cont. Whereas Peart is influenced by the writing, views and philosophy of others, it is important to note, that he is most definitely his own man. Personally inspired by The Who to play drums and write songs, his influences show in his work, but they also show departure and his own distinct personality blazing through. From the same interview, Peart said; "... I realized that there were certain elements of her [referring to Ayn Rand's writing and philosophy] thinking and work that were affirming for me, and others that weren't. That's an important thing for any young idealist to discover -- that you are still your own person."

His sense of who he is, and how he all fits into the big picture; makes him brilliant. In a 1988 interview, Malcolm Dome asked Peart; "How do you think people perceive you as a person and as a musician?" Peart replied; "I regard that question as irrelevant to my position as a musician." "Maybe you should ask me if I care?"

When asked how he reacts to fame and handling the whole 'Stardom thing' he replied; "As a musician all you want to do is remain intact, but as a writer I needed to maintain objectivity, contact and anonymity. As a listener you learn a lot more than as a talker, yet if you're sitting with a group of people, you can't just sit back and soak up the vibes if you're the center of attention. Fame was just a negative factor on me as a person and as a professional and I had to push it all away."

Peart has written a book called: "The Masked Rider - Cycling in West Africa." In addition, he has also written articles and editorials, and in 1994 co-authored a short story "Drumbeats - Shock Rock II" with Kevin J. Anderson for the horror anthology Shock Rock II.

AUTHORS FINAL NOTES:

As I stated in the beginning of this feature, I live by the words of the song "Bravado." It says to me, no matter how much it will cost, no matter how high the price, NO MATTER WHAT... go for it. That's hard to implement in everyday living when we are cautious and fearful to take risks, especially as we grow older, and the prices of risks seem to have gone up considerably.

Reading through the many interviews with Peart, I read a reference he made in regards to blazing a new trail and writing the kinds of songs he and the group as a whole felt comfortable with, rather than conforming to what the record labels were saying they wanted during a time of 'Top 40 sound and look a likes. He said; "We did our best but didn't achieve what we wanted. You pay a price in that the song is lost and it leaves a little pang of sadness. But if I couldn't look back at songs which were unsuccessful in certain terms then perhaps there wouldn't be any chains of development of progression to other, later numbers."
Yeah... ßravado!
Nancy Imelda Schafer - ~§pyder~

feature | lyrics | books | credits

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