RUSH Drummer Talks About 'Far And Away' Book In New Interview

April 19, 2011

RUSH drummer Neil Peart's fifth book, "Far And Away: A Prize Every Time", is scheduled for release on May 1 via ECW Press.

"Far And Away" is a reflective, immersion-style travel diary detailing the musician's motorcycle trips along the back roads of North America, Europe and South America.

"When I write about history or nature or geology, it's from a first-person point of view," Peart tells the National Post. "It's me riding past a town [by motorcycle] and figuring out why something is the way it is."

"I got terribly lost between Brazil and Argentina, but it caused a beautiful experience. … I found myself lost in this little town in the corner of Brazil and basically ended up finding a place to stay just before the sun came down," Peart says. "There was this combination of West African music and Brazilian music, and I had never heard that combination before. It was a transcendent moment for me. … I had been lost, and now I was found."

Peart's first book, "The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa", was published in 1996, and his second, "Ghost Rider: Travels On The Healing Road", in 2002. The latter followed the death of his 19-year-old daughter in a car accident in July 1997, and the death of Jacqueline Taylor, his common-law wife of 20 years, just 10 months later. "Ghost Rider" introduced an embedded optimism in his writing, discussing his marriage to photographer Carrie Nuttall in 2000. The two had their first child, Olivia, in 2009.

The publisher's official description of the "Far And Away: A Prize Every Time" book reads as follows: "Following in the tradition of 'Ghost Rider' and 'Traveling Music', RUSH drummer Neil Peart relates nearly four years of band tours, road trips, and personal discoveries in this introspective travelogue. From the ups and downs of a professional artist to the birth of a child, this revealing narrative recounts 22 adventures from rock's foremost drummer, biker enthusiast, husband and father. Both playful and insightful, Peart's love of drumming and the open road weaves throughout the stories as Neil explores horizons that are both physical and spiritual, sharing his observations about nature, society, and the self. Full-color photos round-out this tour of the open road that will resonate with RUSH fans and motorcycle enthusiasts alike."

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