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Neil Ellwood Peart ('s John Bonham , Steely Dan 's Steve Gadd, The Who 's Keith Moon , Phil Collins , to jazz drummers Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa , and fans look forward to his complicated, technical solos in live shows. His last name is pronounced 'Peert', although many mispronounce it ''Pert''. LYRICS Neil Peart is the main lyricist for Rush. Some of Neil Peart's lyrics, particularly the bittersweet Literary references abound in Peart's lyrics, most likely due to Peart being an avid reader. Examples include ("The Camera Eye", "The Big Money"), J. R. R. Tolkien ("Rivendell", "The Necromancer") and Samuel Taylor Coleridge ("Xanadu"). Some of the most oft-commented upon are homages to Ayn Rand 's novel " Anthem ", in Rush's 1975 song of the same name on their " Fly By Night " album, and again in an explicitly acknowledged derivation in 1976 's " 2112 " suite. "There was a remarkable backlash, especially from the English press— this being the late seventies, when collectivism was still in style, especially among journalists," Peart said. "They were calling us 'Junior fascists' and 'Hitler lovers.' It was a total shock to me." Weary of accusations of Fascism , or even simply ideological fealty to Rand's philosophy of Objectivism , Peart has sought to remind listeners of his eclecticism and independence in interviews. He did not, however, try to argue in defense of Rand's views. "For a start, the extent of my influence by the writings of Ayn Rand should not be overestimated -- I am no one's disciple." Along with his Rush colleagues Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson , Peart was made an Officer of the Order Of Canada on May 9 , 1996 . The trio were the first rock musicians so honoured. Peart's only child, daughter Selena Peart Taylor, was killed in a single-car accident in 1997 . His wife, Jaqueline Taylor, died of cancer only 10 months later in 1998 . It was rumoured that Peart would be leaving Rush following these tragedies. However, after a brief hiatus to mourn and reflect, including a 50,000 mile motorcycle trip from his home in Toronto, west into Alaska, then south to Mexico, and back(documented in his travelogue "Ghost Rider"), he returned to the band. Later he married photographer Carrie Nuttall . Peart is also the author of three travelogues, including ''The Masked Rider'', which documented a bicycle tour through , the United States , and Mexico following the deaths of his wife and child. His third, ''Traveling Music: The Soundtrack to My Life and Times'', was released in June 2004, along with a re-release of ''The Masked Rider''. Neil is also awaiting the release of his next travelogue ''R:30 Roadshow'' in which he documents the band's 30th Anniversary American tour. ''R:30 Roadshow'' is currently set for release in September 2006. With the 2002 release of the band's "Vapor Trails" album, Peart has returned to the business of performing live with his bandmates. At the start of the tour, it was decided amongst the band members that Neil would not take part in the daily grind of press interviews and "Meet and Greet" sessions upon their arrival in a new city that typically monopolize an immensely popular touring band's daily schedule. While Neil has always shied away from these types of in-person encounters, it was decided that having to needlessly expose him to an endless stream of questions about the tragic events of his life was quite unnecessary. Neil has released two instructional DVDs; ''A Work In Progress'' through Warner Bros Publishing in 1997 and ''Anatomy Of A Drum Solo'' through Hudson Music in 2005. SOLOS Neil Peart is known for complicated, extremely technical drums solos containing odd time signatures, complicated arrangements and exotic percussion instruments. These solos have been featured on every live album released by the band. On the early live albums (All the World's a Stage & Exit..Stage Left), the drum solo was included as part of a song. On all subsequent live albums, the drum solo has been included on a separate track. All of Peart's drum solos include a basic framework of routines connected by sections of improvisation, leaving each performance unique. Each successive tour sees the solo more advanced, with some routines dropped in favor of newer, more complex ones. Since the mid-late 1980s Peart has utilized MIDI Trigger Pads to trigger sounds sampled from various pieces of acoustic percussion that would otherwise consume far too much stage area, such as a Marimba , Harp , Temple Blocks , Triangles , Glockenspiel , Orchestra Bells , Tubular Bells , and Vibra-slap . Some purely electronic, description-defying sounds are also used. AWARDS Neil Peart has received the following awards in the '' Modern Drummer '' magazine reader's poll:
:(As a member of the Honor Roll in these categories, Neil is no longer eligible for votes in the above categories.)
GEAR 24-karat gold Neil Peart snare drum]] signature Paragon cymbals]] Drums:
:Kick: DW 22" :Toms: 8",10",12",13",15",15",16",18" :Snares: DW 13" piccolo snare, 14" edge, 14" solid wood :Hardware: 24k gold plated DW 9000 hardware & pedals (hi-hat-DW 5000 series) Cymbals:
:Hi Hats 13",14" :Splash 8", 2x10" :Crash 2x16", 18", 20" :FX cymbals 19", 20" chinese :Ride 22" Electronics Roland V-Drums (DW shells) :Roland V-Cymbals :Roland TD-10 Brains :Fat Kat trigger pedals :Emu 4000 Samplers :Dauz trigger pad :Mallet Kat :Remo Drumheads :Pro-Mark 747 drumsticks (Oak) AUDIO VIDEO
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