RUSH Drummer NEIL PEART's 'Far And Near: On Days Like These' Book Due In October

On October 14, ECW Press will publish "Far And Near: On Days Like These", the new book from RUSH drummer Neil Peart.

A description of the 312-page hardcover reads as follows: "Whether navigating the backroads of Louisiana or Thuringia, exploring the snowy Quebec woods, or performing onstage at RUSH concerts, Neil Peart has stories to tell. His first volume in this series, 'Far And Away', combined words and images to form an intimate, insightful narrative that won many readers. Now 'Far And Near' brings together reflections from another three years of an artist's life as he celebrates seasons, landscapes, and characters, travels roads and trails, receives honors, climbs mountains, composes and performs music. With passionate insight, wry humor, and an adventurous spirit, once again Peart offers a collection of open letters that take readers on the road, behind the scenes, and into the inner workings of an ever-inquisitive mind. These popular stories, originally posted on Peart's website, are now collected and contextualized with a new introduction and conclusion in this beautifully designed collector's volume."

Asked a few years back how he felt about the fact that he is now, in turn, a great inspiration to others, Peart said: "I don't know about me being a 'great' inspiration, but when younger drummers tell me they were inspired to take up drumming because of me, I usually say something like, 'I apologize to your parents.' But, of course, it's nice to hear that. Personally, I don't think all that highly of my own abilities or accomplishments, but I know that I do try hard — perhaps that's a good enough example to set."

Questioned if he is conscious of hearing his influence in other drummers, Peart said: "I really don't hear that myself, but sometimes other people say it is so. Some drummers surprise me when they tell me they were influenced by my playing, because it seems to me they play nothing like I do. But I understand about that, because of course any player with an original voice is filtering his or her influences and experiences through their own personality, their temperament. Thus the music becomes their own. Similarly, I was powerfully influenced by Keith Moon as a youngster, yet my own character dictated a much more deliberate and organized style for me."