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Traveling Music
By Neil Peart

I took a break from the history stories (mainly because they weren’t getting me anywhere) and decided to take a different route all together.

I am a big fan of Rush and have been for about 20 years. I am not fanatical or obsessive, I like their music, I like the lyrics and I am impressed by three guys who can remain friends for that many years, especially with the “rock and roll lifestyle”.

I have previously read “Masked Rider” which I found to be a very entertaining narrative of Neil’s trip through Africa. I have also read “Ghost Rider” which although it has a dark side to it, was still enjoyable for its narrative. “Traveling Music” has only recently been on my radar. Any book with “My Life and Times” in the title gives me cause for caution.

The recent Rush concert and release of “Roadshow” renewed my interest. A narrative about traveling by motorcycle between shows definitely had me curious. But not to dismiss “Traveling Music” I though I should at least check it out.

By coincidence, Borders had both “Roadshow” and “Traveling Music”. Quite a rare treat to have two non-mainstream books on the shelves. But I took this opportunity to “tune in” and see what “Traveling Music” was all about.

I was pleasantly surprised. “Traveling Music” is a part travel narrative - Neil’s trip from California to Big Bend, Texas, part auto biography - his early childhood, his interest in music and the drums, and his early work as a musician, and part musical history lesson - tidbits about his favorite musicians such as Sinatra, Madonna, The Who and the Beach Boys. A great variety of reflection and musical appreciation.

We start off in California and Neil takes us on a journey through Arizona to Texas. Along the way he points out places he’s played with Rush and what happened at some of those shows. He takes side trips about places he’s ridden his motorcycle and the adventures he’s had. Neil also takes on a trip through his own past showing how he developed his interest in music, his influences, how he spent his days in school, and what it was like growing up. We also get insight into those awkward moments and more personal insights such as his nearly drowning in the lake, his mini-bike wreck which made him stay away from motorcycles for the next 20 years, some of his childhood friends and his big plan to one day make it as a rock musician.

Along with the interesting tidbits about the places Neil visits - the history and unusual stories they have to tell - we get a broad and varied musical history lesson. Being in the music business and just having an interest in music gives Neil plenty of room to work and bring the albums and artists “to life”. He’s rich in detail about putting the album together, the style they use, the defining moment that made him tune in and listen and the impact they had on him which keeps him listening.

For Rush fans, the book does lead up to Neil’s meeting and auditioning with Alex and Geddy. That defining moment where he becomes a “musician” in the sense he will start to earn his living from it. That encounter starts on page 224. It’s done by 226, so don’t expect too much. It’s very matter of fact and for a lot of us, we wanted more, but that’s just the way it is. There are plenty of biographies about that time and I venture to say Neil is going to let them handle the subject… At least for now.
The conclusion of the book is a small side trip for Neil to get away and work on the book itself. A trip to the Grand Canyon where he can edit and style the book to his liking. It’s an interesting view on the writing process and also has details about Rush being involved in the SARS concert in Canada a few years back. For someone who’s been in front of audiences for so long, he seems a nervous wreck over that show and he recounts the story like he’s a novice getting ready to do his first audition.

Overall it’s a fun and humorous read. There is plenty to sink your teeth into even if you aren’t a Rush fan. By the end of it, I was ready to jump in the car and head out there myself.

To read more reviews or to get the book yourself go here:

Traveling Music : The Soundtrack to My Life and Times

I continued my quest into historical sites with an interesting past and kept with my ghost story theme. Best Ghost Tales starts off in a similar fashion as Ghosts from the Coast by giving a little background of a particular location and then describing what may or may not be some ghost like activity.

Again, the actual idea of ghosts at any given place is pretty irrelevant. I’m more concerned with the events that surround it. For example, Tombstone AZ was exciting because of what went on there. Mercer house is interesting because of the mystery surrounding it. The idea of ghosts merely makes the reading more entertaining.

We start off with some historical locations and some suspicious events which may or may not have actually occurred. As for actual ghost stories there is far too much, what really happened remains a mystery. Zepke tries to make a mountain out of a molehill at almost every turn. By taking a simple story she interjects wild suppositions about what might or could have happened. Very little is actually based on fact. The book seems to be caught in trying to oversell a location and its history. I kept feeling she was trying to make the story larger than life by adding her own interpretations and adding - are the noises caused by this, or by this, or by this, or maybe even this… It seems almost a desperate ploy to try and make the story “scary”.

It does however offer some interesting places to visit and gives details on how to get there, a website or phone number to call. Many sites are now museums, part of the national register or are maintained by a historic society.

As a book on ghost stories it’s marginal at best. But it does offer some colorful history and a few interesting places to visit.

There is a South Carolina version, but I’m not sure I’ll be racing out to get that one. So far, the only moaning and wailing has been me trying to get through these…

You can read more about the book here:

The first part of my quest to find something new to photograph has begun. I’ve begun my journey by looking into ghost stories. Why ghost stories you ask? Well, they seem to have a habit of involving eclectic and stately old manors with a checkered past, or some lonely and isolated locale where a young lover pines away in front of a window looking out into the majestic sea waiting for a suitor to come home, or a bed and breakfast which was the site of some sinister quarrel or money, women or both. And since North Carolina and South Carolina have eclectic stately manors, lighthouses and many bed and breakfast inns, I figured my chances were pretty good of coming across something unique and interesting to visit.

The first stop on my journey was to investigate the book, “Ghosts from the Coast”. It has stories from the Carolinas involving the things I was looking for. The only thing missing from this narrative is the voice of Robert Stack to guide you through the events and to give you that final warning at the end about the light you see in the window.

In actually two of the stories in the book have been worked into stories for Unsolved Mysteries; one involving the Gray Man who gives warnings before hurricanes and the ghost that inhabits a seafood restaurant.

But the point of interest isn’t the ghost stories but the places where they take place. First off, the stories are hardly bone chilling, keep you awake at night wondering what that sound was kind of tales. They are simple narratives about the events which have taken place. There isn’t a dramatic build up with the final tension filled warning at the end. It’s more like what you would hear of a tour through a museum. However, with a little flair and some theatrics you could easily spin some yarns around the campfire for a younger crowd.

The first part of the book is quite interesting, both from a ghost story perspective and from historical perspective. However, by the middle of the book it starts to lose a little steam and some of the stories are little more than historical background pieces. You get some stories regarding hurricane Hugo, a young boy with a less than favorable father, and the discovery of the Hunley submarine. They’re interesting from a historical sense, but they don’t quite blend in with the Ghost Story theme.

As a book on ghost stories it’s not worth the price of admission. You won’t be mesmerized by the tales of outer worldly experiences. As an interesting way of looking at the history of the Carolinas, it gains more merit. It does have some interesting stories which you can further research. For many of the stories you do get an address for the “haunting” so you can visit on your own and dig deeper to see what other mysteries abound in the area. I’m sure the Internet has plenty of information to provide for each of these places.

If you want ghost stories, this probably won’t satisfy, but it you want an interesting way of reading about the history of the Carolinas, you might be entertained. I do have to say, it does make me want to go visit Blackbeard’s stomping grounds…

Click on the link to find Ghosts from the Coast.