From odin.community.net!uunet!spool.mu.edu!agate!darkstar.UCSC.EDU!news.hal.COM!decwrl!amd!netcomsv!pdh.com!dan Tue Nov 22 11:03:10 1994
Newsgroups: alt.music.rush
Path: odin.community.net!uunet!spool.mu.edu!agate!darkstar.UCSC.EDU!news.hal.COM!decwrl!amd!netcomsv!pdh.com!dan
From: dan@pdh.com (Dan Delany)
Subject: FAQ: Rush Fans Frequently Asked Questions [2/3]
Message-ID: <1994?13.083129.3082@snowbird.pdh.com>
Followup-To: alt.music.rush
Summary: Information about the Canadian rock band Rush
Supersedes: <1994?23.073107.7316@snowbird.pdh.com>
Organization: Shinola Industries: We know the difference.
References: <1994?13.083114.3043@snowbird.pdh.com>
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 1994 08:31:33 GMT
Expires: Mon, 5 Dec 1994 22:01:29 GMT
Lines: 1325

Archive-name: rush/part2

This file is current as of: Sun Nov 13 00:31:29 PST 1994

Rush Fans Frequently Asked Questions List, Part 2 of 3
Generated: Sun Nov 13 00:30:04 PST 1994

   This file contains questions that seem to crop up frequently in The
National Midnight Star and alt.music.rush.  If you received a copy of
this file in email, other than as an issue of TNMS, it is probably
because you asked one of these questions.

   This file has been expanded into 3 files because some mailers have
problems with files that are longer than 60K.  Part 1 contains general
questions about the band.  Part 2 contains questions inspired by
specific albums and songs up to and including stuff on _A Show Of Hands_.
Part 3 contains questions about material starting with _Presto_.

   If you want a copy of the current version of this file, email me and
I'll send you the most recent version.  This set of files is posted on
the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month to rec.music.info,alt.music.rush, and
TNMS.  The FAQ is also available via anonymous ftp from syrinx.umd.edu
(129.2.8.114) in the /rush/misc directory.  The file you are reading
now is current as of the date at the top of the file.  If you are reading
this within a few days of that time, please don't send me mail asking for
the FAQ - you've got it!  Note to people who want a copy of the current
FAQ:  I maintain the FAQ as an ASCII file.  I cannot send it to you in any
special format like WordPerfect format, RTF files, or anything.

   If you have any suggestions for additions to the list or corrections,
please send them to me at dan@pdh.com and I'll add them in
if you have documentation supporting your theory.  Also, don't send
your suggestions to rush-mgr@syrinx.  I'll repeat that because it's
important.  Don't send FAQ suggestions to the moderator of the Rush
fans mailing list.  He doesn't have anything to do with keeping the
FAQ up to date.  FAQ suggestions should be sent to me at
dan@pdh.com and not to the mailing list moderator.

I'd appreciate it if people who submit questions submit anything they know
about possible answers, since I don't have all of the answers myself!

THE FAQ IS A FILE OF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RUSH AND THEIR
ANSWERS.  IT IS NOT AN "OBSCURE RUSH TRIVIA" FILE.
Please consider this before sending me a suggestion for an addition.

I'll repeat that because it's important and people don't get it.
THE FAQ IS A FILE OF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RUSH AND THEIR
ANSWERS.  IT IS NOT AN "OBSCURE RUSH TRIVIA" FILE.
Please consider this before sending me a suggestion for an addition.

I know that it's fun to come up with pet theories for how things
are related to each other.  But please don't send them to me saying that
"It *can't* be a coincidence!"  I routinely ignore such email.  Send me
a reference to an interview or a quote or something from a band member
that supports what you say, and I'll be happy to add it to this file.
If you have a pet theory that you want feedback on, post it to TNMS
or alt.music.rush.

For example:  Don't point out to me that 1001001 in binary is equivalent to
73 decimal, and 73 decimal is ASCII for the letter "I," and the letter "I"
was significant to the plot of Ayn Rand's _Anthem_, and Neil Peart read
lots of Ayn Rand, therefore "The Body Electric" is a reference to _Anthem_.
Believe me, you won't be the first to point that out.  But Neil Peart has
never said anything on that particular subject as far as I know, so I'm
not going to put that into the FAQ.  (Especially since I think it's
a coincidence!)  Remember, coincidences happen, even in Rush songs!

An additional thing to consider is that many questions are answered in,
of all places, the liner notes on the albums.  Please look there before
posting a question.

DISCLAIMER: The information in this file is accurate to the best of my
knowledge, but I'm not perfect.  If you have an answer to one of these
questions that doesn't match the one given here that you can verify, let me
know, and I'll put it in.  But if you make a bet based on this
information and you lose, don't blame me.

One more thing: If you send me mail and I don't answer right away, please
be patient.  I eventually read all of my mail.  However, Rush FAQ-related
stuff has a lower priority than my job.

I'd like to thank Bruce Holtgren <70724.1622@CompuServe.COM> for lots of
editing advice on the FAQ.  He volunteered to proofread the entire set of
FAQ files for me, and he seems to be much better at that than I am.
Thanks, Bruce!

Here are the questions I get asked the most, so I'll put them here at the
start:

What is The National Midnight Star?

   It's a Rush fans newsletter that is distributed via email.
   Submissions are all sent to one address, and the moderator goes through
   the submissions periodically and sends out a digest containing lots
   of submissions.

   (If you don't know where the name "The National Midnight Star"
   comes from, that means you don't watch enough Canadian TV.  For a
   hint, listen to "Red Lenses".)

How can I subscribe to The National Midnight Star?

   Send email to rush-request@syrinx.umd.edu asking to have your name added
   to the list.  Don't send email to me - I can't add you!

   I'll repeat that.  I (dan@pdh.com) have absolutely nothing to do with
   the management of TNMS.  I can't add your name to the subscription list.

What other ways are there on the Internet for Rush fans to get together?

   There is a Rush IRC channel, called #p/g!, but I don't know anything
   about IRC so I can not help anybody use it.

Latest Word on the next album/tour:

   I haven't seen any official word about the rumors of a boxed set of
   Rush CDs.  Until I see official word on the subject, I'll treat that
   as a rumor.

   The _Counterparts_ tour is over.

     - there probably won't even be any *thought* of a new Rush tour until
         at least 1996.  Yes, that is correct, 1996! 
     - Neil is looking into the possibility of getting together a tour
         for the Buddy Rich tribute album, including himself on the tour
         playing drums.
     - Geddy is too busy with his newborn and really has not put much thought 
         into Rush at all.
     - There are no plans for a new album currently.  Yes, that is correct, 
         the band has not begun to think about the next direction.


