The film, which premieres this month at TIFF, also features the Police’s Stewart Copeland, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith
The trailer for Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple, a new official documentary about the late Rush drummer from the CBC and premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 16, shows his bandmates, peers, and musicians who cite him as an influence coming together to discuss his legacy.
The Police’s Stewart Copeland, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Tool’s Danny Carey, and Porcupine Tree’s Gavin Harrison jam with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson with breaks for reminiscences. “I remember thinking there’s no way this guy is cool enough to be in our band,” Lifeson says, to which Lee said he was wowed by Peart’s skill at playing triplets. Smith says he was impressed by how straight-faced Peart played.
Filmmakers Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn co-directed the CBC doc. They previously directed Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, as well as Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, Iron Maiden: Flight 666, and Super Duper Alice Cooper.
Peart died in January 2020, the timing of which made it difficult for any kind of tribute to him, a point Lee and Lifeson make in the trailer. But the band hadn’t played live in years, as the drummer had retired in December 2015. The band has since regrouped with drummer Anika Nilles for a stunning comeback tour.
“Coming back at this age, your fear is that you can’t do it anymore, and you’re going to be a compromised version of yourself, and I don’t want that,” Lee recently told Rolling Stone. “That’s why Neil retired. He retired because he refused to show anything but his very best in public. And so that’s on your mind, and that’s driving you.”
