Alex Lifeson: Guitar Player interview from the vault

It's impossible to talk about Alex Lifeson without talking about about his band of the last three-plus decades—Rush. He makes up one third of this three-headed beast that has defied all musical, business, and cultural logic since its self-titled debut in 1974. It’s not fair to say that Lifeson has been overshadowed by his bandmates, bassist Geddy Lee and percussion professor Neil Peart.

All three of them have ruled players’ polls for many years, and each is an icon in his own right. But even in the most egalitarian band on the planet, some members are more equal than others, and, whether he knows it or not, Lifeson is the glue that holds Rush together. Alongside Lee’s frenetic bass lines and Peart’s hyperkinetic drum accents there is Lifeson—equal parts rock dude, sonic adventurer, and texturalist. His huge washes of chorused power chords and clever arpeggios have been the mortar between Lee and Peart’s bricks since the three first threw down together. And what they have built together is pretty damn impressive, with just about every record going platinum, every show sold out, and every fan totally diehard. more