-------- The following questions and answers are in this file: --------

= Questions about _Fly By Night_

Where did By-Tor's name come from?

What is The Sign of Eth?

Is Rivendell a real place?

= Questions about _Caress Of Steel_

In "By-Tor And The Snow Dog" By-Tor is the bad guy, but he's a hero in "The
Necromancer."  What happened?

Where is Lakeside Park?

What is the significance of May 24?

Has anybody noticed that "Didacts and Narpets" is an anagram for "Addicts
and Parents"?

Does anybody know the lyrics to "Didacts and Narpets"?

In the COS liner notes, a city is mentioned in small print after each
song.  Why is this?

What does "Terminat hora diem, terminat auctor opus" mean?

= Questions about _2112_

Has anybody noticed that you can hear part of the 1812 Overture in 2112?

Where did the story of _2112_ come from?

Has anybody noticed the whispering in the background in "The Twilight Zone"?

= Questions about _All The World's A Stage_

What do the voices at the end of the album (vinyl only) say?

= Questions about _A Farewell To Kings_

What is "Cinderella Man" about?

I read that "Xanadu" was based on a famous poem.  Does anybody have a copy?

Where does the name Cygnus X-1 come from?

Where does the name Rocinante come from?

= Questions about _Hemispheres_

What do the French lyrics in "Circumstances" mean?

Is there a message in "The Trees"?

What does "La Villa Strangiato" mean?

Where do the different parts of "La Villa Strangiato" start/end?

= Questions about _Permanent Waves_

Has anybody ever noticed that the signs on the right side of the _Permanent
Waves_ cover say Lee, Lifeson and Peart?

Why was the headline on the newspaper on the cover of _Permanent Waves_
blocked out?  (Note: The Anthem Canadian release does not have this problem.)

What is the "words of the profits" quote in "The Spirit Of Radio" about?

What is "Free Will" about?

In "Free Will" which lyrics are correct (the ones on the album sleeve or
the ones Geddy sings)?

But I'm *sure* that what the lyric sheet says isn't what Geddy sings!

Where is "Lotus-Land?"

I heard something about a song called "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight."
Apparently it was supposed to be on _Permanent Waves_, but was dropped.
Is there a way to get a tape of it?

= Questions about _Moving Pictures_

What building is on the cover of _Moving Pictures_?

What do the pictures on the MP cover mean?

What is "Tom Sawyer" about?

My _Moving Pictures_ CD is missing the first half second or so from
"Tom Sawyer."  Can I get a new one?

My _Moving Pictures_ CD contains pictures of Geddy and Alex, but not Neil.
Why is this?  Can I get a CD with all 3 pictures?

Who is Pye Dubois?

What is a barchetta?

Where can I get a copy of "A Nice Morning Drive," by Richard S. Foster?

What does "YYZ" mean?

How does Neil play plywood?

At 8:54 and 8:56 in "The Camera Eye," there are some mumblings that I can't
quite make out.  Does anybody know for sure what is being said?
(These mumblings are at 8:55 and 8:57 in the MFSL gold pressing of
_Moving Pictures_.)

What is the mob saying at the beginning of "Witch Hunt"?

What is that thing on Neil's chest in the "Vital Signs" video?

Has anybody noticed that Geddy says "Everybody got to evelate from the norm"
at the end of "Vital Signs"?

= Questions about _Exit ... Stage Left_

Has anybody noticed that the ESL cover photo contains stuff from all of
the band's previous studio albums?

What does Geddy say just before "Jacob's Ladder" on ESL?

Who is T.C. Broonsie?

= Questions about _Signals_

What is the _Signals_ cover supposed to mean?

Who is the writer in "Losing It" about?

Who are Young and Crippen?

What are the voices at the end of "Countdown" saying?

= Questions about _Grace Under Pressure_

Is that crackling noise about 10-20 seconds into "Distant Early Warning" on
the _Grace Under Pressure_ CD supposed to be there, or is my copy defective?

Who was Absalom?

Who is the boy in the "Distant Early Warning" video?

Is "Afterimage" about anybody in particular?

What is "Red Sector A" about?

What songs make up the "Fear" trilogy?

Has this trilogy ever been performed live?

Why do the songs appear in reverse order?

What is the significance of 1001001 in "The Body Electric?"

= Questions about _Grace Under Pressure Tour_ video

Who is Count Floyd?

= Questions about _Power Windows_

Has anybody noticed that _Power Windows_ is "brought to you by the letter M"?

Why is _Power Windows_ brought to us by the letter M?

= Questions about _Hold Your Fire_

What do the three spheres on the _Hold Your Fire_ cover represent?

How many Rush symbols are there in the _Hold Your Fire_ inside photo?

How did Pye Dubois come to be involved with "Force Ten"?  What does
the title of that song mean?

Has Aimee Mann ever appeared live with Rush?  How are her vocals in
"Time Stand Still" reproduced live?

What film are the clips in the "Lock And Key" video and the _A Show Of
Hands_ laserdisc, just before "Lock And Key," from?

What is "Tai Shan" about?

= Questions about _A Show Of Hands_

What does Geddy have sitting on his keyboards in the _A Show Of Hands_
video?

What is the round thing on Alex's guitar in the _A Show Of Hands_ video?

What is happening during the "censored" section of the _A Show Of Hands_
video?

In the _A Show Of Hands_ video, does Geddy really say "Catch the fish?"

In the _A Show Of Hands_ video, has anybody noticed that Alex's guitar
keeps changing?


-------- Questions and answers follow. -------

= Questions about _Fly By Night_

Where did By-Tor's name come from?

   Rush's road manager, Howard, came up with the title at a party.  There
   were two dogs at the party, one a German shepherd and the other
   a tiny white nervous dog.  Howard used to call the shepherd By-Tor
   because anyone that walked into the house was bitten.  The other dog was
   a snow-dog (white ...).  So from that night on Howard called the pair of
   dogs "By-Tor and the Snow Dog." - from scrs_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu

What is The Sign of Eth?

  - This is what Muff (smills@umaxc.weeg.uiowa.edu) posted to the NMS:

    I remember looking up "eth" in the dictionary after I found my
    brother's FBN album in '74 or '75. In fact, I looked up a LOT of words
    from that album back then. :D  From American Heritage:

    eth   n.  Variant of edh.

    edh   n.  1. A letter appearling in Old English, Old Saxon, Old Norse, and
    modern Icelandic to represent an interdental fricative.  2. The symbol in
    the International Phonetic Alphabet representing the interdental voiced
    fricative, as in /the/, /with/.

