From 1974 until his passing in 2020 at the age of 67, the late drummer Neil Peart was a member of the Canadian band Rush. He is still regarded as one of the all-time great drummers due to his amazing technique, ability to shift pace, and playing accuracy. When he joined the group, he not only altered the musical style but also the lyrics since he took over as their primary lyricist.
Although his words were important to the band, the fans still remember him most for his drumming. Over the years, he spoke highly of several of his contemporaries and even mentioned one drummer who, in his opinion, was “sloppy” when playing live.
The drummer that Neil Peart said was sloppy when playing
When Rush was already a well-known and popular band in 1987, Neil Peart spoke with Rhythm Magazine. He shared his thoughts on a variety of drummers, including one whose live performance he believed was “sloppy” despite how much he appreciated it.
“The first thing my teacher played for me was a drum battle record between Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. That was certainly a good introduction to the fine art of drumming. I think Gene Krupa was a really important influence because of the abandon with which he played. It might be a little inaccurate. But it’s still so great and so well conceived in terms of being exciting to play and for an audience to listen to.”
Neil said, “I think his rock ‘n’ roll heir was probably Keith Moon. In fact, I see a lot of direct similarities between their playing styles. Even though Keith Moon showed even more abandon and was more sloppy. But he was a drummer who really captured my imagination. Because he was so free and so exciting because of his freedom. It opened me up.”
He had the chance to watch The Who live in concert many times before he joined Rush
Peart got the opportunity to see The Who perform live a few times when he was still living in Canada before he joined Rush. In a 2014 interview with The Hour on CBC, he reflected on his time spent watching the British group. He saw their performance in Toronto’s Old Coliseum when he was just 17 years old. The band was promoting the 1969 album “Tommy” throughout that trip.
Neil said, “When I was (about) 17 years-old or so I went to see The Who at the Old Coliseum playing ‘Tommy’. I was with a bunch of friends and bandmates in a van. On the way home one of the guys said ‘Do you think you could ever had that kind of stamina?’ (Laughs). I said ‘I don’t know’. I was laughing about that now, (after) all these years.”
In 1980, Peart acknowledged Moon as one of his “favorite mentors” in an interview with Modern Drummer magazine. The musician offered him a sense of independence, which was the main factor. aided Peart in realizing he didn’t have to be a part of the “fundamentalist” drumming side. Additionally, he stated that he appreciated Moon’s strategy of “crash cymbals in the middle of a roll”.
After he became a drummer he realized he didn’t wanted to play drums like Keith Moon
He stated that one of his aspirations as a young man was to start a band and play The Who songs when he spoke with Modern Drummer in 1983. He soon discovered, though, that he didn’t enjoy playing the drums as much as Keith Moon did after joining a band. Neil Peart remarked, “I liked to be more organized and thoughtful about what I did and where.”
Rush’s 2004 version of the song “The Seeker” for their EP of cover songs titled “Feedback” gave him the opportunity to pay respect to Moon. Moon, unfortunately, passed away from an overdose in 1978 at the age of 32. The Faces drummer Kenney Jones took his position in The Who, where they collaborated on two studio albums. They were “It’s Hard” (1982) and “Face Dances” (1981).
The group’s drummer has been Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr and former member of Oasis, since the 1990s. When Zak was younger, he got the opportunity to meet Moon. In actuality, the late drummer for The Who gave him his first professional drum set as a gift.
