Neil Peart documentary explores both the human and virtuoso sides of the Rush drummer

Neil Peart documentary explores both the human and virtuoso sides of the Rush drummer BRAD WHEELER PUBLISHED 30 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart and Geddy Lee of Rush in the film Neil Peart: No One's Disciple. The documentary premiered last week at the Toronto International Film Festival. TIFF/THE CANADIAN PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. For their new documentary on the late Rush drummer Neil Peart, directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn recruited four top-flight drummers to play songs from the band’s catalogue with surviving band members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson in a studio. The idea was to have the performances, not talking heads, speak to Peart’s virtuosity. Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple premiered last week at the Toronto International Film Festival and makes its debut on CBC and CBC Gem this week. It succeeds as a celebration of the lyricist and musician, who died of brain cancer in 2020, not because of the tasty jams but in the way the guest drummers were humbled by the task at hand. Rush’s Neil Peart was revered as one of the world’s best drummers “That beginning was tricky, man,” Tool’s Danny Carey said after a problematic run at the overture to 2112. King Crimson’s Gavin Harrison wrote out detailed charts before even attempting Dreamline from the 1991 album Roll the Bones. “When you get into the details of it, you realize how much thought went into every drum part,” he said. “There’s no extra fat lying around. It’s all very lean.” Stewart Copeland of the Police wrestled with the compositional complexities of 1982’s New World Man: “The drums fill aren’t challenging to play. They’re challenging to remember!” And while Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith pounded out Working Man with no issues, he was breathing heavily after it was over. Open this photo in gallery: Lifeson, left to right, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Lee arrive on the red carpet at TIFF last Wednesday. CHRIS YOUNG/THE CANADIAN PRESS Lee refers to the four guest timekeepers as Peart’s “drum brothers,” and compares drummers in general to baseball catchers and hockey goalies. “They see a kinship to each other,” he explains. In a way, the film is not only a tribute to Peart but a requiem for kick-drum people overall. “There’s a sense that people don’t really know what it means to be a great drummer,” McFadyen said during a…