Transconian in a mad Rush to get his hands on anything, everything from Toronto prog legends
By: David Sanderson / Collectibles
Perhaps we should have heard this coming.
Last summer, the Toronto group -- composed of Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart -- figured prominently in the Paul Rudd comedy I Love You, Man. (Nutshell: Rudd's buddy-less character is getting married, and needs to find a best man, pronto. Enter Sydney (Jason Segal), a layabout who spends an inordinate amount of time in his "man-cave" riffing on Tom Sawyer, etc.)
Exhibit B: At this year's Tribeca Film Festival, the documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage played to packed houses, and won that fest's 2010 Heineken Audience Award. In the highly acclaimed movie, critics' darlings like Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan and Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor heap praise on oft-reviled Rush, citing the band as a major influence in their own musical journeys.
And next month, when the latest edition of Guitar Hero is released, Rush's 1976 album, 2112, will be featured in its entirety -- including the seven-part, 20-minute, 33-second title track.
Which leads us to our first question: When Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock hits store shelves on Sept. 28, should we expect to find Corey Labossiere -- a local collector of all things-Rush -- at the front of the line?
"I want to say yes, but I don't own any game systems," Labossiere says.
Details, details.
Collector Corey Labossiere has the spirit of Rush.
"I picked up a bunch of vinyl, even though I didn't have a turntable yet," he says, smiling sheepishly.
These days, Labossiere has all that and more. "More" being a wing in his parents' home devoted entirely to the Canadian Music Hall of Famers. There, tucked in among the requisite LPs, CDs, and DVDs, is Labossiere's assortment of Rush playing cards, light switch covers, and -- who says Rush stinks? -- incense sticks. "I have no idea why I even bought these," Labossiere says, showing a visitor his 20-stick pack. "It's not like I'm ever going to burn them."
In truth, Labossiere is a bit of a Geddy-come-lately. He only twigged into Rush two years ago -- just prior to the band's concert at the MTS Centre on May 24, 2008.
"I had a working knowledge of them, obviously, from listening to the radio through the years. But before getting a ticket to the show, I decided to do some more research, and basically just fell in love with them," says Labossiere, who plays bass in a throw-together band based in Transcona. "What I discovered is that they're just amazing; they can play every genre of music and more importantly, one album doesn't sound the same as the next, which was really refreshing." (Hello, AC/DC.)
While nobody thinks twice about the amount of kitsch generated by acts like the Beatles or Elvis, it is a bit surprising to discover that Rush fans can also purchase ashtrays, key chains and bobble heads bearing their heroes' likenesses. "I do go on eBay from time to time, but most of the stuff there that's worth buying is ridiculously priced. It's not uncommon for some stuff -- especially if it's autographed -- to go for thousands of dollars," Labossiere says.
Labossiere (fave song: The Spirit of Radio) recently took out an ad on Kijiji, asking Winnipeggers if they had any Rush memorabilia they'd be willing to part with -- things like vintage T-shirts, old ticket stubs or concert programs. Heck, Labossiere would even be happy with a Dogs Playing Poker painting, like the one depicted on the jacket of the Moving Pictures album.
"I'd also like to get a television like the one you see on the cover of Power Windows. It's called a Predicta and was made in the 1950s, but the only one I've ever seen in person was in a museum."
Labossiere may be the biggest Rush fan in Winnipeg, but Scotland's Jim Wright is arguably the band's No. 1 supporter worldwide. Wright's website (www.resistmusic.com) lists his exhaustive collection of Rush memorabilia, including hundreds of albums, singles and CDs. (You think you like the song New World Man? Wright owns dozens of copies, including rare pressings from Australia, Holland and Spain.)
"I can remember exactly when I started to collect Rush items," says Wright, 46, from his home in Paisley. "I was in Glasgow city centre in Virgin Megastore in 1981, going through the Rush section. I noticed a Japanese import copy of Exit Stage Left and was immediately fascinated with the Obi Strip, and lyrics in both English and Japanese with a much thicker cardboard cover than the U.K. issue. Then I started collecting in earnest."
In 2007, Wright fulfilled a decades-long dream when he flew to North America to see Rush perform in its own backyard. "A friend came with me, and we caught them in Toronto at Air Canada Centre, where they had just sold out two nights," Wright says.
And what did people back home think of his adventure? "Actually, I was more amazed by the amount of local people in Toronto who had never heard of Rush." (See: "world's most popular cult band.")
RUSH HOUR
Here's a list of the top 10 Rush songs of all time, according to the website http://www.the-top-tens.com/
1. Tom Sawyer (from the album Moving Pictures)
2. YYZ (Moving Pictures)
3. 2112 (2112)
4. The Spirit of Radio (Permanent Waves)
5. Limelight (Moving Pictures)
6. Subdivisions (Signals)
7. La Villa Strangiato (Hemispheres)
8. Closer to the Heart (A Farewell to Kings)
9. Xanadu (A Farewell to Kings)
10. Working Man (Rush)
SOURCE: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ Reprinted By Permission
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