(hennemusic) Rush are getting set to launch their "Clockwork Angels" tour, which kicks off in Manchester, NH. on September 7. In a new interview with Canada's Maclean's magazine, Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart shares some thoughts on the upcoming tour and talks about the concept of the new album."This started as a simple [idea]the steampunk image and aesthetic I liked, I suggested to the guys as the basis for some kind of extended work," explains Peart. "It built up to [the album] piece by piece by organic expansion. All the music was created by [bassist] Geddy [Lee] and [guitarist] Alex [Lifeson] jamming in the studio, and many of the lyrics were just extemporized over email."
"There's so much life experience in this storyit's not just a far-blown fantasy," he continues. "'Wish Them Well' [offers] a very mature response to the world that it took me a long time to learn. In a lot of our early stuff, my lyrical inspiration was anger, for sure. [laughs] There's still a lot I'm angry about, a lot of human behaviour that's appalling and despicable, but you choose what you can fight against. I always thought if I could just put something in words perfectly enough, people would get the idea and it would change things. That's a harmless conceit. With people too, you constantly think, 'If I'm nice to people and treat them well, they'll appreciate it and behave better.' They won't, but it's still not a bad way to live." He has more to say here.