    An edh looks like:     \_--~\
                               \
                            -~~-
                           /    \
                           {     }
                            \   /
                             ~-~
    Well, sorta. Like a lower-case "o" with a wavy propellor. What symbolism
    an edh has in By-Tor's tale, I have no idea.


  - Also, Josh Beatty (iqm265@uriacc.uri.edu) wrote the following:

    "Eth" is a letter in the Old English alphabet that was dropped from
    the alphabet as it evolved into Middle and Modern English.  It repre-
    sented the sound /th/, as in "cloth" for example.  It looked like a lower-
    case "o" with a cross on top. Capitalized, it was like a "D" with a horiz-
    ontal line through the straight part.  This was also the symbol used for
    a capitalized "Thorn", another Old English letter representing /th/.

    "Thorn" was adapted into the Old English alphabet from a Germanic rune
    of the same name.  The rune, in its turn, was associated with the Gothic
    (as in the tribe of the Goths, not cathedrals) word "thurisaz", which
    meant "demon".

    So "Eth" itself has some historical background in representing demons
    and hell, obviously appropriate in the context of the song.  I suppose
    I see "The sign of Eth is rising in the air..." in two ways: first, that
    it represents simply the demonic power in the Tobes of Hades, and secondly,
    that it represents By-Tor himself and that when the sign is, rising,
    By-Tor is coming forth from Hades to do battle with the Snow Dog (don't we
    assume usually that Hades is underground?  By-Tor would have to rise to
    get out of there to most anyplace?)

Is Rivendell a real place?

   Rivendell was a sage haven for travellers in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of
   the Rings".

= Questions about _Caress Of Steel_

In "By-Tor And The Snow Dog" By-Tor is the bad guy, but he's a hero in "The
Necromancer."  What happened?

   When asked about this on "Rockline," Geddy said something along the lines
   of, "He saw the light."  Neil commented, "I guess he's like
   all of us - sometimes good, and sometimes he's bad!" in the December
   1985 Backstage Club newsletter.

Where is Lakeside Park?

   It's in St. Catherine's, on Lake Ontario.
   Don't email me directions if you went there a long time ago and think
   you remember how to get there.

What is the significance of May 24?

   It's Victoria Day, commemorating Queen Victoria's birthday.

Has anybody noticed that "Didacts and Narpets" is an anagram for "Addicts
and Parents"?

   Yes.

Does anybody know the lyrics to "Didacts and Narpets"?

   Here's the best version I've seen:
   Deep Voice:  "Stay!"
   Geddy        "Go!"
   Deep         "Work!"
   Ged          "No!"
   Deep         "Think!"
   Ged          "Live!"
   Deep         "Earn!"
   Ged          "Give!"
   Deep/Ged     <Wait or Fight?>/<Right>
   Deep/Ged     <Laugh?>/<Right or Wait?>

                Listen!

   In the October 1991 news release from the Rush Backstage Club, Neil
   says:

   "Okay, I may have answered this before, but if not, the shouted words
   in that song represent an argument between Our Hero and the Didacts
   and Narpets - teachers and parents. I honestly can't rememer what the
   actual words were, but they took up opposite positions like:
   "Work! Live! Earn! Give!" and like that."

In the COS liner notes, a city is mentioned in small print after each
song.  Why is this?

   "Ah yes.  This goes back to the 'bad old days' when all we did was tour,
   and consequently had to do most of our song writing on the road, with
   acoustic guitars and notebooks in hotel rooms.  Not the best method of
   composition, you may imagine, but the only one available to us at the time.
   Those cities represent the places in which those songs were written." 
   - Neil Peart, in the December 1985 Backstage Club newsletter

What does "Terminat hora diem, terminat auctor opus" mean?

   It means something like: "As the hour ends the day, the author ends his
   work."

 Assorted CoS trivia:

 "The Necromancer"

  - The song is based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". The three
    travellers are Frodo, Sam and Gollum (more specific references wanted).

  - Ambergris is a waxy substance from the intestines of the sperm whale,
    highly valued for making perfume with.

  - Panacea is a supposed cure for everything.

  - Bacchus was the Greek & Roman god of wine, earlier called Dionsysus.

  - Lakeside Park is mentioned in _Strange Brew_.

= Questions about _2112_

Has anybody noticed that you can hear part of the 1812 Overture in 2112?

   Yes.

Where did the story of _2112_ come from?

   "The inspiration behind it was ...  It's difficult always to trace those
   lines because so many things tend to coalesce, and in fact it ended up
   being quite similar to a book called _Anthem_ by the writer Ayn Rand.  But
   I didn't realize that while I was working on it, and then eventually as the
   story came together, the parallels became obvious to me and I thought, 'Oh
   gee, I don't want to be a plagiarist here.'  So I did give credit to her
   writings in the liner notes." - Neil Peart, in the December 2, 1991
   "Rockline" interview

Has anybody noticed the whispering in the background in "The Twilight Zone"?

   Yes.

= Questions about _All The World's A Stage_

What do the voices at the end of the album (vinyl only) say?

  - According to Darryl Coombs (dcoombs@dragger.ifmt.nf.ca), this is it:

    Geddy:  Wow
            Woah
            Waa
            What a show
            Man oh man, I guess that's it
            Allright
            I'm going <-- (not sure if Ged)
            Yeah, yeah, ok, ok.
    Door slam.

= Questions about _A Farewell To Kings_

What is "Cinderella Man" about?

   The song is loosely based on a movie called "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town", 
   starring Gary Cooper as a man from a small town who inherits lots of
   money and moves to the big city.

I read that "Xanadu" was based on a famous poem.  Does anybody have a copy?

   The poem is "Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  Your local
   library probably has a copy.  It appeared in TNMS issue #88.

Where does the name Cygnus X-1 come from?

   It is the name given to an X-ray source in the constellation of
   Cygnus, believed to be a black hole.  For a more detailed
   explanation, check issue 567 of TNMS, available via anonymous ftp
   from syrinx.umd.edu in the rush/special directory.

Where does the name Rocinante come from?

   In Greek mythology, Rocinante is the name of the horse that Zeus rides.
   It was the name of Steinbeck's motor home in _Travels With Charlie_.
   It was also the name of Don Quixote's horse.

= Questions about _Hemispheres_

What do the French lyrics in "Circumstances" mean?

   "The more that things change, the more they stay the same."

Is there a message in "The Trees"?

