Be Like Neil Peart

If you've ever wanted to be like Rush's drummer, Neil Peart, there's never been a better time than December 13th. That means you have about a month and a half to read some Ayn Rand and prepare for the release of his new DVD, Anatomy of a Drum Solo:

The set presents newly-recorded, in-studio footage of Neil discussing, in detail, his approach to soloing. Using a solo recorded in September, 2004 in Frankfurt, Germany, as a framework, Neil talks about each segment of this nine-minute tour de force that is a feature of each Rush performance. He describes the inspiration and the conceptual thinking behind each part of the solo and discusses, and often demonstrates, the technique necessary for playing that segment. Also included are two "explorations" — completely improvised workouts at the drums, each over thirty-minutes long; a never-before-released solo recorded in Hamburg, Germany in September, 2004 (Ich Bin Ein Hamburger); O Baterista, Neil's Grammy award-nominated solo (previously released on the Rush in Rio DVD); two full Rush performances from Frankfurt 2004, all shot from the perspective of the drum cameras; interviews with Lorne Wheaton, Neil's drum tech, and Paul Northfield, Rush co-producer and engineer; a full-color booklet, a photo gallery and more. Rush fanatics may be especially excited to hear that the special features will include home footage of J.R. FLOOD (one of Neil's first bands), circa 1970, as well as audio-only bonus marimba tracks, Momo's Dance Party and Pieces of Eight.