From: cka52397@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Slartibartfast)
Newsgroups: alt.music.rush
Subject: Re: To Be OR Not To Be A RUSH Fan
Date: 28 Sep 92 19:21:54 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana

In article <28SEP199212083873@rosie.uh.edu> inde7lo@rosie.uh.edu (92F02544) writes:
>In article <Bv9F5F.Htr@news.cso.uiuc.edu>, cka52397@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Slartibartfast) writes...
>>In article <25SEP199223002276@rosie.uh.edu> inde7lo@rosie.uh.edu (92F02544) writes:
>
>IMHO....
>
>I agree that Rush didn't do the RTB rap for the money; they knew the album
>wouldn't sell in the rap section of music stores.  I disagree, though, that
>they did the rap "to stretch themselves musically".  Let me make the following
>statement in the context of Rush's musical ability:  Performing a rap on the
>album was not a musical stretch for any of them.  The only credit I can give
>to rap, IMO, is that the lyrics can be thought provoking because they deal
>with real-life issues of Black America.  But Neil has been writing thought
>provoking lyrics for 15+ years, so no suprise there.  I give absolutely no
>credit to the musical content (beat, rhythm, melody, etc.) of rap music.  I 
>mean, 50% (a guesstimate, I've heard people say more) of rap music uses 
>samples of classic rock songs as their melodies.
>
>OK, you may think I'm beating a dead horse.  Rush just performed a rap for
>the hell of it, right?  But here's my side of the story:  At college, I 
>had/have many friends who are into other types of music.  My roommates for
>example -- one was a country/western fan, the other was a dance/industrial
>fan.  They never understood my fascination with Rush; they say all their
>songs sound alike (AAAAAHHHHHH! I hate that comment).  So, I have to go
>on and on about why Rush and other bands (Yes, Zepplin, etc.) are a 
>superior art form.  So, when RTB went on sale, I ran to get a copy, brought
>it home, and...and I cried.  My roommates heard the rap and were on the 
>floor laughing, shooting all my claims to hell.  In fact, they listened to 
>the CD for their limited attention spans (about a week) saying that Rush 
>finally produced something of any worth.  If you ask them why they like it:
>"Because it's got a cool beat".  They were getting into "Bravado" and 
>"Ghost of a Chance".  When Rush moves down to the level where these
>guys like it, something's wrong.  Even though I still love Rush and their
>music, I loved them a lot more when you had to spend months to figure out
>a certain N. Peart riff or a G. Lee lick.  A time when everyone else was
>saying, "What the hell are you listening to?  It sounds like crap!" and
>you could mumble to yourself, "you just wouldn't understand".  I have 
>nothing against the mainstream public liking Rush's music now, but I don't
>think these people appreciate Rush for their extraordinary talent but 
>because "it's got a cool beat".
>
>Enough said.

Fellow netters:  Read the last paragraph (especially about sinking to their
level) and learn why people tend to find Rush fans offensive.  I tend to 
think that the broader the musical interest, the better.  BTW this isn't a
flame, just an observation...
-- 
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