And I define it better now: I’m a libertarian, but a bleeding-heart libertarian. Where do you stand politically – left or right? But these things are wide open to misinterpretation, and that was a classic case. As far as I was concerned, we were just having an intellectual conversation. And we all felt totally betrayed after, because we had a lovely time with the guy. I recall that NME interview very well because the conversation was great. You were never more misunderstood than in 1977, when the NME portrayed you as a borderline fascist for basing the Rush song 2112 on the work of right-wing philosopher Ayn Rand. There’s a quote that I use: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Most human life is made up of some mixture of happiness and misery. I know I represent some kind of fantasy to a lot of people. I love my job and I love the people that I work with. I said: “It is a good life, but it has a price.” That’s the reality. I mentioned it to Geddy one night when he was with a friend, and his friend said: “Well, it seems you have a pretty good life.” And he said: “You have to do it because you can.” I thought about that phrase for the longest time. I told him I didn’t really like touring but felt that I had to. Some years ago I met a wise man, Elliot Mintz, who was the PR guy for Bob Dylan and John Lennon. It’s too easy to get caught up in the tedious day-to-day stuff and miss the miracle that’s unfolding before you.ĭo you consider touring a necessary evil? People don’t place enough value on family life. Your family and friends, their lives continue and you’re not part of them. Being away when children are growing up and when your partner needs you around, it’s wrenching. Honestly, people don’t realise the sacrifice you make as a touring musician. But people were out there because they’d decided to do it. I’ve ridden across the Yorkshire moors when it was cold and raining I was suffering. And I’ve carried that with me all my life. I lived in Britain as a teenager for a couple of years, and what I learned was: nothing is contingent on the weather. I’ve really noticed how outdoorsy British people are. And when you’re somewhere remote, other travellers immediately know that you’re one of them – that you’re cool, because you’re there! I’ve experienced this in the Arctic, in Africa… People are smiling and friendly because you’re kin: hikers, cross-country skiers, bicyclists, motorcyclists. And it’s a hugely planned effort to see everything we can. In America I usually go by myself, but in Europe I have a riding partner who spends months on the road with me. The roads I want are the ones that people don’t travel unless they live on them. I love the anonymity of my travels.Īnd when you’re touring on a motorcycle, you must see a lot more of the world I’ve spent a lot of time in truck stops and diners and cafes, very casual, low-grade places, and those are the encounters I have: stranger to stranger, I guess you could say. Every day when I’m on tour and travelling between cities on my motorcycle, I have half-a-dozen pleasant encounters with people. Is that what fame means to you – alienation?Īnother line from Limelight that grew in resonance over the years is: ‘ One must put up barriers to keep oneself intact.’ But there is a corollary that I try to explain. And he said: “If you’re a songwriter and you write about what’s near to you, if you become alienated you’re going to write about being alienated.” Many years ago a DJ played a track from Wish You Were Here, one of the alienation songs that preceded The Wall. Did that album resonate with you?Įnormously. There are echoes of Pink Floyd’s The Wall in Limelight. But I can never resist trying to explain. If you meet someone at the launderette and they go: “Oh, this is the greatest moment of my life!” I like the motto: ‘never complain, never explain’. What kind of encounter makes you feel uncomfortable? I still mean every word of Limelight, however crudely it might have been expressed. And when I listen to early songs, I might cringe technically, but never psychologically or emotionally. My ability to express myself has grown and evolved over the years. And, honesty, I’ve never had to retract it. That was a subject you addressed in the 1981 song Limelight: ‘ I can’t pretend a stranger is a long-awaited friend.’ Are you still the same person who wrote that lyric?Įntirely so.
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