My Effin' Life

by Geddy Lee

Fans often point to Alex’s acoustic playing on AFTK as evidence of his versatility, so this seems like a good moment to reflect on the man’s talent. I know I’m biased, but I do think he’s the most underrated guitarist in the rock pantheon. Rush fans appreciate him, naturally, but I don’t believe he’s gotten his due from the mainstream or critical rock world. Neil and I used to call him our musical scientist, for he is surely one of the great chord inventors, constantly creating his own inversions and unusual intricacies of arpeggiation; he’s a fluid and dexterous riffologist, one of rock’s most original soloists, a confident and emotive blues-rock guitarist at only eighteen who went on to develop his own blend of heavy rock, blues, classical and more. His genius is one of spontaneity, his best ideas mostly coming in flashes and sparks that you have to grab in the heat of the moment; get too methodical with him and he’ll lose interest. From our earliest days writing together I’d keep a tape machine beside me, even just a cassette player, because so often without even thinking he’d play a figure that was just brilliant, and if I said, “Whoa! Let’s build a song around that,” he’d often have to listen back, painstakingly learning the very thing he’d only just played off the cuff. Knowing that about him, whenever we worked with a new producer or engineer I’d sit right there in the control room during Alex’s warmups and make sure the RECORD button was on lest they miss any happy...