11 things we learned from the Neil Peart documentary

Rush drummer and Canadian rock icon Neil Peart performs in Las Vegas in May 2007. The CBC documentary Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple documents his tough start as a young artist and rise to fame, featuring heart-to-heart interviews with bandmates Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and others. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Social SharingDrummers often get short shrift. Hidden behind the kit, they remain mysterious, even anonymous.

Not so for Neil Peart, who was a tour-de-force for the Canadian rock band Rush and is widely considered one of the best drummers of all time.

In Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple, co-directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn celebrate Peart's life, extraordinary musicianship and lasting influence through interviews and musical performances.

Bandmates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, along with Peart’s fellow drummers and friends — including Stewart Copeland of the Police and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers — share insights into the wizard behind the kit and perform Rush songs together as a tribute to his enduring legacy. The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 16. Here are 11 things we learned:

"It's not 'Pert' like the shampoo," says Dunn, correcting a mispronunciation that has even appeared in films such as School of Rock and I Love You, Man.

After leaving high school, Peart moved from St. Catharines, Ont., to England determined to become a musician. He lived in cheap rooms and shared flats, experiencing what he later described as "anonymity and poverty" — an early test of the focus and stubbornness that would define his career.

When his bandmates first met Peart, he was reading "five or six books a day," according to Lee, who said it soon became obvious that their new drummer should also be writing lyrics.

From left, Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, Peart and lead singer and bassist Geddy Lee perform in 1977. (Fin Costello/Banger Films)4. He loved The Lord of the Rings Peart’s imagination was shaped by fantasy, mythology, science fiction, comedy and classical music — influences that found their way into Rush’s songs and lyrics. His love of J.R.R. Tolkien influenced songs such as The Necromancer and Rivendell.

Peart studied, practised and took lessons throughout his career, always approaching the drums as a student.

"I think it matters for me to play better all the time," he says in archival footage, "to play my best all the time, to keep it fresh and changing. It’s kind of my responsibility."

He would rehearse for at least an hour by himself before rehearsing with the rest of the band. As the filmmakers put it, he was continuously trying to get better — even after becoming one of the best in the world.

Peart played a major role in shaping Rush’s intricate arrangements and dramatic instrumental passages, which became central to the band’s sound.

His influence is especially evident in 2112, the 20-minute title suite from the band’s 1976 album."It was Neil’s idea to do an overture," says Lifeson, to "take all these pieces and put them together in one really cool opening." The movement weaves together themes that return throughout the piece, reflecting Peart’s operatic and orchestral approach to percussion.

During studio mixing sessions, Peart reportedly enjoyed a glass of Macallan whisky at 5 p.m. — a pour of about "two fat fingers," according to Lee. Over their 40-year friendship, Lee jokes, Peart’s "fingers got fatter."

Copeland notes Peart’s solos were so intricate, physical and theatrical that audiences didn’t just watch — they played along in the air.

"I asked him one time, how do you get the air drummers? I want that," Copeland said. "It's amazing at a Rush show to see them."

"The middle part of Tom Sawyer is every air drummer’s fantasy section," adds Smith. "If you hear Tom Sawyer, they’re all air drumming."

Peart was uncomfortable with fame and fiercely protective of his personal life.

"If I go off to do my job, I’m a professional," he says in an archival interview. "If I’m not doing my job, then I’m a person, so don’t get that mixed up."

Lee recalls Peart riding his bicycle from Milwaukee to Chicago, some 150 kilometres, on his day off and then performing a three-hour concert.

He later became a devoted motorcyclist, chronicling his travels, which followed devastating personal losses, in his memoir Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road.

After the deaths of his 19-year-old daughter in a car accident in August 1997, and his wife, from cancer 10 months later, Peart took an extended sabbatical and travelled by motorcycle. Although he considered leaving Rush permanently, Lifeson convinced him to return for a final tour in 2015.

"Drummers are the backbone," of bands, Dunn told CBC News, "and Neil was taking drumming to a whole other level."

That appreciation drives the film, which serves as the tribute Peart never received: a proper farewell concert or memorial, made impossible by the pandemic after his death from brain cancer in January 2020.

Instead, Lee and Lifeson reunite with four of Peart’s musical "brothers" for a musical, funny and emotional tribute.

"It’s a very joyous celebration of a complex individual," McFadyen said.

Lee jokes that Peart "would say we were idiots" and might be "a little embarrassed" by the attention. He adds that he remembers him as "a very wise, quick thinker, philosopher" and gifted lyricist.

The film ultimately asks audiences to do exactly what Dunn recommends: "respect the drummer."Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple will air on CBC’s The Passionate Eye, on Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem.