A new documentary about the late Neil Peart will debut on Canada's CBC network on September 23. Neil Peart: No One's Disciple will tell the story of Rush's drummer and lyricist, who died of cancer in 2020 and is widely considered one of the greatest rock drummers of all time.
According to Rolling Stone, Rush co-founders Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson filmed rehearsal hall performances of classic Rush songs with several well-known guest drummers for the project. Those drummers include Stewart Copeland of the Police, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Danny Carey of Tool.
Lee and Lifeson had previously performed with Smith and Carey at a Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in 2022. Their rehearsal session with Copeland marks the first time the two Rush members have performed with him, despite the fact that Copeland was close friends with Peart.
Copeland spoke about Peart's relationship with his own reputation. "[Peart] never rated himself as highly as everyone else did," Copeland told Rolling Stone in 2020. "But he did very much feel the responsibility that he carried to be the God of drums. Kind of a burden, actually."
Peart himself reflected on greatness and his craft in a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone. "I was thinking about a Buddy Rich quote," Peart said. "He was asked, 'What do you think about being the greatest drummer in the world? He said, 'Ya know what, dummy' — the way Buddy would say it — 'you don't achieve greatness. If you work hard at it, you achieve a certain amount of goodness and then you just try to preserve that.' And he said, 'I've never been happy with anything I've done but I keep trying.' Bingo. You know?"
Lee and Lifeson are currently on tour with drummer Anika Nilles. Each concert on the current run includes multiple tributes to Peart. The documentary will feature interviews with both Rush co-founders as well as a broader group of drummers discussing Peart's influence on the genre.
