Rush frontman Geddy Lee has revealed that quite a few musicians made the “inappropriate” gesture of offering their drumming services to him shortly after the 2020 death of his band’s virtuosic drummer, Neil Peart. Lee commented about these incidents while discussing his 2023 memoir, My Effin’ Life, on a new episode of Apple Music’s literary-themed podcast Strombo’s Lit.
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“Oh yeah, I heard from all kinds [of people],” Lee told host George Stroumboulopoulos. “That was a very weird moment. My little black book got filled up really quickly.”
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The 70-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer added, “I was, like, ‘Whoa, that’s just so inappropriate right now. Dude, wait two months, at least two months, if ever.’”
Lee also noted that drummers continue to reach out to him, particularly now that he recently has discussed the possibility of working with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson again on new musical projects with various media outlets.
“It still happens, now that the clickbait freaks are out there talking about Alex and I getting a new drummer and starting Rush again,” he said.
Meeting Paul McCartney
Stroumboulopoulos then commented, “We can thank Paul McCartney for that, right?” The host was referencing a story Lee had told in a recent Rolling Stone interview about how he and Lifeson had met McCartney during rehearsals for the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in London. While chatting, the Beatles legend had encouraged them to get back out and tour together again.
“I would never say a bad word about Paul McCartney,” Lee told Stroumboulopoulos. “He is an amazing person.”
Discussing his conversation with McCartney led Lee to share a recollection of a time when Robert Plant had lifted his spirits after Peart’s wife, Jacqueline, had died of cancer in 1998.
Robert Plant’s Encouragement
The ex-Led Zeppelin singer had invited Lee and Lifeson to come to a concert by Plant and Jimmy Page in Toronto, but Lee had been considering staying at home.
“Jackie had just passed away like a few days earlier, and I said, ‘I’m not coming to the show. We’re too f—ed up,’” Lee recalled. “[Plant] said, ‘No, look, I’ve been through grief. I’ve lost people close to me, and I’ve learned you have to get back to life. Getting back to life sooner is better than later.’ … [I]t’s not always so easy, but he was right, and we went. And it was amazing.”
