Progressive Rock
“Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple” premiered on Wednesday 16 September at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre, as part of the city’s film festival. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson were there, along with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and drummer Anika Nilles.
Lee addressed the audience before the screening: “Tonight you’ll see a really interesting look at this man you think you know. And you’ll see the depth of his musical legacy.” Lifeson added: “There’s a whole side of him that a lot of you don’t really know. He was very, very funny. He was a sweet friend, and he was extremely loyal.”
It’s directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn, of Banger Films, the same pair behind 2010’s “Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage”, and co-produced by Elevation Pictures. Four drummers play alongside Lee and Lifeson: Stewart Copeland, Danny Carey, Chad Smith and Gavin Harrison.
The festival’s last screening is on Saturday the 19th. CBC airs it on Wednesday 23 September at eight in the evening as part of the “The Passionate Eye” series, going up on the CBC Gem platform the same day.
Peart died on 7 January 2020, aged 67, of a brain tumour. The last studio album he recorded with Rush was “Clockwork Angels”, from 2012.
Text by Guillem Cardós