Neil Peart on the “ironic” legacy of a Rush classic
Several songs by groups that have sold millions of records have pointed a crooked finger at the hand that feeds. That is to say that several bands have written songs aimed at the powers that be of the music industry. Take, for instance, Pink Floyd’s ‘Have a Cigar’ or Rush‘s ‘The Spirit of Radio’.
Rush’s tune ‘The Spirit of Radio’ appeared on their 1980 full-length record Permanent Waves. The lyrics that sum up the song are, “For the words of the profits were written on the studio wall /Concert hall and echoes with the sound of salesmen”.
Those words were written by Rush drummer Neil Peart, who wrote the lyrics after considering the bands that Rush had been touring with. Every night, those bands would tell whichever city’s audience they were playing to that they were the best fans in the world. However, Peart found this to be unnecessary.
On the nature of the song, Peart once said: “‘The Spirit Of Radio’ was actually written as a tribute to all that was good about radio, celebrating my appreciation of magical moments I’d had since childhood, of hearing ‘the right song at the right time.’ However, [the song’s] celebration of the ideals of radio seemed like a necessary attack on the reality – on the formulaic, mercenary programming of most radio stations, with music the last of anyone’s concerns.”
He added: “And yes, it was really ironic that such a song became popular on radio, though it was a kind of litmus test. Some radio guys who ‘got it’ could hear the song and think, ‘That’s the way it ought to be,’ while others – the shallow, swaggering salesmen-of-the-air – could be oblivious to the song’s meaning and proudly applaud themselves, ‘That’s about me!'”
Rush had always been a band that was sceptical of the commercial aspect of being a famous outfit. In fact, they had never pandered to fans wanting overly excessive formats of merch. The Rush spirit of free thought was diametrically opposed to such forms of commercialism.
Peart felt that a band like Kiss were a “salesman” band. Just think of all the Kiss merchandise, the action figures, and the costumes, not to mention all the actual records. Hell, you can even be buried in a Kiss Kasket, should you wish. Rush toured with Kiss back in 1974, and even though the two bands got on well, they were evidently opposed in their views on the commercialisation of a band.
