Errors-To: rush-request@syrinx.umd.edu
Reply-To: rush@syrinx.umd.edu
Sender: rush@syrinx.umd.edu
Precedence: bulk
From: rush@syrinx.umd.edu
To: rush_mailing_list
Subject: 12/07/90 - The National Midnight Star #122
** ____ __ ___ ____ ___ ___ **
** / /_/ /_ /\ / /__/ / / / / /\ / /__/ / **
** / / / /__ / \/ / / / / /__/ / \/ / / /___ **
** **
** __ ___ ____ **
** /\ /\ / / \ /\ / / / _ /__/ / **
** / \/ \ / /___/ / \/ / /___/ / / / **
** **
** ____ ____ ___ ___ **
** /__ / /__/ /__/ **
** ____/ / / / / \ **
The National Midnight Star, Number 122
Friday, 7 December 1990
Today's Topics:
General Administrivia
We're getting famous!
Odds and Ends...
Toronto Music Awards- REVIEW
New compilation?
Rush at PSU?
Album tales and Censorship
Expect more from a Rush fan...
Presto tour
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: General Administrivia
Date: Thu, 06 Dec 90 14:15:41 EST
From: RUSH Fans Digest Manager <rush-mgr>
[ Sorry this turned out to be much longer than I anticipated. Please read
it tho, there are a lot of important messages within. ]
Hello there all,
Well, it's getting to the end of another semester (for those of you
who still hearken to such trends), and I figured now was as good a time
as any to post some general guidelines.
My first request (getting tired of it yet?) is that if you are losing
your computer access for more than a couple of days over the break, I'd
appreciate a note letting me know so, and I'll remove you from the list
while you're gone. You'll have to send mail again later to be re-added;
my memory isn't good enough to remember who to re-add and when.
Secondly, I thought I'd post my 'general removal policy':
--------------------
If I get bounces of 'unknown user' you will be removed in a matter of days,
if not hours (this depends upon how bitchy I feel on any given day :-) ).
In this case I have to assume the person lost their account, and either
didn't or couldn't let me know ahead of time.
If I get bounces with 'unknown host', you will be left on the list until
I see several bounces in a row due to this. Hosts have a way of magically
disappearing and reappearing, sometimes through problems there, sometimes
through no fault of their own.
If I get bounces of 'unable to deliver mail', I don't know why it's
happening. I tend to let those addresses stay on for a few days to let
things straighten themselves out. In a similar case (I suspect), if I
get the message 'unable to deliver mail; mailbox is full', I'll leave
you on the list. However, if it keeps up for several days in a row, I'll
probably end up removing you from the list.
If I get bounces with 'timed out with host <xxxx>' I'll keep those people
on - it's not your fault, and mail tends to keep re-trying.
--------------------
As for the mailing schedule of the National Midnight Star over the
upcoming holidays, it will be pretty much be business as usual until
Thursday, 12/20. There may or may not be a mailing on Friday, 12/22.
(Depends upon if I have time before my department's Holiday Party.)
I will not be at work the week(+) of 12/24-1/1, but may log on from home.
Whether there will be a mailing that week will depend upon me logging
on, and number of submissions.
Thirdly, I'd like to remind you all to keep your posts civil - this
is a discussion group, not alt.flame (or even rec.music.misc). We're all
supposed to be on the same side here. I don't want discussions to devolve
into bashing, please! I know it hasn't happened yet, but it came close
during the religion discussions. I see the seeds of it in the 'content'
comments. Both sides have a point - I'd like to see a middle ground where
people post whatever they want, but we don't degenerate into a blind mass
following 'our gods' totally. We know Neil despises this, anyway. Let's
try to see both sides; post whatever you want, but think first if your post
will contribute more to the signal or the noise.
**********
There's one last important issue I'd like to address here: the nature of
material posted here. Before posting, please think "is it apropriate for
this forum?" What I'm referring to in particular is the list of bootlegs
posted here yesterday. I wasn't thinking much and let it go through. It's
occured to me (with some help from mail from readers) that bootlegs are
illegal technically, and Rush can be pretty uptight about the subject. I
realize there are quasi-legit people out there who sell/trade bootlegs, but
this list is not the correct forum for that. In the future, please do NOT
post lists of bootlegs here; we don't want to turn this into a bootleg forum,
and cause the end of the list. I don't want to sound like a heavy, but I've
gotta cover my arse also. { 1/2 :-) }
I see no problem with *discussing* live recorded material; please feel free
to disseminate information at will! I just don't want to contribute directly
with an illegal activity with this list. What you do in e-mail is your own
affair...
