The Secret Clubhouse That RUSH Built
Reprinted without permission from the inside CD flyer of "Working Man", an unofficial import by the band members of Dream Theatre.
What does Rush mean to you? Since you are probably a Rush fan to begin with,
I'm
sure Rush means a lot. In fact, a WHOLE lot! Just try to put it down in words.
Sometimes there are no words.
There is a common thread that runs through us. We like to think it is very unique
to us
alone, and maybe it is. So many similar stories surface when you pose that age
old
question: What does Rush mean to you? Meanings start very young and most
fans
have discovered the three men from the Great White North at a very young age.
(With the new generations of fans entering the fold like wildfire.) The history of
Rush
parallels our OWN individual histories. I can remember late at night in 1975 in
Chicago picking up a station in Detroit (yes, use to be you could do that more
easily!)
and hearing Working Man and Fly By Night. Who were these guys? Not but a
week
later, did Chicago start playing Rush in a BIG way. They were a sort of cult.
Rush
was this secret club - like that old club house some of us had in the back yard or
in a
tree - Rush was a club. And we thought we were the ONLY ones! No ----
REALLY ... we did!!
It makes sense, the whole individual theme that permeated our minds from the
outset
of Rushs' career. We found connection and we wanted to tell the world, Rush
has
arrived; hear them, see them, take them into your hearts. We did.
The critics roared, and it seemed at times, everyone was against them, coining
them
copy-cats and saying they wouldn't last. "You'll grown out of it," some said. Ah,
but
we knew better! It was plain as day that Rush WAS going to the top. We all
saw
it!
The fury of Bastille Day was our battle cry: "Rush is here, they are here to play,
they
are here to STAY!" How many of us plastered our high school halls with Rush
stickers and graffiti on desks (erasable of course - Rush fans were a brainy
breed
in
general!) and brought in Rush albums to class just to stare at. Oh those
gatefolds!
All
The World's A Stage made a dream like desk barrier when unfolded to create a
cheat-proof shield while I was taking a math test. No one understood. No one
could
touch me in my private Rush heaven. How many times did we hear that. A lack
of
understanding was VERY apparent among the non-believers.
The fantasy and wonder of Rush grew like the beanstalk Jack climbed. 2112
seemed
light-years ahead of its time. IT WAS! (and still is.) Remembering when we
first
heard
2112 is kind of like remembering when JFK got shot or a man walked on the
moon.
YES, it was that impactful, to US. It was the big turning point, when heads that
were
stiff before, turned quickly around proclaiming: Who are these guys? We
responded:
"Our little secret you know, do you have your membership card?" We had a
theme
song that DROVE our lives. 2112 was it and we were proud of it. This
"soundtrack
to our lives," as Neil once called it, was a primary for us all. It was our little
drumbeat,
our beat in life. And boy was it a healthy and "guiding" one. Rush could take the
place
of aspirin, create inspiration for CREATION, drive us to DO what we wanted
to
DO
and never feel guilty about what we chose. Rush was and still IS a great role
model
and one of the finest examples of "a good example" there ever was. Oh, the
parents
dreaded them - that is a common theme. How many times did you here, "When
are
you taking that awful poster down?" Why, I rather like that one. (I'm speaking of
the
2112/A Farewell to Kings era look, silk robes, platforms and all!)
We traveled the road with them. Like a perfect sphere we grew up with Rush,
while
following our OWN individual paths. Sometimes thats a hard thing to relate to
non-Rush family and friends.
Rush fans have always been well-grounded in sensibilities and morality. I'd
even
go
out on a limb and say, "we had it together" (most of the time.) When ever our
lives
became all shook up, we turned to the signal that beckoned like the two
headlights
down the road that we constantly dreamed about in our heads, then started to
see
at
the shows, as Rush brought in the BIG projection screen and showed us the
sights
that went along with the music. How sweet it was how sweeter it STILL is!
Evolution is a fact of Rushology. Rush evolved, changed with the times - not
because
of record company pressure, but because THEY WANTED TO. In every cycle,
every stop in their careers, Rush changed to grow and satisfy themselves. The
fact
that so many fans adore them was icing on the cake. But Rush NEVER did it for
you
nor did they do it for me. As Rush fans, we have evolved as well. We had to!
We
accepted whatever Rush presented to us and took it in objective stride. A
purposeful
one as well.
We followed them on the road. Oh did we follow. Dedication barely even
describes
the conviction and loyalty we have toward Rush. Rush after all are just normal
people
like us - something that we all must come to grips with. That is part of growing
up,
maturing and finally, SEEING them, and if you are lucky enough, meeting them.
Anything can happen.
Through the eighties and into the nineties, Rush slowly got banished from MTV,
criticized more than ever, ignored by Rolling Stone and yet still sold out arena
after
arena to a devoted following. The occasional Rush outburst on the radio was
too
often overshadowed by the flavor of the day release. This culminated with
Counterparts, where in some apparent record company misfire, the new Pearl
Jam
came out the same day, killing an otherwise assured NUMBER ONE like a
bullet,
album for Rush. Like I said, the flavor of the day rules - ah, but that is not our
world.
As Rush fans, we live for the world that OUGHT to be. We are driven to do the
right
thing and have a fun time doing it! We love our Rush!
Rush fandom now has grown from a backyard members only (can you pass the
Rush
test?) clubhouse, to a full-fledged extended family. On the road you meet up
with
friends in every town. We have many sources of fan "connections" through fan
clubs
and cyber-space. We are an organized group, perhaps as organized as any. The
scary thing is: we have a LONG trip ahead of us. Well, perhaps it is not scary
until
you look back at your own life and realize Rush has been a part of it for
decades!
In
my case, I look back some 20 years plus and just can't believe I still hang Rush
photos at work along with a small Canadian flag. The more things change, the
more
they stay the same. Yet many of us owe our successes, indirectly, to Rush. The
inspiration that drove us all to do what we wanted to do. To buck the system.
We
did
it, with the help of Rush. Be it a musician (those who had to pick up a Rick
4001
B/W because of Geddy), an artist, an entrepreneur, a doctor, a baseball player,
a
plumber, an engineer, or whatever we all take pride in our work and Rush is
always
there, as that soundtrack breathing fresh new life into our own. Turning up the
drive,
feeding the machine, turning us upsidedown again forcing us to constantly look
at the
world around us re-examine ourselves. And the music takes us away to places
oh,
the places it takes us to. What we have become is a fan base with a very big
clubhouse. We all have a spot in it. And Rush is still our little
secret
.
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