The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech that caused fury in Rush: “Blah, blah, blah”:
Perhaps there ought to be far more progressive rock bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but if there’s one that you can’t argue about the inclusion of, it’s Rush.
That is, unless you’re the band themselves. While many would argue that their induction was entirely warranted, the Canadian group didn’t seem to take the ceremony particularly seriously when they were bestowed with the honour in 2013, or rather, guitarist Alex Lifeson didn’t.
Being elected by an esteemed committee as one of the greatest bands to have ever graced the earth is no small feat, and for both frontman and bassist Geddy Lee and drummer Neil Peart, this was an occasion that they wanted to soak in as much as possible. However, it’s understandable that not everyone sees these sorts of occasions as being the most valuable merits you can receive, and there are plenty of people who see awards ceremonies as being arbitrary.
For Lifeson, he may have secretly wanted to be at the Hall of Fame induction, but the occasion appeared to be too overwhelming and nerve-wracking for him, so he decided to sabotage his own big moment in the spotlight. After the band were introduced lovingly by Foo Fighters members Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins, it was time for Rush to take to the stage to accept their induction into the Hall with all of the grace you’d imagine a band to approach such an occasion with, but it appeared that Lifeson had other ideas which he hadn’t filled the other two members in on.
After Peart thanked a long list of people that the band have ever worked with, and after Lee hailed his “two terrific partners” who it was a “privilege” to work alongside, instead of echoing the same sentiments as the other members of the band, Lifeson chose to spend two minutes committing to the bit, and delivered a speech which consisted of him saying “blah, blah, blah” in a variety of ways.
Not only had he made himself look like a fool by not taking one of the biggest moments in the band’s career seriously enough, but he’d ruined the occasion for the others as well, much to their annoyance. “They wanted to kill me,” Lifeson later reflected. “They were really upset. They were like, ‘What is the matter with you? How could you do that after our heartfelt speeches?’”
Lifeson later admitted in a 2019 interview with Planet Rock that he came up with his scheme during a test run for the ceremony’s proceedings. “We had a little rehearsal in the afternoon, just checking the teleprompter was working,” he explained. “I was reading my speech and trying to memorise it – no easy task when you get to this age. In the end, I thought, ‘I should just get up and go blah, blah, blah or something.’”
Even though he told his wife of his plan, who also disapproved of the prank he was about to pull, Peart would eventually see the funny side of Lifeson’s gag. “The following day, I got an email from Neil saying, ‘I owe you an apology the size of Texas. I am so sorry that I got upset. I’ve been inundated with emails from everybody I know saying wasn’t Alex’s speech great?’ So I was vindicated!”
While it may have been a gag at the expense of the very nature of awards ceremonies, which are full of empty platitudes and long-winded speeches about how great everyone is, Lifeson’s decision to treat it with irreverence almost backfired in a significant way, but luckily, it’s now regarded in the way he had originally intended.