This is even more important in light of the following post!
*******
That's all for now!
Editor,
The National Midnight Star
(RUSH fans mailing list)
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: We're getting famous!
Date: Thu, 06 Dec 90 14:25:59 EST
From: RUSH Fans Digest Manager <rush-mgr>
Well, after a year of operation, the NMS is getting some wider-spread
notoriety. I've been contacted by Andy Currid, who along with his brother
does much of the cover artwork for "The Spirit of Rush", a fanzine which
originats in the UK. He is going to do an article on our mailing list, and
asked me for some background information on the list and some explanation
of the management and scope of the list.
I sent him the first part of the anniversary issue (with Jimmy's and my
comments, comments from 'old timers', etc.), and also a short explanation
of what I do to keep this list going, along with a brief summary of where
the mail gets to (world wide).
I just got mail today thanking me for my input, and that his article should
be in the January issue of "The Spirit of Rush". I figured it would be
interesting to see what he'd written, so I'm going to contact the US
connection for the magazine. To quote Andy:
" ... Seemingly the Spirit Of Rush is available in the States and costs
$4.00 per issue. The US contact is:
Ray Wawrynziak
110, Red Oak Drive
Williamsville
New York. 14221
U.S.A"
I figured I'd pass this along to the list in general. I'm not sure about
a mailing address for those not in the US, but I'll check into it.
Editor,
The National Midnight Star
(RUSH fans mailing list)
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 90 13:22 EDT
From: "This is the Spirit of Radio." <OLIVER_T@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu>
Subject: Odds and Ends...
First post in a while... Been catching up on back-issues of TNMS...
Odd: I agree with most that we should stop these discussions of rap, bunnies,
and other non-essential things. I joined this digest to be a member of a
RUSH discussion group, to learn information, get insight, have fun, etcetera,
*not* to flame each other on these issues which I find uninteresting. Sorry
if I flamed some of you folks out.
End: Michael S Savett writes:
>it mentioned that he was born 'Gary Leibovitz.'
This, I believe is true. I have never heard anyting about 'Weinrib,' either.
[ Ok, people, hit the resources! Check your articles, reviews, stories,
etc. We should be able to figure this out... :rush-mgr ]
On the same note, Broonsey writes:
>could let me know where Leibovitz comes from (if someone says Poland, I'll
>KILL)
Don't hurt me, man, but I believe that Leibovitz *is* Polish. Sorry, dude.
Another Odd: Ken Renard writes:
>electronics. Imagine the studio during the recording of YYZ on
Moving Pictures after the 6th take. There would be broken glass
>Moving Pictures after the 6th take. There would be broken glass
>all over the place without sampling.
[Flamethrower out:]
Sorry, Ken. No glass breaking in YYZ. The funky sound that Peart uses (and
now just bangs on his cymbals to symbolize :-) is a two-by-four, or various
block of wood, broken across a chair, and I don't think that this was sampled.
[Flamethrower out of fuel:]
However, you do make a good point that sampling can be necessary when making
the tracks for a song. I agree with Neil that sampling can improve the
performance of his *god-like* drumming skills (if only just a little bit).
Final End: Hey, folks! Can we *not* include two hundred lines or so of
another person's mailing to TNMS in our replies? It makes for tedious reading
when you have already read it before and must read it again. Thanks, kids!
Have a good X-Mas, and a damn fine New Year! Not to mention a fantastic
New Year's Eve! :=)
-Todd Oliver, Johns Hopkins University
"Let the fray begin!"
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Dec 90 12:35 EST
From: Shane Faulkner <V127L2QZ@ubvmsc.cc.buffalo.edu>
Subject: Toronto Music Awards- REVIEW
Well, they went down last night, a very slick production, with only one
major flaw which I'll get to shortly.
Geddy won Best Toronto Bassist award, and was on hand to accept it. He looks
exactly like his 'Presto' days.
