Rush Frontman Geddy Lee Featured In ‘Heeb’ Magazine

I would have not imagined that there was a magazine called Heeb that catered to the Jewish community, but lo and behold, there is indeed! What makes the most recent edition of the publication interesting for Rush fans who may not be Jewish is a pretty good interview with Geddy Lee.

In the interview we learn a little bit about Lee’s childhood, a “nerd” by his own admission, who tended to be somewhat socially isolated and lived in a world inside his own head. Going from suburban nerd to rock star is quite a journey indeed, and probably one that Lee still finds hard to believe today.

In a potentially controversial portion of the interview, Lee admits to being a Jewish atheist, “if that’s possible,” he adds. Something that I don’t find particularly surprising when one considers some of the lyrics that are such a big part of what shapes the group’s identity.

Drummer and lyricist Neil Peart has made no secret of his thoughts about religion, and although I cannot remember hearing anything about where guitarist Alex Lifeson stands on the issue, it appears that Lee is onboard with Peart where that subject is concerned.

Lee also spends some time talking about a 1995 trip he made to some of the Nazi concentration camps with his mother, who is a holocaust survivor. Although many Rush fans have probably already figured it out, the song “Red Sector A” was inspired by events that Lee’s mother related to him regarding her own experiences during that terrible time in history.

Although Rush has a reputation as one of the best-behaved bands in rock, Lee does admit that they were not always on their best behavior. “I can’t vouch for us being well-behaved every night,” he says. What he means by that is not clear, and he is reluctant to elaborate.

Perhaps his wife will have some questions for him when she sees the interview, if she has not already. Seriously however, I don’t imagine the guys from Rush getting into all that much trouble. After all, these are guys that are known for spending part of their downtime sampling wine from various (and probably upscale) restaurants while on tour.

The Heeb Interview is interesting since it is not so focused on the whole rock star thing and seems more about Geddy Lee the human being rather than Geddy Lee the rock star. It’s an interesting perspective, and one that Rush fans will surely want to check out. Don’t forget to click on “Heeb Web exclusive: Click here for the extended Geddy Lee interview” at the bottom of the page  to see the rest of the interview.

You can check out the Heeb interview on their website.