"Neil Peart stands alone": Peart's stamp on pop culture spanned film, TV, books, and comics
Yes, Rush is an influential band. That’s obvious. But what’s special is just how far their influence spread, sprawling beyond music and into the realms of film, TV, comics, books, and video games. Creators like Jack Black, Jason Segel, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Kevin J. Anderson referenced—and often collaborated with—the band repeatedly in their work, yet, thanks to the clear reverence they hold for Rush, it’s rare that anybody makes the same joke. The references feel like paeans, a signal to other fans that, no, they get it. They know what makes Rush special, and it lies not only in the band as a unit, but also in the individual members. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart are named, celebrated, and lampooned (lovingly) as much as the band itself. And Peart, who died today at the age of 67, was perhaps name-dropped the most.
This isn’t a comprehensive list of every time Neil Peart surfaced in pop culture; if it were, this piece would collapse beneath its own weight. Instead, as a means of celebrating one of the best drummers of all time, we decided to share a few of our favorites.
First, though, it’s worth it to revisit Peart’s reaction to the band’s first branch into the broader world of pop culture. In 1977, Marvel’s Defenders #45 both drew upon the themes of 2112 while also being dedicated to the band.
“I read that issue and I enjoyed it,” Peart told Circus later that year. “The Defenders was a pretty cerebral kind of comic. We were knocked out, and it really meant a lot to us. It was like real credibility. That tiny little line in the comic book meant more to us than a whole issue of Rolling Stone or anything else. It really means something to us because that’s a real measure of respect. It’s from another artist, and it’s like the praise of the praiseworthy.”
Freaks And Geeks
Segel’s dropped Rush references throughout his entire career, but it all began with his early turn as Freaks And Geeks’ Nick Andopolis, a budding drummer himself. Of course, his own drumming left much to be desired, but his kit was essentially a tribute to Peart, who was known for having a massive array of percussive instruments at his disposal. “Six more pieces and I got a bigger kit than Neil Peart from Rush,” Nick gushes in the show’s pilot.
Later in the season, Nick gets into it with the father of his crush, who declares that “Peart couldn’t drum his way out of a paper bag.” Harsh.
I Love You, Man
The surprisingly great 2009 comedy I Love You, Man—another Segel vehicle—directly worked the band into the plot, with the central bromance between Paul Rudd and Segel’s characters crystallizing over their shared love of the Rush.