Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast

Our guest this week is Steven Drozd, multi-instrumentalist songwriter for the endlessly creative and innovative band The Flaming Lips. Steven first got into Rush with Caress of Steel when he was 6 years old, and the band's music helped form his artistic backbone. We talk about which Rush album The Lips might cover, favorite Rush songs, and The Flaming Lips' new album, American Head. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is it. The Return of the Jedi of our Grace Under Pressure episodes, wrapping up the trilogy. This time under the microscope: Kid Gloves, Red Lenses, and Between the Wheels--the last of which is to us a contender for "Best Rush Song to Cry Yourself to Sleep To." What I'm saying is, its themes are heavy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we continue our chronicle of Grace Under Pressure with discussions of Red Sector A, The Enemy Within, and The Body Electric—a trio of songs that plumb the depths of human, and android, experience. This one gets a little heavy at times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grace Under Pressure falls in-between Signals and Power Windows, so it can sometimes feel that it gets lost between those two polarizing albums. But this week, we're here to say that Grace Under Pressure deserves its place among the greatest of great Rush albums! Disagree with us--if you dare! *spooky Halloween music plays* Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Martin Popoff previously appeared on episode 37, and he's back to talk about his latest book, Limelight: Rush in the '80s. This is the second book in Popoff's Rush trilogy, and it covers--no surprise--the albums Permanent Waves through Presto. Join us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Derek Bacharach was a Rush-crazed teenager when he decided he wanted to share his obsession with as many people as possible. Thus was Rushology born in March of 1986! We talk to Derek about how the zine started, why it came to an abrupt end after only 4 issues, and the stages the average Rush fan goes through as the band becomes a part of their personal identity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To say Ray Wawrzyniak loves Rush is the understatement of understatements. Ray has dedicated most of his life to the band, and the fruit of his labor is his staggering collection of Rush memorabilia. Ray, our first two-time guest, takes us for a tour of some of his collection and discusses the meaning behind his favorite pieces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Terrie Carr is a legend in rock radio in New Jersey, and is currently the Program Director of and midday host on 105.5 FM WDHA, in Cedar Knolls. She's a huge Rush fan, has interviewed Geddy Lee twice on air, and is chock full of cool stories--some of which she tells when we count down our top 3 Rush concert moments. Really, just Google her. She's the best! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we welcome YYNOT members Billy Alexander, Tim Starace, and Rocky Kuner to the show. We talk about not only each member's love of Rush, but how a long-distance band relationship works. (Spoiler: very well!) And we also play a few songs from the band's albums of original material, the self-titled debut and Resonance. Join us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Brown founded RushFest Scotland in 2013, and the one-day gathering has since raised over £50,000 for charity! The event moved online this year, and this Saturday, September 12, 2020 (on what would have been Neil's 68th birthday), the organization is releasing Tributes: Songs for Neil, Vol. 1. The album features covers of Rush classics by Jacob Moon, Fleesh, and others, and is available for purchase at RushFest Scotland's website, http://www.rushfestscotland.co.uk. We talk with Steve about the origins of RushFest Scotland and how Tributes came together, and we play a selection of some of the songs from the album. And please consider buying a copy of Tributes: Songs for Neil, Vol 1! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we're rounding out Signals with discussions of The Weapon, New World Man, Losing It, and Countdown. One of these songs is a favorite of Gerry's and another is not. Any guesses which is which? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We continue to make our way through Signals by discussing The Analog Kid, Chemistry, and The Digital Man. Is it possible that through the power of chemistry The Analog Kid became The Digital Man? No, but break down each song and once again marvel at Alex Lifeson's amazing guitar work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we begin our discussion of Signals, one of the most divisive albums in Rush's discography. Many long-time Rush fans, upon hearing the keyboard-soaked Subdivisions, abandoned the band--or, more accurately, felt the band had abandoned them. So what to make of this watershed moment in Rush's career? All we can do is give you our opinions, and you'll have to listen to find out what those are! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we talk with Joe Bergamini, author of 2012's "Neil Peart: Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime of Live Performance." Joe, an accomplished drummer, teacher, and writer, tells us about his lifetime of drumming and his relationship with Neil, first as a young rabid fan, then as collaborator on the DVD series and book of the same name, and, ultimately, as friends. Joe's insights into Neil's style and how it's a reflection of who he was are a must-listen for any Rush fan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You probably know Jillian Maryonovich from the documentary Time Stand Still, where she talked about RushCon and working in the Obama White House. This week, we delve a little deeper into how her obsession with Rush began, the impact Rush has had on her life, and where her fandom will take her in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Calcano melded his lifelong love of music and comics when he founded Fantoons in 2012. His Kickstarter in 2015 for a collection of Rush comics and art was 100% funded in its first day and ended up raising 10 times its original goal. Since then, Fantoons has created official Rush merchandise--including the spectacular graphic novel of the making of A Farewell to Kings--and recently released an animated video of The Spirit of Radio to coincide with the release of the 40th anniversary editions of Permanant Waves. And you can hear all about it in this week's episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The week, we talk with the man who lit Rush's lighted stage for decades, Howard Ungerleider. Howard hopped on the Rush train in 1974, when he accepted the role as tour manager to help keep life on the road running smoothly. The hats began to pile on--tour manager, lighting director, accountant--until he decided to wear just one: lighting director. Anyone who has ever witnessed a live Rush show has seen and appreciated Howard's work. We break down some of his favorite lighting tricks and find out which songs he's always wanted to see in the setlist. Join us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we talk with John Patuto, the man who runs one of the go-to websites for Rush fans, Cygnus-X1.net. From the germ of an idea on early fan bulliten boards to the sprawling site Cygnus-X1.net has become, we cover it all. And we try to answer the question, what's the best Rush album closer of all time? