Geddy Lee & Neil Peart Weren’t Happy with Alex Lifeson’s ‘Blah’ Rock Hall Speech
Alex Lifeson gave one of the most memorable speeches in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony history. When Rush was finally inducted into the Rock Hall in 2013,…
Alex Lifeson gave one of the most memorable speeches in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony history. When Rush was finally inducted into the Rock Hall in 2013, his speech was a bizarre, yet, emotionally ranging two minutes of saying the word "blah" over and over. (You can see it in its entirety below at the 4:14 mark.)
So, what did bandmates Geddy Lee and Neil Peart think of this moment? Not much. In fact, Lifeson said, "They wanted to kill me. They were really upset."
Lifeson made these comments in a 2019 interview with Planet Rock magazine (h/t Classic Rock.) The "blah" idea came to Lifeson during a brief rehearsal for the Rock Hall ceremony. Instead of relying on a teleprompter, he wanted to memorize his speech, but he was having trouble doing so.
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He started second-guessing whether he'd have the guts to do such a thing. Lifeson then ran the idea past his wife during the ceremony, and she wasn't terribly impressed with it either. However, he stuck to his guns and went with his plan.
"All these people were getting up and giving these long-winded speeches, most of which were really f-cking boring," recalled Lifeson. "I thought, 'Here we are in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame - isn’t rock supposed to be irreverent?'"
Lifeson then added that part of the reason Lee and Peart were upset was due to the fact both of them preceded him with really poignant speeches. The bassist and drummer eventually got over it though, particularly Peart.
Lifeson said, "The following day I got an email from Neil saying, 'I owe you an apology the size of Texas. I am so sorry that I got upset. I’ve been inundated with emails from everybody I know saying, Wasn’t Alex’s speech great?’ So I was vindicated!"
Few bands have enjoyed legendary decades-spanning career like Rush. Fewer still have been able to take their final bow on their own terms. Once Rush reached arena-headlining status, they never had to "downsize," or even go on package tours. They rarely played multi-act festivals and towards the end of their career, even stopped using opening acts on their tours, so that they could play longer shows. They also were always able to play a lot of new music at their shows, and fans responded. They've had classic songs on every album, starting with their self-titled debut in 1974, up through their final album, 2012's Clockwork Angels. Of course, that made it difficult to narrow down this list to just 50 songs -- and of course so many of you will disagree with the songs we included, the songs we didn't include, and the order. That's part of the fun of lists, though.
50 - “The Wreckers” from ‘Clockwork Angels’ (2012)
Roadrunner49 - “I Think I’m Going Bald” from ‘Caress Of Steel’ (1975)
Universal48 - “Seven Cities Of Gold” from ‘Clockwork Angels’ (2012)
Roadrunner47 - “In The End (live)” from ‘All The World’s A Stage’ (1976)
Universal46 - “The Fountain of Lamneth” from ‘Caress Of Steel’ (1975)
Universal45 - “Resist (live)” from ‘Rush In Rio’ (2003)
Anthem44 - “The Necromancer” from ‘Caress Of Steel’ (1975)
Universal43 - “Mystic Rhythms” from ‘Power Windows’ (1985)
Universal42 - “Ghost Rider” from ‘Vapor Trails’ (2002)
Atlantic41 - “Lakeside Park” from ‘Caress of Steel’ (1975)
Universal40 - “Best I Can” from ‘Fly By Night’ (1975)
Universal39 - “Here Again” from ‘Rush’ (1974)
Universal38 - “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” from ‘Fly By Night’ (1975)
Universal37 - “In The Mood” from ‘Rush’ (1974)
Universal36 - “Between The Wheels” from ‘Grace Under Pressure’ (1984)
Universal35 - “Force Ten (live)” from ‘A Show Of Hands’ (1989)
Universal34 - “Beneath, Between & Behind” from ‘Fly By Night’ (1975)
Universal33 - “Finding My Way” from ‘Rush’ (1974)
Universal32 - “Cygnus X-1 Book One: The Voyage” from ‘A Farewell To Kings’ (1977)
Universal31 - “Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres” from ‘Hemispheres’ (1978)
Universal30 - “Nobody’s Hero” from “Counterparts” (1993)
Atlantic29 - “New World Man” from ‘Signals’ (1982)
Universal28 - “Anthem (live)” from ‘All The World’s A Stage’ (1976)
Universal27 - “The Analog Kid” from ‘Signals’ (1982)
Universal26 - “Dreamline (live)” from ‘Clockwork Angels Tour’ (2013)
Anthem25 - “Time Stand Still (featuring Aimee Mann)” from ‘Hold Your Fire’ (1987)
Universal24 - “Vital Signs” from ‘Moving Pictures’ (1981)
Universal23 - “Animate” from ‘Counterparts’ (1993)
Atlantic22 “Xanadu” from ‘A Farewell To Kings’ (1977)
Universal21 - “The Big Money” from ‘Power Windows’ (1985)
Universal20 - “Losing It (live, featuring Jonathan Dinklage”) from ‘R40 Live’ (2015)
Anthem19 - “Red Sector ‘A’ (live)” from ‘Grace Under Pressure Tour Live (recorded in 1984)
Universal18 - “La Villa Strangiato (live)” from ‘Exit… Stage Left’ (1981)
Universal17 - “Show Don’t Tell” from ‘Presto’ (1989)
Atlantic16 - “A Farewell To Kings” from ‘A Farewell To Kings’ (1977)
Universal15 - “Freewill” from ‘Permanent Waves’ (1980)
Universal14 - “Distant Early Warning” from ‘Grace Under Pressure’ (1984)
Universal13 - “Fly By Night” from ‘Fly By Night’ (1975)
Universal12 - “Bastille Day (live)” from ‘All The World’s A Stage’ (1976)
Universal11 - “One Little Victory” from ‘Vapor Trails’ (2002)
Atlantic10 - “Far Cry” from ‘Snakes and Arrows’ (2007)
Atlantic9 - “Subdivisions” from ‘Signals’ (1982)
Universal8 - “Working Man” from ‘Rush’ (1974)
Universal7 - “Limelight” from ‘Moving Pictures’ (1981)
Universal6 - “2112” from ‘2112’ (1976)
Universal5 - “Closer To The Heart” from ‘A Farewell To Kings’ (1977)
Universal4 - “YYZ (live)” from ‘Exit… stage Left’ (1981)
Universal3 - “Tom Sawyer” from ‘Moving Pictures’ (1981)
Universal2 - “Red Barchetta (live)” from ‘Exit… Stage Left’ (1981)
Universal1 - “The Spirit Of The Radio” from ‘Permanent Waves’ (1980)
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