[.ca] Roadshow: Landscape With Drums: A Concert Tour by Motorcycle (ISBN 1579401457)

Confessions of a drummer who's bored with his profession:
Rush fans who bought tickets, travelled long distances and queued often for many hours to see the band on their R30 anniversary tour will be disappointed to discover that their revered 'Professor' on the drumkit did not especially enjoy the experience, was bored most of the time and spent hours aimlessly burning up the roads on his motorbike in order to relieve the tedium by travelling to destinations that he himself admits were mostly pointless exercises in going nowhere. The result is a curiously flaccid travel book, about places he has mostly been to before and that are not visited for any intrinsic desire to go there but simply as notches on his odometer (every other page faithfully gives us his mileage in K and mph -- who cares?). When he does occasionally write about playing with the band -- as opposed to what he had for dinner and how many copies of his last book were sold -- his disengagement with the whole process is painfully obvious. It's also sad to note how paranoid and downright afraid he is of his fans: though admitting that 999 out of 1000 Rush fans are sensible decent people, every time he ever encounters one he reacts with anger and frustration (and that's not just the nutters who follow him or invade his tour bus privacy, but just the ordinary ones who want nothing more than to say 'Thanks for the music and the inspiration'). If ever I see Neil Peart in the street I'll cross the road ... \oOh, and by the way Neil, the reason you hardly ever see traffic cops in Britain is not because the British are laid back about speed -- if only! -- but because all the police have been sacked to make room for remote controlled speed cameras.\c

Ribbons of asphalt and narration:
Whoever says, "Gawd, I'd LOVE to have a life like that as a touring musician!" should take Peart's gritty words to heart: Try it sometime. Roadshow is not just a travelogue and it's not just about a concert tour. And whether or not you're a fan of Peart's talent, Rush or motorcycling, you're bound to find something in this volume that strikes a chord. Far different than the haunting tone of Ghost Rider or the gleeful Traveling Music, Roadshow feels more, well, more factual. Making - and losing - friends on the way, Peart winds his narrative though the work like the asphalt that winds its way through the countryside, sliding under the wheels of his trusty BMW. Sometimes the road is smooth, the air is clean, the sky is clear. Sometimes the roads are bumpy, muddy and treacherous. And sometimes, thanks to the dubious electronic talents of Doofus and Dingus (GPS directional finders, so named for getting Peart et al hopelessly lost on occasion) there is no road at all. Peart has had more than his share of tragedies, and anyone who knows anything about him is familiar with his heartache, so I won't belabour that here. But I got a sense of uncharacteristic bitterness through his latest work. The repetitive theme of, "Can I just go home now?" does, I'm afraid, prove somewhat tiresome. Neil, if you don't like being a famous musician, it would bode you well to remember that you chose the life. You needn't be a fan of his music to enjoy the book, though if you're not aware of his background, his working companions and some of the other peripheral facts, you may find yourself a bit confused at times. That said, it's a worthwhile read, punctuated on occasion by his interest in church signs and the occasional drummer joke.

Good book if your Rush/Peart Die Hard Fan:
This book is pretty much a book for die-hard fans who want to learn about the 30th anniversay tour, what went on, the gear, the soundchecks etc..it is also about people who want to learn what Neil was up too during those 57 shows and his journery to each one by motorcycle. Check it out if you are into these types of things.. Otherwise it will be a boring reading expereince..

Dissapointment:
I have been a RUSH fan for 20 odd years - after reading this book - no longer. I was shocked to find out that Neil Peart is in fact a bigot. His ethnocentric viewpoints in this book, are in stark contrast to his lyrics in RUSH's songs. I wish I had never read this book, as ignorance is Bliss. I was so disgusted by this book I tore it up and threw it in the trash. So, do us all a favour and don't support his work. It would seem that ignorance, fear and prejudice (and bigotry) go hand in hand. I am ashamed that he is a Canadian, and gives the rest of us a bad name.

An unvarnished view of life in a popular band:
Maybe I'm missing something, but I didn't see the bigotry that the reviewer from Vancouver was talking about. I couldn't put the book down and found Neil's writing style easy to read. Yes this book can be a bit depressing at times because Neil is less than enamored with life on the road, but that's the reality of having lived that life for over 30 years. You have to have some vinegar in the salad dressing to make it real and in the end this book is a fascinating mixture of items. Yes it helps if you are a Rush fan, but ultimately this book is cool because it speaks to the seventeen year old drummer in all of us who wanted to run away and join a rock band. I know myself I've fantasized about it and this book helped open the door on a life that I will never know.