   "No. It was just a flash. I was working on an entirely different thing
   when I saw a cartoon picture of these trees carrying on like fools. I
   thought, "What if trees acted like people?" So I saw it as a cartoon
   really, and wrote it that way. I think that's the image that it conjures
   up to a listener or a reader. A very simple statement." -- Neil Peart,
        in the April/May 1980 _Modern Drummer_ magazine

What does "La Villa Strangiato" mean?

   "Weird City" is a rough translation of the title, according to _Visions_.

   Atthe Tossavainen <d37690r@kaira.hut.fi> has told me that
   "La villa, be it Spanish or Italian, doesn't mean a village or a
   city, but rather a HOUSE. Strangiato is probably just pidgin Spanish, a
   made-up word."

   The song itself is based on several of Alex's nightmares and some cartoon
   themes.  Much of this music can be heard on a CD called The Carl Stalling
   Project - "Music From Warner Bros. Cartoons 1936-1958."  Warner Bros. -
   26027-2 (approximately 77 minutes on CD). These are the original soundtracks
   from Loony Tunes/Merrie Melodies, mostly in the '40s and '50s. - thanks to
   jdinkins@polyslo.calpoly.edu for catalog info

   schaaphe@serc.nl (Frank Schaapherder) gave me this information:
     
    The first part of "La Villa Strangiato," "Buenos Nochas, Mein Froinds!,"
    is based on the German song "Gute Nacht, Freunde," written by
    A. Yondrascheck.  I noted the resemblance between the two songs
    immediately when I first heard "La Villa." The notes until the fast
    part are almost identical. Also note the similarities in the titles - 
    they have the same meaning, and the reference to German in Rush's
    title (Mein Froinds).

Where do the different parts of "La Villa Strangiato" start/end?

   This chart was made up by Brad Armstrong <71161.1313@CompuServe.COM>.
   Thanks, Brad!

    "La Villa Strangiato (An exercise in Self-Indulgence)"

                                               Studio    Live (ESL CD)
    I.    "Buenos Nochas, Mein Froinds!"       0.00      0.16
    II.   "To sleep, perchance to dream ..."   0.27      0.49
    III.  "Strangiato theme"                   2.00      2.18
    IV.   "A Lerxst in Wonderland"             3.16      3.36
    V.    "Monsters!"                          5.43      6.09
    VI.   "The Ghost of the Aragon"            6.09      6.30
    VII.  "Danforth and Pape"                  6.45      7.07
    VIII. "The Waltz of the Shreves"           7.26      7.48
    IX.   "Never turn your back on a Monster!" 7.52      8.14
    X.    "Monsters! (Reprise)"                8.03      8.24
    XI.   "Strangiato theme (Reprise)"         8.17      8.40
    XII.  "A Farewell to Things"               9.21      9.14

     Danforth and Pape is an intersection in Toronto. Actually, it's Danforth
    Ave. and Pape St. This is a heavily Greek section of Toronto, and even the
    street names are written in English and Greek. The actual intersection has
    a donut place (there are LOTS in Canada) like two banks and a random store.

= Questions about _Permanent Waves_

Has anybody ever noticed that the signs on the right side of the _Permanent
Waves_ cover say Lee, Lifeson and Peart?

   Yes.

Why was the headline on the newspaper on the cover of _Permanent Waves_
blocked out?  (Note: The Anthem Canadian release does not have this problem.)

   "There are always the inevitable last minute crises, such as the Chicago
   Daily Tribune being still so embarrassed about their 'Dewey defeats Truman'
   error of more than thirty years ago that they actually refused to let us
   use it on the cover!" - Neil Peart, in the _Permanent Waves_ tourbook

   To clarify this:  When Harry Truman ran against Thomas Dewey for
   president, Truman lost in most of the states with early returns.  So,
   it looked like Dewey was going to win.  The Tribune released an early
   morning paper the next day with a "Dewey defeats Truman" headline.

What is the "words of the profits" quote in "The Spirit Of Radio" about?

   It's referring to "The Sounds of Silence," by (if I remember correctly)
   Simon and Garfunkel.  Here are the relevant lyrics:

   "The Sounds of Silence":
   "And the sign said:
       'The words of the prophets are
       written on the subway walls,
       and tenement halls
       And whispered in the sounds of silence'"

   "The Spirit of Radio":
    "For the words of the profits,
     Are written on the studio wall,
     Concert hall -
     Echoes with the sounds ...
     Of salesmen."

What is "Free Will" about?

   "The song is about freedom of choice and free will, and you
   believing in what you decide you believe in." - Geddy Lee, in the
   December 4, 1989 "Rockline" interview

In "Free Will" which lyrics are correct (the ones on the album sleeve or
the ones Geddy sings)?

   "That's a funny question.  I've had a few lately from people who are so
   sure that what they hear is correct, that they disbelieve what I've put
   in the lyric sheets!  Imagine!  People have quoted me whole verses of
   what they hear, as opposed to what's printed, sure that they are right
   and the cover (me) is wrong.  Scary stuff, these egocentric individuals.
   I assure you, other than perhaps dropping an "and" or a "but," we take
   great care to make the lyric sheets accurate." - Neil Peart,
   in the December 1985 Backstage Club newsletter

But I'm *sure* that what the lyric sheet says isn't what Geddy sings!

   So what?  People have argued about this far too much already.  If it's
   really bothering you, write a letter to the band and complain.  Lighten
   up - it's just a song!

Where is "Lotus-Land?"

   "Lotus-land as it appears in 'Free Will' is simply a metaphor for an
   idealized background, a 'land of milk and honey.'  It is sometimes
   also used as a pejorative name for Los Angeles, though that was not
   in my mind when I wrote it." - Neil Peart

   Lotus-land is mentioned in an episode in "The Odyssey" where Odysseus
   goes to the land of the lotus-eaters, where the people hang out
   and eat lotus petals or some such and are perfectly happy but
   are basically brainless.

I heard something about a song called "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight."
Apparently it was supposed to be on _Permanent Waves_, but was dropped.
Is there a way to get a tape of it?

   According to _Visions_, it was never recorded.  Some bits from it
   ended up in "Natural Science."

= Questions about _Moving Pictures_

What building is on the cover of _Moving Pictures_?

   According to rkleiner@alfred.carleton.ca (Ron Kleiner):
   The building on the cover of _Moving Pictures_ is the current seat of
   the Government of Ontario, at Queen's Park.

What do the pictures on the MP cover mean?

