Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson says the band were sent tasteless messages from a string of people who wanted to audition as the band's new drummer – just minutes after the death of Neil Peart was confirmed.
Peart, who wrote the band's lyrics while carving out a reputation as one of the finest drummers of all time, passed away in 2020 at the age of 67 after a battle with brain cancer.
Lifeson and Geddy Lee reunited in 2022 to play at a pair of shows in London and LA in honour of late Foo Fighrers drummer and Rush fan Taylor Hawkins.
They peformed three Rush songs with various drummers sitting in, including Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Tool’s Danny Carey and former David Bowie drummer Omar Hakim.
But bringing in a replacement for the great Peart on a full-time basis is not going to happen.
And Lifeson was stunned by the messages they received in the wake of Peart's passing.
Asked how he feels about constant questions regarding a Rush reunion, Lifeson tells Q104.3 New York: "We’re bombarded by it all the time. After Neil passed, it didn’t take more than a few minutes before we started getting e-mails from all kinds of drummers who wanted to audition for the band, thinking that we were just gonna replace somebody that we played with for 40 years who wrote all the lyrics for our music.
"I don’t know what some of these people were thinking.”
He admits that he and Lee do talk about making new music, but for the most part they just enjoy each other's company.
He adds: "We’ve had the conversation, because we can’t avoid it. But honestly, Ged is my best friend. I must talk to him every day. We get together for dinner, we play tennis, we’re doing all this charity work together.
"He’s my best bud, so, yeah, I go over there. He plays bass, I play guitar. I go over there ostensibly to play with him and we end up just sitting and drinking coffee and laughing the whole day.
"It’s not just Rush Rush, Rush, Rush, Rush. I have a deep loving relationship with this man, and it’s not all about creating something that we did from the past.
"You never know what life brings you. Right now I’m super happy doing what I’m doing. I’m engaged with a lot of musical stuff.
"I love being a musician. I love playing guitar. I love playing guitar so much. It’s not just a vehicle for making a living. It’s me. It’s at the core of my essence."
Lifeson has been keeping busy with his band Envy Of None who will release their second album this year.
