(Toronto) Geddy Lee says he is finally ready to record new compositions.
Claiming to have lacked inspiration in recent years, the former Rush bassist says he rediscovered the desire to compose after discovering two unfinished demos that he had made in the late 1990s.
Lee found these recordings while researching his autobiography My Effin’Life. He worked to complete them by adding elements before the publication of the book scheduled for Tuesday.
The two new tracks gone And I Am…You Are will be part of the audiobook format of the autobiography. Lee also plans to release them later on music streaming platforms, said one of his spokespersons.
His two songs were planned for his solo album released in 2000 My Favorite Headache. Finding them gave the bassist the taste to create new ones.
“It whetted my appetite to do something from a musical point of view,” says the musician. The spark has returned. »
He plans to record new compositions over the next year. He also spoke with his former Rush partner Alex Lifeson about a possible collaboration. Lee can’t promise this will happen.
PHOTO SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, in 2004
The band’s third member, drummer Neil Peart, died in 2020.
Both compositions have a place in Geddy Lee’s autobiography.
gone is a lament written after the death of Selena Taylor. Peart’s daughter died in a car accident in 1997. She was 19 years old. The drummer’s wife died of cancer less than a year later.
In his memoir, Lee describes the song as being too emotionally strong to perform at the time. Today, he judges that it represents an appropriate reflection on the loss of a loved one.
“It’s not just about the loss of a specific person, it’s about losses in general, about that horrible feeling when a loved one disappears, about our brain struggling to make sense of it,” says Lee.
PHOTO GALIT RODAN, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Geddy Lee, in 2015
I Am…You Are sounds more like what fans expect from a Geddy Lee song, the singer admits. The composition delves into the heart of a conflict between two long-term romantic partners. In his autobiography, Lee gives credit to his wife Nancy Young for remaining by his side despite the long tours.
The musician says he doesn’t mind persistent questions from Rush fans about releasing new songs.
“I’m a very lucky guy,” he said. My fans always want me to make music. It’s something rare, very beautiful. »