Alex Lifeson Recalls His Only Stoned Rush Rehearsal

Alex Lifeson recalled the one time he tried to play a Rush rehearsal whereas underneath the affect of marijuana.

The guitarist had a joint whereas making ready to run by means of a live performance set with colleagues Geddy Lee and Neil Peart. In a brand new episode of Home of Strombo (accessible beneath), he revealed the expertise was sufficient to make sure he by no means repeated it.

“It was laborious to play,” Lifeson stated of Rush’s music. “We had been very disciplined when it got here to reveals — not even a beer in the course of the drum solo. … I smoked a joint earlier than a rehearsal as soon as, and we jammed for about 20 minutes, like psychedelic surf music. And it was so nice. I used to be having such a good time, after which it was like, ‘Okay, let’s do the present now.’ We begin taking part in, and it was like… every thing sounded loopy, and my palms would not communicate to my mind. Ged saved trying over at me like, ‘What the hell’s occurring with you there?’

“We had been making mistake after mistake,” Lifeson continued. “I could not look ahead to it to be over. However I realized an important lesson: Do not smoke a joint earlier than a gig.”

Lee admitted Rush lived by means of intervals once they used too many medication after reveals, particularly once they had been “working on fumes” amid hectic schedules. “We had our moments the place we had been doing too many gigs in a row, and the medication had been coming at us quick and livid, however one way or the other or one other we saved our shit collectively by means of all of it,” he stated. “In the long run we valued our work. We valued the standard of our gigs. So we by no means let it intrude.”

When reminded that Kiss star Gene Simmons as soon as visited Rush’s resort room and was bewildered to see all three members quietly studying, Lee responded with fun, “Yeah, however we had been actually excessive.”

Watch Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee on ‘Home of Strombo’