Posts Tagged ‘RUSH’

RUSH Anthology Update

Today at RushCon in Los Angeles, just hours before the final show of the “R40” fortieth-anniversary tour of the venerable Canadian prog-rock trio Rush, author/editor extraordinaire and Hugo Award nominee Kevin J. Anderson revealed the cover for 2113: Stories Inspired by the Music of Rush —

2113_coverTease

Publication for 2113 has been tentatively scheduled for April 2016.

As previously reported, Kevin J. Anderson will be contributing an original novella, “2113,” a sequel to the titular suite of the band’s perennially popular fourth album, 2112.

Filling out the rest of the tome’s roster are such award-winning, bestselling, and acclaimed writers as David Farland, Mercedes Lackey, Greg van Eekhout, Dayton Ward, Steven Savile, Brian Hodge, Michael Z. Williamson, Brad R. Torgersen, David Niall Wilson, Ron Collins, Mark Leslie, Larry Dixon, and Tim Lasiuta.

In addition, the anthology will feature reprintings of Richard Foster‘s story “A Nice Morning Drive,” which inspired the Rush song “Red Barchetta” on Moving Pictures, and the Fritz Leiber tale “Roll the Bones,” which inspired Rush’s song and album of the same title.

I am especially proud of my contribution to the anthology, a short story now titled “Our Possible Pasts.” I just wish I didn’t have to wait until next spring for folks to be able to read it.

Ah, well — good things come to those who wait.

#SFWApro

The measure of a life: Leonard Nimoy

In his final tweet, posted Monday, February 23, 2015, Leonard Nimoy wrote:

This sentiment brought tears to my eyes as it reminded me of Neil Peart’s poignant lyrics to “The Garden,” the final track on the album Clockwork Angels by RUSH​:

“The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect,
So hard to earn, so easily burned

In the fullness of time,
A garden to nurture and protect
(It’s a measure of a life)

The treasure of a life is a measure of love and respect,
The way you live, the gifts that you give

In the fullness of time,
It’s the only return that you expect

The future disappears into memory
With only a moment between.
Forever dwells in that moment,
Hope is what remains to be seen.”

Now as I listen to this song, I can’t help but think of Leonard Nimoy’s poetic valediction and be moved. He gave generously of his gifts, and he served as an inspiration to more lives than can easily be counted.

If the measure of a life is one of love and respect, Leonard Nimoy’s was off the charts.

Thank you for everything, Leonard. Long may your garden continue to bear fruit.

 

An Anthology of RUSH-inspired Fiction

Now that co-editor and fellow author Kevin J. Anderson has spilled the beans on his blog, I am free to announce my own participation in an upcoming short-fiction anthology he’s helping to curate.

starman_cover_2112

2113: Songs Inspired by the Music of Rush started as the brainchild of co-editor and contributing author John McFetridge, who pitched the idea to Canadian publisher ECW Press. Kevin came aboard shortly thereafter, and with John he pitched the idea to Neil Peart and the other members of Rush to secure their blessings for the project, which they graciously granted.

Neil isn’t directly involved with the project, but wait until you see the lineup of authors who are.

Kevin J. Anderson will be contributing an original novella, “2113,” a sequel to the band’s perennially popular fourth album, 2112. Filling out the rest of the tome’s roster are such award-winning, best-selling, and acclaimed writers as David Farland, Mercedes Lackey, Greg van Eekhout, Dayton Ward, Steven Savile, Brian Hodge, Michael Z. Williamson, Brad R. Torgersen, David Niall Wilson, Ron Collins, Mark Leslie, Larry Dixon, and Tim Lasiuta. In addition, the anthology will feature reprintings of Richard Foster‘s story “A Nice Morning Drive,” which inspired the Rush song “Red Barchetta” on Moving Pictures, and the Fritz Leiber tale “Roll the Bones,” which inspired Rush’s song and album of the same title.

To say that I am excited to be part of this project, and to have my work alongside that of such an accomplished lineup of fellow authors and Rush fans, would be a massive understatement. I’ve just turned in my short story, “Mulligan,” to Kevin, and I am very pleased with how it has turned out.

No specific publication date has been set yet, but Kevin says we should expect to see it about a year from now.

 

 

 

STARHC Update

For those of you keeping score at home, I bring you this update on the current rankings of the Star Trek Authors’ Rush Homage Contest, or STARHC.

starman_cover_2112

A quick refresher on the rules: References and in-jokes within the texts of our prose works are not counted, as they would be too numerous and obscure to keep track of. For this contest, we track only the number of titles (for novels, short fiction, and scripts) we have borrowed from Rush lyrics, song titles, and album titles. However, we do not limit our scoring to Star Trek novels; any work of fiction by a professionally published author of licensed Star Trek fiction is eligible.

However, as one might guess from the current Vegas betting line, there are really only two serious contenders for the top spot: Dayton Ward and yours truly.

As of September 2014, the scores stand at: Dayton Ward – 6; David Mack – 4.

Scores will be updated accordingly as future project titles are announced.

 

A Salute to RUSH

Tonight, my favorite band, RUSH, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. My reaction to this has cooled since I first heard the news last year and fist-pumped as if I were being inducted. Now my feeling is, “That’s nice.”

I’m glad that RUSH is being publicly honored. They’ve earned it; they deserve it. But in the larger scope of things, I know it makes no real difference. No one who hated RUSH before this will like them now; no one who liked their music before will like it any better once the Holy Triumvirate is ushered into the R&R HoF. And that’s okay. They’ve never really been about hype.

That’s why I love this band.

rush_front
To me, RUSH has always been about the marriage of great music and great ideas. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart are all virtuoso musicians. I admire their integrity as artists and their professionalism in all aspects of their work.

Though I am a writer and not a musician, I have striven to emulate the devotion to craft and respect for my peers and fans that I have seen RUSH exhibit throughout the years. They started their career as outsiders and through hard work have become stars. I take inspiration from that, and I salute them today as they prepare to be welcomed into the R&R HoF.

Best of all, I know that when all the red-carpet hoopla is over, RUSH will simply say, “Thank you.” And then they will go back to work … just as they always have.

This about sums it up

Ready to have your mind blown? The end is predicted to come on 12/21/12, and one of RUSH’s biggest hit albums is titled 2112. Coincidence?! Probably, yeah.

In all seriousness, congratulations to Neil, Geddy, and Alex on this long-overdue and well-deserved honor by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Fountain of Clockwork Angels

Those who know me are aware that I’m a huge fan of the Canadian progressive-rock power trio Rush. I have been a fan of the band for over 30 years, I’ve attended shows during each of their concert tours since 1982, and I own their complete studio and live-recording catalog.

If you’re familiar with the band’s oeuvre and history, you’ll understand that it’s no small thing when I say that I even love their much-maligned third album, Caress of Steel (1975), and its B-side concept track, “The Fountain of Lamneth.” Not as much as some of their other albums, but I still consider it vintage Rush.

Like many other of the Holy Triumvirate’s faithful legions, I bought their latest studio release, a 65-minute concept album titled Clockwork Angels (2012). And I love it. It’s powerful, personal, and truly epic.

Clockwork Angels also felt incredibly familiar to me, and as soon as I’d finished my first full listen of the album on June 12, I knew why: it’s the same basic story as “The Fountain of Lamneth.”

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