   "When Hugh Syme was developing the multitude of puns for the cover,
   he wanted the guys 'moving pictures' to have some 'moving pictures'
   to be moving past the people who were 'moved' by the 'picture' - get
   it? So he asked us to think of some ideas for these pictures.  The
   'man descending to hell' is actually a woman - Joan of Arc - being
   burned at the stake (as per 'Witch Hunt'), and the card-playing dogs
   are there because it was a funny, silly idea - one of the most
   cliche'd pictures we could think of - a different kind of
   'moving picture.'" - Neil Peart, in the December 1985 Backstage Club
   newsletter

What is "Tom Sawyer" about?

   "I've been avoiding most of the questions that ask for explanations for
   different songs, as really the song is meant to do the explaining for
   me!  But since you ask so nicely ... 'Tom Sawyer' was a collaboration
   between myself and Pye Dubois, an excellent lyricist who wrote the
   lyrics for Max Webster.  His original lyrics were kind of a portrait
   of a modern day rebel, a free-spirited individualist striding through
   the world wide-eyed and purposeful.  I added the themes of reconciling
   the boy and man in myself, and the difference between what people are
   and what others perceive them to be - namely me I guess." - Neil Peart,
   in the December 1985 Backstage Club newsletter

My _Moving Pictures_ CD is missing the first half second or so from
"Tom Sawyer."  Can I get a new one?

   Yes.  Here's the address for PolyGram QA:

          Cecilia E. Schultz
          Customer Service / Warranty Department
          PolyGram Group Distribution, Inc.
          6220 Churchman Bypass
          Indianapolis, IN 46203

          Phone:  (800) 428-4437
          Fax:  (317) 788-1803

My _Moving Pictures_ CD contains pictures of Geddy and Alex, but not Neil.
Why is this?  Can I get a CD with all 3 pictures?

   I have no information about why the picture of Neil is missing from the
   Mercury CD of _Moving Pictures_.  The missing picture is present in the
   liner notes for the MFSL gold CD of this album.

Who is Pye Dubois?

   Pye Dubois was the lyricist for Max Webster.  "Tom Sawyer" began life
   as a Max Webster song called "Louis The Warrior," but Pye gave the
   lyrics to Neil after "Battlescar" was recorded.  Pye also helped
   Neil write "Force Ten."

What is a barchetta?

   The barchetta is a type of Ferrari race car.
   Barchetta is actually pronounced "Barketta", according to 2 Italian
   friends of mine.  Another source of information is:
    "The Complete Ferrari" by Godfrey Eaton; 1986 by Cadogan Books Ltd.

Where can I get a copy of "A Nice Morning Drive," by Richard S. Foster?

   It was printed in the November 1973 issue of "Road & Track" magazine.
   It is also available for FTP on syrinx.umd.edu in the
   rush/transcriptions/rush-related directory.

What does "YYZ" mean?

   YYZ is the transmitter code for Toronto's Lester B. Pearson 
   International Airport.  Every airport is assigned a unique 3 letter
   code, and that code is always being transmitted so that pilots can
   tell, roughly, where they are and verify that their navigational
   radios are tuned properly.  These codes are also written on your
   luggage tags when you fly.  The intro to the song is Morse code
   for "YYZ."

   John Ambrose <jambrose@eden.rutgers.edu> has pointed out that "YYZ"
   is actually pronounced "Y Y Zed" in Canada.  This is documented in
   _Visions_.

How does Neil play plywood?

   "Well you wear gloves so as not to get splinters, you take a piece of
   1/4" plywood, and smack it down HARD on the top of a wooden stool.
   Very demanding, technically - took years of practice." - Neil Peart

At 8:54 and 8:56 in "The Camera Eye," there are some mumblings that I can't
quite make out.  Does anybody know for sure what is being said?
(These mumblings are at 8:55 and 8:57 in the MFSL gold pressing of
_Moving Pictures_.)

   No.  {The first time I posted this FAQ, I received no fewer than 8
         emails from people who claimed to know exactly what is being
         said there.  Unfortunately, none of them agreed with each other,
         which tells me that at least 7 of them were wrong, so I'm only
         going to change this answer if somebody can come up with proof
         that they are right, such as an interview or magazine article.
         People don't seem to understand the last sentence very well, so
         here's the rephrased version:

           DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT send me mail saying "I've listened
           to "The Camera Eye" a zillion times, and I know you said you
           want proof, but I know what I hear."  I will ignore your email
           unless you can say something like "In issue X of magazine Y,
           Neil Peart said that those mumblings were..."  I'll repeat that.
           DO NOT send me mail on this subject without a written source
           to back up what you say.  I will ignore your mail if you do
           not have a written source.  I will not consider your email to
           be a correction to the FAQ.  Sending me mail like this will
           be a waste of your time.  Don't do it.
          }

What is the mob saying at the beginning of "Witch Hunt"?

   "It is purposely mixed so that you cannot understand what is being
   said, but the tenor of the situation, the hatred, the ill will, and
   the fear comes through loud and clear.  This effect was created by
   emptying the studio (in the middle of a snowy night) of production
   staff, road crew and band, and depositing everyone in the cold outside
   the isolated facility.  With tape recorders rolling, Neil gave his
   best fanatic's speech, gradually getting more and more whipped up as
   everyone involved let themselves get carried away." - from _Visions_

   Here's how Alex Lifeson described that session in an interview called
   "In The Studio" from the MP era.

   "We went outside of Le Studio and it was so cold, it was really cold;
   we were well into December by then, I think.  We were all out there.
   We put a couple of mics outside. We started ... rauw, raew, wrow ... 
   (starts mumbling), ranting and raving. We did a couple of tracks of
   that. I think we had a bottle of Scotch or something with us to keep
   us warm. So as the contents of the bottle became less and less,
   the ranting and raving took on a different flavor and you got little
   lines of ... you remember Roger Ramjet (sp?), the cartoon Roger Ramjet?
   What was the bad guy's name ... his gang of hoods, they always had
   these little things they would say whenever they were mumbling ...
   mrrblaarrr ... mrrblaarrr ... crauss. It started to take all this ... we
   were in the control room after we had layed down about twelve
   tracks of mob - in hysterics. Every once in awhile you'd hear
   somebody say something really stupid."

What is that thing on Neil's chest in the "Vital Signs" video?

   It's a microphone.  A PZM, to be exact.  It was used in an attempt
   to get the drums to be recorded the way Neil hears them.

Has anybody noticed that Geddy says "Everybody got to evelate from the norm"
at the end of "Vital Signs"?

   Yes.

= Questions about _Exit ... Stage Left_

Has anybody noticed that the ESL cover photo contains stuff from all of
the band's previous studio albums?

   Yes.  Here's the list:
    "Rush" from the first album on the side of a box
    The owl fron FBN
    Picture of back cover of COS
    Man w/star logo from 2112
    The puppet king from AFTK
    The businessman from HEM
    The lady off the cover of PEW
    Two movers from MP

What does Geddy say just before "Jacob's Ladder" on ESL?