Next came the Drummer award. I thought to myself, sure, Neil will win... he
won't be here though, Ged'll probably accept it for him. When they called
Neil as the winner, I (and everyone else I'm sure) were stunned to see him
walk up and accept. Very un-Neil-like!!! He got a lengthy standing ovation
...... he just stood there looking embarrased and smiling. Then he jokingly
"withered" to the floor from the applause. He didn't say much, just Thanks to
the fans, and the other Drummers who were nominated.
Alex didn't win Best guitar.. that went to Jeff Healy. Rush didn't win Best
Toronto band/international success... that went to Alannah Myles. (what a
farce!)
Later in the show, a 5 minute video retrospective was shown on the video screen
of the boys. It contained a lot of semi-rare footage including AFTK video,
Tom Sawyer studio video, interview from Perm Waves days, Superconductor video
(which I STILL haven't seen in it;s entirety!!) It also showed the Boyz
receiving the Mayor's Award from Toronto mayor (Art Egelton????), which
occured last week I guess.
Anyway, that's the Rush news... the main reason most people were on hand was
to see the reunion of Max Webster, who haven't played in 10 years. They
played 4 songs, and really sounded good.. extremely tight!! They played
'High Class in Borrowed Shoes','Toronto Tontos','Context of the Moon', and
encored with 'The Party' which the crowd sang along perfectly with. After
they left, the crowd went absolutely bananas, and since they didn't put the
Websters on at the very END of the show, the rest of the evening was plagued
by constant shouts of 'WE WANT MAX...WE WANT MAX'....
That's all...
-Shane
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Dec 90 13:28:29 -0500
From: Michael S Savett <savvy@chopin.udel.edu>
Subject: New compilation?
In case some of you do not read rec.music.cd, there was a post today
by someone who heard that since the boyz were not happy with 'Chronicles'
they would be releasing their own compilation, with 'Take Off' and
the unreleased 'Signals' song (Huh?), along with some other goodies.
Does anyone know about this?
_______________________________________________________________________
Michael Savett a.k.a. 'Savvy' Addresses:savvy@brahms.udel.edu
savvy@chopin.udel.edu
Obligatory Rush Quote:
"So many things I think about when I look far away; things I know,
things I wonder, things I'd like to say." - Neil Peart
- from 'Mystic Rhythms' : POWER WINDOWS
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Dec 90 15:14 EST
From: "Michael Leonard Sensor" <MLS129@PSUVM.PSU.EDU>
Subject: Rush at PSU?
Good day, folks...
Seeing the recent posting to the NMS regarding a user's wish that Rush play at
UMD, I remembered a posting I was going to put on the NMS which was in a
similar vein.
Ok, call me dumb, or whatever, but I think it would be *great* if somehow
Rush could be persuaded to play Rec Hall at PSU next tour. I can already hear
the peals of laughter from the PSUVM subscribers, but, hey, it's worth a try!
Hell, if R.E.M. and Love & Rockets (not to mention Bob Dylan) can play Rec Hall
so can Rush. (Granted, Rush is a bigger draw, but...)
If not, well, I guess we'll have to wait for the Joseph V. Paterno Convocation
Center and Personal Shrine to be built whenever the god Joepa retires/dies.
I wouldn't balme Rush for not wanting to play Rec Hall... it might collapse
on them.
Any thoughts from the PSUVMers out there?
-Mike
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael L. Sensor | "He's being kept dead for a year for
<MLS129@psuvm.psu.edu> | tax purposes."
249 Maple Hall | --_The Restaurant at the End
PSU Altoona | of the Universe_
Altoona PA 16601-3760 |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Chris Schiller <chris@cdc.hp.com>
Subject: Album tales and Censorship
Date: Thu, 6 Dec 90 13:09:14 PST
How about some stories of unusual ways of getting albums? I'll
start with my own (semi-lame) story.
My first Rush album was All The World's a Stage which as you all know has
most of 2112 on it somewhere. I played this album to death for a year or
two, but I didn't get the 2112 album during that time. Near the end of my
freshman year in High School (1979) I made a $20 bet with another guy on
a final exam (talk about geeky things to do!). I won the bet, but he
didn't pay for a few months, and I was going to move to the west coast
that summer. Somehow I needed the money for one of those rare dates and
I called him and asked him for the money. He said he didn't have it
but would give my 2112 instead. I thought I might as well get something
out of it. I rode my bike (geeky, geeky) to get it, and put it with
my other albums and didn't play it until I got to the west coast.
