Neil Peart, Drummer & Philosopher

                                                    Neil Peart

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty firmament![a]
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
    praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
    praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
    praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals;
    praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150 NRSV

I was never a huge fan of the Canadian rock trio Rush, even though a couple of songs such as Tom Sawyer are legendary. I do remember seeing the drummer for the band, Neil Peart, on the Mercer Report, with Rick receiving a drum lesson.  

Peart died a few days ago at the age of 67 after several years contending with brain cancer. It seems a miserable way to die for anyone, especially for a man with a fine mind. I hadn't realized that he'd written several books, including an autobiography which addressed loss. A daughter was killed 22 years ago in a car accident at the age of 19 and his partner died 10 months later of cancer. 



                                    Early Rush, Neil Peart in the centre

Peart considered himself an agnostic yet he studied world religions. As a resident of the United States the attempt was made to adopt him as a  "conservative" or "Republican" rock star,  a role he refuted. He criticized the Republican Party by stating that the philosophy of the party is "absolutely opposed to Christ's teachings" That's an intriguing comment because many supposed Jesus lovers in the States seem to have no qualms about ignoring Christ's teachings, and happily trot along behind Republican leadership which is anything but Christian. 

I wonder is Peart's agnosticism was a product of the grief which must have been overwhelming. My own faith would be shaken to the core by the deaths of beloved family members in such a tragic fashion. And the hypocrisy of Christians has undermined the faith of so many in every age, but has a lot of us shaking our heads in disgust these days. 

Peart was considered one of the greatest drummers of all time, regardless of the genre of music. He was also a lyricist for Rush, belying the dumb drummer stereotype. Perhaps he received a pleasant surprise and now has the most spectacular drum kit ever, although for it to heaven it would need to be in a sound-proof room.

Any Rush fans out there? Comments?

Take a look at that Rick Mercer, Neil Peart meeting. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09l35k0rGvY