   "We'd like to do an old song for you right now ... This was done a long
   time ago by the [possibly "that"] old T.C. Broonsie. This is called
   'Jacob's Ladder.'" - thanks to Michael Sensor <JPJ103@psuvm.psu.edu>

Who is T.C. Broonsie?

   Terry Brown.

= Questions about _Signals_

What is the _Signals_ cover supposed to mean?

   "Well, I was given the word "Signals." It was such a broad concept
   that it was baffling for all of us.  We really had trouble with that
   one, and I decided that, with such a phenomenally important word with
   the kind of potency it potentially had, to go with something really
   dumb, really inane.  But something which would still tie in with songs
   such as "Chemistry," and the subdivision aspect of the fire hydrants,
   lawns, and neighborhood dogs." - Hugh Syme

   In an effort to explain the _Signals_ sleeve, Geddy states: "Well, we
   wanted the album to sound different and we also thought that the packaging
   should have a different feel. When we were talking about _Signals_, Hugh
   had this concept of taking the idea down to a basic human level -
   territorial or even sexual. So that's how the design with the dog and the
   fire hydrant came about. The little map on the back features make-believe
   subdivisions, with a lot of silly names and places. The red dots represent
   all the fire hydrants and basically the whole thing maps out a series of
   territories." - from _Success Under Pressure_
 
Who is the writer in "Losing It" about?

   Neil discusses this song in _Modern Drummer_ magazine, in the April 1984
   issue.  The writer represents Ernest Hemingway.  The dancer "... drew
   a bit from that film with Shirley MacLaine called _The Turning
   Point_ ..."

Who are Young and Crippen?

   They were the astronauts on the first shuttle flight.

What are the voices at the end of "Countdown" saying?

  - This is a combination of what several people (the list is getting
    too long) think the end sequence on 'Countdown' goes like...

   PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER(PAO) 
   - Columbia is now reaching precise window in space for main engine cutoff
     Mark - 2 minutes, 40 seconds...Columbia now 39 nautical miles altitude,
     42 nautical miles downrange...
   CAPSULE COMMUNICATOR (CAPCOM)  
   - Columbia you're lookin' a little hot, and all your calls'll be a little
       early...
   PAO
   - Young and Crippen really moving out now velocity now reading sixty-two
     hundred feet per second
   
   CREW 
   - What a view, what a view!
   CAPCOM 
   - Glad you're enjoying it
   CREW
   - Jay, how does it all look?
   CAPCOM
   - Columbia, Houston, er, we have forty seconds still... left; configure  
     LOS, you're looking good for an over the hill, we'll see you in Madrid.
     And we enjoyed the music Bob, thank ya.  
   CREW
   - Ah, we enjoyed it, we just wanted to share something with ya
   
     And Fletch says "LOS, if I remember my brief bout with 'shuttle & space
   frenzy', is Loss Of Signal". This apparently is when signal loses contact
   with ground control due to some kind of 'blind spot' - when the shuttle
   went somewhere over Madrid, in this case, they'd get signal back. None of
   us is really, totally certain about much of this, but I, for one, reckon
   it's about right.
   
   Bob's comments:
   Fletch is generally right, but what really happened was back in the first
   days of the shuttle program, there were only ground based antennas for
   communications with the shuttle. (as opposed to satellites which provide
   communication about 80-90% of the time today) The shuttle would lift off
   and be in contact with the ground until it went over the horizon from the
   antenna site, hence the term "over the hill". The next station to contact
   the shuttle orbiter would be in Madrid, Spain. Therefore, "see you in
   Madrid" is the term used. "Configure LOS" means that the crew would throw
   a switch in the cockpit to stop the shuttle from receiving signals from
   the ground to its computers until such time as they knew they were over
   the next ground site. Why? Because the shuttle at that time didn't have
   the signal decryption equipment on board that it has today. Anyone could
   have sent commands to the shuttle (perhaps a soviet trawler in the
   Atlantic, or some genius kid who built a homemade radio to talk with the
   shuttle) If you can command to the shuttle you can do all sorts of
   undesirable things. Things have changed a lot today, we only go over the
   hill once per orbit, instead of five or six times, and there's
   encrption/decryption devices on board the orbiter to prevent undesired
   communcations with it.
   
   Another point: Astronaut Dan Brandenstein was the CAPCOM for the first
   shuttle launch.

= Questions about _Grace Under Pressure_

Is that crackling noise about 10-20 seconds into "Distant Early Warning" on
the _Grace Under Pressure_ CD supposed to be there, or is my copy defective?

   It's supposed to be there.  There is a rumbling at that point on the
   _A Show Of Hands_ CD and on the _Grace Under Pressure Tour_ video,
   but people without subwoofers may be unable to detect it.

Who was Absalom?

    He was a character from the Bible, son of King David (the one who killed
    Goliath). He killed his half-brother for raping their half-sister.  Then,
    he tried to over-throw David and get the throne. A battle resulted, and
    (against David's wishes) Absalom was killed by King David's Mighty Men,
    when his hair was caught in a tree and suspended him above the ground.
    David grieved for his son by lamenting, "Absalom, Absalom, my son." I
    have thought about this story's connection quite a bit. Perhaps it is
    about David, and how he had the "weight of the world" on his shoulders and
    he was worrying about Absalom.
    -- from Teri Piatt (tpiatt@lazy.helios.nd.edu)

   To quote Neil:
   "Before I ever knew who or what Absalom was, I always loved the sound
   of it.  I had thought perhaps it was an ancient prayer or something.
   There is a book by William Faulkner called _Absalom, Absalom_, which,
   again, I loved the sound of.  I wanted to put it in the song, as a play
   on words with 'absolute' and 'obsolete,' but I thought I'd better find
   out for sure what it meant.  So I called my wife and asked her to look
   it up in the encyclopedia.  When I learned the real story, and its
   Biblical roots, I decided that it was still appropriate, as it was the
   ultimate expression of compassion, which is what the song was really
   about.  'Absalom, Absalom.  My son, my son.  Would God I had died for
   thee.' (Now don't anyone go reading any religion into that!)"

Who is the boy in the "Distant Early Warning" video?

   He is Geddy's son, Julian.

Is "Afterimage" about anybody in particular?

   The song is about Robbie Whelan, a good friend of the band who died
   in a car accident.  He has the "Right Field" credit in the _Signals_
   liner notes.

What is "Red Sector A" about?

   Red Sector A is the area the band watched a shuttle launch from.

   On the other hand ...
   In the July 1985 Backstage Club mailing, Neil Peart said that,
   "It is one of the 'grace under pressure' themes which captured my
   imagination on the last album, and is not meant to portray a specific
   human atrocity, although many of the historical accounts which inspired
   it were of course set in World War II.  There have been many periods of
   slavery and mass imprisonment in the world and also many fictional
   accounts of the future.  I was thinking of all these things, and wanted
   to try to express something timeless enough to encompass them all."

What songs make up the "Fear" trilogy?

   The "Fear" trilogy consists of:
      Part 1: The Enemy Within (Grace Under Pressure)
      Part 2: The Weapon (Signals)
      Part 3: Witch Hunt (Moving Pictures)

Has this trilogy ever been performed live?

   Yes.  It's on the _Grace Under Pressure Tour_ video.

Why do the songs appear in reverse order?

   "It's really kind of strange how it turned out, and it's not meant to be
   as mysterious and clever as it looks.  It was more accidental.  At the
   time of _Moving Pictures_, I had actually sketched out each of the three
   songs in my notebook and talked to the other guys about them and what I
   was going to go for, but the easiest one for me to clarify in my mind
   and in words was 'Witch Hunt,' because it was the simplest concept to
   deal with, and then 'The Weapon' came next because my thinking led up to
   that point, but in fact a couple snatches of lyrics and even both of the
   verses for 'The Enemy Within' were written as long ago as that, and all
   of the titles and everything were fixed on, and what I wanted to write
   about, but 'The Enemy Within' was the most difficult one to deal with,
   so it ended up being the last one done, so they happened to go in the
   order 3-2-1." - Neil Peart, in an interview on KGB 101 FM, San 
   Diego, 10/2/84

What is the significance of 1001001 in "The Body Electric?"

   In the video, the protagonist is a prisoner attempting to escape
   from some sort of prison.  The number on his uniform is 1001001.
   Many people have converted this number into decimal and noticed
   that ASCII 73 is a capital I and read significance into that,
   but I've never seen anything "official" on the subject.  My
   _opinion_ is that 1001001 was used because it fits and sounds neat.

= Questions about _Grace Under Pressure Tour_ video

Who is Count Floyd?

   He was a character on the Canadian TV show SCTV {similar to "WKRP
   in Cincinnati," but a TV station}.  The Count Floyd character had a
   show that featured really bad movies {movies so bad that even
   Elvira wouldn't show them}.

= Questions about _Power Windows_

Has anybody noticed that _Power Windows_ is "brought to you by the letter M"?

   Yes.  We've noticed the similar accreditations in _Presto_ and
   _Roll The Bones_, too.

Why is _Power Windows_ brought to us by the letter M?

   From the April 1992 Kerrang interview:
   "That started on _Power Windows_," recalls Alex, "when we were sequencing
   the tracks and Neil commented that 50 percent of the songs began with an
   'M' - 'Marathon,' 'Manhattan Project,' 'Middletown Dreams,' and 'Mystic
   Rhythms.' It's as innocent as that. It's nothing to do with 'Sesame
   Street'!"
   "We throw a lot of silly little things into the credits,"
   shrugs Geddy, "little inside jokes. It's just an immature habit we
   developed!"

= Questions about _Hold Your Fire_

What do the three spheres on the _Hold Your Fire_ cover represent?

   "It's so difficult to describe the album cover because you want to
   leave a little bit of mystery, and you want it to be interpreted by
   the person who is holding the thing in front of them.  So I'm really
   not going to say too much about what the cover says to me, but it's
   nothing extremely mystical or anything.  It has nothing to do with
   brown rice." - Geddy Lee, on "Rockline," 10/5/87

How many Rush symbols are there in the _Hold Your Fire_ inside photo?

   It has been suggested that the newspapers on the steps may have
   "Dewey Defeats Truman" headlines.  Unfortunately, the headlines aren't
   visible, even in the big print of the picture in the HYF tourbook.

   the fire hydrant from "Signals"

   the TV from "Power Windows"

   the clock indicating 9:12 (21:12 military time)

   the number 15 on the main building - in the "Hold Your Fire"
   tour book, they mentioned that this was their 15th album to
   date.

   the juggler is clearly holding his fire.

   at the very far left, underneath the chains, is a trunk with
   the logo from their first album.  This was spotted on a 12-inch
   picture disk from the album.  It cannot be seen in many
   other versions of the picture.

   The Chinese neon sign above the restaurant reads "Tai-Shan."

   A friend told me that the car is a Mercury, but I don't know this
   for sure.

   Look right off of the juggler's right shoulder in the open window.
   There is someone's hand shown holding a pistol.  {People have questioned
   this one - can somebody who has found it send me a better description
   of where they see it?}

   In one of the upper right hand windows of the right hand most apartment
   building you can see part of the head and crown of the Statue of Liberty
   who we all know holds a burning torch in her right hand.

   The arches on the building are suspiciously similar to the MP cover.

   Special mention goes to nth@cs.brown.edu (Nate Huang) for the most
   obscure observation yet: "The restaurant sign has the same recognizable
   font style as the lettering on the Grace Under Pressure cover."
   {Yes, I know it's not exactly the same.  Please don't tell me that again.}

   Leaning against the trash can in the front is an oxford shoe, just like
   the one the girl wears on the ESL cover.

   The back side of the owl on FBN is resembled on the lamp post on the far
   right side.  (Only on the CD and tour book)
    { I think this is pushing it a little, but I can see how one might
      see it as an owl ...  Dan }

   A copy of the painting on the far left on MP is wrapped up in cloth and
   leaning against the front steps.

How did Pye Dubois come to be involved with "Force Ten"?  What does
the title of that song mean?

   "It was more or less an afterthought in the writing stage.  We took
   two months to do all of our writing and preproduction, you know,
   preparation for the making of the record, and we had nine songs, and
   we had about a day and a half left of time booked before we were
   supposed to leave and get ready to make the record.  And our producer
   and all of us were pushing for ten tracks on the album, and some
   lyrics had been submitted to us by a friend of ours, Pye Dubois, who
   co-wrote 'Tom Sawyer' with us in years gone by.  And Neil was able to
   put some of his own thoughts to one of the songs that he had and
   present it to us in the morning of the last day that we were there,
   and we loved the results, so we got together and brainstormed for
   about 2 or 3 hours, and we had Force Ten." - Geddy Lee, on "Rockline,"
   10/5/87

   Gregg Jaeger (jaeger@buphy.bu.edu) sent me this tidbit:
   In the _Presto_ mailing from the Backstage Club a writer asks: "What
   does the title 'Force Ten' refer to?" and Neil responds: "The
   Beaufort scale - look it up!"

