Music Friday: "Working Man"

A few weeks ago on VH1 I watched the documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. It was pretty interesting film as far as documentaries on bands go. I had forgotten how long the band has been around.

Of course, when I think of Rush, I remember the "Rushathon" we had at my old apartment in Kirksville affectionately called "The Brewery" in, what, maybe 1994 or 1995?

See, a bunch of us had the idea of taking certain bands that we liked and listening to their albums all day/night before we went to the party or the mixer we had that night.

The first was a Led Zeppelinathon.

Then I think we followed with Rushathon, which if I remember correctly was a two-day affair.

The final part of the -athon trilogy was a Stevie Ray Vaughnathon.

Libations were quaffed. Musical geekdom was embraced. Strange behavior was tolerated. Bullshit was shared. Balls were busted. Wagon wheels were unearthed. "Dallagher!" was yelled. Some people came and went. Some people stayed the duration ("first to come, last to leave").

Very good times were had.

Very good times.

When we did the Rushathon, I remember relating to my comrades that I didn't have one of their albums, but I've always been interested in their stuff. While I disliked the synthy period that happened in part of the band's career, which is talked about in the documentary, they do have a sound I like: solid bass, hard rock guitar, and expert drumming. But Geddy Lee's voice, that takes some getting used to.

During the Rushathon, I thought, "Hey, I should buy some of Rush's CDs."

Here over fifteen years later, I still haven't bought one. While I have listened to their music through friends--in fact, one of friends in high school let me borrow a 2112 cassette, and I remember one stoner guy in high school going on and on and on about the greatness of "Tom Sawyer"--and while I've listened to their songs on classic rock radio stations, Rush just isn't a band I've gotten into. I've always kind of liked them even though the fact that 2112 is based on Ayn Rand's work creeps me out a bit (big surprise there, huh?).

But one of my favorites of the songs I know from Rush is "Working Man."

Enjoy and have a good weekend.