Talking Jesus With Drummer Neil Peart
A famous drummer you probably heard on the radio a time or two.
The following is a conversation I would have loved to have had with Neil Peart, the late drummer/ lyricist of the rock band Rush, you know, the “Spirit of Radio”🎶. Our last contact was in 1984 via postcard (see below). If I had the opportunity to speak to him personally while he was still alive, it might have gone something like what follows…..perhaps in a small, inconspicuous diner down the street:
J. Thanks for agreeing to meet with me Mr. Peart.
N. Please, call me Neil.
J. It's not every day I get to chat with a person who had significant influence on my drumming. Sort of like your recent encounters as a student with the late jazz drummer Freddy Gruber.
N. Well, when I got the call concerning the circumstances of your illness, I felt compelled to agree to meet. As you may be aware, we have a stadium concert this weekend and are busy getting set up.
J. And you certainly have an enormous set of drums to prepare for performance!
N. Yes, it normally takes several hours to get everything just right. But enough about me, what's going on with you?
J. Personal illness and accompanying treatment, a real joy…not really. I tell you though, it has changed my life in ways I did not expect. I know that you are no stranger to illness concerning the ones you love. I was dreadfully sorry to learn that you lost your wife and daughter just a few months apart.
N. That was certainly a life changing experience for me. I took a lot of personal time away from music, away from my fellow musicians of more than 25 years.
J. I understand that during that period you took a journey across North America by motorcycle with a few friends.
N. Yes, it was a marvelous yet therapeutic period. That's also when I wrote my novel Ghost Rider.
J. I can relate to using writing as a form of therapy. It does wonders for me and hopefully for those who endure through it. Neil, in your book you speak about the vanity that religion breeds among its participants.
N. Let me put it this way, in the incredible scope of impossibilities embraced by human faith (by definition, whichever one is correct, the others are thus “impossible”), it seems that the more outlandish those beliefs become, the greater are the cries of “intolerance” and pleas for “respect.”
J. That's incredibly rich Neil, but in my personal experience, I have come to rest in the knowledge that there really is only one truth and one faith. The obvious dilemma remains...deciding which one is correct.
N. I’m afraid tolerance is the best I can be expected to offer.
J. Yet tolerance can only be maintained for a finite period of time. Eventually even tolerance becomes intolerable. May I share with you a truth that changed my life?
N. Since you asked nicely, you may.
J. Let me share a portion of the New Testament with you. It reads: "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."
N. Ok, so?
J. God has shown us Truth, His Truth in creation itself. Can I be blunt? Only a fool says in his heart that there is no God. That’s what this passage is communicating. This Truth has remained intact and passed down meticulously since the beginning.
N. Yes, but how do we know it's "his" word? Why is the Bible supposedly correct and every other religious book or teaching wrong?
J. What you're really asking is, can we trust The Bible?
N. I suppose.
J. Yes, and for many good reasons. Fulfilled prophecy and archeological evidence unlike any other ancient writing....ever. The Bible's internal consistency as it progresses thousands of years through the revelation of 66 books. And I know you are one who thrives on consistency and perfection. But there’s also incredible scientific accuracy and foresight through manuscript evidence and extra-biblical writings. Understand that this is all well and good and quite necessary but I would suggest that the best evidence of all is what God Almighty can do to the human heart through His Word. If I may quite the Bible again, For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. No religion on earth will ever change the human heart and effectively as the Word of God. Neil, I have lives the reality that religion is so NOT where it's at. It's all about relationship, like the two of us are sharing right now, living and active. The Lord has been so gracious to me and I have lived and experienced God's peace, which exceeds anything I can understand. Sadly since I cannot begin to understand it, I cannot begin to explain it. But I can testify to you that I have been and currently am experiencing His peace through the midst of my storm.
N. ????????🤔
In light of Neil’s death in January 2020, right before the genesis of Covid, this conversation will sadly never take place. Of course, the chances were slim to none while he was still alive. But one is certainly allowed to dare to dream. The last of Neil’s writings suggested he was agnostic, often highly amused by the corny messages he would read on church billboards while passing by on his motorcycle or bicycle. However since he lived an intensely private life especially up to the end, only God truly knows. Peart’s love for reading was insatiable, so the chance was certainly always possible. If you’re reading this now, don’t put off personally knowing for yourself the Creator and sustainer of all things.
Jim
Here’s a little addendum which explains the origin of the attached post card.
Way back in 1984 I received something totally awesome in the mailbox. It was from my drumming hero (back then).......Neil Peart. Part of what I wrote him will become self evident as you peruse this postcard below. Neil had a tremendous influence on my playing back then. I probably played along with Rush's "Moving Pictures" several hundred times in the basement (bless my Mother's patient heart). Part of my motivation for contacting Neil back then was to try desperately to convince him to do some kind (any) kind of drum clinic at brother Bob Gatzen's music shop near Hartford, Connecticut. I hand wrote and mailed a two pager which apparently Neil enjoyed and in return I very unexpectedly received this:
I'd like to personally thank Neil for all of those fond memories in my basement (bucket list item #2112). Due to his influence, in part, I have achieved a level of percussive proficiency that allows me to play in various venues and assorted opportunities while having a lot of fun. With a life long career in architecture I've never had to play for monetary gain yet I still get to play at least twice a week at our local, totally hip church. I guess I've enjoyed the best of both worlds. Best wishes, Neil!
Jim
Jim, your post caught my attention for a different reason. I was not into rock bands or drumming (although I learned the guitar and played at church), but I'm also from Connecticut. The Hartford address on the postcard and your mention of Connecticut in the post took me back in time. Thanks for writing.
Oh, yeah. The Genius Drummer. The man that made Rush a rush to listen to. Jim, I too was in a rock band in my youth. However, my teen idol was a bit darker - Alice Cooper. We were a show band that replicated many popular rock bands. I was best at Alice. Many years later I was asked to disciple Vince (Alice). We both laughed at the idea of the teen guilty of idol worship counseling the idol. Long story short, Vince accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, which resulted in the Alice Cooper Youth Center - still impactful today. Due to his wife Sheryl, it opened the door to many years of me counseling rock celebrities - from Ozzy Osborn (dear friend of Vince) to my present case with the remaining member of the Monkeys. I totally love the idea of Jesus reaching the hearts of these old teen idols. Thanks for sharing your story.