   {Yes, I know that the definition of the Beaufort scale could be put
    here in this file.  It won't be.  Don't bother to type it in and send
    it to me.  I won't put it in the FAQ.  Why, you ask?  Well, if
    Neil told us to look it up, who am I to ruin the surprise?  So
    look it up - you'll like it. }

Has Aimee Mann ever appeared live with Rush?  How are her vocals in
"Time Stand Still" reproduced live?

   Paul DeCarli, who has worked with Rush on their last 3 tours as a
   systems operator (edits and programs all the samplers that are triggered
   from the stage), sent me the following info on this subject:

    Aimee's voice comes from an audio track of the film that is projected
    behind the band. TSS is one of the few songs played to a click track
    for visual and audio track synchronization. Should there be a problem
    with the film (projector difficulties) the band plays on and Geddy
    triggers the identical parts from samples.

What film are the clips in the "Lock And Key" video and the _A Show Of
Hands_ laserdisc, just before "Lock And Key," from?

   It's called _The Last Mile_.  It can be purchased as part of the
   Video Film Classics series from Video Classics Inc. and Kartes
   Video Communications Inc.

What is "Tai Shan" about?

   "Tai' Shan" (from _Hold Your Fire_) is the name of an actual "holy mountain"
   in China.  The mythical (?) emperor Huang Ti had so much power that he
   was able to summon all the spirits of the world to him on top of
   Tai' Shan to proclaim his power.

   Legend has it that if you climb to the top of this mountain and
   "raise your hands to heaven," you _will_ live to be at least 100
   years old.  Neil wrote these lyrics while sitting at the top of
   the mountain.

= Questions about _A Show Of Hands_

What does Geddy have sitting on his keyboards in the _A Show Of Hands_
video?

   According to Dan Dickerman <dickermn@hpcugsya.cup.hp.com>:

    >I have yet to find a clear shot of the dolls, but from what I can decipher
    >it seems he has 6 dolls and a brandy snifter (with cash, of course)
    >distributed onto 2 keyboards: nearest the snifter is Boris Badenov
    >(Bullwinkle fame) and further to our left is a group of 3 consisting
    >of Rocky the Flying Squirrel (Bullwinkle), a toy robot, and something
    >that looks vaguely like a cowboy drawing both pistols (knees bent, etc).
    >
    >[ I think this last one might be Roger (?) Kneebend, one of Julian's old
    >  toys, which the group sort of adopted as a mascot during the recording
    >  sessions.  I'll try to find the reference to him ...  :rush-mgr ]
    >
    >On the other keyboard (facing the front of the stage) is a thinner toy
    >robot and (this one's really a ballpark guess) a cartoon dog (though
    >none that I recognize) that is acting the part of the gracious waiter.

What is the round thing on Alex's guitar in the _A Show Of Hands_ video?

   Here's what rjf@maxwell.physics.purdue.edu says it is:
   That circular "thing" on Alex's guitar is a patrol patch used by
   some Boy Scouts.  That particular one is the "panther" patrol patch.

What is happening during the "censored" section of the _A Show Of Hands_
video?

   "That's kind of a joke, but it doesn't seem like many people are
   getting that joke.  Actually, Alex, at certain parts of that song,
   would just start rambling into the microphone - all kinds of various
   nonsense, and it actually never got recorded anywhere.  So no one had
   any idea, including him, what he had actually said.  But we loved the
   shot of him just ranting into this microphone, so we decided we would
   put up this bogus 'radioactive' warning about the fact that we had
   'censored' what he had said, and we thought we did it in kind of an
   obvious way - it looked like it was phony, because we put the
   radioactivity symbols right on the screen, but nobody seems to be
   getting that." - Geddy Lee, in the 12/4/89 "Rockline" interview

   Alex laughs. "I'm not singing, it's more spontaneous babbling! You get
   kinda goofy at the end of a show, especially near the end of a lengthy
   tour. That was just crazy rambling, verbal farting. It was Geddy's
   idea to put it on the video." - Alex Lifeson, in the April 1992
   _Kerrang_ interview

In the _A Show Of Hands_ video, does Geddy really say "Catch the fish?"

   Yes, he does.  I received the following explanation from Steve Gadless
   <SGAD7179@uriacc.uri.edu> on Sept 23 1994:

   In response to the question regarding Geddy's singing of, "Catch the fish"
   in Tom Sawyer, I read the answer in an issue of A Show of Fans.  [ The
   article was apparently in issue #5. ]


     What happened is that the road crew had been torturing Neil for the
   entire Moving Pictures tour by leaving fish everywhere.  Neil would
   show up for a sound check and there would be a fish on his snare drum. 
   After the show, the band would return to their dressing rooms and there
   would be a fish in Neil's.  The re would be fish EVERYWHERE Neil looked. 
   In short, he was being tormented by fish.  At the sound check of one
   of the shows, Neil got fed up and took the fish off his snare drum and
   threw it away.  Little did he know that when he did that, the road crew
   was telling Alex and Geddy to watch their feet during Tom Sawyer.  A few
   of the roadies had retrieved the discarded fish and slit it open so that it
   would fit on top of a remote control car they had bought.

     When the band was playing Tom Sawyer that night, onto the stage drives
   this fish.  Upon seeing it, Alex and Geddy both cracked up and Neil
   actually stopped playing to watch this fish go by.  Coincidentally, this
   occured at the "Catch the spit" portion of the song.  From that day on,
   anytime the band has performed the song, Geddy has said, "Catch the fish".

In the _A Show Of Hands_ video, has anybody noticed that Alex's guitar
keeps changing?

   Yes.  This has been discussed several times in TNMS.  The _A
   Show Of Hands_ video was filmed during a 3-night concert series at the
   National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.  Test footage was
   shot the first night.  The majority of the video comes from the second
   night, but several shots were used from the third night's performance.
   In some cases, this was because the shots taken on the second night
   weren't quite right, but in a few places, like the beginning of _2112_,
   it was Geddy having fun in the editing stage.

   Yes, Alex does break a string at the end of "Tom Sawyer," but the
   guitar changes more than once, so it isn't just Alex swapping in a
   new guitar.


 ##############################################################################

  Please send me your suggestions for additions or corrections.  But remember
  that FAQ stands for "Frequently Asked Questions", not "Obscure Rush Trivia".
-- 
Dan Delany, Dan_Delany@pdh.com (NeXT mail OK)
Member of Technical Staff, PDH Inc.
My sister wears combat boots.

