music M C D The soundTrack of o n a laTe TwenTieTh-cenTury l D suburbia “McDonald has produced a smart, probing, and illumi- nating scholarly work that deserves a place alongside Susan Fast’s In the Houses of the Holy as one of the best musicological studies of a single rock band.” —Theo Cateforis, Syracuse University, editor of R The Rock History Reader R u s h u “This book should be welcomed not only by those with an interest in hard and progressive rock, but s also by anyone who wishes to understand the role of social class in recent popular culture.” h —William Echard, Carleton University, author of . Neil Young and the Poetics of Energy r o C k Canadian progressive rock band Rush became the voice of the suburban middle M Rock Music class in the seventies and eighties. In this book, Chris McDonald assesses the u band’s impact on popular music and its legacy for legions of fans. McDonald s i explores the ways in which Rush’s critique of suburban life—and its strategies C for escape—reflected middle-class aspirations and anxieties, while its perform- . anD the ances manifested the dialectic in prog rock between discipline and austerity, a Middle and the desire for spectacle and excess. McDonald’s wide-ranging musical and n D cultural analysis sheds light on one of the most successful and enduring rock t bands of the last half-century. h e class ChRIS MCDonalD is an ethnomusicologist who specializes in popular music M studies. he teaches at Cape Breton University. i D D Cover photograph by Brian Raygor. Used by permission. l e C $22.95 l a Dreaming in miDD letown INDIANA s University Press Profiles in PoPular music s Bloomington & Indianapolis Glenn Gass and Jeffrey Magee, Chris MCDonalD www.iupress.indiana.edu editors inDiana 1-800-842-6796 R u s h Rock Music and the Middle class R u s h Profiles in Popular Music Glenn Gass and Jeffrey Magee, editors Unlocking the Groove: Jazzwomen: Five Percenter Rap: Rhythm, Meter, and Conversations with God Hop’s Music, Dreaming in miDD letown Musical Design in Twenty-One Musicians Message, and Black Electronic Dance Music Wayne Enstice and Muslim Mission Mark J. Butler Janis Stockhouse Felicia M. Miyakawa Chris MCDonalD Neil Young and the Choro: A Social The Songs of Jimmie Poetics of Energy History of a Brazilian Rodgers: A Legacy in William Echard Popular Music Country Music Tamara Elena Jocelyn R. Neal Johnny Cash and the Livingston-Isenhour IndIana UnIversIty Press Paradox of American The Megamusical and Thomas George Identity Jessica Sternfeld Bloomington and Indianapolis Caracas Garcia Leigh H. Edwards R u s h Rock Music and the Middle class Dreaming in miDD letown Chris MCDonalD IndIana UnIversIty Press Bloomington and Indianapolis This book is a publication of Manufactured in the United States of America Indiana University Press 601 North Morton Street Library of Congress Cataloging-in- Bloomington, IN 47404-3797 USA Publication Data www.iupress.indiana.edu McDonald, Chris, date Rush, rock music, and the middle Telephone orders 800-842-6796 class : dreaming in Middletown / Chris Fax orders 812-855-7931 McDonald. Orders by e-mail [email protected] p. cm. — (Profiles in popular music) Includes bibliographical references and © 2009 by Christopher McDonald index. All rights reserved ISBN 978-0-253-35408-2 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-253-22149-0 (pbk. No part of this book may be reproduced : alk. paper) or utilized in any form or by any means, 1. Rush (Musical group)—Criticism and electronic or mechanical, including photo- interpretation. 2. Rock music—History copying and recording, or by any informa- and criticism. I. Title. tion storage and retrieval system, without ML421.R87M34 2009 permission in writing from the publisher. 782.42166092’2—dc22 The Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions consti- 2009019548 tutes the only exception to this prohibition. 1 2 3 4 5 14 13 12 11 10 09 ∞ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Infor- mation Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992. To R o b C o n t e n t s vi Acknowledgments ix C o n t e n t s Introduction 1 1 “Anywhere But Here” Rush and Suburban Desires for Escape 27 2 “Swimming Against the Stream” Individualism and Middle-Class Subjectivity in Rush 62 3 “The Work of Gifted Hands” Professionalism and Virtuosity in Rush’s Style 101 4 “Experience to Extremes” Discipline, Detachment, and Excess in Rush 134 5 “Reflected in Another Pair of Eyes” Representations of Rush Fandom 157 6 “Scoffing at the Wise?” Rush, Rock Criticism, and the Middlebrow 185 Notes 209 Works Cited 233 Selected Discography 247 Index 249 aCk n o w l e d g m e n t s viii aCk n o w l e d g m e n t s there are many people whose input, time, and generosity helped this project to develop, and I want to acknowledge as many of them here as I can. Thank you to my instructors, mentors, and colleagues, who helped shape the intellectual trajectory of my research. In particular, I thank Rob Bowman, Beverley Diamond, Bob Witmer, Susan Fast, Robert Walser, Daniel Yon, Kip Pegley, Austin Clarkson, and David Lidov for their instruction and counsel. Thank you to my colleagues and friends, with whom I shared, and in many cases continue to share, ideas, advice, and feedback, including Marcia Ostashewski, William Echard, Jonathon Ba- kan, Sherry Johnson, Jacqueline Warwick, Charity Marsh, Simon Wood, Brad Klump, Geoff Whittall, Durrell Bowman, Colette Simonot, Anna Hoefnagels, and Kim Morris. Special thanks to those who participated in this research as inter- viewed consultants and questionnaire respondents. Your time and candid responses made this book so much more than it would have been without the voices of fans. Thanks especially to Cat Ashton, Larry Carter, Dave Crothers, John Crothers, Paul M. Fournier, Alisa Frohlinger, Anthony Guida, Alex Hofstrom, William Johnston, Mark Joseph, Tanya Keenan, Joe Kositsky, Allen Kwan, Tim Smith, Laura Sypien, Kes Theodosiou, and Dave Ward. Thanks to those who helped with questionnaire distribution in various venues, including Ed Stenger at Rush Is a Band, Anthony Guida at The Rush Interactive Network, and Terry Pidsadny in Toronto. Many thanks to Alex Lifeson, who agreed to an interview in December 2001, and whose candid and articulate answers to my questions provided valuable primary data for this project. The interview took place during a very busy time in Rush’s career, and I very much appreciate Lifeson’s will- ingness to speak to me, even as Rush prepared for a new album and tour.