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, here we are: the fourth and last episode of our Moving Pictures discussion. This time, we cover Witch Hunt and Vital Signs--two great songs that go great together! We hope you enjoy it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we continue our tetralogy (I looked it up!) on Moving Pictures with our discussion of Limelight and The Camera Eye. Is Alex's solo on Limelight the best he ever recorded? Is The Camera Eye more cinematic that Jacob's Ladder? Tune in to see what we think! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back with more Moving Pictures, specifically, Red Barchetta and YYZ! Two great cinematic songs about different modes of transportation. So help us evade the Eyes, get far outside the Wire, and outrun the gleaming alloy air-cars by recommending Something For Nothing to a friend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moving Pictures is Rush's best-selling album, and for good reason. It contains arguably the band's most famous song, Tom Sawyer, a concert mainstay since the Moving Pictures tour onward. This week, in the first of our 4-part discussion on the album, we tackle only 2 things: the album art and the aforementioned Tom Sawyer. Catch the witness, catch the wit, catch the spirit, and catch the spit with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we talk to Ed Stenger, who runs the ever popular Rush Is A Band blog. We cover the beginnings of the blog, how it grew to be so successful, and how it's changed over the years. We also name our top 3 Rush album openers. It's a harder exercise than you'd think it would be! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we have a great conversation Ray Wawrzyniak--the Rush uber fan in Time Stand Still with the enormous collection of Rush memorabilia. Now Ray has something else to add to his collection: the 12,000-word liner notes that he wrote for the recently released deluxe edition of the 40th Anniversary of Permanent Waves. Ray takes us on a deep dive into the making of this Rush Masterpiece, his feelings about each song on the album, and what it was like to be asked to write the liner notes for Permanent Waves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we finish up our discussion of Permanent Waves. Only Rush can follow up the genius that is side 1 of Permanent Waves with the genius that is side 2 of Permanent Waves! And, of course, side 2 contains one of the craziest songs in all of Rushdom: Natural Science. Buckle in, because it's a wonderful ride. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we discuss one of greatest albums in rock history, 1980's Permanent Waves. The album marks a turning point in Rush's career trajectory. Shorter songs--well mostly--that are more accessible, all without skimping on the songwriting that makes Rush the best band in all the land! Plus, Permanent Waves tees up its follow-up. But more on that in a future episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we talk with author Martin Popoff. Popoff has written over 90 books about hard rock and heavy metal, including the acclaimed "Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home & Away." His latest is "Anthem: Rush in the '70s," which charts the course of the band from their earliest days through Hemispheres. This is one interview you don't want to miss! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listeners have been asking us to talk more about our favorite Rush concert memories, so this week we called up friend of the show Mark Irwin to do just that. Mark is Executive Editor at Insight Editions (publisher of Wandering the Face of the Earth and Clockwork Lives, the follow up to the Clockwork Angel's novel), has worked with Fantoons on The Making of A Farewell to Kings graphic novel, has worked with DC and Marvel Comics as an inker and artist, is a graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art--I'm running out of room! Join us as we take a stroll down concert-memory lane! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Circumstances! The Trees! La Villa Strangiato! It's side 2 of Hemispheres! 'Nuff said! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we pass into Olympus as was told in tales of old! That's right, it's Hemispheres! We've called various Rush albums masterpieces, but Hemispheres is a masterpiece's masterpiece. The album marks the end of the (really) long-form Rush song, and it's some send off! And we find out what makes the Lifeson (or Hemispheres) chord sound so amazing. So run to build your cities and converse among the wise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we came across writer and philosopher Liz Swan's tribute to Neil Peart in Psychology Today, we knew we had to interview her. In this wide-ranging talk, Swan describes how Rush shaped her professional life, how the band's ethos gave her the courage to follow her heart, and how Hemispheres tackles one of the most difficult questions in all of philosophy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we talk to the man who is crunching the numbers and pulling interesting information from raw data, John from Rush Graphs. John's Twitter (@xyyzgraphs) is a favorite among Rush fans because it offers a not so typical take on the band. John talks us through 9 different graphs, all of which are available on our Instagram (@therushcast) and Twitter (@rushfancast). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we get closer to the heart of the black hole of Cygnus-X1 with part 2 of A Farewell to Kings! Topics include Frank Capra, honest to goodness love songs, and what would happen to you if you fell into a black hole. (Spoiler: nothing good.) So when the dragons grow too mighty, listen to Something for Nothing: The RUSH Fancast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With this episode, we enter the most interesting, creative, and imaginative phase of Rush's career. A Farewell to Kings, in our humble opinions, is about as perfect as any Rush album gets--or any album in the history of Rock. OK, maybe we gush a little too much, but can you blame us? It's A Farewell to Kings! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, we're talking about Rush's 2004 covers album, Feedback. This 8-song EP clocks in a brisk 27 minutes and features songs from the 1960s that influenced the band. Once the tracks are discussed, we give our own suggestions for what the guys could have also covered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast, we finish our discussion of 1993's Counterparts. Again, one of us likes side 2 more than the other one does. Who falls on which side? Listen to find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show, we dissect side one of 1993's Counterparts. In many ways, Counterparts, with its heavy guitars and full sound, is a return to form for Rush, a sonic goodbye to the 1980s. Still, we disagree on the overall merits of the album. Who likes Counterparts more, Steve or Gerry? There's only one way to find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we talk to two of the admins of the @RushFans Instagram account, Ryan and Alex. @RushFans is incredibly popular, with over 29 thousand followers, and has recently started a video series called Rush Roundtable. We discuss the history of the account and the top 5 songs that Rush never played live that we would've wanted to hear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we tackle the second half of Roll The Bones. Feedback on part 1 has been mixed, and we can only assume that the same will hold true for this episode. Oh, and we talk about a fascinating truth about the Berlin wall. So let the games begin! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we take on 1991's Roll The Bones. RTB went platinum, and the singles charted well, but only one of us thinks the album holds up to scrutiny 29 years later. But all is not lost: we get to talk about the science show Nova, what Where's My Thing has in common with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and what a parallax is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we have a little housekeeping to do. We read gentle corrections from listeners, continue discussions begun on earlier podcasts, and fill in some gaps left behind by incomplete research. Did we mention there are corrections? And something to look forward to: another installment of The Inboxer Rebellion that does all of the above for this episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we speak with Director of Commercial Music and Instructor of Music at Tiffin University in Ohio, Nathan Santos. Nathan made news when he taught a course called "Rush: Progressive Rock and Modern Society" in the spring of 2014 and the fall of 2016. Our discussion ranges from Nathan's first exposure to Rush, how Rush's ability to reflect the times in their music contributed to their longevity, and what Rush has to say to the Millennials who took the class. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week we heard the heartbreaking news of Neil Peart's death. Upon joining Rush in 1974, Neil changed the trajectory of the band and of every Rush fan's life. His contributions to music cannot be overstated, and his effect on the lives he touched will never be forgotten. In this episode, we reflect on what The Professor means to us, and we read tributes to and memories of Neil from our listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a new year, and that can only mean one thing: it's time to talk about side 2 of Presto! Fewer keyboards, more guitars, and a song called "Anagram (For Mongo)" that contains precious few actual anagrams but is nonetheless one of the most awe-inspiring songs in the RUSH catalogue. Gerry really, really, REALLY loves "Anagram (For Mongo)." A lot. Like, a lot! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show, we dive into one of our favorite Rush albums, 1989's Presto. The album sees the band stepping away from the heavy keyboards on their previous two albums while maintaining the quality songwriting that made Power Windows and Hold Your Fire exceptional entries in Rush's discography. "The Pass," "War Paint," and "Scars"? Who could ask for anything more? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time around, we finish our discussion of what many will, in time, regard as the first true Rush album, Fly By Night. Side 2 contains some classic Rush tunes, and the album as a whole signals the trajectory of the band's career for decades to come. The guys are flying high on this one, so let's go along for the ride! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The New Guy, a Snow Dog, and an angry owl. It's Fly By Night! In this episode, we talk about the man who helped Rush become Rush: Pratt, The Professor, Bubba--Neil Peart! With Peart on the Throne, the band began its journey into the beautiful weirdness of their prog days that began with "By-Tor and the Snow Dog," and we ask the question, "How did Geddy wrap his mouth around the lyrics to 'Beneath, Between, and Behind'?" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show, we finish up our discussion of Rush's first album, the appropriately titled Rush! Side 2 contains the band's first big song, the crowd favorite "Working Man." Gerry also shares his thoughts on who gets into Rock and Roll of Fame and why. So grab yourself an ice-cold beer and join us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we go back to the one that started it all: 1974's self-titled debut, Rush! The guitars are loud, the voice is high, and the drums thunder. Rush is the only album to feature original drummer John Rutsey. And make no mistake about it, John is a fantastic player. So put on your platform shoes, pop those shirt buttons, and throw on your bell bottoms, we're listening to Rush! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here it is, the the last episode of our Vapor Trails triptych. The final five songs are heavy with symbolism and metaphor. There's also part four of the Fear Trilogy. Hold on. *checks notes* Yup. Part four. Douglas Adams would be proud. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices