A Rush Fan Commits Heresy – Clockwork Angels Tour Review

‘Time crumbles things; everything grows old under the power of Time and is forgotten through the lapse of Time.’ – Aristotle

It must be hard to be an aging lead singer. I remember first noticing how the toils of time can wear on a singer’s voice when watching The Who perform ‘Love Reign O’er Me’ from their 1989 Tommy reunion tour. Daltrey was forced to cut short his money shot at the very last refrain (“Loooooooooooooooove!”) as well as drop it an octave – there was just no way 45 year old Daltrey could hit the notes that his 28 year old self could.

It’s also hard in face of technical prowess – even aging rockstars can keep their chops in shape and stay in form. Case in point: Geddy Lee is still one goddam badass bass player. Sure, Lifeson and Peart are still great, but Lifeson was never truly flashy, and Peart is beginning to sag a bit. But Lee is still in top form, which the new Rush video Clockwork Angels Tour clearly demonstrates. If you want to see a band at the peak of its skills nearly 40 years along, there is no better place to go than Rush: pulling from their extensive back catalog (yet strangely focusing on 1985’s Power Windows, to my delight) as well as performing most of their recent Clockwork Angels album, the band is still in top form, with an extensive light and video show, a high-end stage production, and even a string section to complement the new material. All in all, the band is just running on all cylinders. Except…

When The Police and Genesis reunited for their world tours in 2007-2008, it was clear that Sting and Phil Collins were no longer the singers they used to be, and they dropped the keys on many songs to accommodate their limited vocal range. Rather than try to force the songs they couldn’t sing and have them come out strained or off-key, they opted to change the songs to fit their aging voice. Geddy Lee needs to seriously think about doing this same thing.

I would guess that no criticism of Lee’s voice would phase him at this point. Having endured a lifetime of negative feedback for his screeching voice, and yet still coming out on top as one of the most influential and lasting rock bands ever, he has earned the right to say a big “fuck you” to anyone who thought his voice wasn’t strong enough to carry the band. And I agree – his voice is one of the reasons Rush is so unique and special, and Lee has earned the right to disregard everyone who tried to make his voice into a liability.

But now here we are, with Lee just turning 60 years old, and, really, his voice just ain’t cutting it anymore. This became horribly obvious on their previous tour video, Time Machine, in which they played the entire Moving Pictures album. In what should have been the quintessential Rush performance, Lee strained to hit many of the notes, which are now well out of his range, and the results range from head-shaking to cringe-inducing. In the end, I can’t even listen to that record anymore because he misses so many of the notes so consistently.

Now, some of that is due to the specific night the band plays and the strength and power of Lee’s voice on that particular night. It also depends on the songs and where the melodies Lee sings fall into in his now-limited range. I watched the new Clockwork Angels Tour video with hesitation, hoping that Lee was having a better night and overall tour when they recorded this video in Dallas. As mentioned, everything else about the video is a near-perfect experience for a Rush fan (the perfect experience being actually attending the show). But once again, Lee’s voice is the sole liability, and, on about half the tracks, it’s just too obvious to ignore.

And it’s not like they’re playing super old stuff – 80s songs like “Force Ten” and “The Body Electric” are just in that sweet spot (or should I say sour spot) just outside of Lee’s current range, and he really has to strain to his many notes. Even some of the new material (like my personal favorite “Clockwork Angels”) has some notes that are just hard for Lee to hit. In all, about a third of the songs that would otherwise be excellent renditions are impacted by Lee’s inability to sing his parts.

At this point, Rush has earned the right to do things however they want. Ever since they kicked off the latest ten years of their career, they have solidified their reputation as the “world’s biggest cult band,” with three excellent studio records, extensive world tours, a heartwarming and honest documentary of their career, and final acceptance by the establishment (which they didn’t really need) by their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Forty years on, Rush is still delivering the goods, and we fans have very little to complain about.

I just wish there were some way to get Lee and the boys to change the keys of the songs. Perhaps it’s just not possible (or it’s too much work) with their intricate arrangements. Or perhaps the band is locked in a George Lucas-like box of denial where it’s the elephant in the room (like Jar Jar Binks) that no one talks about. Or maybe Lee just doesn’t give a shit about it because he doesn’t have to. Rush fans are extremely loyal lot, and we’re going to continue to show up in droves as long as Rush keeps touring. After a lifetime of proving that his voice was his voice, no one else’s, and having the band become successful despite what everyone else said, maybe Lee is content to just keep singing the way he always has, limited vocal range be damned.

Even so, I just hope it doesn’t get any worse. Not that will stop me from buying their albums or seeing them on tour…

HWLL adds artist Mike Dubisch

As He Who Laughs Last careens wildly to its 2014 Kickstarter and publication, I could not be happier to announce the addition of Mike Dubisch to the project.

Mike’s art covers the ground from the weird and spooky to superheros and creepy comics. I will provide more art as it starts to roll in, but for now, here is a look at his portfolio.

Announcing ‘He Who Laughs Last’

For the past year, I have been focusing on writing and developing ‘He Who Laughs Last,’ a Cthulhu Dark scenario that I plan to release via Kickstarter in early 2014.

I have created a page for the whole project and updates will be forthcoming. I am planning for a Kickstarter in early 2014 and am in the process of recruiting a top-notch list of contributors. I cannot wait to show you what we have in store.

 

Rush, “Vapor Trails Remixed”

Anyone who has talked Rush with me in the past ten years has heard me ramble about how I loved the much-maligned Vapor Trails album, despite its horrific mastering. I always hoped Rush would find the time to go back and fix the record, and recently they delivered the goods.
The 2002 album finds the band recovering from the death of Neil’s wife and daughter, and the songs erupt with his long emotional recovery, breathing fresh air (at a huge cost) into a band whose lyrics had grown *Very* stale (‘Net boy/net girl’ I’m looking at you). Everyone’s playing is top notch, and the lack of guitar solos, while indicative of the time it was recorded, compresses the 12 tracks into a full set of tight, power trio rock that is still sorely lacking in our world.
The album has some of Rush’s best work in their career, and now you can finally hear it. The new mastering isn’t perfect, as the damage done to the album’s overall sonics cannot be entirely erased. But there is so much more clarity and room to breath in the records, you can actually – and finally – listen to it without losing your mind. It was worth the wait.

Max Barry Interview

Nine years ago I sent out a chance email for a shot to interview one of my favorite authors, Max Barry. Just that the guy would take time out to answer an email from a fan like this is amazing. Clearly he’s awesome. Read:

Update October 2004

Pie Driver interviews Max Barry

When you were 12 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be the newsreader on TV. That guy really seemed to have his shit together.

What’s your daily writing regiment?

I roll out of bed about 7:15am. I iron my wife’s clothes for the day (she’s a school teacher), because yes, I am just that sensitive. Then I go into my study and start writing. I stop when the words do, or when I start to feel faint from hunger, both of which usually happen around 11 o’clock. Sometimes I write in the afternoon, but more often I do all my creative stuff for the day before noon.

Do you outline before or during your writing? While Syrup has a more evolving storyline, Jennifer Government seems more structured. How are your story-telling techniques evolving?

I start with an initial idea, usually about a couple of characters and what they might want to do, and go from there. I very rarely know what’s going to happen more than a couple of chapters in advance. That helps the story from becoming too predictable, and, more importantly, keeps me guessing. I can’t think of anything more boring than planning out an entire novel, then having to write it. As much as possible, I try to avoid ending up pushing characters around like chess pieces, trying to get them to hit particular plot points. I much prefer they take the lead.

It’s funny that Jennifer Government seems more structured. That’s only because I rewrote it so hard; those story threads didn’t come together so neatly in the first draft, I promise you that. This is the downside of not doing outlines.

What has made Syrup and Jennifer Government keepers as opposed to the other novels that were shelved?

Mainly that they were not crap. That’s a big reason. Crap novels, onto the bonfire. Good novels, I call my agent.

How did it feel to finish Jennifer Government and yet have no publisher want to publish it?

My SYRUP publisher (Penguin Putnam) didn’t want it; other publishers were much more receptive. But yeah, it was pretty shocking. When I first got published, I felt so pathetically grateful to everyone that helped me there that I swore I would always stick by them, even if I became hugely famous and popular. They were all so very nice. But they had to make a business decision, and they made it. Tough for me, because I seriously thought my career was over. And I’m very attached to my career. But it was a rough time for Penguin Putnam financially. If I’d been in their shoes I might have cut me, too.

Has Jennifer Government been a success? By what standards? Do you think it will help sell your next book?

Any novel that allows me to keep doing this for a full-time job is a success to me. Getting good reviews is nice, too. In terms of sales, yes, Jennifer Government has done great. I get a stack of fan e-mail, which is just brilliant.

I have a feeling that the sales of novels tend to reflect the quality of the one before them. If you like this one, you buy the next one; if you don’t, you won’t. So very possibly Jennifer Government was just a reaction to Syrup. But hopefully not. Hopefully my next one will get out there and do even better.

Has NationStates been a success? What the future plans for it? Did this evolve as a game or a marketing ploy?

Oh yeah, very much so. I created it as a game to hopefully attract 1,000 people, and so far somewhere it’s had around 400,000 players. I’m not exactly sure what to do with it, since it has become such a big deal all by itself — many, many more people have played the game than read the book — but I’d like to do something.

The idea for NationStates.net — that you get to see what a country based on your idea of perfect politics would look like, and play with it — was one I’d had for a while. And it tied in to the concept behind Jennifer
Government. But I probably wouldn’t have ever coded it unless I could justify that time and expense as a way to promote my novels.

Who do you see as your peers, whether in story-telling or as a novelist? Any authors that you model yourself after?

It really depends on the novel. Two writers I adore, though, are Neal Stephenson and Chuck Palahniuk.

Has being a young author been an asset or a detriment to establishing your career?

I think it’s an asset on the promotional side. The media is definitely more interested in talking to young authors. But as for the actual writing, I think I’ll be creating better novels with another ten or fifteen years’
experience. I sure hope so, anyway. If I’m not, I haven’t been paying attention.

Now that making shit up is your profession, what do you do for fun?

The thing is, though, making shit up is fun. I have that rare and amazing thing: a fun job. But these days, when I’m not writing, I’m trying to maintain NationStates.net. That thing is a real time sucker.

What’s so bad about being Australian?

There seem to be an awful lot of us, wriggling our way into the bastions of American culture. It started with Aussie actors, then came directors, now we’re all over the place. You can’t take five steps in the US entertainment industry without tripping over an Australian. So I apologize for being yet another one.

Max.

Toastmastering and Gamemastering

I have been a Toastmaster since February 2013, and it may very well be the best professional decision I’ve ever made. If you don’t know, Toastmasters International is a world-wide organization dedicated to helping its members develop their speaking and leadership skills. For a relatively cheap price (~$100/year, which most employers will pay for), TM will help you grown your public speaking and leadership skills, yes, but they also develop your ability to think on your feet.

One of the key elements of the weekly TM meeting is Table Topics, in which someone brings a list of questions that you are asked to answer within one to two minutes, without having known the question ahead of time. The first few times can be pretty scary, as you wrack your brain to answer a random question in a thoughtful and organized manner. But then it gets easier, after you do it five or six times, and soon the fear is gone. Yes, it’s always challenging to think on your feet like that, but when you know you can do it without panicking or just saying um over and over again, you become confident in your abilities.

This ability directly applies to Game Mastering RPGs, which is really just a series of answers to other peoples’ random questions based on some loose parameter (the game). When the PCs take your well-planned and strictly-plotted scenario for a ride way the hell outside of where you though it would go (which happens all the time), having confidence in your abilities to go along for the ride without being rattled is a critical skill. And that confidence directly relates to your ability to run the scenario and own the table, allowing the players to thrive in a thoughtful and imaginative environment.

If you are looking for an unconventional way to improve your GM skills, I highly recommend joining a Toastmasters club (there’s bound to be one near you – check the website). For just an hour a week, you’ll be quite surprised.

Modern Horror versus Weirdness

I don’t quite get contemporary horror. Some of it is really good (The Orphanage, The Ring) and some of it okay for one trick (Paranormal Activity) and some of it just plain gross (Saw). But growing up in the late 70s/early 80s exposed me to many all-time great horror movies: The Exorcist, The Thing, Carrie, Hellraiser, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween. Lots of Stephen King in there too.

A key appeal of Lovecraft’s world is his imagination – the man was a once-in-a-lifetime individual and his work will live on for quite a while. But his take on existentialism was both nihilistic and weird. The story about the fish people breeding with humans in the failed fishing town in remote New England? Kinda different than what F Scott Fitzgerald was writing during the same period.

It’s the same elements that fuel Stephen King. Buoyed by an unstoppable work ethic (and, in the 80s, lots of cocaine and Miller tallboys), King’s work showed that the world still had room for stories about normal people having horrible experiences. King acknowledges his own Lovecraft influences, as does Clive Barker, Neil Gaimen, John Carpenter and Guillermo del Toro, because Lovecraft sets the bar so damn high – not for scary but for Weird.

