Book Review: My Effin' Life by Geddy Lee
The memoir by Rush's prodigious bass player/singer/keyboardist
My book of the month is Geddy Lee’s My Effin’ Life. For those of you who may be too young to remember, in the early 1970s three unassuming young gentlemen from Canada formed a band called RUSH, took on the music industry, and changed the trajectory of rock music forever.
Early chapters in the book are dedicated to Geddy’s family history; specifically his parents’ and grandparents’ fight for survival in Europe during the Holocaust. This breaks the mold for typical rock memoirs, but the book is much better for it.
There are plenty of tidbits about the recording process and touring, and Geddy discusses mistakes made along the way. Geddy is a self-proclaimed perfectionist who suffers from “option anxiety” with the making of each Rush record. The overriding artistic theme presented is that musicians should never compromise and should not allow soulless corporations to transform art into commerce for the sake of profit.
The book contains some fun concert anecdotes. My favorite is the photo of Jack Black at Irvine Meadows in 2004, when he stripped down to his boxer shorts on stage and imitated the Rush star man (I was at that concert, and yes, that really happened!)
The portion of the book dealing with drummer Neil Peart’s tremendous personal losses, his battle with cancer and untimely death are difficult to read, but paint an enduring portrait of a man who fought valiantly till the end. The portion of the book discussing the band’s final tour and Neil’s decision to retire before falling ill is quite an emotional read for any Rush fan.
I have been waiting nearly 40 years for this book, and it certainly did not disappoint. Thank you Neil, Alex and Geddy! Rush has brought joy and inspiration to millions around the world.
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