When I finally played it, I found that he had sabotaged "A Passage to
Bankok" with a sharp object so that about every 5th groove it would
skip. He also drew moustaches on Geddy and Alex on the sleeve.
Ah well. I didn't replace 2112 until I got the CD, but at least I
have the large version of the cover. I told you it would be lame...
Censorship: I agree with Bob Friedman-Why can't people talk about
whatever Rush related thing they want to talk about? I thought
the Rush list would be immune from what I see as peer censorship.
Everyone is different, everyone has something to add. If you don't
like to read about something, then skip it.
Yes, this is a flame.
It's just like TV, noone is forcing you to read every last post. Let
people talk about sampling for a while if they want to, or bunnies
or how often Geddy cleans his toenails. Just because you don't find it
interesting doesn't mean others will not. By saying "Please stop talking
about this subject" you are discouraging prospective posters. You are
through peer pressure restricting the free expression of others. You
are as bad as the preechers who through pressure and guilt try to control
the lives of others.
Who appointed you the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx?
Don't any of you listen to the words in the music?
Don't you want to hear what the 400+ members of the list have to say?
Maybe the List Manager should post a list of acceptable topics and
the permissable length of time each can be discussed.
There are a lot of interesting people out there, I for one would like to
listen to them.
I'm both disappointed and disturbed.
"I'm not giving in to security under pressure"
-Another extremely relevant Rush Quote
Chris Schiller
chris@cdc.hp.com
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Dec 90 15:39 CDT
From: MICHAELS@nuacc.acns.nwu.edu
Subject: Expect more from a Rush fan...
Howdy Rush fans! I've just been glossing over the Midnight Star during a lull
in finals week here at Northwestern and had to give a Big High-Five to Ron Raderfor pointing out the need to stick to non-trivial topics like the listing of
equipment presently being used by the Canadian Trio. Being a musician and
electrical engineer myself (as well as true Rush fan) I have a tremendous
interest in matters both acoustical and electrical. Yeah, it's o.k. to hear
once in a while about Neil's haircut or some fans throwing beer bottles at
Geddy's head (anyone remember that one?) but let's try and stick to the inter
views and concert dates and album releases and equipment updates.
By the way, I know of no such guitar transcription books which show EXACTLY
what the guys are playing. I'm pretty successful at figuring chords out myself
a note at a time in the case of particularly difficult passages (Broon's Bane).
Anyway, thanks to Dan "Neil Peart" McDonald for introducing me to the list.
Steve "Changes aren't permanent, but change is" Michaels E.E. 91
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Dec 90 08:24 CST
From: 2HMAMIMIC@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Presto tour
I have a question. I have heard mentioned that Rush played "Presto" on their
tour of the same name. How did they accomplish this? Did Alex switch guitars
quickly, or did he just brute-force it right through with an electric rather
than switch to acoustics in the proper intervals?
Comment---I saw them in KC this year, and I really enjoyed. There was just one
thing, however---when they played "Scars" and lowered the net in front of them
to reflect the "light shapes" (for lack of a better word), I became frustrated
because I couldn't easily watch Neil play his fabulous stuff. I hope all of youknow that he did that song in the studio without any overdubs, and played all
(or at least most) of the snare parts with his left foot. I guess Rupert was
quite amazed.
---Mark Pickerel
----------------------------------------------------------
To submit material to The National Midnight Star, send mail to:
rush@syrinx.umd.edu
For administrative matters (additions, deletions & changes), send
mail to:
rush-request@syrinx.umd.edu
To obtain previous issues of The National Midnight Star (in it's current
incarnation), send a request containing your name, e-mail address, and
the digest number(s) to:
htodd@gmuvax2.gmu.edu
Please specify The National Midnight Star (the RUSH Digest), as she handles
archiving for other lists also. These requests are processed in a batch
fashion once a week.
In addition, lyrics, individual articles, and more are now available at an
archive file server accessible via email. For more info, send email with
the subject line of HELP to:
server@ingr.com
These requests are processed nightly. Use a subject line of MESSAGE to
send a note to the server keeper or to deposit a file into the archive.
The contents of The National Midnight Star are solely the opinions and
comments of the individual authors, and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of the management.
List Management
*********************************
End of The National Midnight Star
*********************************