Uploaded November 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
This interview took place on May 24, 1984, in San Francisco. At the time Rush was touring in support of their "Grace Under Pressure" album, and they were booked to play three nights at the Cow Palace. Before we met at a hotel that afternoon, Alex and I agreed to focus our interview on a track-by-track breakdown of his exceptional playing on the new album.
To my ears, Alex’s taut, textural style perfectly framed and mirrored bassist Geddy Lee's impassioned vocals and drummer Neil Peart's lyrics, which expressed his concerns about the ecology, breakdowns in international communication, the specter of nuclear war, and other subjects trending in the news. Alex’s playing on the album travelled in uncommon directions, blending chorused tones, unique vibrato bar passages, and uncommon note and chord choices. And, as he explains during our conversation, he was given a freer hand by their new producer, Peter Henderson. I hope you enjoy this conversation!
Portions of this interview were transcribed for my August 1984 article in Guitar Player magazine, "Alex Lifeson Playback: The Making of an Album."
If you enjoy this unique recording, be sure to check out the many other historic, guitar-intensive interviews on the Talking Guitar YouTube channel. To help us continue producing podcasts like this one, hit that donate button and send some support our way: paypal.me/TalkingGuitar.
Thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for enhancing the sound of the 39-year-old master tape. For more than a hundred other guitar-intensive podcasts, interview transcripts, and articles, visit Talking Guitar magazine at jasobrecht.substack.com/. #rush #alexlifeson #geddylee #neilpeart #jasobrecht #talkingguitar #nikhunt #guitarplayermagazine
This podcast is copyright 2023 by Jas Obrecht. All rights reserved.
This interview took place on May 24, 1984, in San Francisco. At the time Rush was touring in support of their "Grace Under Pressure" album, and they were booked to play three nights at the Cow Palace. Before we met at a hotel that afternoon, Alex and I agreed to focus our interview on a track-by-track breakdown of his exceptional playing on the new album.
To my ears, Alex’s taut, textural style perfectly framed and mirrored bassist Geddy Lee's impassioned vocals and drummer Neil Peart's lyrics, which expressed his concerns about the ecology, breakdowns in international communication, the specter of nuclear war, and other subjects trending in the news. Alex’s playing on the album travelled in uncommon directions, blending chorused tones, unique vibrato bar passages, and uncommon note and chord choices. And, as he explains during our conversation, he was given a freer hand by their new producer, Peter Henderson. I hope you enjoy this conversation!
Portions of this interview were transcribed for my August 1984 article in Guitar Player magazine, "Alex Lifeson Playback: The Making of an Album."
If you enjoy this unique recording, be sure to check out the many other historic, guitar-intensive interviews on the Talking Guitar YouTube channel. To help us continue producing podcasts like this one, hit that donate button and send some support our way: paypal.me/TalkingGuitar.
Thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for enhancing the sound of the 39-year-old master tape. For more than a hundred other guitar-intensive podcasts, interview transcripts, and articles, visit Talking Guitar magazine at jasobrecht.substack.com/. #rush #alexlifeson #geddylee #neilpeart #jasobrecht #talkingguitar #nikhunt #guitarplayermagazine
This podcast is copyright 2023 by Jas Obrecht. All rights reserved.
