Neil Peart

Neil Ellwood Peart OC (born September 12, 1952 in Caledonia, Ontario) is the main lyricist and drummer for the progressive rock band Rush. Nicknamed The Professor, Peart has received many awards for his re

Neil Ellwood Peart OC (born September 12, 1952 in Caledonia, Ontario) is the main lyricist and drummer for the progressive rock band Rush. Nicknamed The Professor, Peart has received many awards for his recorded performances and has often been proclaimed as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time due to his technical profiency. In terms of his overall influence he is one of the most important drummers in history. He uses a famously elaborate drum kit, which has ranged in size from merely large to truly elephantine. His drumming style is eclectic: he cites influences ranging from The Who's Keith Moon to jazz drummer Buddy Rich, and fans look forward to his complicated, technical solos in live shows. His last name is pronounced 'Peert', although many mispronounce it Pert.

Literary references abound in Peart's lyrics, most likely because Peart is an avid reader. Examples include William Shakespeare ("Limelight"), Friedrich Nietzsche ("Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres"), John dos Passos ("The Camera Eye", "The Big Money"), J. R. R. Tolkien ("Rivendell", "The Necromancer") and Samuel Taylor Coleridge ("Xanadu"). Some of the most oft-commented upon are homages to Ayn Rand's novel Anthem, in Rush's 1975 song of the same name on their Fly by Night album, and again in an explicitly acknowledged derivation in 1976's 2112 suite. "There was a remarkable backlash, especially from the English press— this being the late seventies, when collectivism was still in style, especially among journalists," Peart said. "They were calling us 'junior fascists' and 'Hitler lovers.' It was a total shock to me." Weary of accusations of Fascism, or even simply ideological fealty to Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, Peart has sought to remind listeners of his eclecticism and independence in interviews. He did not, however, try to argue in defense of Rand's views.