RUSH: Beyond the Lighted Stage – Review

My wife and I saw the RUSH documentary ‘RUSH: Behind the Lighted Stage’ last night, and man, oh man what a show.  I was glad that I went, and it exceeded all my expectations – a great documentary.

We saw it at the Rave theater in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  The large theater room was about 2/3 filled.  I did not see a single person leave during the entire show – no bathroom breaks, no popcorn runs, nothing.  We were hanging on every word.  Including my wife, I think there were three women in the audience.  When it comes to RUSH, women mostly don’t seem to ‘get it’.  On the other hand, I am not sure that many of the men who were there were … ‘getting it’ if you know what I mean (RUSH is kind of nerd rock after all), which might also explain the lack of women in the audience.  At the end of the movie there was applause.  Real, mature, appreciative applause.

The movie follows the lives of the band members from the very beginning (I was born…) up to today.  You get a great feel for the personalities and character of each member.  There is an impressive amount of very early footage from their humble beginnings.  The balance of the talking and the music is just right, and I love how they would show some of the original lyric drafts during many of the songs.  Live concert footage and music video accompanies many of the songs.  What struck me most was what a genuine friendship and love these guys have for each other.  Also how willing they were to make fun of themselves – it was a very open, honest look inside.  The bad critical reviews, the horrible fashion sense, the (unfortunate?) synthesizer era, the geek/nerd perceptions were all there with no sense of defensiveness.

The endorsements of many rock celebrities was interesting to hear.  KISS, Metallica, Sebastian Bach, Jack Black, etc. all gave such insightful, genuine compliments and observations.  Jack Black seems like a true fan, as does Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), and Kirk Hamett (Metallica).  It was nice to see and hear this. 

Also this movie was quite funny.  The sense of humor of RUSH is very underrated.

There also seemed to be a subtle purpose to this documentary – get these guys in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  This was not a major part of the film, but the HofF snubbing of Rush was presented – almost like some quiet conspiracy at Rolling Stone to forever keep RUSH out.  Again, this was not overdone, just presented.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this film.  If you missed it, I am sure you can view it through Netflix someday – I highly recommend it.

A RUSH documentary in Theaters Summer 2010?!

For a long time fan like me, this seems to good to be true.  So much so that I am skeptical of it.  But it is linked to on their official website – therefore it must be true.

The Preexistence/Mortality Continuum

One of the questions many people have about life on this world is why some people seem to have so many advantages over others. Some souls are fortunate enough to be born of goodly parents, in modern times, under prosperous circumstances, with the gospel handed to them. Others may be sent to abusive parents, in terrible poverty, with no chance to live the gospel. Many wonder about the apparent injustice of this inequality, and question whether there is a God, and if so, does he know what he is doing. These types of questions are expressed in a song titled ‘The Larger Bowl’ by Rush on the new album ‘Snakes and Arrows’ (which I highly recommend) that came out May 1st.

If we’re so much the same, like I always hear
why such different fortunes and fates?
some of us live in a cloud of fear
some live behind iron gates

why such different fortunes and fates?
some are blessed and some are cursed
some live behind iron gates
while others see only the worst

some are blessed and some are cursed
the golden one or scarred from birth
while others only see the worst
such a lot of pain on the earth

the golden one or scarred from birth
some things can never be changed
such a lot of pain on this earth
it’s somehow so badly arranged

some things can never be changed
some reasons will never come clear
it’s somehow so badly arranged
if we’re so much the same, like I always hear

I think there was a time in the church when we talked about the ‘elect’ more than we do now. One group that still gets told this is the youth. They are frequently told that they were the most valiant spirits and were reserved to come forth in the last days. I was told the same things when I was a youth. This message has some implications. It implies that the youth are in a way better than their parents and grandparents – at least they were better in the preexistence. It also implies that they were better than those who were born in circumstances where the gospel is not handed to them.

I believe this idea has some scriptural basis in Abraham chapter 3 where Abraham is shown some of the noble and great spirits who are forordained to be made God’s leaders on earth. This suggests that there were also spirits who were not so noble nor great, and will not be forordained to be leaders, or anything else perhaps. We have the extreme examples of Christ and Lucifer, both spirit children of God, one who was selected to be the savior, and the other who was cast out. It seems evident that preexistent spirits were able to make choices and progress for a very long time with varying levels of success.

I have long believed that our mortal life on earth is a continuation of our preexistence, and that in at least general terms our conditions on earth are based on our progress in the preexistence. This belief assumes that God is deciding where, and when we come to earth. It also assumes that there is some merit involved in that decision.

This is a little difficult to express sometimes, particularly to people who came from worse conditions. Perhaps it is tactful that we do not talk about this idea as much anymore. Is the idea of a preexistence/mortality continuum not fairly sound doctrine that provides an explanation for such different fates that we find ourselves in upon the painful earth? Perhaps that is what Neil Peart was missing when he considered the lyrics to his song. Maybe his basic assumption is wrong. Maybe we are not so much the same. Maybe we are quite different from each other, not just in terms of genetics and environment, but also in spiritual progression stemming back to our premortal life. Does this not adequately explain different conditions for people on the earth?

Why I am a Rush Fan

I have done more than just let it slip that I am a Rush fan. In celebration of their new album coming out May 1st, and their summer tour to follow, I thought I might explain this strange admiration I have for a silly rock band.

Spirit of Bloggernacle

To the tune of Spirit of Radio.

Begin the day, with a friendly blog,
A companion unobtrusive.
Writes that post, that’s so elusive.
And that magic Mormon makes you morning mood.

Off at your job, on an open break,
There is magic at your fingers.
And the spirit ever lingers,
Undemanding contact in your happy solitude.

Dial up modems crackle with life,
Bright monitors bristle with the energy.
Spiritual feedback on unlimited bandwidth,
Bearing a Pearl of Great Price,
Almost free…….

All this machinery making Mormon blogging
Can still be open-hearted.
Not church correlated
It’s really just a question of your honesty
Yeah your honesty.
One likes to believe in the freedom of blogging,
But flattering comments, and sometimes guilty conscience
Shatter the illusion of integrity.

The words on the prophets were linked to the official website.
lds.org
It echoes with the sound of Intellectuals.

Bloggin’ Man (A Rush Parody)

The following are modified lyrics to “Workin’ Man” by Rush. I have been using my lyrics whenever I listen to this song or when it goes through my head. It says a bit about what I feel about blogging sometimes.

Choosing Free Will over Determinism

I read with interest the Fullness of the Gospel series on Agency which addresses free will. This has caused me to contemplate the lyrics to a great song called ‘Free Will’ by my favorite music group RUSH. The lyrics to me seem to take one through the process of naive free will, to determinism, to choosing free will over determinism, or what may be called enlightened free will. Those of you who know me a little know that these are words I barely even know. I am like a fish out of water here, but I would not mind increasing my understanding of this type a thing, at least a little.