, and he did not want to go out and do anything less than what people expected of him.”

“That’s what drove him his whole career, and that’s the way he wanted to go out, and I totally respect that. And for Alex and I, of course, we’re not drummers, so we don’t take the same physical abuse, although Alex does suffer from arthritis and he was having a very difficult time on that tour playing a three-hour show.”

“So it was clear that whatever happened in the future, it was not gonna be like that. And I spent a lot of time designing that tour with all our great creative people and trying to make sure that it told that story in reverse, and it was great fun to do.”

“And I think my sadness was just the fact that I was so happy we pulled it off with the whole reverse chronological thing that I would like to have had the rest of the world – that couldn’t come to those cities – experience that.”

“And that’s really the only regret I have – that we couldn’t do more shows. But in hindsight now, and with the benefit of time, I’m very happy with the way it went down. It just didn’t sit right for me to do a farewell tour and try to capitalize on that word.”

“It just didn’t work for me… It wasn’t the easiest thing to pull off, but I feel good about our body of work, and I feel good about the way it ended. And, you know, onward and upward.”