World In Changes

As I'm writing this, it's Halloween, and only 4 kids showed up at our house for Trick-or-Treat. The entire neighborhood has been strangely quiet, in fact, which I find very puzzling. We live in a typical middle-class neighborhood, about twenty minutes south of Boston, and every year, we usually get a good-sized crowd of kids coming by for Halloween candy. But not this year. 

I wonder if people are feeling stressed out. A lot of my friends have told me that's how they feel, and with good reason. I mean, things are certainly much more expensive these days-- and that includes Halloween candy. Grocery prices haven't come down either. (Sometime, we can debate the great results tariffs were supposed to bring: I'm just not seeing any.) Meanwhile, a lot of people are getting laid off, or only able to find part-time work: maybe they can't get time off to take their kids out, or maybe there's no money to buy costumes, or maybe there's some other reason that Trick-or-Treating was postponed this year. 

Okay, here's another possibility: 18-20% of the city where I live in comprised of immigrants-- from China, Vietnam, India, and Middle Eastern countries like Morocco and Pakistan. Maybe people are afraid to let their kids go out Trick-or-Treating. Maybe they've gotten the message that they are no longer welcome here: they've seen images on TV of immigrants getting accosted for no apparent reason, and they fear it could happen to them. I have to admit I still can't get used to seeing law enforcement officials wearing masks. But then, I still can't get used to law enforcement officials zip-tying little kids, or arrested 13 year olds, or knocking women to the ground, or any of the other things they've been doing, seemingly with impunity. 

I have some friends who don't even like Halloween: they think it goes against Biblical principles and they don't want their kids to participate in it. But for everyone else, Halloween used to be just another fun time when kids (and even some adults) could dress up, go out in their costumes, and visit the neighbors, getting free candy wherever they went. I'm sure there are still many places where that is happening. For example, I live near Salem, the so-called "Witch City," where tourists come from all over the US to dress up in costume-- the more creative the better. In Salem, all is fine. But in many other cities, this year's holiday seems a far cry from what went on in years past. 

I'm a big believer in keeping children innocent. There's a lot of unkindness and bigotry and hatred in society, and it would be nice if children didn't have to hear their ethnic group referred to in racial slurs. It would be nice if children didn't have to worry about classmates (or their parents) being suddenly taken away by ICE. It would be nice if children didn't have to watch masked agents grabbing people up, often without any explanation. It would be nice if children could just have fun, and go to school, and look forward to celebrating whatever holidays there are. And whatever the reason why the streets in many cities were silent and empty this year, it's a sad commentary on where we are as a country, and a sad commentary on what we are teaching our children. 

  

The Room Where It Happened: Some Thoughts About Rush's Rock Hall Announcement

 

Note: People who first saw this on several social media sites asked if I'd put it into my blog. Here it is.

 

It all started on Thursday night, right after Yom Kippur ended. I am not online during the Day of Atonement, and so, I missed the message from Geddy's management. When I read it late that night, the message was cryptic: basically, could I keep a secret and could I be in Cleveland on Sunday night? I responded that yes, I could do both things. And the next thing I knew, I had my itinerary and I was headed for Cleveland. Why? I was not told. Just that there was a private event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Geddy & Alex wanted me to introduce them when they did their Q&A with Geoff Edgers, a journalist friend of mine from the Washington Post.

 

Turns out I was not the only one who didn't know what the event was about. Most of the select few who were invited didn't know either. It was a special event, by invitation only, and some of us thought it was about Geddy & Alex making a donation to the Rock Hall. Another journalist I knew (Annie Z, who was with me in Boston for R40 back in 2015) suggested she had heard a rumor that the guys were going to announce some live concerts; but again, nothing had been confirmed. So, I showed up, prepared to introduce them and happy to attend-- whatever the news was. I quickly got the impression it was something big when all the attendees were told to hand in their phones and sign NDAs. So, probably not an event about a donation.

 

I was brought backstage, where Geddy greeted me warmly. We hugged, and we talked some baseball-- we're both fans, and he was delighted that the Blue Jays had defeated the Yankees (he was watching the last few minutes of the game). Alex came over too, and we joked around a little. But we didn't discuss the reason for event-- just what they wanted me to do (give a 5 minute speech and then toss things over to Geoff, Alex and Geddy). Before I left Boston, I had dug out my 1974 WMMS t-shirt (it still fit me)-- it seemed appropriate to wear it to the Rock Hall, given the seminal role WMMS played in Rush's history (and mine); it got some positive attention from some of the folks backstage. 

 

So, after watching the footage from Rush's 2013 induction, I went up to the stage. I got a very nice response from the audience, which I appreciated. And I gave my heartfelt tribute to the band and to all the loyal fans who had supported them (I was disappointed later that the Rock Hall video chopped my speech, leaving just one minute, but hey, it was not about me; it was about Rush, and I was honored they wanted me there). And then, like just about everyone else, I watched as they announced that they had decided to return to making music and they had chosen a drummer, and they were going to do a few concerts to honor Neil's memory and play the songs the fans loved. I got the impression that the love and loyalty of the fans played a big role in the decision. I also got the impression that Geddy had really missed performing, and that the Taylor Hawkins benefit really awakened something in both Geddy and Alex, regarding the possibility of performing together again and honoring Neil. But in typical courteous fashion, the two contacted Neil's widow, Carrie, to see if she was on board with their intentions. She was.

 

Few of us knew that the guys had been working with a drummer already (a very talented and highly-recommended drummer named Anika Nilles). The chemistry had to be right, and evidently they all feel comfortable working together. I admit I wasn't entirely surprised to hear the guys say they were going to tour: so often, people say they will "never" do [whatever] again; but years pass, and suddenly, it seems okay. I think of the Eagles, who broke up in a very acrimonious way. One member famously said they'd reunite "when Hell freezes over." They ended up calling their reunion tour the "When Hell Freezes Over Tour." But Rush never parted acrimoniously. Alex and Geddy remained friends. They kept in touch. They jammed together. But it took a while to put enough time between losing Neil and thinking of the future.

 

After the event, Geddy and Alex and I chatted backstage. Geddy said he hadn't even told all of his family members yet-- the decision was that recent. And they both agreed a limited tour was sensible for now: while they've taken care of themselves, they are in their early 70s, and as Geddy acknowledged, he needed to know how touring would affect their bodies and their health. As for me, I'm happy for them, whatever they decide to do. They are wonderful people and if making music brings them joy, why shouldn't they do it? I'm certain the fans are ecstatic about the prospect of seeing them play live. And I'm looking forward to it too. And to everyone in the extended Rush community, know that the guys care deeply about the fans. As I've said, I am convinced that this new tour is a by-product of the fact that so many fans still love Rush; and giving them some new shows is one way to show that love is reciprocated.