Rush Perform With All-Star Drummers for Neil Peart Documentary

Canada’s CBC TV network has announced a new documentary about late Rush drummer Neil Peart, to be aired next month.

Titled Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple, it will explore the story of the musician, lyricist and author who retired in 2015 and died five years later, aged 67.

And the broadcaster confirmed three big-name drummers – Stewart Copeland, Chad Smith and Danny Carey – will be seen jamming with surviving members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.

READ MORE: How Anika Nilles Learned Neil Peart's Drum Parts for Rush Reunion

Stewart Copeland of The Police was a longtime friend of Peart’s, but he’d never played with Lee and LIfeson before the filming. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Smith and Tool’s Carey both performed alongside them at the second Taylor Hawkins memorial concert in September 2022.

"To sum up Neil Peart is a daunting task,” CBC wrote in a statement. "[He] was famous for blurring the lines between progressive rock, jazz, pop and heavy metal… he was the ultimate live performer who crafted electric lyrics for the Canadian band’s huge hits. For other drummers, he was an icon, role model and mentor.”

Neil Peart Film Will Explore His Enigmatic Nature

The film, they said, covers his “tough start as a young artist, followed by his meteoric rise,” and features “intimate heart-to-hearts between…Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, alongside the reflections of other acclaimed drummers,” to “open a window into one of rock’s most enigmatic percussionists” and reflect upon his “impact on contemporary drummers and how he strived to perfect his craft.”

Peart is quoted from an archive interview saying: “I think it matters for me to play better all the time, and to play my best all the time, to keep it fresh and changing. It’s kind of my responsibility.”

Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple will air on Sept. 23.

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