His landscape is full of distant Dreamlands full of monstrous shadows, dark libraries haunted by broods of alien cats, crumbling towns on the edge of civilization. Lovecraft pushed the boundaries of imagination so far we are still trying to find the edges. But it’s not about shocks. It’s about going to different worlds, meeting strange creatures and understanding that our cosmos is limitless. It’s about stretching our imaginations into unseen territories, dreamscapes, visions.

I love playing Cthulhu Mythos RPGs because they are weird and different. I love writing Cthulhu Mythos RPGs because I get to be as weird as possible. With He Who Laughs Last, which is set in modern Los Angeles, I continually stretched myself to make things weirder, to catch the players off guard and give their imaginations something to sink their teeth into. The greatest pleasure for me comes when, after a PC awakes to find a large hyena statue has moved in the night to now stand next to his bed, the player says, “oh, man, that’s really freaky…” Caught, unexpected, by a stretch of the imagination.

So my modern horror games aren’t about shocks or surprises. Instead, they’re weird, unusual, gross and hopefully totally unexpected. So call it horror, call it weirdness, call it whatever. I don’t need sudden shocks to make my point.

I can just be weird…

Murnie, “Crackle”

For piano rock fans, there are simply never enough bands to go around. Sure, there is Ben Folds Five (welcomed back after 10+ year sabbatical) or early Billy Joel or Tori Amos, but if you like rock bands where the piano takes the lead, it’s hard to feel sated. Fortunately, the Scottish band Murnie fills that gap, and they’ve got a new EP Crackle to prove it.

One of the best things about the death of the music industry is how it has blown apart the need to release a “proper” album. Bands now can release music on their own, in whatever form, so Murnie can put the four song EP Crackle out there to show progress and keep fans’ appetites whetted, which is exactly what it does. Over the course of the four songs, the piano-bass/gtr-drums+vox trio covers a lot of ground – from the opening rocker “Brass Boy,” to the wistful “Don’t Forget,” all the way until the longer, thoughtful “Little Girl Who Stole the World.” The shorter “Spidermonkey” again shows that the trio knows how to rock. All in all, Crackle is a great four song EP, and I was glad to add Murnie to my music library.

Another benefit of the downfall of the music industry is that bands can now record pretty much everything they need to put out a record on their own. Sometimes this is good, sometimes not. The Crackle EP was clearly recorded and produced on a string budget, which is great for the flexibility and independence it can afford a band, although sometimes a recording can lack the professional sheen that spending a little cash can acquire. Crackle needs just a bump in that direction (a good mastering goes a long way) and would raise the bar for the band significantly.

There is no question Murnie has all the skill it needs. They write great songs that give us piano rock fans exactly what we demand: solid rhythm section led by a rocking piano and melodic vocals. I imagine they’re a great live band, and they clearly get how to write, record, and release music on their own. Here’s to hoping their next EP is a bit more polished (perhaps an IndieGoGo project can raise some funds), which I would gladly pick up.

Listen to Crackle for yourself, and sate all your Murnie needs here.

Custom Built Empire, “Mission Statement”

After ten years together, Custom Built Empire (CBE) has finally released a record (literally), and while the album title Mission Statement is certainly appropriate for an 8-song EP, a more appropriate title might be “Finally Grows Up.” For while ten years is a long time to make your music available to the masses, CBE has finally put together a great sounding record that encompasses everything they love: delivering crunchy rock for however long they damn well please.

CBE falls squarely in the genre of “thinking man’s rock,” reveling in odd time signatures and extended song lengths familiar to fans of Tool and Mastadon. The dual guitar attack build solid walls on which to stack interesting melodies with lyrics about unusual people and their bad habits (my favorite song, “Robi,“ is about a crippling Robitussen addiction – bet you haven’t heard a song about that before). But the key appeal of CBE is the bass and drums; for fans of rocking rhythm section, CBE is not to be missed.

Songs like Flutter, Relentless, and Waking Sleep highlight incredible bass/drums interplay that is thoughtful, powerful and locked-in like the best of them. If your favorite part Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Mastadon or any other complicated hard rock band is the rhythm section; if you are, like me, always in search of a bass/drums combo that “gets it” by providing unique and challenging grooves; if you’re looking for a rocking San Francisco band to support (when they play their annual gig) – then CBE is a great addition to your music collection.

In the final analysis, the record sounds great all around, and is meant to be turned up. The Hit Wall Studio recording has a great professional sound that does not disappoint. That matched with a band that finally delivers the goods it has been promising for ten years means that Mission Statement is definitely worth the investment. Pick it up, turn it up, rock out.

You can hear the record here, and purchase it here. Do it!